People v. Johnson

450 P.2d 865, 70 Cal. 2d 541, 75 Cal. Rptr. 401, 43 A.L.R. 3d 366, 1969 Cal. LEXIS 352
California Supreme Court·Decided March 3, 1969·No. Crim. 12804·Published·Cited by 176 cases

Opinions

PETERS, J.

Defendant Harold Edward Johnson and a codefendant Howard, who has not appealed, were convicted of four counts of burglary after waiving jury trial and submitting the cause upon the transcript of the preliminary hearing. Johnson appeals from an order suspending proceedings and placing him on probation for five years.

Johnson claims on appeal that there is no evidence connecting him with the third count of burglary1 and that his extrajudicial confession is inadmissible as a fruit of an unlawful search and arrest.

The Attorney General has conceded that there is no evidence connecting Johnson with count III. The sole issue to be decided in connection with the other counts is the admissibility of Johnson’s confession.

Pour residences were burglarized between June 1965 and October 1966. On October 21, 1966, Deputy Sheriff Ellson and Sergeant Anderson, without an arrest or search warrant, went to the apartment of Johnson’s codefendant Bobby Roy Howard. They knocked on the door and asked for Howard. One Ciabattari answered the door; the officers asked him for identification, and if they could enter. Ciabattari refused permission and tried to shut the door while he went upstairs to get identification. He was unable to close the door because one of the officers put his foot inside. The officers entered, Ciabattari was arrested, and a television set taken in one of the burglaries was seized by the police officer.

Codefendant Howard was arrested about two hours later and taken to the sheriff’s station. On the way into the sheriff’s station, Howard and the police officers saw the television set taken from Howard’s apartment. The set was pointed out to Howard and he was asked about it. Howard [545] was warned of his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 [16 L.Ed.2d 694, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 10 A.L.R.3d 974].2

After being warned of his rights, after being shown the TV set, and after being asked about it, Howard confessed, implicating Johnson. Johnson was arrested the next day at his home and warned of his rights. Questioned about the burglaries, he at first denied any involvement. After his denial he was taken in a police ear to Howard’s residence. Howard, who was out on bail, was “invited” to join Deputy Sheriff Ellson, Sergeant Anderson and Johnson in the car “for a talk.” Howard and Johnson were again warned of their rights. Howard repeated his confession, implicating Johnson, and Johnson then confessed.

In both the municipal and superior courts, defendant objected to the admission of his confession on the ground that it was induced by Howard’s confession, which was inadmissible because the search of Howard’s residence and his arrest were unlawful.

The Attorney General concedes that “in view of the present condition of the record” the search was unlawful. The rule is settled that where a confession is induced by illegally seized evidence, the confession is subject to exclusion as fruit of the poisonous tree. (See, e.g., Fahy v. Connecticut (1963) 375 U.S. 85, 90-91 [11 L.Ed.2d 171, 175-176, 84 S.Ct. 229]; Wong Sun v. United States (1963) 371 U.S. 471, 485 [9 L.Ed.2d 441, 453, 83 S.Ct. 407]; People v. Stoner, 65 Cal.2d 595, 600 [55 Cal.Rptr. 897, 422 P.2d 585]; People v. Bilderlach, 62 Cal.2d 757, 767 [44 Cal.Rptr. 313, 401 P.2d 921]; People v. Faris, 63 Cal.2d 541, 546 [47 Cal.Rptr. 370, 407 P.2d 282]; People v. Dixon, 46 Cal.2d 456, 458 [296 P.2d 557]; People v. Govea, 235 Cal.App.2d 285, 304 [45 Cal.Rptr. 253].)

The application of the fruit-of-the-poisonous-tree doctrine was restated in Wong Sun v. United States, supra, 371 U.S. 471, 485, 487-488 [9 L.Ed.2d 441, 453, 455-456, 83 S.Ct. 407]:

‘'The exclusionary rule has traditionally barred from trial physical, tangible materials obtained either during or as a result of an unlawful invasion. . . . [V] erbal evidence which derives so immediately from an unlawful entry and an unauthorized arrest ... is no less the ‘fruit’ of official illegality than the more common tangible fruits of the unwarranted intrusion. . . .

[546] “ [T]his is not the ease envisioned by this Court where the exclusionary rule has no application because the Government learned of the evidence ‘from an independent source’ [citations] ; nor is this a case in which the connection between the lawless conduct of the police and the discovery of the challenged evidence has ‘become so attenuated as to dissipate the taint’ [citations]. We need not hold that all evidence is ‘fruit of the poisonous tree’ simply because it would not have come to light but for the illegal actions of the police. Rather, the more apt question in such a case is ‘whether, granting establishment of the primary illegality, the evidence to which instant objection is made has been come at by exploitation of that illegality or instead by means sufficiently distinguishable to be purged of the primary taint. ’ ’ ’

The rule of Wong Sun was applied by this court in People v. Bilderbach, supra, 62 Cal.2d 757, in a situation analogous to that presented by the instant case: the defendant argued that his confession should be excluded since he confessed only because he was confronted with illegally obtained evidence. Although reversing on other grounds, we discussed defendant ’s contention should the issue arise on retrial:

“That the prosecutor may not profit directly or indirectly from an illegal search has been the keystone of the rule excluding illegally obtained evidence. . . .
“Even though statements are free of ‘oppressive circumstances’ and otherwise voluntarily rendered, they are not exempt from attack on constitutional grounds if they are the product of an illegal search [citations].
“The presence or absence of 'oppressive circumstances’ is not determinative. Rather, each case should turn on the issue whether the evidence related so closely to the illegal search that the admission of such evidence ‘would thwart the laudable policies underlying the exclusionary rule. ’ [ Citations. ] “With this principle in mind, the trial court should examine the facts in order to determine if the statement was induced by the illegal search. [Citations.] If the statement was so induced it was not ‘an act of free will to purge the primary taint of the unlawful invasion,’ but was ‘ “come at by exploitation of [the] illegality ’ ’ ’ [citations] and is therefore excludable. ’ ’ (People v. Bilderbach, supra, 62 Cal.2d 757, 763, 767-768.)

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People v. Johnson, 450 P.2d 865, 70 Cal. 2d 541, 75 Cal. Rptr. 401, 43 A.L.R. 3d 366, 1969 Cal. LEXIS 352 (Cal. 1969).

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