People v. Loar

333 P.2d 49, 165 Cal. App. 2d 765, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 1354
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 9, 1958
DocketCrim. 6270, 6349
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 333 P.2d 49 (People v. Loar) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Loar, 333 P.2d 49, 165 Cal. App. 2d 765, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 1354 (Cal. Ct. App. 1958).

Opinion

WHITE, P. J.

We are here confronted with two appeals taken in one action, and which by stipulation have been consolidated for hearing and decision upon a single set of briefs.

In an information filed by the district attorney of Los Angeles County, defendant was charged in two counts with the crime of forcible rape (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. 3). In the first count the act was alleged to have been accomplished on or about October 31, 1957, with and upon Barbara Jean Wilson. The second count alleged the act was accomplished with and upon Geraldine Butterbaugh on or about December 9, 1957.

*768 Defendant pleaded not guilty to both counts. He personally and all counsel waived trial by jury. By stipulation the cause was submitted on the testimony contained in the transcript of the proceedings had at the preliminary hearing with each side reserving the right to further introduce evidence and defendant reserving the right to cross-examine the witnesses for the People.

At the conclusion of the trial, the court found defendant guilty as charged on each of the two counts. His motion for a new trial was denied.

Under section 5504 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, the court appointed three doctors to examine the appellant as to being a sexual psychopath.

Although no judgment or probation order had been made or entered, defendant, as he was entitled to do, filed notice of appeal from the order denying his motion for a new trial (Thurmond v. Superior Court, 49 Cal.2d 17, 21 [314 P.2d 6]). The appeal in 2nd Criminal 6270 is prosecuted pursuant to the aforesaid notice.

Subsequently, defendant was found not to be a sexual psychopath. Proceedings were suspended and probation was granted for five years with the first year to be spent in the county jail. Appellant filed a notice of appeal from the “judgment of conviction” (Pen. Code, § 1237, subd. 1). The appeal in 2nd Criminal 6349 is prosecuted pursuant to the last mentioned notice.

As to the factual background surrounding this prosecution, the record reveals the following:

Count I

Barbara Jean Wilson, a junior high school student, was home alone in her bathroom at about 9 :30 on the night of October 31, 1957, when she noticed the lights “flickered on and off.” She remained in the bathroom for about thirty minutes, when the back door opened and “the lights were off.” Miss Wilson then went to the service porch and “yelled . . . Whoever is in the back yard get out and leave me alone” or “leave the house alone.” Thereupon, “. . . this figure jumped in at me.” The witness testified that the intruder was “six feet, or five foot-eleven, or something like that,” that he was wearing “levis, and he had a leather jacket, dark-colored jacket, a motorcycle jacket ... he had a white hood over his head.” Shown a black leather jacket with a buckle on it, which was taken from defendant at the time of his arrest, the witness testified, “It looks like the type of jacket that the *769 person had on.” The prosecutrix testified that the man “grabbed me by the throat and told me not to scream or he would kill me.” The assailant then forced her into the living room where he commanded her to take off her clothing which she did. She then struggled with him but he overpowered her and forcibly accomplished an act of sexual intercourse upon the complainant notwithstanding her resistance. An automobile drove up in front of the house and the victim told her attacker her “parents were coming,” whereupon he “ran off.”

With regard to identification of the man who attacked her, the following occurred:

“Q. Now, during the time the person was in the house, he talked to you several times, is that true? A. Yes.
“Q. Did you go to a police lineup later on? A. Yes.
“Q. In the police lineup did they have a person in the lineup—the persons in the lineup talk? A. Yes.
“Q. Did you pick someone in the lineup as having a voice like this person who was in your home ? A. I didn’t personally pick him out, but after he was picked out, I recognized him.
“Mr. Spencer (attorney for defendant) : I will object to that as not responsive.
“The Court: Objection sustained.
“Q. Bv Mr. Shea (Deputy District Attorney): Did you recognize one of the voices as being the voice of this person which was in your house on that date? A. Yes, I did.
“Q. Did you get to see who that person was in the lineup? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Is that person in the courtroom today? A. Yes.
“Q. Would you point him out? A. Sitting over there.
“Q. The man seated at the end of the table? A. Yes.
“The Court: The record will indicate that the witness has pointed to the defendant.”

On cross-examination, the prosecutrix was interrogated as follows:

“Q. By Mr. Spencer: Let’s get down to this police lineup. How many persons did you see in the lineup? A. I believe there was five or six.
“Q. Outside of the man seated at my left, there was only one other man in that group who was his approximate height, in the group, wasn’t there ? A. I couldn’t be sure of that.
“Q. Do you remember two or three persons in the group that were obviously shorter than the man you saw? A. Yes.
*770 ‘ ‘ Q. Now, when they had these different individuals speak, you couldn’t identify the defendant’s voice as the voice you heard at your home on this particular occasion, could you? A. Yes, it is.
“Q. It was only after someone else, either the police or some other person told you that the defendant was the man in the room that night, that you now say he was, isn’t that true? A. Yes.”

On recross-examination the following occurred:

“Q. At least someone other than the police identified the defendant, is that right? Before that time you did not identify him? A. Yes.
“Q. Although you were asked if you could recognize him? A. Yes.”

On redirect examination, the following testimony was given:

‘‘Q. Was the voice you heard of the defendant, was that the same voice you heard at your house? A. Yes.
“Q. No one told you that was the same voice, did they? A. After he had been identified and he said some of the sentences, to me it was the same voice, it sounded like the same voice.
‘1 The Court : What do you mean identified ?
‘‘The Witness: After the other person identified him as being the person in her house.
“Q. By Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
333 P.2d 49, 165 Cal. App. 2d 765, 1958 Cal. App. LEXIS 1354, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-loar-calctapp-1958.