People v. Manfredo

210 Cal. App. 2d 474, 26 Cal. Rptr. 817, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 1593
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 5, 1962
DocketCrim. 8165
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 210 Cal. App. 2d 474 (People v. Manfredo) 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. Manfredo, 210 Cal. App. 2d 474, 26 Cal. Rptr. 817, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 1593 (Cal. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

JEFFERSON, J.—

In an information filed by the District Attorney of Los Angeles County, defendant and codefendant Arthur Lombardo (not appealing), were charged with violation of section 459, Penal Code, burglary. The information was amended and charged defendant Manfredo with a prior conviction of a felony in the superior court of Providence, Rhode Island, on September 23, 1941, for which he served a term of imprisonment in the state prison. Defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the prior conviction. Trial was by jury. The jury returned a verdict of guilty in the second degree and found the prior conviction of the felony as alleged to be true. Motion for a new trial was denied. Probation was denied and defendant was sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law. This is an appeal from the judgment of conviction and order denying defendant’s motion for a new trial.

*477 The evidence reveals there was a burglary of the Golden Bull Restaurant in Los Angeles County. Pay Beth Rogers testified she was a waitress at the restaurant and, at approximately 1 a. m., May 1, 1961, Lombardo and defendant came into the bar, listened for awhile and then walked into the banquet room which was closed. She inquired of them whether they were interested in booking a banquet. Defendant replied that he was. He stated his name was DeMarco; he owned the DeMarco Company; and had booked the banquet room before.

Chris Nielsen testified he lived on the same property in the rear of the restaurant; he returned to his home at approximately 2 a. m. on May 1, 1961; he saw two figures come across the parking lot following the path along the side of the building and enter through a side door of the restaurant; the two persons he saw entering the door were similar in size and build to the defendant and eodefendant; he crossed the street and called the police.

William H. Macy, a police officer in the City of Los Angeles, and a fellow officer arrived at the scene at approximately 2:35 a. m. in response to a radio call. His partner cheeked the front door of the restaurant as he checked the back door. As he went to the side of the building he observed codefendant Lombardo by the window of the restaurant with a glove on his left hand and another glove in his right pocket. He observed a pair of pliers in his pocket and a brace and bit were found at the bottom of the window. Lombardo told him that “Buddy” was inside the restaurant. While talking to Lombardo, he heard what seemed to be a crashing of chairs inside the restaurant and observed defendant running from the southwest corner of the building. He went in pursuit and yelled “ Stop! Police! ” Defendant continued to run. He pursued defendant and found him crouched between two houses and a fence. Defendant threw up his hands and said, “I give up. I thought you were somebody else.” There was a door which led to the kitchen of the restaurant on the side of the building from which the officer observed defendant run. In cheeking the door he discovered it was open. When apprehended defendant stated he had been to Kirkwood’s bowling alley where he had an argument with his girl friend and he was running because some fellows were chasing him.

Defendant testified in his own behalf. During the evening of April 30, 1961, he met a girl at a supper club. The girl went with him to the Kirkwood bowling alley and “one of the *478 fellows there went after the girl.” He “threw a punch” and one of the other fellows came towards him and he “took off.” He ran up a hill and next thing he knew a policeman with a gun told him to put up his hands. He denied saying, “I give up.” He denied he had burglarized the Golden Bull or that he had ever been inside the restaurant. He also denied knowing codefendant Lombardo or that he had ever seen him prior to his arrest. The reason he ran was that he thought one of the fellows was chasing him from the bowling alley. He did not know the girl’s name except he called her “Anne.” He denied he had ever been convicted of a felony; he admitted he had lived in Rhode Island in 1941 and had been in trouble there and that he had been sent to a “workhouse” for entry. He testified he had never been sent to prison.

Anthony Lombardo testified he did not intend to break into the Golden Bull Restaurant but he admitted he went into the restaurant through a side door with “Buddy.” He denied he knew defendant or had ever seen him until the night of the arrest. He testified that defendant was not the person he knew as 1 ‘ Buddy. ’ ’ He had seen 1 ‘ Buddy ’ ’ on several occasions and thought “Buddy” worked at the Golden Bull. He stated that if he saw him again he could identify him.

Defendant contends the evidence is insufficient as a matter of law to sustain the judgment. This contention is without merit as shown by the summary of the evidence heretofore given.

In regard to the element of intent “ [i]t is necessary for the People to show that a person charged with burglary entered the premises with intent to commit theft or some other felony. Such intent may be inferred from the facts and circumstances disclosed by the evidence. Such intent is rarely susceptible of direct proof and must, therefore, ordinarily be inferred from the circumstances. When the evidence is sufficient to justify a reasonable inference that such intent existed, the verdict will not be disturbed on appeal.” (People v. Franklin, 153 Cal.App.2d 795, 797 [314 P.2d 983].)

Defendant next contends the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to prove the prior conviction of a felony, and the questioning of defendant and the proof of the alleged prior felony conviction for the purpose of impeachment was prejudicial error. We find no merit in this contention. It was established that defendant was the same person named in the allegation of a prior conviction of a felony in the State of Rhode Island through stipulation by all counsel *479 that the fingerprints in the documents from Rhode Island were defendant’s fingerprints. Defendant made no objection to the exhibit consisting of a fingerprint card, a photograph, certification by certain authorities and a letter on the stationery of the office of the warden addressed to District Attorney McKesson, which read as follows:

“Letter from 6-14-61 Office of the Warden “Dear Mr. McKesson: “Enclosed find photographs and copy of subjects prior. Subject was sentenced on September 23, 1941, in Providence Superior Court for Entering a shop in the night time and Larceny. His term of sentence was three years. The affidavit will be sent to you under separate cover. Robert J. Black. Sr. Classification Counselor 254247”

Defendant waived any objection to the competency of the prison record of the State of Rhode Island by failing to object when the record was offered.

“ It has been uniformly held that the competency or admissibility of evidence may not be raised for the first time on appeal, and that, when it has been admitted at the trial without objection, it may be considered in support of the judgment. [Citations.]” (People v. Houston,

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Bluebook (online)
210 Cal. App. 2d 474, 26 Cal. Rptr. 817, 1962 Cal. App. LEXIS 1593, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-manfredo-calctapp-1962.