People v. Masters

134 Cal. App. 3d 509, 185 Cal. Rptr. 134, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 1790
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 22, 1982
DocketCrim. 40950
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 134 Cal. App. 3d 509 (People v. Masters) 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. Masters, 134 Cal. App. 3d 509, 185 Cal. Rptr. 134, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 1790 (Cal. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

Opinion

BERG, J. *

In an information defendant was charged with 14 counts of robbery (Pen. Code, § 211). Each count alleged the use of a handgun within the meaning of Penal Code sections 12022.5 and 1203.06, subdivision (a)(1).

Appellant denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. A jury acquitted defendant of one robbery count, but found him guilty of the remaining 13 robbery counts. 1 The use allegations were found to be true. In the sanity trial, defendant was found legally sane. He was sentenced to state prison for 23 years. He appeals from the judgment of conviction. We affirm as to all counts but count 8, reversing as to that count only;

With the exception of counts 8 and 10, each robbery conviction was supported by identification testimony. Identification was bolstered by defendant’s confession which was specific as to many of the robberies. The entire defense case consisted of a three-page summary of a psychiatric examination of defendant by Dr. Joel Móskowitz. This report will be discussed later.

*515 The trial court instructed on robbery (CALJIC No. 9.10), diminished capacity to form the required specific mental state (CALJIC No. 3.35 —Wells-Gorshen rule) 2 as requested by the defense, and voluntary intoxication (CALJIC No. 4.21), 3 also on defense request. No lesser included offense was either requested or given sua sponte.

We now deal with appellant’s assertions of error.

I

Did the trial court err in not instructing sua sponte that assault with a deadly weapon was a lesser included offense of robbery, having instructed the jury on diminished capacity? No.

The purported defense of diminished capacity consisted of a three-page summary of Dr. Moskowitz’s psychiatric examination. He had the clinical impression that defendant was a “sophisticated sociopathic character.” He added that “[t]his is not to say that he may not have a severe underlying emotional disorder or for that matter even an organic brain condition e.g. psychomotor epilepsy.” But he concluded: “I cannot state with certitude that defendant at the time of commission of the alleged offense could have had the mental capacity to form the specific intent to take property of another by force of fear.... It is my impres *516 sion that Mr. Masters suffers from a lack of conscience as a result of mental defect and hence was not sane at the time of commission of the alleged offense.” No testimony was offered by either side on this issue.

It has been held that “a mere sociopathic personality with schizoid tendencies is insufficient without more to authorize an instruction on diminished capacity.” (People v. Washington (1976) 58 Cal.App.3d 620, 627 [130 Cal.Rptr. 96]; People v. Powell (1974) 40 Cal.App.3d 107, 162-163 [115 Cal.Rptr. 109]. See also In re Walker (1974) 10 Cal.3d 764, 785 [112 Cal.Rptr. 177, 518 P.2d 1129], holding that a mere unstable personality and emotional instability without more are insufficient to suggest an inability to harbor the requisite mental state.)

Defendant asserts that the trial court was required to instruct sua sponte that assault with a deadly weapon is a lesser included offense of robbery, since the jury was instructed on diminished capacity. On the contrary, the only clinical impression that can be gleaned from the report is that the defendant is a sociopath, lacking in conscience. That did not justify an instruction on diminished capacity under CALJIC No. 3.35 4 let alone the lesser charge.

The psychiatrist’s vaguely couched reference to defendant’s specific intent was too weak to support the diminished capacity instruction. Equivocal evidence does not suffice to merit such an instruction. (People v. Flannel (1979) 25 Cal.3d 668, 686 [160 Cal.Rptr. 84, 603 P.2d 1]; also see p. 684.) Defendant cannot be heard to complain that he was entitled to compounded error or enlarged generosity in giving an instruction on the lesser offense. The error here was favorable, not detrimental or prejudicial. (See People v. Flannel, supra, 25 Cal.3d at p. 686.)

II

Was there a duty to instruct on the lesser included offense of assault with a deadly weapon because of the gun-use allegation as appellant contends? No.

We need not extend discussion on whether a gun-use allegation in a robbery charge is “part of the charge” requiring the giving of a lesser *517 included offense of assault with a deadly weapon. 5 Under circumstances similar to the case at bench, the Supreme Court readily disposed of this issue. “Whether or not assault with a deadly weapon is a lesser included offense when a defendant is charged both with a robbery and a ‘use’ allegation, a trial court, as we explained in People v. Flannel, supra, 25 Cal.3d 668, 683-686, is required to give such an instruction only if there is substantial evidence to support a jury’s determination that the defendant was in fact only guilty of the lesser offense. [¶] In this case, contrary to appellant’s contention, there is no evidence from which the jury could reasonably conclude that defendant was only guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and not robbery. The evidence pointed unmistakably to the fact that appellant had taken money from the Taco Bell; appellant had presented no evidence to suggest that he did not have the specific intent to steal. [Citation.] Under these circumstances the trial court did not err in failing to instruct on assault with a deadly weapon.” (People v. Ramos (1982) 30 Cal.3d 553, 582 [180 Cal.Rptr. 266, 639 P.2d 908].)

We put aside discussion of count 8, which presents a special problem, and of counts 3 and 6, to be covered next. As to all other counts, the evidence pointed unmistakably to the commission of the robberies. The defense psychiatrist’s reference to defendant’s capacity to form a specific intent was ambiguous at best. The psychiatrist’s only clearly expressed opinion was that defendant was lacking in conscience. The overwhelming evidence pointed solely to defendant’s specific intent to steal. The contention, therefore, is meritless.

III

Did the trial judge commit prejudicial error by failing to instruct on assault with a deadly weapon as a lesser included offense of robbery, having instructed on the subject of voluntary intoxication? No.

An instruction on voluntary intoxication was given to the jury. (CALJIC No.

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Bluebook (online)
134 Cal. App. 3d 509, 185 Cal. Rptr. 134, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 1790, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-masters-calctapp-1982.