People v. McKissack

259 Cal. App. 2d 283, 66 Cal. Rptr. 199, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 1972
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 21, 1968
DocketCrim. 13083
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 259 Cal. App. 2d 283 (People v. McKissack) 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. McKissack, 259 Cal. App. 2d 283, 66 Cal. Rptr. 199, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 1972 (Cal. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

LILLIE, J.

An information charging defendant with one count of forgery. (Pen. Code, § 470) consolidated for trial with an information charging his brother Reece Ray McKissaek with four counts of forgery, became count V of the consolidated information. A jury found defendant guilty of forgery as charged in count V; Reece Ray McKissack was found guilty on counts I, II, III and IV. Only defendant appeals from the judgment.

The charge against defendant (count V) involves Exhibit *285 5, a cheek drawn on First Western Bank and Trust Company of Alhambra, California, personalized for Laddercraft Company, dated October 29, 1965, payable to Torry A. Hatch in the sum of $169.88, bearing a signature of Edward H. Wurst as maker. In late October 1965 Edward II. Wurst, vice president of a manufacturing corporation, Laddercraft Company, missed some numbered checks from his place of business (Exhs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). On October 29, 1965, Exhibit 5 was presented to William L. Cunningham, Alpha Beta Acme Market in Alhambra; he gave cash in exchange for the check. The signature in the lower right-hand corner of the cheek was not that of Edward H. Wurst and he did not give anyone permission to sign his name to the check.

On November 18, 1965, defendant was arrested at his home in South Gate; he was advised of his constitutional rights, and when asked if he understood them he replied, “Yes.” Informed of the charge and that checks had been passed in markets throughout San Gabriel Valley, defendant denied any connection with them. Asked if he would like to discuss it, defendant replied, “No.” Passing three markets where cheeks were passed, on the way to the station, Sergeant Kliegl asked if he ever passed checks there; defendant replied that he had not and he had never been in the markets. He also denied ever doing business with Laddercraft or handling any of its checks. After being booked defendant was fingerprinted ; neither defendant nor his brother Reece was allowed to touch any of the checks.

In the course of his investigation, Sergeant Kliegl had a conversation with David DePue; DePue admitted he had passed all checks bearing his name. He said that the two brothers gave him the checks and one’s name was Reece. Shown mug shots of the McKissack brothers, DePue identified them as the two who had supplied him with the checks and driven them around when they passed the checks on Friday evening. Sergeant Kliegl also talked to Jerry Webster. He too identified the mug shots of the McKissack brothers as those who had supplied the checks and had been with them in the automobile at the time the checks were passed. DePue and Webster told him they had received approximately $300 apiece -and that the McKissack brothers had taken around $1,400. '

Jerry Webster testified' that around the end of October 1965, he had “dealings” with defendant and his brother Reece relative to cashing certain checks; he signed' and cashed *286 Exhibit 5 and also Exhibits 2 and 4, all of which defendant and Reece supplied him. He further testified that he signed “Edward H. Wurst” on Exhibit 2 which was made out to “Torry Hatch”; he had a duplicate driver’s license in the name of Torry Hatch; defendant and Reece took Mm to a market in Alhambra where he and DePue went in and he cashed the check. As to Exhibit 4, Webster said that defendant and Reece also supplied this check made out to “Torry Hatch” and he wrote the name “Edward H. Wurst” as the maker; defendant and Reece drove him to a market where he and DePue entered and cashed the check; he wrote the endorsements on the reverse sides of Exhibits 2 and 4. Webster testified that Exhibit 5 was supplied to him by defendant and Reece; the cheek was made payable to “Torry A. Hatch”; he wrote the signature “Edward H. Wurst” and made the endorsement on the reverse side; defendant and Reece drove him to an Alhambra market; he and DePue entered and he cashed Exhibit 5. The money received by Webster from these cheeks was divided among him, DePue, Reece and defendant.

David DePue testified that in October of 1965, he received Exhibit 1 from one of the brothers; at the time, his name and the sum were filled in and it was already signed at the bottom; on the reverse side the name “David A. DePue” was written along with the address, 1134 Vista Avenue, Alhambra, which Webster signed in the car outside of the market prior to cashing the check; he, Webster, defendant and Reece were in the car; Webster signed four or five cheeks; he took Exhibit 1 into the market and cashed it by supplying a California driver’s license. DePue further testified that Exhibit 3 was given to him by one of the MoKissack brothers; the face of the check was filled in and on the reverse side was written, “David A. DePue” and the same address which Webster wrote at the suggestion of one of the McKissacks; after cashing Exhibit 3 he gave the money to the MoKissack brothers; he cashed three cheeks and Webster cashed three; he got about $330 from the checks.

Sergeant Knowles rolled the fingerprints of defendant and Reece on the fingerprint exemplar cards. Reece’s left thumbprint appears on one check; defendant’s right thumbprint appears on Exhibit 5.

Defense witnesses testified that although defendant and his brother Reece were propositioned by Webster, who handed the cheeks to them for examination and to whom they immediately returned them, to participate in passing Exhibits 1 *287 through 5, they refused; and that while the checks were being passed in the market defendant was at home with his wife.

In a lengthy factual argument wherein he asks this court to reject the testimony of DePue and Webster and accept the defense testimony, appellant claims that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction because nothing connects him with passing the checks except the testimony of the “two convicted felons, both of whom were admitted liars. ”

Initially we note the well-established rule concerning the scope of review of an appellate court that only where there is no substantial evidence in the record to justify the conclusion reached by the trier of fact can a court of appeal reverse the judgment of conviction on the ground of insufficiency of the evidence. Thus, the function of this court is limited to ascertaining from the record whether there is any substantial evidence to support the verdict of the jury. (People v. Fork, 233 Cal.App.2d 725, 729 [43 Cal.Rptr. 804].) Our review, moreover, is bound by the rule that insofar as the evidence is subject to opposing inferences, it must upon a review thereof be regarded in the light most favorable in support of the judgment. (People v. Sweeney, 55 Cal.2d 27, 33 [9 Cal.Rptr. 793, 357 P.2d 1049].) The jury disbelieved defendant’s witnesses and accepted the testimony of DePue and Webster as credible. It is also well settled that it is the function of the trier of fact to determine the credibility of witnesses, weigh the evidence and resolve all factual conflicts (People v. Saterfield, 65 Cal.2d 752, 759 [56 Cal.Rptr. 338, 423 P.2d 266]), and this court may not reweigh the evidence and reject the finding of the trier on credibility of the witnesses. (People

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Bluebook (online)
259 Cal. App. 2d 283, 66 Cal. Rptr. 199, 1968 Cal. App. LEXIS 1972, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-mckissack-calctapp-1968.