People v. Nunez

183 Cal. App. 3d 214, 228 Cal. Rptr. 64, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1805
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 10, 1986
DocketF002058
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 183 Cal. App. 3d 214 (People v. Nunez) 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. Nunez, 183 Cal. App. 3d 214, 228 Cal. Rptr. 64, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1805 (Cal. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

Opinion

BEST, J.

Defendant Joe Nunez, Jr., was convicted of count I, conspiracy to commit murder for financial gain (Pen. Code, 1 §§ 182, 187, 190.2, subd. (a)(1)), and count II, first degree murder (§ 187). The jury found to be true the special-circumstance allegation that the murder was intentional and carried out for financial gain (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(1)). An allegation that defendant personally used a firearm in the commission of the murder within the meaning of sections 12022.5 and 1203.06, subdivision (a)(1), was found by the jury to be untrue. In a bifurcated trial, the trial court subsequently found that defendant had previously been convicted of one violent felony within the meaning of sections 667.5, subdivision (a), and 667.6.

For his convictions of conspiracy to commit murder and first degree murder, defendant was sentenced to concurrent terms of life imprisonment without possibility of parole. A three-year enhancement was imposed pursuant to section 667.5 and ordered to be served prior to the life term. For reasons hereafter stated, we reject defendant’s multiple contentions of reversible error and affirm the judgment.

The Facts* *

Discussion

I

Does collateral estoppel bar defendant’s convictions for conspiracy to commit murder and murder?

Pursuant to defendant’s request, we take judicial notice of the following matters:

Jo Ann Johnson and Manuel Medina Galvan (Medina) were each tried separately for conspiring with one another and defendant to murder Dwayne Johnson and for murdering Mr. Johnson;

Jo Ann Johnson was tried by jury in San Luis Obispo County and on September 1, 1981, found not guilty of the charged offenses but guilty of *218 the lesser included offenses of conspiracy to commit voluntary manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter, together with a finding that she was a principal and was armed with a firearm during the commission of said crime;

Although finding Mrs. Johnson not guilty of murder, which normally alleviates the duty to find on a special-circumstance charge, the jury found the charged special circumstance (that the murder was intentional and carried out for financial gain) to be untrue;

Medina was tried in Santa Barbara County by jury and on June 4, 1982, found not guilty of the charged offenses but guilty of the lesser offenses of conspiracy to commit voluntary manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter, together with a finding that he was armed with a firearm but did not personally use a firearm during the commission of the homicide.

Defendant contends that the acquittal of his alleged coconspirators, Jo Ann Johnson and Manuel Medina, of the charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder compels reversal of his convictions for these same crimes. His contention is premised upon the applicability of the doctrine of collateral estoppel. For reasons that follow, we reject defendant’s contention.

A. Collateral estoppel as applied to defendant’s conviction for conspiracy to commit murder.

When two or more alleged coconspirators are jointly tried, it is generally held that acquittal of all persons with whom a defendant is alleged to have conspired precludes conviction of the remaining defendant. This result is compelled by the rule of consistency of verdicts because, as Justice Cardozo once noted, “It is impossible in the nature of things for a man to conspire with himself.” (Morrison v. California (1934) 291 U.S. 82, 92 [78 L.Ed. 664, 671, 54 S.Ct. 281]; see People v. James (1961) 189 Cal.App.2d 14, 16-17 [10 Cal.Rptr. 809, 91 A.L.R.2d 697]; see also Annot. (1983) 19 A.L.R.4th 192, 198-201.)

There is a division of authority as to whether this rule of consistency of verdicts will apply to alleged coconspirators who are tried separately.

The following cases applied the rule even though the acquittals of all alleged coconspirators were in separate trials. (Romontio v. United States *219 (10th Cir. 1968) 400 F.2d 618; People v. Levy (1939) 299 Ill.App. 453 [20 N.E.2d 171].)

Other courts, however, have refused to extend the rule to the separate trial situation. (People v. Holzer (1972) 25 Cal.App.3d 456 [102 Cal.Rptr. 11]; Rosecrans v. United States (5th Cir. 1967) 378 F.2d 561; Com. v. Byrd (1980) 490 Pa. 544 [417 A.2d 173, 19 A.L.R.4th 179]; Gardner v. State (1979) 286 Md. 520 [408 A.2d 1317]; Platt v. State (1943) 143 Neb. 131 [8 N.W.2d 849].)

Thus, in People v. Holzer, supra, 25 Cal.App.3d 456, Holzer contended that his conviction for conspiracy to violate section 245 should be reversed because his alleged coconspirator was acquitted subsequently of the same charge. The court held: “Defendant’s first contention on appeal is that his conviction for conspiracy must be reversed because the only other conspirator named in the indictment, Merrill Shapiro, was later acquitted. This argument derives from the rule that the crime of conspiracy necessarily requires the participation of at least two people, and where the guilt of only one is shown, the crime is incomplete. (People v. Reeves, 250 Cal.App.2d 490, 492 [58 Cal.Rptr. 517]; People v. James, 189 Cal.App.2d 14, 15-16 [10 Cal.Rptr. 809, 91 A.L.R.2d 697].) This rule is a logical imperative where all conspirators are tried together. Where separate trials are had this reasoning loses its force.

“If a single jury trying X and Y for conspiracy were to find that X conspired with Y, but that Y did not conspire with X, the verdict could not stand. (See Lubin v. United States, 313 F.2d 419, 423; People v. Reeves, supra, 250 Cal.App.2d 490, 492.) But a jury trying X alone, can find that X and Y were co-conspirators and can properly convict X. (People v. Sagehorn, 140 Cal.App.2d 138, 146 [294 P.2d 1062]; United States v. Koritan, 182 F.Supp. 143, 145, affd. 283 F.2d 516

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

(HC) Huston v. Horn
E.D. California, 2024
People v. Stroupe CA3
California Court of Appeal, 2021
State v. Johnson
788 A.2d 628 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 2002)
People v. Sanchez
29 P.3d 209 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Palmer
15 P.3d 234 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Lawrence
6 P.3d 228 (California Supreme Court, 2000)
People v. Durant
68 Cal. App. 4th 1393 (California Court of Appeal, 1999)
People v. Santamaria
884 P.2d 81 (California Supreme Court, 1994)
People v. Wilkins
26 Cal. App. 4th 1089 (California Court of Appeal, 1994)
Gutierrez v. Superior Court
24 Cal. App. 4th 153 (California Court of Appeal, 1994)
People v. Pettaway
206 Cal. App. 3d 1312 (California Court of Appeal, 1988)
Yedrysek v. State
739 S.W.2d 672 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1987)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
183 Cal. App. 3d 214, 228 Cal. Rptr. 64, 1986 Cal. App. LEXIS 1805, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-nunez-calctapp-1986.