People v. Orabuena

56 Cal. App. 3d 540, 128 Cal. Rptr. 474, 1976 Cal. App. LEXIS 1380
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 1976
DocketCrim. 27242
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 56 Cal. App. 3d 540 (People v. Orabuena) 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. Orabuena, 56 Cal. App. 3d 540, 128 Cal. Rptr. 474, 1976 Cal. App. LEXIS 1380 (Cal. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

Opinion

ROTH. P. J.

Jesus Orabuena, Jr., appellant, was charged with and found guilty by a jury of one count of murder (Pen. Code, § 187), three counts of assault with a deadly weapon (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)), and with use of a firearm in the commission of each of the felonies charged (Pen. Code, § 12022.5). He appeals from a judgment entered on the jury’s verdict.

On September 7, 1974, at about 1:30 a.m., appellant, his brother, and companions armed with .22 caliber semi-automatic rifles were passengers in a car driven by a juvenile in the Eubank and L Streets area in the City *543 of Wilmington. The car turned right from Eubank onto L Street and proceeded three blocks westerly on L Street where it was joined by another automobile. The car in which appellant was riding turned, reversed its course, and proceeded east on L Street toward the corner of Eubank and L where approximately 25 persons were gathered. The other auto followed.

When appellant’s car was about a block away from the comer of L and Eubank, it decelerated to between 5 and 10 miles per hour. Appellant and his brother stuck rifles out of the windows of their car and commenced firing at the group on the comer and continued to fire until their car reached Eubank Street at which point appellant’s car and the one following made a left turn onto Eubank and proceeded north.

During the fusilade appellant and his brother had discharged approximately 30 shots at the group on the corner. One victim standing behind a hedge was struck in the head and killed; another had been wounded in the right leg and in the area between the right eye and ear; a third had been shot in the foot; and a fourth had been shot in the side.

Two separate witnesses identified appellant as being one of the persons who had fired the rifles.

In defense appellant testified he had been at a party removed from the scene of the shooting. Three separate witnesses supported his alibi. The prosecution then moved for a continuance to permit time to produce the driver of the car in which appellant was riding. The driver, a minor, was facing a murder charge in the juvenile court. The People granted the minor immunity and he testified, over defense objections, that he drove the car appellant was in and that appellant was one of the occupants of the car who fired the rifles.

Appellant relying on People v. Carter (1957) 48 Cal.2d 737 [312 P.2d 665], and People v. Rodriguez (1943) 58 Cal.App.2d 415 [136 P.2d 626], asserts that the above evidence was improper rebuttal and that it was prejudicial error for the court to have allowed its introduction.

Numerous cases condemn the practice of using evidence in rebuttal that should be properly used as part of the case in chief. (See People v. Golden (1961) 55 Cal.2d 358, 371 [11 Cal.Rptr. 80, 359 P.2d 448]; People v. Katz (1962) 207 Cal.App.2d 739 [24 Cal.Rptr. 644].) However, it is also established that when a defendant presents an alibi defense, the *544 prosecution may introduce evidence that rebuts it even though that evidence could have been introduced as part of the case in chief. (See, e.g., People v. Jeffrey (1965) 233 Cal.App.2d 279 [43 Cal.Rptr. 524].) It is clear from the record that until the defense introduced evidence of an alibi that the prosecutor did not know what the defense would be. In such circumstances the prosecutor is not required to rely upon the evidence introduced in People’s case in chief. Any prosecutor exercising ordinary care and caution would feel impelled to produce available evidence permitted by law.

The court in People v. Pike (1962) 58 Cal.2d 70, at page 92 [22 Cal.Rptr. 664, 372 P.2d 656] states: “The deputy district attorney was not bound to accept. . . self-serving and exculpatory assertions at their face value but could properly introduce the subject evidence for the specific purpose of impeachment. [Citations.] This being so, it is immaterial that the impeaching evidence also tended—as by its nature such evidence often does—to support the People’s case in chief....”

Appellant next asserts that the trial court’s denial of his request to wear civilian clothes in the courtroom on one of the trial days equates with a denial of due process; Such a request is normally granted. However, the record shows that the prospective jurors were voir dired on February 13 and 14, 1975. On February 18, 1975, out of the presence of the prospective jurors, appellant’s counsel called the court’s attention to the fact that appellant was dressed in “jail blues” and made a request that civilian clothes which had been brought to the courtroom be made available to appellant. Counsel stated that he had not been able to deliver the civilian clothes to appellant because of jail rules. Appellant’s request was denied. The court noted that it would check with the jail and arrange for appellant to receive the clothes. Nothing in the record indicates further objections or complaints or a repeat of the original incident. In People v. Garcia (1954) 124 Cal.App.2d 822 [269 P.2d 673], Garcia objected to being tried in prison garb. The court ordered that Garcia should be thereafter dressed in civilian clothes. The Garcia court found no prejudicial error. We find none.

Appellant also argues that there was no showing of an intent to kill 1 and that as a matter of law he cannot be convicted of murder in the first *545 degree. The facts show that earlier in the evening a car was driven past the corner of Eubank and L Streets; someone in the car threw a bottle out of the vehicle and concurrently yelled “Harbor City.” The same car later returned and the brothers fired at everyone congregated on the corner. If substantial evidence supports the verdict of the jury, this court must follow the judgment entered thereon. We do not reweigh the evidence. (People v. Reilly (1970) 3 Cal.3d 421, 425 [90 Cal.Rptr. 417, 475 P.2d 649].)

Appellant argues specifically that since he did not know that the deceased was behind the hedge, he could not have committed a “willful, deliberate and premeditated killing.” (Pen. Code, § 189.) The words “deliberate” and “premeditated” are not words of art, but are to be construed in their ordinary dictionary meaning. (People v. Bender (1945) 27 Cal.2d 164, 183 [163 P.2d 8]; People v. Holt (1944) 25 Cal.2d 59, 87 [153 P.2d 21].)

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

Related

People v. Lepe CA2/5
California Court of Appeal, 2016
Scott v. Continental Insurance
44 Cal. App. 4th 24 (California Court of Appeal, 1996)
People v. Sergio R.
228 Cal. App. 3d 588 (California Court of Appeal, 1991)
People v. Rubin
96 Cal. App. 3d 968 (California Court of Appeal, 1979)
People v. Graham
83 Cal. App. 3d 736 (California Court of Appeal, 1978)
People v. Robinson
66 Cal. App. 3d 624 (California Court of Appeal, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 Cal. App. 3d 540, 128 Cal. Rptr. 474, 1976 Cal. App. LEXIS 1380, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-orabuena-calctapp-1976.