People v. Paz

12 P.R. 98
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedFebruary 27, 1907
DocketNo. 37
StatusPublished

This text of 12 P.R. 98 (People v. Paz) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Paz, 12 P.R. 98 (prsupreme 1907).

Opinions

Me. Justice Figueeas

delivered the opinion of the court.

This case comes up from the District Court of Arecibo and was tried before a jury under the following information:.

“The prosecuting attorney files an information against José Morales, alias ‘Yare-Tare’, Miguel Lojo y Vidal, alias ‘Ghencho’, Pedro Vidal Goieo, Jcsé Reyes Alvarez, Prudencio Vidal Estruch, Rafael Pesante Gómez and Antonio Paz y Santos for the crime of murder in the first degree (felony), committed as follows: The said José Morales, alias ‘Yare-Yare’, between 9 and 10 p. m. of July 2, 1905, in the town of Añasco, within the judicial 'district of Mayagiiez, Porto Rico, treacherously and with malice aforethought, and showing a perverted and malignant heart, did unlawfully kill José Adolfo Pesante while the latter was sitting in a chair on the sidewalk in front of the drug store of Rafael Arrillaga, for which purpose he ■made use of a knife or dagger, inflicting upon him a wound between the ninth intercostal space above the hepatic region, affecting the liver, from which he died on the following day. The aforesaid Miguel Lojo y Vidal, alias ‘Ghencho’, Pedro Vidal Goieo, José Reyes Alvarez, Prudencio Vidal Estruch, Rafael Pesante Gómez and Antonio Paz y. Santos, are principals in the crime committed, inasmuch as with malice aforethought they advised and encouraged José Morales, alias ‘Yare-Yare’, to commit the aforesaid murder in the manner, above described. This act is contrary to the law in such case made and [100]*100provided and against the peace and dignity of The People of Porto Rico. — Benjamin J. Horton, District Attorney.
“The above information is based upon the testimony of witnesses examined under oath, and I solemnly believe that there is just cause for the filing thereof with this court. — Benjamin J. Horton, District Attorney.
“Sworn to and signed before me this 8th day of August, 1905.-— Franco Llavat, Secretary of the District Court of Mayagüez. ”

As stated by counsel for tlie defense in his brief before the . Supreme Court, folio 4, the prosecuting attorney of Maya-güez requested the dismissal of proceedings against Antonio Vidal Goico, José Beyes Alvarez, Antonio Vidal Estrnch and Rafael Pesante Gómez.

This is no doubt the reason why Antonio Paz y Santos here appears as the only one prosecuted, despite the fact of his being included in the information together with the others hereinbefore specified.

The trial having been held, the jury rendered the following verdict:

“We of the jury, and in our name the undersigned foreman, find that the defendant, Antonio Paz, is an accomplice to the crime of voluntary manslaughter. Arecibo, March 22, 1906. — Fernando Suria.”

The Arecibo court, in view of the foregoing verdict, adjudged the defendant guilty “of the crime of accomplice to voluntary manslaughter”, and set March 28, 1906, for the reading of the sentence.

On said day, in compliance with the law, the defendaut was “informed of the nature of the .charge against him, of his plea of not guilty and of the chief incidents of his process,1 including the verdict of the jury”.

Counsel for the defendant asked that no judgment be delivered, which petition being overruled, as also the motion. for a new trial, judgment was rendered sentencing the defend[101]*101ant to six months of imprisonment in the penitentiary of the Island, at hard labor, and to pay the costs of the proceeding's for the crime of complicity in voluntary manslaughter, with such other pronouncements as were called for.

From this judgment an appeal was taken, and here we have the record and a bill of the exceptions- entered’ during the trial by counsel for Antonio Paz, which bill has been approved by the judge of the Arecibo court, with certain explanations which were assented to by said appellant who filed his brief with this Supreme Court and orally ratified the same, praying that on the merits of the exceptions taken the judgment appealed from be reversed and he be discharged, or that he be granted a new trial.

The fiscal of this Supreme Court, in view of the merits of two of the exceptions taken, sustains the second of the prayers made by the defendant, which appear in the foregoing paragraph.

We shall consider, in the first place, those exceptions that we believe to be more important and, of course, on their decision depends the question as to whether or not it will be necessary to consider the others tending to the same object.

This cause was brought in the District Court of Mayagüez, but the prosecuting attorney there, by motion, under his own affidavit and with the testimony of the marshal, asked that the cause be transferred to the Ponce court, because in that of Mayagüez, owing to the great sensation it had produced, it would be impossible, during the current term, to complete a jury, nor could a just and impartial trial be obtained in the Aguadilla court, which was the nearest one, because the town of Añasco, where the crime is alleged to have been committed and where reside the defendant and the witnesses, had, until recently," formed part of the district of Aguadilla. Counsel for Antonio Paz agreed with the prosecuting attorney upon the transfer, of the case to Ponce, but the Mayagüez court directed its removal to that of Arecibo. Before the latter, Antonio Paz, alleged that it was incompetent, on the ground [102]*102that the Ponce court was the only one having -jurisdiction because upon this point the parties had agreed and because it was of easier and more economical access than that of Are-cibo. He therefore aslced that the case be again transferred to that of Mayagiiez; but the Arecibo court decided that it was competent to take cognizance of the case, and against this refusal an exception was taken.

This question must be decided in accordance with the provision of section 173 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended by an Act of the Legislative- Assembly, approved March 10, 1904. (Laws of Porto Rico, 1904, p. 61, English edition.)

In view of said provision, it must be admitted that the action of the judge of the District Court of Mayagiiez in transferring the case to Arecibo was correct, for, according to the law, he was obliged to make the transfer to the adjoining district whose court of justice was.nearest and of easiest access; but the Aguadilla court having been discarded because of reasons alleged against it which proved satisfactory to the Mayagiiez court, and said Aguadilla court being doubtless the one in which concurred the conditions of closer proximity and easier access, it is evident that the duty imposed by the law ceased from that moment, and the decision of the point was left to that discretion which the same law allows, said discretionary power being made use of in designating the Arecibo court; and nothiilg is there in the record to show that there was any abuse of this power. Wherefore, we repeat that this criterion must be sustained in the present case1.

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Bluebook (online)
12 P.R. 98, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-paz-prsupreme-1907.