People v. Perry

299 P.2d 937, 143 Cal. App. 2d 374, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 1612
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in People v. Perry. Read the opinion of the Court — 123 Cal. App. 2d 74
California Court of Appeal·Decided July 24, 1956·No. Crim. No. 5602·Published

Opinion

WOOD (Parker), J.

Defendant Perry and one Boyce were charged with attempted robbery. In a trial by jury they were convicted. Perry appeals from the judgment.

Appellant asserts that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict.

Mr. Thompson, the manager of a food market in Los Angeles, testified that on July 11, 1955, about 9:30 a. m., while he was inside the market and about 15 feet from the entrance, he saw the two defendants enter the store—Boyce entered first and Perry was about 3 feet behind him; Perry went to the front of the butcher counter; Boyce walked toward the witness, pulled a gun, stuck the gun in the [375]*375witness’ back and said, “ [L]et’s go into the back”; then the witness and Boyce walked about 50 feet and entered a room at the back of the store; Boyce then made the vegetable man (who was in that room) lie on the floor and he made the witness lie on the vegetable man; then he tied the vegetable man’s hands; then, after telling the witness to get up, he put a gun in the witness’ back and told him to go to the front of the store and wait on the two customers (who were at the cash register) “as if nothing was happening”; when the witness arrived there, defendant Perry was standing about 5 feet from the check stand; Perry had a hat on; the witness waited on the two customers; then Perry asked for two packages of Viceroy cigarettes; the witness gave the cigarettes to him but he did not offer to pay for them; at that time the witness was still in fear of the gun; Perry was then standing in front of the witness with his right hand in his (Perry’s) co.at pocket, and Perry said to the witness, in a firm voice, “Close the door up. Lock it”; at that time Boyce had gone behind the butcher counter and had taken the butcher into the back room; then the witness went to the double doors in front of the store and closed one of them; at that time another customer came in, and Perry “motioned with his hand in his pocket” for the witness to get behind the counter and wait on the customer; the customer did not stop at the check stand, and when Perry turned his head and was watching the customer the witness (manager) ran out the front door of the store.

Mr. Chang, the butcher, testified that one of the defendants asked him about ham; he (witness) did not remember which defendant asked that; one of the defendants, who had something “like metal” in his hand, ordered the witness to go to the back room; the witness felt “this metal” in his back when he was ordered to the back room; he thought it was Boyce who ordered him to the back room; when the witness arrived in the back room he saw the vegetable boy lying on the floor; the man who ordered him to the back room tied him (witness) up.

Mrs. Premo testified that on said July 11, about 9:30 a. m., she was in the alley by the market and she saw Perry run from the front of the store and get into a Buiek car that was parked in' the alley, and saw him drive away “as fast as he could”; he was not wearing a hat.

Mr. Hirabayashi, the vegetable boy, testified that when he was in .the back room he saw Boyce and Mr. Thompson (the [376]*376manager) come into that room, and at that time Boyce had a gun in the back of the manager; Boyce told the witness to lie on the floor; the manager lay on the witness; Boyce tied the witness’ hands, and then told the manager to go to the front of the store; in a couple of minutes Boyce forced the butcher into the back room and forced him to lie on the floor.

Officer Hall testified that on said July 11, about 9:30 a. m., he saw Boyce, who was crouched in shrubbery in a fence corner, at a place about a block from said market; he arrested Boyce; and on the opposite side of a house from the place where he arrested Boyce, he found a gun (Exhibit 1).

Officer Gildea testified that he and Officer Aselin had a conversation with Perry on July 13; in that conversation Perry' said: He and Boyce went into the market and he “took the manager at the cashier’s stand”; a customer walked in, and Perry turned his back momentarily to the manager and a.t that time the manager ran out of the market; then Perry yelled, “Jimmy,” several times; “Jimmy,” who was Boyce, did not answer; then Perry ran out of the store, jumped in his car and drove away. Officer Gildea testified further that on said July 13 he and Officer Aselin had a conversation with Perry and Boyce when both defendants were present; he (Gildea) asked Boyce if he went into the market with Perry and proceeded to the meat market; he replied, “Yes”; he. (Gildea) asked Perry if he was the one who took the manager; he replied, “Yes”; then Perry said that he was to be known as Prank, and Boyce was to be known as Jimmy. Boyce said that he took the butcher to the rear of the store and tied him up. Perry said that after he yelled, “Jimmy,” several times he ran to his car and left the scene. Boyce said that when he came from the back of the store no one was in the store, and then he “took off.” Officer Gildea said to Perry, “Did you simulate a gun?”; he replied, “Yes, I used the top of an oil can, an oil can spout.” Officer Gildea also testified that he found two packages of Viceroy cigarettes under the front seat of Perry’s Chrysler automobile; he did not find any cigarettes in the glove compartment of that automobile.

Officer Aselin testified that he and Officer Gildea had a eonvérsation with Perry and Boyce when both defendants were present; he (Aselin) asked Boyce who went to the front of the meat market; he replied that it was Perry, because Boyce went to the check stand where the manager was; Perry said that was correct; Boyce said that he took the manager to the rear room, and that after tying the produce man in that [377]*377room he (Boyce) returned the manager to the front check stand, where Perry was standing, and then Boyce took the butcher to the rear room and tied him; Perry said that after Boyce left with the butcher, and after Perry had told the manager to lock the doors, a customer came in, and Perry turned to see what the customer was going to do and then the manager went out the front door; Boyce said that after he came from the rear room no one was in the store, and he called “Prank” several times, and no one answered and he walked out.

Defendant Perry testified that on said July 11 he parked his car in a parking lot by said store and went to the meat counter in the store and talked with the butcher about a ham; while the butcher was trimming a ham that Perry selected, Perry went to the check stand and purchased two packages of cigarettes; at that time a little fellow came into the store, and as the little fellow passed the check stand the manager “broke and ran out” of the store; then Perry looked at the little fellow, who had come in, and he was walking fast toward the back and went out of sight; Perry looked around and did not see the butcher or the Seven-Up man who had been in there, and that left Perry alone in the store and it indicated to him that “something was happening in that store,” so he (Perry) ran fast to his ear, jumped in it and left in a hurry. He testified further than he saw Boyce in the back of the store but he did not know at that time that it was Boyce; he left 50 cents on the counter as payment for the cigarettes; he put the cigarettes in the glove compartment of his automobile; he had two automobiles—a Buick and a Chrysler; he did not tell the manager to lock the store; he (Perry) was not wearing a hat; he had been convicted of three felonies and had served terms in prison therefor; the last time he saw Boyce, before said July 11, was in 1951 in an institution in Kern County.

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People v. Perry, 299 P.2d 937, 143 Cal. App. 2d 374, 1956 Cal. App. LEXIS 1612 (Cal. Ct. App. 1956).

299 P.2d 937 (People v. Perry) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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