People v. Ruhl

168 Cal. App. 3d 311, 214 Cal. Rptr. 93
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 16, 1985
Docket13213
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 168 Cal. App. 3d 311 (People v. Ruhl) 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. Ruhl, 168 Cal. App. 3d 311, 214 Cal. Rptr. 93 (Cal. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

168 Cal.App.3d 311 (1985)
214 Cal. Rptr. 93

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
RUSSELL DUANE RUHL et al., Defendants and Appellants.

Docket No. 13213.

Court of Appeals of California, Third District.

May 16, 1985.

*312 COUNSEL

Bryan Kemnitzer and Frank O. Bell, Jr., State Public Defender, under appointments by the Court of Appeal, Christine Zilius, Deputy State Public Defender, and Danny Joseph Duchene, in pro. per., for Defendants and Appellants.

John K. Van de Kamp, Attorney General, Roger E. Venturi and Anthony L. Dicce, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

[Opinion certified for partial publication.[*]]

OPINION

SIMS, J.

In People v. Arbuckle (1978) 22 Cal.3d 749 [150 Cal. Rptr. 778, 587 P.2d 220, 3 A.L.R.4th 1171], our Supreme Court held, as a general *313 principle, whenever a judge accepts a plea bargain and retains sentencing discretion under the agreement, an implied term of the bargain is that sentence will be imposed by that judge. (Pp. 756-757; see also In re Mark L. (1983) 34 Cal.3d 171, 177 [193 Cal. Rptr. 165, 666 P.2d 22].) In People v. Rosaia (1984) 157 Cal. App.3d 832 [203 Cal. Rptr. 856], the Fifth District Court of Appeal adopted a rule requiring that where a defendant has a right under Arbuckle to be sentenced by the judge who accepts a negotiated plea of guilty, the record of proceedings in the trial court must demonstrate the defendant's knowledge of his Arbuckle right before there can be a valid waiver of the right. (22 Cal.3d at p. 840.)

In this case, we hold that where a defendant entered into a detailed, comprehensive written negotiated plea agreement before the time set for his preliminary hearing in municipal court, and the agreement did not specify that the judge who took his plea would sentence him, defendant had no right under Arbuckle to be sentenced by the superior court judge who ultimately took his plea. We further conclude that, even assuming arguendo defendant had an enforceable Arbuckle right, he waived it by his failure to assert it in the trial court. In our view, the rule of People v. Rosaia, supra, should be applied prospectively only to sentences imposed after Rosaia became final.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND[1]

On August 8, 1981, Mohammad Ali asked defendant Ruhl to kill Ali's brother-in-law, Mohammad Alamgir, for $400. Ruhl asked defendant Danny Joseph Duchene to assist him in the murder. About 5 a.m. the two, armed with knives, drove to a squash field where they knew Alamgir would be working. They observed Alamgir and another man working in the field. Defendants approached the two and engaged them in conversation. Defendants withdrew a short distance away and agreed that both men would have to be killed. Defendants returned and, after a struggle, killed both men with their knives.

In October 1982, a complaint was filed charging both defendants with first degree murder (Pen. Code, § 187)[2] and alleging special circumstances, i.e., that as to each defendant the murders were intentional and carried out for financial gain (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(1)) and that defendants have been convicted of more than one offense of murder. (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(3).)

On October 21, 1982, defendants and their attorneys met in a conference room at the Sutter County jail with the District Attorney of Sutter County *314 and several representatives of the Sutter County Sheriff's office. The meeting was transcribed by a court reporter and is part of the record.

At the meeting, after appropriate explanations and advisements, each defendant entered into a six-page written negotiated plea agreement with the district attorney. The agreements were substantially identical. Each defendant essentially agreed to waive preliminary examination and to testify truthfully at the preliminary examination of Mohammad Ali. In the event defendant so testified, the district attorney agreed to file an information in superior court charging two counts of first degree murder but no special circumstances. Each defendant further agreed to enter a plea to the aforementioned information, to testify at any trial of Ali, and to waive time for sentencing so that sentence would be imposed after he had completed all testimony required in the criminal proceedings against Ali.

The agreement provided further in relevant part, "The District Attorney further agrees that he will not urge that the sentences for the two counts of first degree murder be served consecutively unless such consecutive sentencing is recommended by the Probation Department in their report to the Court in connection with judgment and sentence. [Defendant] understands that consecutive sentence [sic] for the two counts of first degree murder may be imposed by the Court on the Court's own motion irrespective of whether the District Attorney does or does not argue for such position."

Each agreement also recited, "there have been no ... promises, no representations of any kind made to [defendant] to induce his participation in this negotiated plea and Memorandum of Understanding other than those that are contained specifically within this written agreement...."

On October 29, 1982, defendants appeared in municipal court and waived preliminary examination. The written agreements with the district attorney were admitted into evidence. Defendants were ordered to appear as witnesses at Ali's preliminary hearing and, thereafter, to appear for arraignment in superior court.

Defendants apparently having satisfied their obligation to testify at Ali's preliminary hearing, an information was filed November 12, 1982, charging each defendant with two counts of first degree murder without special circumstances.

On November 15, 1982, both defendants pled guilty before Judge Keeley to two counts of first degree murder as charged in the information. At the conclusion of that hearing, each defendant waived time for sentencing so *315 that each could testify at the trial of Ali, all in accordance with the written agreements.

Defendants were sentenced on different days in August 1983 by Judge Steel. Defendant Ruhl made no objection to being sentenced by Judge Steel.

In accordance with the recommendation of the probation department, each defendant received consecutive sentences on the two counts of murder. (See § 669.)

Both defendants appeal and contend: (1) because constitutional guarantees of equal protection of the laws require that the procedural safeguards of the determinate sentencing law (DSL) apply to indeterminate sentences, they were prejudiced because the trial court allegedly failed to follow rules for sentencing under the DSL; (2) the court erred in imposing consecutive sentences; and (3) they were entitled to have their presentence custody credits calculated pursuant to the provisions of section 2933. In an unpublished portion of this opinion, we reject these contentions. Defendant Ruhl also contends he was denied his rights under People v. Arbuckle, supra, 22 Cal.3d 749 when he was sentenced by Judge Steel rather than by Judge Keeley who had accepted his plea.

DISCUSSION

I[*]

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IV

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Bluebook (online)
168 Cal. App. 3d 311, 214 Cal. Rptr. 93, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ruhl-calctapp-1985.