People v. Seipel

247 N.E.2d 905, 108 Ill. App. 2d 384, 1969 Ill. App. LEXIS 1110
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 24, 1969
DocketGen. 10,981
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 247 N.E.2d 905 (People v. Seipel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Seipel, 247 N.E.2d 905, 108 Ill. App. 2d 384, 1969 Ill. App. LEXIS 1110 (Ill. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

SMITH, J.

Defendant was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the killing of her husband and was sentenced to serve 3 to 10 years in the penitentiary. In this court, the defendant makes five assignments of error: (1) That the conduct of the trial judge deprived the defendant of a fair trial and due process of law, (2) that the State offered no credible evidence to rebut evidence of the defendant’s insanity at the time of the shooting, (3) having permitted the defendant to plead guilty to the charge of involuntary manslaughter and then thereafter to withdraw such plea, it was error to deny that plea as a bar to a subsequent indictment charging murder, voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter (4) the trial court erroneously ruled on instructions and (5) the trial court abused its discretion in denying probation.

It is apparent from this record that the court ran a “tight” or firm court, both evidentiarywise and otherwise. We note from the record that on two occasions the trial court admonished counsel (1) to keep his voice down and (2) to hold his temper. On another occasion outside the presence of the jury, the court observed that it was a hot day and the fourth day of the trial and tempers sometime flair. The philosophy of court and counsel on the conduct of the trial were polls apart. We have carefully read the record in this case. It does not justify the characterizations of judicial conduct contained throughout the brief nor are such characterizations helpful to this court in resolving any issues presented by this record.

The defendant shot and killed her husband with a 25-caliber gun at her home around 8:00 p. m. on October 11, 1966. Her defense was insanity. The record establishes that she was a woman 41 years of age, in her menopause, had been estranged from her husband for about a year and one-half, and was struggling with emotional and psychological problems. In August of 1965, she was hospitalized with suicidal tendencies. She obtained a job as a switchboard operator in the spring of 1966, became more and more nervous at the job and upset at her husband’s telephone calls, quit work in June and was again hospitalized. Between August of 1965 and October 11, 1966, she saw some half-dozen doctors and psychiatrists. They all prescribed medication. Her psychiatrist treated her in July of 1966 and discharged her from the hospital on July 8. She did not return to him for further treatments, but saw two other doctors and was hospitalized on September 29, for “anxiety-state.” She had obtained a position in the Driver’s License Division of the Secretary of State’s office and returned to work on October 10. On October 11, she was administered 1/8 cc. of dicurin. Her conduct during the day was testified to by lay people as normal. Her sisters listened to an argument between the defendant and her husband and testified that he was cursing and she was crying. They heard two shots, ran for help, entered the house, she was standing with the pistol in her hand and her husband was lying on the floor near the davenport with two revolver wounds. Her relatives and police officers testified that she was hysterical, talking loudly and gasping and was taken to the psychiatric division of St. John’s Hospital by the sheriff’s office where she was under twenty-four-hour-a-day surveillance. She did not speak, she did not move, and she did not eat. On October 13, sodium amytal was administered by her treating psychiatrist and he interviewed her. Later the same morning, the assistant State’s Attorney interviewed her and this interview was transcribed. Most of the heat and controversy between counsel and the court arose over what evidence was admissible and whether or not the statements taken under sodium amytal were admissible. It was the position of the defendant that the involuntary disclosures made by her while under the influence of sodium amytal were admissible in evidence and denial thereof took from the jury the opportunity to use such statements as a factual basis for “a finding that she was not legally responsible for the acts at the time they were committed.” The defendant states that this is contrary to the majority rule in the United States citing a California case and the case of People v. Esposito, 287 NY 389, 39 NE2d 925. Esposito refused to pass on this point and was not followed by the New York Court in People v. Ford, 304 NY 679, 107 NE2d 595. The majority of the court held that in a case of first degree murder, where the accused’s mental capacity for premeditation was in issue, a doctor who expressed an opinion that the accused did not have such ability was properly prevented from testifying as to the test of defendant made while the defendant was under the influence of sodium amytal. Published is the dissenting opinion of two judges who took the position that this was error for the reason that having expressed an opinion the jury was entitled to all of the facts upon which the doctor based his opinion. It is sufficient to say that the view expressed in that dissenting opinion is not the law of this State and, parenthetically, it ought not be for the reasons stated in People v. Myers, 35 Ill2d 311, 220 NE2d 297. In ruling on the defendant’s offer of proof in our case, the trial court said:

“If the doctor feels that it is necessary in order to properly probe this person’s mind to inject a serum and to listen to her response to questions, I will permit him to testify that he did so; and will permit him to testify about doing it up to the point where he starts to quote her.
“I will not permit this witness or any other witness to testify on this point, nor allow the statement to be introduced for that.”

This ruling is squarely in keeping with the Supreme Court’s statement in Myers that “there is nothing to indicate that defendant’s responses while he was under the influence of sodium pentothal [amytal] were necessary for the jury to understand the psychiatrist’s findings or opinion based upon such examination. It was not error for the trial court to exclude testimony concerning defendant’s responses while under the influence of the sodium pentothal.” The defendant cites People v. Heirens, 4 Ill2d 181, 122 NE2d 231, and People v. Haun, 71 Ill App2d 262, 217 NE2d 470, as supporting her theory. These cases fall far short of authority that statements made under the influence of sodium amytal are admissible and neither so holds. We perhaps ought to say that even if they did, they would be controlled on the precise point by People v. Myers and the trial court followed People v. Myers. Certiorari in Myers was denied by the United States Supreme Court in 385 US 1019, 17 L Ed2d 557, 87 S Ct 752. Ill Rev Stats 1965, c 38, § 158-1, forbids a court “in the course of any criminal trial . . . [to] require, request or suggest that the defendant submit to a polygraphic detection deception test” or to the truth drugs. In People v. Nelson, 33 Ill2d 48, 210 NE2d 212, certiorari denied, 383 US 918, 15 L Ed2d 671, 86 S Ct 911, the Supreme Court stated that a polygraph operator’s opinion as to the truthfulness of a lie detector subject had never been recognized by the court as admissible evidence on the issue of a defendant’s guilt or innocence. This follows the statute just quoted and we see no persuasive distinction between the application of that statute and its principles to statements made by one under the influence of truth drugs.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
247 N.E.2d 905, 108 Ill. App. 2d 384, 1969 Ill. App. LEXIS 1110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-seipel-illappct-1969.