People v. Stephen P.

145 Cal. App. 3d 123, 193 Cal. Rptr. 263, 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 1906
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 20, 1983
DocketCrim. 42162
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 145 Cal. App. 3d 123 (People v. Stephen P.) 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. Stephen P., 145 Cal. App. 3d 123, 193 Cal. Rptr. 263, 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 1906 (Cal. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinions

Opinion

LILLIE, Acting P. J.

A supplemental petition filed June 11, 1981, alleged that Stephen P. (Steve), age 14, was then a ward of the court and that previous orders of the court had not been effective in his rehabilitation by reason of three charges of arson committed on February 12, 1981. Following an adjudication hearing, count I (arson of a structure) having been dismissed on motion of petitioner, the court sustained count II (wilfully and maliciously setting fire to property of another), a felony; count III was not sustained. The minor appeals from order sustaining supplemental petition and dispositional order.

On February 12, 1981, a school holiday, a fire was set in Vicky’s locker at Fremont Junior High School damaging the locker and its contents and several adjoining lockers. On school grounds at the time were Crystal, Rita, Greg and his brother Tommy, Michael, Brandon and Steve, all seventh grade students. Fireman Fred Corsi investigated the fire; he recovered matches from Vicky’s locker; in his opinion the fire was set.

[128]*128Crystal who had matches and Rita who carried firecrackers, went to the school that day with the intention of putting a firecracker in Vicky’s locker; at the fence they met Greg and Tommy who talked about their plan. Soon Michael, Brandon and Steve arrived. Crystal gave them the matches and, except for Crystal who could not get over the fence, they all climbed the fence and entered the building in which the lockers were located; Crystal yelled out to them the number and combination of Vicky’s locker. Rita, Greg and Tommy went to Vicky’s locker; Greg opened the locker and Rita handed him a firecracker accidently detaching the fuse; Greg stuck it in the little hole next to the combination tumblers to “jam the locker” and tried to reattach the fuse but failed, then they ran back to the fence. Meanwhile, Michael, Brandon and Steve went to Michael’s locker where Steve removed some of his things then returned to the fence. After learning Greg had failed to light the firecracker in Vicky’s locker, Steve, Michael and Brandon jumped over the fence, entered the building, went to Vicky’s locker which Steve opened with the combination supplied by Crystal, looked in, took the matches given to him by Crystal and lit papers in the locker setting fire to them; Michael said “You’re crazy, you shouldn’t do that,” and ran off; Brandon did not immediately run but told Steve, “You are dumb,” then turned and ran; as Brandon left, Steve said “It’s not lit good yet.” Michael, Brandon, then Steve ran back to the fence; Michael who ran ahead was very excited and yelled to the others “We did it. We did it.” Shortly thereafter they saw smoke rising from the area of Vicky’s locker.

I

Sufficiency of Evidence

Relying on In re Miguel L. (1982) 32 Cal.3d 100 [185 Cal.Rptr. 120, 649 P.2d 703] and People v. Gould (1960) 54 Cal.2d 621 [7 Cal.Rptr. 273, 354 P.2d 865], appellant contends that “Because the only evidence that [he] lit the fire is the repudiated out-of-court statements of Michael and Brandon, the evidence is insufficient to sustain the supplemental petition.” However, we note that a motion to dismiss (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 701.1) was made on this ground at the close of the People’s case, and denied. The issue of the propriety of the denial, although not raised by appellant, is inherent in this appeal, thus at this point we consider only that evidence received on the People’s case.

Following the fire, School Administrator Timothy Dunn interviewed Michael who denied knowing anything about the fire. Later while Dunn was interviewing another student, Michael asked to speak to him, began to cry and said he and Brandon were with Steve when Steve lit the fire in Vicky’s locker; Dunn had never seen Michael cry, and Michael told him he was worried about what would happen to him because he was less than candid [129]*129and that he saw Steve open the locker, take some papers from it and light the fire with matches. Brandon told Dunn he saw Steve light the fire but he walked away because he did not want to be part of it. Later Michael and Brandon separately talked with Arson Investigator Hugh Logue and several officers; each boy told them he saw Steve set the fire in Vicky’s locker. (Tapes of these two interviews were received in evidence.) Just before each testified at the adjudication hearing, Michael and Brandon were granted immunity but when they testified each denied seeing Steve light the fire— Michael testified he lied to Dunn and Logue because he thought he would be taken to juvenile hall, Brandon testified he lied because he was frightened.

Denial of the motion to dismiss came after lengthy argument based upon In re Eugene M. (1976) 55 Cal.App.3d 650 [127 Cal.Rptr. 851] and In re Johnny G. (1979) 25 Cal.3d 543 [159 Cal.Rptr. 180, 601 P.2d 196]. In the juvenile court’s rejection of these two cases as distinguishable from the instant case, is the implied finding that there was sufficient evidence tending to connect Steve to the commission of the arson to permit the use of the repudiated statements. Thus, considering all of the evidence offered on the People’s case in a light most favorable to respondent, we conclude, as did the juvenile court,1 that the People made a prima facie case.

The basic rule as to the sufficiency of extrajudicial statements to support a conviction is articulated in People v. Gould (1960) 54 Cal.2d 621 [7 Cal.Rptr. 273, 354 P.2d 865]: “An extrajudicial identification that cannot be confirmed by an identification at the trial is insufficient to sustain a conviction in the absence of other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the crime.” (P. 631; In re Miguel L. (1982) 32 Cal.3d 100, 105 [185 Cal.Rptr. 120, 649 P.2d 703].) The court reversed the conviction in In re Miguel L., because no evidence other than Arnaldo’s prior unsworn statements, repudiated by him at trial, implicated Miguel in the burglary. In People v. Gould, the only evidence linking Marudas to the burglary was the victim’s identification of him from police photos. At trial she could not identify Marudas when she saw him in person. The court held that because the circumstances under which identification was made rendered it unreliable, it was insufficient standing alone to sustain the burglary conviction.

Nothing in In re Miguel L., or Gould explains the phrase “other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the crime.” However, sim[130]*130ilar language appears in section 1111, Penal Code2 relating to corroboration of testimony of an accomplice; and it is defined in People v. Perry (1972) 7 Cal.3d 756 [103 Cal.Rptr. 161, 499 P.2d 129]: “ ‘Although the corroborating evidence must do more than raise a conjecture or suspicion of guilt, it is sufficient if it tends in some degree to implicate the defendant. ’ (People v. Santo (1954) 43 Cal.2d 319, 327 [273 P.2d 249

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

Related

People v. Cuevas
906 P.2d 1290 (California Supreme Court, 1995)
People v. Steven O.
229 Cal. App. 3d 46 (California Court of Appeal, 1991)
People v. Ronald W.
175 Cal. App. 3d 199 (California Court of Appeal, 1985)
People v. Stephen P.
145 Cal. App. 3d 123 (California Court of Appeal, 1983)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
145 Cal. App. 3d 123, 193 Cal. Rptr. 263, 1983 Cal. App. LEXIS 1906, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-stephen-p-calctapp-1983.