People v. Stevenson

275 Cal. App. 2d 645, 80 Cal. Rptr. 392, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 1961
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 18, 1969
DocketCrim. No. 14949
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 275 Cal. App. 2d 645 (People v. Stevenson) 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. Stevenson, 275 Cal. App. 2d 645, 80 Cal. Rptr. 392, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 1961 (Cal. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

STEPHENS, Acting P. J.

By information filed on July 6, 1967, defendants Thompson and Stevenson were charged with the following offenses: in count I, Thompson was charged with kidnaping, in violation of Penal Code section 207; in count II, Thompson was charged with robbery, in violation of Penal Code section 211; in count III, Thompson was charged with rape, in violation of Penal Code section 261, subdivision 3; in count IV, Thompson was charged with oral copulation, in violation of Penal Code section 288a. In each of these four counts, the victim was one Miss F. In count V, Thompson and Stevenson, together with another codefendant, Paige, were charged with kidnaping for the purpose of robbery, in violation of Penal Code section 209; in count VI, Thompson, Stevenson, and Paige were charged with robbery, in violation of Penal Code section 211; in count VII, Thompson and Stevenson were charged with'oral copulation, in violation of Penal Code section 288a. In these three counts, the victim was one Mrs. H.

Trial began on September 8, 1967, and defendants Thompson, Stevenson, and Paige pleaded not guilty to all counts. The jury found Thompson guilty of counts I and III, as charged. Thompson was also found guilty of count IV, the jury finding that the act was accomplished by force or threat of great bodily harm. Thompson and Stevenson were found guilty of count VII, the jury finding as to each defendant that the act was accomplished by force or threat of great bodily harm. Thompson was found not guilty of count II. Thompson and Stevenson and Paige were found not guilty of counts V and VI.

Probation as to defendant Stevenson was denied, and he was sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law. Probation as to defendant Thompson was denied, and being under the age of 21 years at the time of apprehension, he was “committed to the Youth Authority of the State of California for the term prescribed by law, on said counts.” This is an appeal by Thompson and Stevenson from the judgments of conviction.

On the evening of May 11, 1967, at approximately 11 p.m., Miss F. was walking to the nearest bus stop to get a ride home. A car drove up alongside of her, a few words were [648]*648spoken to her, and then someone took Miss F. by the arm and forced her into the car. There were four Negro males in the ear, and she later identified defendant Thompson as one of the men. The car then drove around the area and finally stopped at a park, and Miss F. was forced to get out of the car. One man, while holding Miss F., dumped the contents of her purse on the ground. The man kept the small amount of money-found in the purse. She was then led into the men’s room at the park and ordered to remove her undergarments. Miss F. was then forced to have sexual intercourse in turn with all four men who had been in the car, including Thompson. Afterwards, Miss F. was forced to commit oral copulation on all four men, including Thompson. Finally, the men left and she returned home. She called the police and gave them a description of the men. Some time later, the police requested Miss F. to come to the station and attend a lineup consisting of five male Negroes, and she identified Thompson as one of her assailants. She also identified Thompson in court.

On June 11, 1967, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Mrs. H. was walking along the street, going home. A car, driven by Thompson, pulled up to the curb. Codefendant Stevenson was seated in the front seat. After Thompson asked Mrs. H. which way she was going, she offered him a dollar to take her home. He agreed, and she got in the front seat of the car, between Thompson and Stevenson. While en route, she was struck on the back of the neck by someone in the rear seat whom she had not previously noticed. When she was struck, her purse and dentures fell on the floor of the car. She was then forced to commit oral copulation on Thompson and Stevenson. The car was moving slowly at this time, and Mrs. H. hit the accelerator pedal with her foot and called for help. A police car drove by with its siren on, and Thompson parked the car and the three men fled. When the police arrived, Mrs. H. was still in the car, and she told the police what had occurred. Her purse was not found in the ear. Within 20 minutes, three men were apprehended. A short while later, she identified Thompson and Stevenson at the police station while they were being booked. She also identified Paige as one of the men who fled from the car. She again identified all three men the following day, June 12, 1967, at a police lineup. She subsequently made an in-court- identification of the three men.

Defendant Thompson’s first contention is that he was denied his right to counsel at the police lineup conducted on June 12, 1967, citing United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218 [18 [649]*649L.Ed.2d 1149, 87 S.Ct. 1926] and Gilbert v. California, 388 U.S. 263 [18 L.Ed.2d 1178, 87 S.Ct. 1951] to support this contention. However, the Wade and Gilbert decisions have been held to be applicable only to cases involving lineups which occurred after June 12, 1967, the date of the Wade and Gilbert decisions. Therefore, they do not apply.

“. . . We hold that Wade and Gilbert affect only those cases and all future eases which involve confrontations for identification purposes conducted in the absence of counsel after this date. . . .” (Italics added.) (Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 296 [18 L.Ed.2d 1199, 1203, 87 S.Ct. 1967] ; see also People v. Harris, 67 Cal.2d 866, 872 [64 Cal.Rptr. 313, 434 P.2d 609] ; People v. Feggans, 67 Cal.2d 444, 448 [62 Cal.Rptr. 419, 432 P.2d 21] ; People v. Williams, 255 Cal.App.2d 653, 662 [63 Cal.Rptr. 501] ; People v. Hunter, 252 Cal.App.2d 472, 478 [60 Cal.Rptr. 563].)

As an adjunct to this contention, defendant Thompson argues that the lineups in which Miss F. identified him “resulted in such unfairness that it infringed his right to due process of law.” (Stovall v. Denno, supra, at p. 299 [18 L.Ed.2d at p. 1204] ; People v. Caruso, 68 Cal.2d 183, 184 [65 Cal.Rptr. 336, 436 P.2d 336].) The evidence shows that there was no unfairness in the conduct of the lineup. Miss F., the victim, positively identified defendant Thompson, a Negro from a lineup consisting of five Negroes. Miss F. identified him on the basis of his facial features. No facts showing unfairness were demonstrated. (Stovall v. Denno, supra, at p. 302 [18 L.Ed.2d at p. 1206].)

Defendant Thompson’s second contention is that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction of kidnaping Miss F. A conviction will not be reversed for insufficiency of the evidence unless it appears that upon no hypothesis whatever is there sufficient substantial evidence to support the conclusion reached by the trial court. (People v. Hillery, 62 Cal.2d 692, 702 [44 Cal.Rptr. 30, 401 P.2d 382] ; People v. Newland, 15 Cal.2d 678, 681 [104 P.2d 778] ; People v. Midkiff, 262 Cal.App.2d 734, 739 [68 Cal.Rptr. 866] ; People v.

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People v. Stevenson
275 Cal. App. 2d 645 (California Court of Appeal, 1969)

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Bluebook (online)
275 Cal. App. 2d 645, 80 Cal. Rptr. 392, 1969 Cal. App. LEXIS 1961, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-stevenson-calctapp-1969.