People v. Valdivia

180 Cal. App. 3d 657, 226 Cal. Rptr. 144
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 30, 1986
DocketG001973
StatusPublished

This text of 180 Cal. App. 3d 657 (People v. Valdivia) 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. Valdivia, 180 Cal. App. 3d 657, 226 Cal. Rptr. 144 (Cal. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

180 Cal.App.3d 657 (1986)
226 Cal. Rptr. 144

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
JOSE NUNO VALDIVIA, Defendant and Appellant.

Docket No. G001973.

Court of Appeals of California, Fourth District, Division Three.

April 30, 1986.

*659 COUNSEL

Frederick L. McBride, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

*660 John K. Van de Kamp, Attorney General, Robert M. Foster and Pat Zaharopoulos, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

OPINION

CROSBY, Acting P.J.

Is a Miranda warning necessarily defective for failure to specifically include an advisement of a right to an attorney during, as well as before, questioning?[1] To this and several related issues, we conclude not.

I

The bullet-punctured corpse of a male adult was found on the sidewalk in front of the Siete Leguas Bar in Santa Ana in the early morning hours of October 1, 1983. A white Chevrolet was parked nearby. The barmaid told investigating officers the driver of the vehicle had a gun and argued with the victim that evening. She was able to give them a physical description of the man, but not his name. The victim's roommate identified the car's owner as Jose Valdivia, however, and said he worked in the same pizza restaurant as the victim.

A Department of Motor Vehicles check confirmed the vehicle was registered to a Jose Valdivia, and the manager of the restaurant where he was employed gave officers a photograph of him. They also obtained several possible addresses from different sources. None proved fruitful until they were invited into the home of Juan Roman, who officers believed was Valdivia's brother. Just as they were explaining to Roman why they were there, Valdivia walked out of a bathroom. An officer recognized him from the photograph. He asked Valdivia his name. At Roman's prompting in Spanish, Valdivia responded, "Damasio Cruz." Valdivia denied knowing of the shooting, owning a white Chevrolet, or working at the pizza restaurant; but the officers were not persuaded.

Valdivia was handcuffed and transported to the Santa Ana Police Department. Officers tape recorded the Miranda warning, which was given in Spanish. The translated transcription reads: "[Officer]: Just tell me `yes' or `no,' okay? You have the right to remain silent; do you understand me? If you say anything, like anything that you say, if — if we can, we are going to use it against you in a court of law. Do you understand? Do you understand *661 me? You have the right to remain silent; do you understand me? No? Yes or no? [¶] [Defendant]: Well, yes. [¶] [Officer]: If — if you say anything, anything that you say will be used against you in a court of law, and will be used, just in case we are able to use it; do you understand? [¶] [Defendant]: Yes. [¶] [Officer]: Okay. You have the right of attorney, to speak with an attorney and to have him present before any question; do you understand me? [¶] [Defendant]: Yes...." Valdivia eventually admitted shooting the victim, but claimed it was in self-defense.

Valdivia's Penal Code section 1538.5 motion to suppress his statements at Roman's home and after the Miranda advisement was denied. Other pretrial and midtrial procedures to exclude the evidence also failed, and his prearrest statements were repeated for the jury and the transcription of his in-custody interview was read into the record.

Valdivia was convicted of voluntary manslaughter. He contends the pre-Miranda statements in his brother's house should have been excluded. The in-custody interview is also flawed, he argues, because the Miranda advisement was incomplete and misleading, although he has yet to claim he was confused or misled.

II

(1a) Because the officers had probable cause to arrest him on sight, Valdivia contends they were obliged to give the Miranda warning before asking any questions at his brother's home. Not so. Although he was obviously not free to go until the officers resolved the question of his identity, Valdivia was not advised of that: "Miranda warnings are required only where there has been such a restriction on a person's freedom as to render him `in custody.'" (Oregon v. Mathiason (1977) 429 U.S. 492, 495 [50 L.Ed.2d 714, 719, 97 S.Ct. 711].) Our Supreme Court expressed the principle in a similar fashion: "While arrest is not a condition precedent to the right to Miranda and Dorado warnings,[[2]] custody is: the vice requiring the prophylaxis of the notice of rights is the inherently coercive atmosphere pervading custodial interrogation. [Citation.] Since at the time of their admissions the [defendants] were not restrained in any way ... any coercion operating on [them] was not attributable to their being in custody." (People v. Leach (1975) 15 Cal.3d 419, 443 [124 Cal. Rptr. 752, 541 P.2d 296].) Thus, custody, as the cases define it, contains two elements: actual restraint of freedom combined with the suspect's understanding of that restraint. Only the former occurred here.

*662 Although Valdivia was a suspect when the initial questioning occurred, the contact came in the home of his brother, who was also present. The officers did not draw their weapons or place him under arrest. Thus, the encounter was not coercive.

Moreover, Valdivia was not subjected to an interrogation designed to elicit a confession. He was asked but a few preliminary and general identification questions which were not in themselves coercive. (2a) Questioning for the purpose of establishing an individual's identity need not be preceded by Miranda warnings (California v. Byers (1971) 402 U.S. 424 [29 L.Ed.2d 9, 91 S.Ct. 1535]; People v. Powell (1986) 178 Cal. App.3d 36 [223 Cal. Rptr. 475]), although information obtained at booking "cannot be put to any incriminatory uses." (People v. Rucker (1980) 26 Cal.3d 368, 389 [162 Cal. Rptr. 13, 605 P.2d 843].)

(3a) Finally, even were we to conclude the statements were improperly received, reversal would not be required here. Valdivia's denials of knowledge of the killing or of his own car and employment at the initial contact were no more damning than his use of a false name, which was obviously admissible. They proved but the same thing, his consciousness of guilt.

III

(4a) As noted above, the Miranda warning given to Valdivia in Spanish at the police station was taped, translated, and transcribed. Relying on United States v. Noti (9th Cir.1984) 731 F.2d 610 [77 A.L.R.Fed. 111], he contends the in-custody interview should have been suppressed. Noti was told only that he had "the right to the services of an attorney before questioning...." (Id., at p. 614.) A divided panel of the Ninth Circuit determined that warning was inadequate because the officer failed to advise of his right to counsel both before and during questioning. In so holding, the Noti majority relied on an earlier Fifth Circuit opinion, Windsor v. United States

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

Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
California v. Byers
402 U.S. 424 (Supreme Court, 1971)
Lego v. Twomey
404 U.S. 477 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Oregon v. Mathiason
429 U.S. 492 (Supreme Court, 1977)
California v. Prysock
453 U.S. 355 (Supreme Court, 1981)
Ronald Dale Windsor v. United States
389 F.2d 530 (Fifth Circuit, 1968)
United States v. Robert Anthony Lamia
429 F.2d 373 (Second Circuit, 1970)
United States v. Raymond Adams
484 F.2d 357 (Seventh Circuit, 1973)
United States v. Michael Noti
731 F.2d 610 (Ninth Circuit, 1984)
In Re Martinez
463 P.2d 734 (California Supreme Court, 1970)
People v. Leach
541 P.2d 296 (California Supreme Court, 1975)
Ramona R. v. Superior Court
693 P.2d 789 (California Supreme Court, 1985)
People v. Dorado
398 P.2d 361 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Jimenez
580 P.2d 672 (California Supreme Court, 1978)
People v. McClary
571 P.2d 620 (California Supreme Court, 1977)
People v. Rucker
605 P.2d 843 (California Supreme Court, 1980)
People v. Weaver
703 P.2d 1139 (California Supreme Court, 1985)
People v. Murtishaw
631 P.2d 446 (California Supreme Court, 1981)
People v. Jacobs
158 Cal. App. 3d 740 (California Court of Appeal, 1984)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 Cal. App. 3d 657, 226 Cal. Rptr. 144, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-valdivia-calctapp-1986.