People v. Wischemann

94 Cal. App. 3d 162, 156 Cal. Rptr. 386, 94 Cal. App. 2d 162, 1979 Cal. App. LEXIS 1844
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 18, 1979
DocketCrim. 17852
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 94 Cal. App. 3d 162 (People v. Wischemann) 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. Wischemann, 94 Cal. App. 3d 162, 156 Cal. Rptr. 386, 94 Cal. App. 2d 162, 1979 Cal. App. LEXIS 1844 (Cal. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

Opinion

TAYLOR, P. J.

Defendant, Steven Clair Wischemann, appeals from a judgment of conviction entered on a jury verdict finding him guilty of four counts of robbery (Pen. Code, § 211), while armed (Pen. Code, § 12022, subd. (a)) and using a firearm (Pen. Code, § 12022.5) during the commission of each offense. Defendant contends that: 1) he is entitled to a new trial on the issue of sanity in light of People v. Drew, 22 Cal.3d 333 [149 Cal.Rptr. 275, 583 P.2d 1318], decided after the trial of this matter; 2) the trial court erred by failing to exclude his confession, which was involuntary as a matter of law; 3) his conviction on two counts pursuant to Penal Code section 12022.5 violates Penal Code section 654, as the robberies were part of a single criminal transaction; and 4) he is entitled to 155 days’ credit for time served before trial. The People concede that defendant cannot suffer both arming and use enhancements for the same offense and that the matter must be remanded for the trial court’s determination of the credit for time served issue. For the reasons set forth below, we have concluded that in all other respects, the judgment must be affirmed.

*166 Viewing the record most strongly in favor of the judgment, as we must, the following chronology of pertinent facts appears:

On August 2, 1977, at 6 a.m., defendant entered a 7-11 store on West Steele Lane in Santa Rosa. He pointed a small silver handgun at the clerk, Michael Bunyard, and demanded money from the cash registers. His face was concealed by a hooded mask with holes cut for eyes. Bunyard complied with defendant’s demands and emptied all of the money from the cash registers into a pillowcase carried by defendant. Defendant then ordered Bunyard into the store’s rear room, and left.

A customer, Melody Culver, who approached the store about 6 a.m., noticed a young, bearded man leave the store carrying an object the size of a shopping bag. The young man entered an old red pickup truck equipped with a homemade camper shell and a spotlight, and drove off. On August 5, 1977, Ms. Culver viewed a lineup and tentatively identified defendant as the young man she had seen.

On August 4, 1977, at 2:30 a.m., Michael Atchison, the attendant of a Union 76 gas station on College Avenue in Santa Rosa, was talking to a customer, LaFranchi, in the station’s enclosed office. Defendant entered wearing a faded purple T-shirt mask with holes cut for eyes. He was holding a silver handgun with white handles. He pointed the gun at Atchison and LaFranchi, indicated that it was a robbery, and directed both to climb over the counter. Defendant then ordered Atchison to open a floor safe. As Atchison had a key to only one portion of the safe, he was unable to open it completely. Defendant then took the key from him and attempted to open it himself. He also ordered Atchison to get the money from the cashbox near the pumps, and place it in a white pillowcase. When Atchison returned to the office, he noticed that defendant had pulled his mask down. At Atchison’s entrance, defendant readjusted his mask, took $10 from Atchison’s wallet, and fled with the pillowcase. As defendant departed, he told Atchison and LaFranchi to keep their heads down and to tell the police about the red pickup with the spotlight on top. Atchison called the police and subsequently identified defendant as the robber.

About an hour later the same day, defendant entered a 7-11 store on Maple Avenue in Santa Rosa wearing a pink mask over the lower portion of his face. He pointed a small chrome gun at the store’s clerk, Craig Sulli, and said: “This is it,” handed Sulli a pillowcase and told him to empty the contents of the store’s cash registers. Sulli complied by placing *167 currency, coins, food stamps and a number of packs of Marlboro cigarettes into the pillowcase. Defendant then asked to see Sulli’s wallet. Sulli indicated that he had only $2. Defendant then reached into the pillowcase and handed Sulli a $5 bill. Defendant next took Sulli to the back room and directed him to remain while defendant attempted to open the store’s floor safe. Defendant was able to remove a canvas bank deposit bag containing rolled coins. Meanwhile, a customer, Senter, entered the store. Defendant took him to the back room at gunpoint and asked for his wallet. Senter handed defendant about $37. Subsequently, Senter identified defendant as the robber.

About 3:30 a.m., on August 4, 1977, Officer Joseph Deese of the Santa Rosa Police Department heard a police radio broadcast concerning the second 7-11 robbery. When he saw a red vehicle driven by a person matching the description of the alleged robber, he pulled it over. Defendant stepped out of the auto with his wallet in his hand, produced identification, and told the officer that he was coming from a 7-11 store. Deese observed defendant’s car and arrested defendant for armed robbery. During a subsequent search of the car, the police found a pillowcase containing money and food stamps, rolled coins, a Bank of America money bag, and packages of cigarettes. Twenty-two caliber ammunition in a paper bag and a loaded, chrome-plated .22 caliber revolver were found in the front seat.

Defendant was then taken to the police station and duly advised of his rights by Detective Radley. Defendant acknowledged that he understood, but hesitated when asked if he wished to make a statement. Radley terminated the interview and left the room. Defendant then asked Deese, who was also present, about Radley. Deese replied that if defendant wanted to make a statement, Radley was a fair and respected officer. After defendant indicated his willingness to discuss the crimes, Radley was summoned and readvised defendant of his rights. Defendant confessed to all three robberies in Santa Rosa but denied involvement in any other offenses.

Defendant first contends that our Supreme Court’s decision in People v. Drew, supra, 22 Cal.3d 333, decided after the instant trial, requires a reversal here, as it applied the ALI insanity test retroactively to cases where a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was entered (p. 348; People v. Stewart, 89 Cal.App.3d 992, 1000 [153 Cal.Rptr. 242]).

*168 Obviously, in view of the fact that Drew was decided subsequent to the jury trial in the instant case, neither the expert witnesses nor counsel structured their presentation at the trial (nor was the jury instructed) in terms of the ALI test. However, as we understand Drew, failure to apply the ALI test is not reversible per se. Thus, we must examine the record and determine whether the alleged error was prejudicial under California Constitution article VI, section 13 (see In re Ramon M., 22 Cal.3d 419, 431 [149 Cal.Rptr. 387, 584 P.2d 524]), i.e., whether it is reasonably probable that a result more favorable to the appellant would have been reached in the absence of the error.

In rejecting the M’Naghten test 1 in favor of the ALI standard, 2

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
94 Cal. App. 3d 162, 156 Cal. Rptr. 386, 94 Cal. App. 2d 162, 1979 Cal. App. LEXIS 1844, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-wischemann-calctapp-1979.