People v. Wright

209 Cal. App. 3d 386, 257 Cal. Rptr. 247, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 309
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 5, 1989
DocketNo. B027951
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 209 Cal. App. 3d 386 (People v. Wright) 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. Wright, 209 Cal. App. 3d 386, 257 Cal. Rptr. 247, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 309 (Cal. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinions

Opinion

WOODS (Fred), J.

The single question1 we consider is this: when a defendant requests a misdemeanor assault instruction, defining a lesser related offense (People v. Geiger (1984) 35 Cal.3d 510 [199 Cal.Rptr. 45, 674 P.2d 1303, 50 A.L.R.4th 1055]), and the prosecutor, over the defendant’s objection, requests a felony assault instruction, also defining a [389]*389related offense, may the trial court properly give both instructions? Our answer is yes.

Procedural & Factual Background

Appellant was charged with committing a robbery (Pen. Code, § 211)2by using a knife (§ 12022, subd. (b)) and with having suffered nine felony convictions.

A jury acquitted him of robbery but convicted him of assault with a deadly weapon or by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)). The court found four of the alleged felony priors to be true, denied probation, and sentenced appellant to state prison for three years, the midterm.

There being no insufficiency-of-evidence claim, we briefly summarize the evidence.

On Saturday night January 3, 1987, 21-year-old Allen T. (victim) went to a topless-bottomless Gardena bar, had a few beers, and then walked to the motel across the street in order to find a prostitute. He found one, said yes he wanted “a date,” assured her he had money, and followed her to room 18 of the motel.

Once inside, the prostitute undressed and lay on the bed. The victim was still standing fully clothed when appellant suddenly entered the room, threw the victim on the bed, pinned him down, and repeatedly beat him on the face. The victim told appellant he had money in his right pocket but appellant continued the beating. After a while appellant took the victim’s money, $80 plus change. When the victim made an effort to get away appellant pulled out a knife, brought it near the victim’s neck and said he would stab and kill the victim. The victim stopped trying to get away. All during this time the prostitute just stood and watched.

Appellant then pushed the victim out of the room.

The victim, who was bleeding and had difficulty seeing, walked to his truck, sat in it for about 45 minutes in order to recover, and then drove the short distance to his home where he lived with his parents and younger sister.

Too embarrassed to tell them the truth, the victim told his family he had been robbed by two men outside the bar.

[390]*390The next morning, on Sunday January 4, 1987, the victim and a friend returned to the motel and saw appellant and the prostitute outside. The victim called the police but by the time they arrived the victim’s father was also there. The victim told the police the same story he had told his family and identified appellant as “one” of the robbers. The police arrested appellant, saw the described knife in room 18, and recovered it.

The only variation from this scenario was offered by the sole defense witness, Simon Moraga, a friend of appellant who also lived at the motel with his girlfriend prostitute. He testified that on the evening in question the victim was so intoxicated that Mr. Moraga’s girlfriend refused to have sex with him. Mr. Moraga said he saw the victim then walk towards room 18 while he, Mr. Moraga, went to the front of the motel where he was soon joined by appellant. After a few minutes they heard screams from room 18 and appellant ran to the room. About five minutes later appellant emerged with the bruised victim. Mr. Moraga testified that the motel manager and appellant told the victim to leave because he was causing a disturbance.

Based upon this evidence appellant requested3 misdemeanor assault (§ 240) instructions. The prosecutor responded by requesting felony assault (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)) instructions. Over appellant’s objection4 to the felony [391]*391assault instructions the court gave both sets of instructions. The jury convicted appellant of felony assault (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)).

Discussion

Although People v. Geiger, supra, 35 Cal.3d 510, provides the touchstone for our analysis, before discussing Geiger a brief preface may be useful.

A defendant may be convicted of the offense he is charged with, an attempt to commit that offense, or of an offense necessarily included within the charged offense. (§ 1159).5 “The test ... of a necessarily included offense is simply that where an offense cannot be committed without necessarily committing another offense, the latter is a necessarily included offense.” (People v. Greer (1947) 30 Cal.2d 589, 596 [184 P.2d 512].) When, however, the language of the charged offense exceeds the statutory language the measure of a necessarily included offense is determined by the broader language of the accusatory pleading. (People v. Marshall (1957) 48 Cal.2d 394 [309 P.2d 456].) Conversely, enhancement allegations affecting punishment, when added to rather than incorporated within a charged offense, do not expand the measure of an included offense. (People v. Wolcott (1983) 34 Cal.3d 92 [192 Cal.Rptr. 748, 665 P.2d 520].) When the evidence shows that an uncharged, unincluded but related offense has been committed, the defendant may not be convicted of that offense without his consent (People v. Lohbauer (1981) 29 Cal.3d 364 [173 Cal.Rptr. 453, 627 P.2d 183]), express or implied. (People v. Toro, supra, 47 Cal.3d 966.)

In People v. Geiger the defendant was charged with burglary. The evidence showed he broke a restaurant window around 3 a.m. perhaps out of anger and frustration rather than with an intent to steal. The defendant requested vandalism (§ 594) instructions but the court refused them presumably because vandalism was not an included offense of burglary.

In reversing the burglary conviction the court held that in described circumstances, present in Geiger, if the defendant requests lesser related instructions the court has a duty to give them.

As the court explained, “[t]he principal impediment” to its holding that a defendant may be convicted of an uncharged, unincluded offense “is the [392]*392defendant’s right to notice adequate to permit him to prepare his defense.” (People v. Geiger, supra, 35 Cal.3d at p. 526.) That due process right io notice is satisfied, however, by the defendant’s consent manifested by his request for uncharged, unincluded offense instructions. “Where, however, the defendant himself requests the instruction on a related offense there is no constitutional bar. Obviously, such a defendant cannot claim lack of notice.” {Ibid.)

Requiring related offense instructions, upon defendant request, benefits both sides. It allows “every material issue presented by the evidence” (35 Cal.3d. at p.

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Bluebook (online)
209 Cal. App. 3d 386, 257 Cal. Rptr. 247, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-wright-calctapp-1989.