People v. Wright

310 N.E.2d 494, 18 Ill. App. 3d 1028, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2928
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 25, 1974
Docket12089
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 310 N.E.2d 494 (People v. Wright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Wright, 310 N.E.2d 494, 18 Ill. App. 3d 1028, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2928 (Ill. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

Mr. JUSTICE SIMKINS

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from defendant’s conviction by a jury of the offense of armed robbery in violation of section 18—2 of the Criminal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1971, ch. 38, sec. 18—2) and from a sentence of 5 to 8 years. The co-defendant in the case, William Smith, was acquitted by the same jury. Defendant raises the following issues: (1) Whether defendant was deprived of a fair hearing on the motion to suppress, (2) Whether the trial court erred in permitting defendant’s confession to be used for impeachment purposes, (3) Whether defendant was convicted beyond a reasonable doubt, (4) Whether the mandatory minimum penalty imposed for armed robbery is unconstitutional, (5) Whether defendant’s sentence should be reduced under the Unified Code of Corrections.

At approximately 9:30 P.M. on March 18, 1972, the A&P Grocery Store in Springfield, Illinois, was robbed by two individuals wearing nylon stockings over their faces. At that time there were only two people in the store, Jack Carrol, the manager, and Michaeleen McClure, a checker. The shorter of the two men waved a gun and yelled, “This is a holdup” and, “Lay on the floor.” That same individual entered the office and removed the cash register drawers from the safe. The robbers left the store with the trays in their hands. The defendant was arrested later in the evening and was immediately thereafter identified as one of the robbers by McClure. On March 19, 1972, Durrell Jackson, defendant’s girlfriend, gave the police a written statement implicating defendant in the robbery.

On April 2, 1972, defendant gave a written confession to Officers Kirk and Pettit detailing his participating in the robbery. On July 3, 1972, defendant moved to suppress the confession. At the hearing defendant stated that the Miranda warnings were not given to him and that he talked to Kirk and Pettit because he had obtained a message while in jail to the effect that Jackson was being “unnecessarily harrassed” due to her relationship with him. When asked what the harrassment was, the trial court refused to permit any testimony by defendant in that regard. On cross-examination Wright testified that he was not forced by Kirk or Pettit to sign the statement, and that Kirk was there upon his request. He further stated that he wouldn’t say his statement was voluntary because he gave it under strain, but that neither Kirk nor Pettit put any strain on him. Officer Pettit testified that he was present with Kirk at the time defendant gave his confession, that the Mimnda warnings were given to defendant, and that no pressure was placed on defendant. He further stated that Officer Kirk was on vacation. The court then stated that if the confession is offered at the trial, Officer Kirk would have to be present. The court then denied the motion to suppress and specifically found that the Miranda warnings were given to defendant and that defendant’s confession was voluntary.

At the trial Carrol testified that he could not identify the robbers unless they would again wear nylon stockings on their heads.

McClure testified that the larger of the two men stood in front of her under good lighting conditions for 5 or 6 seconds with his face 4 inches from hers and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to the floor. She further stated that the stocking mask didn’t conceal his main features and made no difference as far as her identification was concerned. She then identified defendant as being the larger of the two robbers. She stated that her identification of defendant was facilitated by the fact that defendant had previously been an employee of the store.

Durrell Jackson testified that on March 13, 1972, defendant had a conversation with Howard Lowe at her house concerning holding up the A&P. She also stated that Lowe and defendant had conversed on March 17, 1972, about stealing a car for a robbery. She further stated that on March 18, 1972, defendant was at her house and left to find a car. He returned prior to 9:10 P.M. and left shortly thereafter in a gold car after obtaining a nylon stocking and some rubber gloves. She stated that defendant returned again between 10 and 10:30 P.M., and they all left shortly thereafter to go to the home of Bernadine Smith. At the Smith residence she testified that she observed some money lying on a bed and heard defendant laughingly respond to a newcast concerning the robbery by stating, “We got away slick.” She stated that defendant left the Smith residence later stating that he might burn the car. He returned shortly thereafter and stated that he had parked the car near Sandy’s Restaurant. She then stated that she was told by Officer Kirk that if she did not make a statement implicating defendant, she would have her children taken from her.

Lowe testified that while at Bernadine Smith’s house on the evening of March 18, 1972, he observed defendant with two bags containing square objects which were taken to a car. He also stated that he saw defendant laughingly respond to a newscast concerning the robbery.

Robert Mabie testified that he was sitting on a park bench across the street from the A& P when the robbery occurred and observed a gold car pull up in front of the store and two men getting out of the car and going into the A & P. He stated that one of the men appeared to have a gun.

Defendant took the stand in his own behalf and testified that he had never discussed a robbery with either Smith or Lowe, and that on the evening in question he and Lowe were at Jackson’s house watching T.V. At approximately 9:10 P.M., he stated that he went across the alley to attend a party given by a young lady named Naomi. It was there that he met Smith and the two went to several taverns. Defendant later left one of the taverns and walked to Bernadine Smith’s house where he was joined 10 minutes later by Smith. The State then sought over defendant’s objection to use for impeachment purposes statements given by defendant in his confession that were inconsistent with certain statements given by him on direct, and the court stated that it could be so used because the voluntariness of the confession had already been established at the pre-trial hearing.

William Smith, the co-defendant, also testified in his awn behalf, and his testimony was substantially similar to that given by defendant.

Officer Kirk was called as a witness on behalf of Smith, and he testified that he participated in arresting Smith and Wright. He further stated that Jackson was later taken into custody and gave a written statement concerning the robbery. The defense counsel then chose not to examine Kirk on behalf of defendant Wright.

It is contended that defendant was deprived of a fair hearing on the motion to suppress the confession because the trial court limited the scope of inquiry into the voluntariness of the statement and failed to require all witnesses to the confession to testify at the hearing. We note that defendant on the motion to suppress was not allowed to relate to the court the details of “the unnecessary harrassment” of Jackson, his girl friend. However, during the trial Jackson related to the court the details of the alleged harrassment, i.e,, that Officer Kirk had threatened to take her children away from her.

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

Related

People v. Castro
503 N.E.2d 376 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1987)
People v. Clay
463 N.E.2d 929 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1984)
People v. Gomez
458 N.E.2d 565 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1983)
People v. Mau
411 N.E.2d 323 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1980)
People v. Boucher
394 N.E.2d 60 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1979)
People v. Speller
360 N.E.2d 1155 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1977)
People v. Collins
343 N.E.2d 550 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
310 N.E.2d 494, 18 Ill. App. 3d 1028, 1974 Ill. App. LEXIS 2928, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-wright-illappct-1974.