People v. Young

9 Cal. App. 3d 106, 87 Cal. Rptr. 767, 1970 Cal. App. LEXIS 1932
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 25, 1970
DocketCrim. 7898
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 9 Cal. App. 3d 106 (People v. Young) 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. Young, 9 Cal. App. 3d 106, 87 Cal. Rptr. 767, 1970 Cal. App. LEXIS 1932 (Cal. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinion

Opinion

ELKINGTON, J.

Guy Young III appeals from a judgment, based on jury verdicts, convicting him of rape by “threats of bodily harm” (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. 4) and assault with a deadly weapon (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a).)

No contention is made that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdicts.

*109 Young’s first contention—that his in-court identification should have been excluded—is without merit. No objection to such identification was made at the trial. He may not now for the first time question it on appeal. (People v. Hawkins, 7 Cal.App.3d 117, 124 [86 Cal.Rptr. 428]; In re Carl T., 1 Cal.App.3d 344, 353 [81 Cal.Rptr. 655]; People v. Morrow, 276 Cal.App.2d 700, 704 [81 Cal.Rptr. 201]; People v. Diaz, 276 Cal.App.2d 547, 554 [81 Cal.Rptr. 16]; People v. Levine, 276 Cal.App.2d 206, 207-208 [80 Cal.Rptr. 731]; People v. Grigsby, 275 Cal.App.2d 767, 773, fn. 3 [80 Cal.Rptr. 294]; People v. Hardy, 275 Cal.App.2d 469, 472 [79 Cal.Rptr. 801]; People v. Harris, 274 Cal.App.2d 826, 832 [79 Cal.Rptr. 352]; People v. Hatfield, 273 Cal.App.2d 745, 748 [78 Cal.Rptr. 805]; People v. Neal, 271 Cal.App.2d 826, 832, fn. 5 [77 Cal.Rptr. 65]; People v. Short, 269 Cal.App.2d 746, 749 [75 Cal.Rptr. 156]; People v. Rodriguez, 266 Cal.App.2d 766, 769 [72 Cal.Rptr. 310].) We note that Young’s trial started in February 1969, long after the lineup and in-court identification decisions of Stovall v. Denno (1967) 388 U.S. 293 [18 L.Ed.2d 1199, 87 S.Ct. 1967]; Gilbert v. California (1967) 388 U.S. 263 [18 L.Ed.2d 1178, 87 S.Ct. 1951]; United States v. Wade (1967) 388 U.S. 218 [18 L.Ed.2d 1149, 87 S.Ct. 1926]; and People v. Feggans (1967) 67 Cal.2d 444 [62 Cal.Rptr. 419, 432 P.2d 21],

The trial court properly declined to give the jury two instructions requested by Young.

The first request was that the jury be instructed they could return a battery 1 (Pen. Code, § 242) verdict, as a lesser offense included within the charge of rape “by threats of . . . bodily harm.” (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. 4.) Young’s theory seems to be that the physical abuse inherent in involuntary rape is necessarily a battery. Accepting, arguendo, this contention, it follows that the evidence here establishing such a battery as a matter of law must also establish the commission of rape. Accordingly, if Young is guilty of battery, he is also guilty of the greater offense. It is not error to refuse to instruct the jury of their right to convict of lesser offenses included in the offense charged when the evidence shows that the defendant, if guilty at all, is also guilty of the crime charged. (People v. Thomas, 58 Cal.2d 121, 127 [23 Cal.Rptr. 161, 373 P.2d 97]; People v. Asher, 273 Cal.App.2d 876, 895 [78 Cal.Rptr. 885].)

*110 The second requested instruction is that known as CALJIC (California Jury Instructions-Criminal) No. 35 (Rev.). Its text, as submitted by Young, follows: “Motive is not an element of the crime charged and need not be shown. However, you may consider motive or lack of motive as a circumstance in this case. Presence of motive may tend to establish innocence. You will therefore give its presence or absence, as the case may be, the weight to which you find it to be entitled.” Young’s theory was that he had a satisfactory sex life and therefore had no motive to commit rape. It has been suggested that an instruction such as that here requested, relates to a matter of fact and invades the province of the jury. (People v. Bermijo, 2 Cal.2d 270, 278 [40 P.2d 823].) In any event it is established law that it is not error to refuse such an instruction. (People v. Bormijo, supra, at p. 278; Peoples. Wilkins, 158 Cal. 530, 536-537 [111 P. 612]; People v. Mann, 5 Cal.App.2d 36, 38 [42 P.2d 94]; People v. Page, 86 Cal.App. 148, 158 [260 P. 591]; People v. Gorman, 31 Cal.App. 762, 763-764 [161 P. 757].)

Young’s next contention—that the trial court erroneously declined to strike certain testimony—is well founded. He relies on Evidence Code section 771, which as relevant provides: “. . . if a witness, either while testifying or prior thereto, uses a writing to refresh his memory with respect to any matter about which he testifies, such writing must be produced at the hearing at the request of an adverse party and, unless the writing is so produced, the testimony of the witness concerning such matter shall be stricken.” (Italics added.)

Young’s defense at the trial was an alibi. He testified that throughout the day of the alleged offenses in San Jose he was approximately 50 miles distant in Richmond and San Francisco, California. Young’s landlady testified that she had seen him on that day in his San Jose apartment. She admitted refreshing her recollection as to the date by looking at some rental agreements before coming to court. Following this testimony, defense counsel stated:

“Your Honor, I would have to ask that this witness’ testimony be stricken until we have an opportunity to view these documents that she has used to refresh her memory.” The court denied the “motion.” At the conclusion of the witness’ testimony counsel renewed his “motion to strike this witness’ testimony . . . unless the documents are produced.” This motion, also, was denied. These rulings were error since the motion to strike was proper unless the rental documents were produced as required by section 771.

The question remaining as to the instant contention is whether,, as claimed by the People, the rulings were harmless error. The relevant evidence includes the following: the victim positively identified Young as her attacker *111 who had taken pictures of her after forcing her to disrobe; her assailant had left behind a “Salem” cigarette butt, a brand shown to have been used by Young; the victim had finally eluded her rapist by running from the house screaming, after which he precipitously fled leaving his camera in the house and his car at the curb; fingerprints found on the camera were those of Young who was also the owner of the parked automobile.

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Related

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118 Cal. App. 3d 767 (California Court of Appeal, 1981)
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Bluebook (online)
9 Cal. App. 3d 106, 87 Cal. Rptr. 767, 1970 Cal. App. LEXIS 1932, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-young-calctapp-1970.