State v. Arnold

549 P.2d 1060, 26 Ariz. App. 542, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 900
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedMay 20, 1976
Docket1 CA-CR 1479
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 549 P.2d 1060 (State v. Arnold) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Arnold, 549 P.2d 1060, 26 Ariz. App. 542, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 900 (Ark. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

OPINION

EUBANK, Presiding Judge.

After a trial by jury, appellant was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to not less than eight nor more than 13 years in the state prison. On appeal, he raises two issues: whether out-of-court identification procedures were unduly suggestive and tainted the subsequent in-court identification, and whether there was sufficient evidence to convict appellant.

On April 21, 1975, a man came onto Mr. G. Swing’s property at 728 East Adams, in Phoenix, with a revolver in his hand and told him “This is a stickup.” Mr. Swing thought he was joking, until the robber grabbed him, threw him down and kicked him in the face. As a result, Mr. Swing gave the robber all the money he had, approximately $40 and some change. Mr. L. Monreal witnessed the violence and robbery. Swing called the police, who responded within a matter of minutes. As the responding police officer drove up to Swing’s apartment house, she saw appellant walking westward along Monroe Street. When she interviewed Swing and obtained a description of the robber, she realized that it fit appellant and radioed for other police officers to arrest appellant. Within three or four minutes of the first officer’s arrival at the scene of the crime, appellant was apprehended and returned to Swing’s apartment house. While appellant was seated in the rear of the police car, the police officers individually took Swing and Monreal to the car to view the appellant. Both Swing and Monreal positively identified appellant as the robber. Their identification took place approximately eleven minutes after the crime occurred.

Appellant contends that this identification at the scene of the crime was unduly suggestive and inadmissible. However, we do not agree. Arizona has consistently held that a “one man showup” is not improper if it is conducted near the time of„ the crime or at the scene of the crime. See State v. Gastelo, 111 Ariz. 459, 532 P.2d 521 (1975); State v. Nunez, 108 Ariz. 71, 492 P.2d 1178 (1972); State v. Daniels, 106 Ariz. 224, 474 P.2d 815 (1970). In our opinion the “showup” was timely, properly conducted, and there is no evidence that it was unnecessarily suggestive.

Moreover, the identification was reliable under the test propounded in Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 93 S.Ct. 375, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972). In Neil the factors to be considered are, (1) the opporuntity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime, (2) the witness’ degree of attention, (3) the accuracy of the witness’ prior description of the criminal, (4) *544 the level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the confrontation, and (5) the length of time between the crime and the confrontation. 409 U.S. at 199, 93 S.Ct. 375. In this case, although his glasses were knocked off by appellant, Swing had an opportunity to view appellant at very close range. Monreal viewed appellant for about three minutes during the course of the robbery. Both witnesses, of necessity, paid close attention to the robber because they were involved. In addition, the record shows that there was adequate lighting to see the robber; that the descriptions given the police accurately described the appellant; and that both witnesses were positive of their identification, which took place only eleven minutes after the crime. In light of the foregoing, the identification was reliable. Accordingly, because it was proper for the police to conduct the show-up, it is our opinion that it was proper to admit testimony regarding the showup into evidence.

Appellant also contends that a lineup subsequent to the showup tainted Monreal’s in-court identification. The pertinent facts relating to this lineup are as follows.

On appellant’s motion, the trial court ordered a pretrial lineup which was conducted the day before the trial. Although appellant had long hair and a drooping mous-tache at the time of the crime, he had his hair cut short and had shaved off his moustache immediately prior to the lineup. A comparison of his photograph at the time of his arrest with a photograph at the time of the lineup shows a substantial change in appellant’s appearance.

Monreal was not present at the original lineup, but was shown a frontal photograph of the lineup. The prosecutor, the defense attorney and Officer Gonzales of the Phoenix Police Department, who acted as an interpreter for Monreal, were present when Monreal was shown this photograph. 1

Monreal originally selected subject No. 5 from the photographs. Subject No. 5 was not appellant. Officer Gonzales asked Monreal why he picked No. 5, and Mon-real replied that he had chosen No. 5 because he had long hair and a moustache. The prosecutor, through Officer Gonzales, asked Monreal which one he would select if he were to take the moustache and long hair off of No. 5. Monreal replied that he would pick No. 4. No. 4 was appellant.

At trial, Monreal identified appellant but stated there was “a lot of difference” between the appearance of appellant in the courtroom and at the time of the crime. Monreal stated that the changes were appellant’s short haircut and his lack of a moustache. Nonetheless, Monreal believed appellant to be the robber.

A Dessureault hearing, State v. Dessureault, 104 Ariz. 380, 453 P.2d 951 (1969), supplemented, 104 Ariz. 439, 454 P.2d 981 (1969), cert. den., 397 U.S. 965, 90 S.Ct. 1000, 25 L.Ed.2d 257 (1970), which was conducted prior to the trial, dealt exclusively with the oneman showup. Appellant did not present any evidence concerning the lineup or raise any objections to the prosecutor’s or Officer Gonzales’ comments at the time of the lineup. Appellant’s original memorandum in support of his motion to suppress the identification did not refer to the incident at the lineup. Further, appellant did not object at the time of Monreal’s in-court identification. Finally, in appellant’s motion for a new trial, he did not mention the incident.

The only possible objection to Monreal’s in-court identification because of the incident at the lineup occurred at the close of the prosecution’s case. At this time, appellant’s attorney stated:

At this time I would renew the motion that 1 filed concerning the Deseralt [sic] problems in this case. I would ask the Court to strike from the record the testi *545 mony of both eyewitnesses and that I feel that the evidence has shown that their testimony in court was tainted by an illegal show of [sic] and suggestions made to them and prior to trial and for that reason I would ask the Court to strike their testimony.

However, appellant’s attorney did not specifically indicate what the “suggestions” were, nor did he refer to the lineup itself at the time of this motion.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
549 P.2d 1060, 26 Ariz. App. 542, 1976 Ariz. App. LEXIS 900, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-arnold-arizctapp-1976.