State v. Hinton

529 P.2d 843, 12 Wash. App. 267, 1974 Wash. App. LEXIS 1121
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedDecember 16, 1974
Docket2290-1
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 529 P.2d 843 (State v. Hinton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hinton, 529 P.2d 843, 12 Wash. App. 267, 1974 Wash. App. LEXIS 1121 (Wash. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

Horowitz, J.

Defendant Hinton appeals from a judg-ment and sentence for robbery and as a habitual criminal.

On August 1, 1972, defendant was charged with robbery. After jury trial, he was found guilty. Later, after trial on a supplemental information charging him with being a habitual criminal, defendant was found guilty of the charge so made. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment on the robbery charge.

Defendant makes three assignments of error with respect to the robbery conviction and fourteen assignments of error with respect to the habitual criminal proceeding. We affirm as to the robbery conviction and reverse as to the habitual criminal proceeding.

Defendant first contends the court erred in permitting Dr. Richard Jarvis, a psychiatrist, to express his opinion concerning defendant’s ability to form a criminal intent based upon the facts stated in a hypothetical question. To save time, after Dr. Jarvis took the stand, counsel for the respective parties initially agreed an earlier hypothetical question asked of another expert, Dr. James William Smith, need not be repeated but could be considered as having been asked of Dr. Jarvis, he having stated he heard all or most of the question. It later developed that Dr. Jarvis could not remember all the matters included in the hypothetical question previously asked. Defendant did not request the hypothetical question be repeated so that Dr. Jarvis.could respond to the repeated question; nor did the defendant make any attempt to show the matters Dr. Jarvis could not remember were material. Without a request for repetition of the earlier question so as to obviate the error now claimed and without a showing the matters not recalled were material, defendant’s objection to the receipt of *269 Dr. Jarvis’ testimony must be deemed waived. See State v. Berkins, 2 Wn. App. 910, 471 P.2d 131 (1970). See also Vaupell Indus. Plastics, Inc. v. Department of Labor & Indus., 4 Wn. App. 430, 481 P.2d 577 (1971).

Defendant further contends Dr. Jarvis was not qualified to answer the hypothetical question without first showing he had knowledge of defendant based on his personal examination. We do not agree. The qualification of an expert to testify is a matter for the trial court’s, determination, reviewable only for manifest abuse of discretion. See State v. O’Connell, 83 Wn.2d 797, 523 P.2d 872 (1974); Myers v. Harter, 76 Wn.2d 772, 459 P.2d 25 (1969); State v. Moore, 7 Wn. App. 1, 499 P.2d 16 (1972). An expert witness may be asked to testify to a hypothetical question concerning the capacity of defendant to form a criminal intent based on the facts assumed to be true in the hypothetical question. It is not essential the witness also have personal knowledge of the person whose criminal intent is involved in order to respond to a hypothetical question. See Patrick v. Smith, 75 Wash. 407, 134 P. 1076 (1913). We cannot say the court erred in permitting Dr. Jarvis to testify “upon a ground, or to an extent, clearly untenable or manifestly unreasonable.” Friedlander v. Friedlander, 80 Wn.2d 293, 298, 494 P.2d 208 (1972). See generally R. Bowers, The Judicial Discretion of Trial Courts §§ 11, 12 (1931); R. Meisenholder, 5 Wash. Prac. §§ 353, 354, 355 (1965).

Defendant contends the court erred in permitting the use of defendant’s prior convictions for impeachment purposes, namely': (1) 1942 — rape; (2) 1946 — uttering a forged check; (3) 1953 — grand larceny; (4) 1960 — forgery; and (5) 1968 — conspiracy to break and enter a post office. Defendant argues the prejudicial impact of the prior convictions far outweighed the probative relevance they might have had on the issue of defendant’s credibility. RCW 10.52.030 expressly provides that a person convicted of a crime is a competent witness, “but his conviction may be proved for the purpose of affecting the weight of his testi *270 mony . . .” The statute contains no prohibition against use of prior convictions because of their remoteness or because of their nature. State v. Robinson, 75 Wn.2d 230, 450 P.2d 180 (1969).

Defendant contends the court denied him due process of law by delaying the CrR 101.20W hearing (presently CrR 3.5) from the time first demanded prior to trial to the time when the statement was first offered in rebuttal. Prior to the statement being admitted, the court on defendant’s request held a CrR 101.20W hearing and found defendant signed the statement voluntarily. The statement was then admitted into evidence. In view of the finding of voluntariness, we find no prejudicial error. The court having first found that the statement was voluntarily given, all protection intended by the CrR 101.20W hearing was achieved. See State v. Joseph, 10 Wn. App. 827, 520 P.2d 635 (1974).

Defendant contends the court erred in not advising defendant he need not testify in the CrR 101.20W hearing. Prior to that hearing, during defendant’s cross-examination, defendant without objection had admitted that, after being informed of his constitutional rights, he had signed the statement of his own free will. Had the court advised defendant he need not testify and had defendant thereupon declined so to do, the court could nevertheless properly consider defendant’s earlier admission concerning the voluntary character of the statement in determining whether the statement was voluntarily given so as to be admissible. Defendant was not prejudiced.

Defendant contends the court erred in refusing to give defendant’s third additional proposed instruction. That proposed instruction reads:

You may give such weight and credibility to alleged statements of the defendant, in view of the surrounding circumstances as you see fit.

The proposed instruction was adequately covered in instructions Nos. 14 and 17. See State v. Dana, 73 Wn.2d 533, 439 P.2d 403 (1968).

*271 Defendant’s principal contentions relate to the habitual criminal charge against defendant initiated by supplemental information alleging defendant had not only been convicted of the robbery charge, but had also been convicted of three crimes which amounted to felonies under the laws of the State of Washington. RCW 9.92.090.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
529 P.2d 843, 12 Wash. App. 267, 1974 Wash. App. LEXIS 1121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hinton-washctapp-1974.