State v. Jaime

384 P.2d 363, 62 Wash. 2d 610, 1963 Wash. LEXIS 372
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 25, 1963
Docket36629
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 384 P.2d 363 (State v. Jaime) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Jaime, 384 P.2d 363, 62 Wash. 2d 610, 1963 Wash. LEXIS 372 (Wash. 1963).

Opinion

Donworth, J.

Appellant was tried and convicted on two counts: (1) rape committed against the will of, and’ without the consent of, the prosecuting witness who was then unconscious of the nature of the act, which fact was known to appellant, and (2) second-degree burglary committed under circumstances not amounting to first-degree burglary by entering the dwelling house of another with intent to commit some crime therein.

*611 The trial court denied appellant’s motion to dismiss the case at the close of the state’s evidence. Appellant did not take the stand nor present any evidence. He made the usual post-trial motions, which were likewise denied.

Judgment and sentence were entered on the verdicts of guilty whereby appellant was ordered to be confined in the state reformatory for a period not exceeding 20 years on the first count and 15 years on the second count (both to run concurrently).

Appellant has been represented by court-appointed counsel both in the trial court and in this court. After giving notice of appeal, appellant petitioned the trial court for leave to proceed in forma pauperis and prayed that he be furnished a transcript of the record and a statement of facts at county expense. The court granted the relief prayed for.

The nine assignments of error may be discussed under three headings: (1) the insufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction as to count 1 (rape), (2) the claim of the erroneous admission of testimony of the prosecuting witness that appellant threatened her, and (3) the insufficiency of the evidence as to count 2 (second-degree burglary).

The state’s evidence tended to prove that the prosecuting witness, aged 18, had been married 7 months when she and her husband arrived in Wapato by bus about 6 p.m. on April 13, 1962. The couple had come from California to visit her husband’s relatives who were then living in Wapato. She spent the evening in the kitchen of a cafe operated by her husband’s aunt. About 11:30 p.m., her husband’s uncle took her and her 9-year-old niece to their basement apartment because the prosecuting witness was very tired and wanted to sleep. The uncle left the two girls alone in the apartment.

Between 1 and 2 o’clock in the morning, April 14, 1962, appellant entered the apartment while the girls were asleep. It was then that the act charged in count 1 took place.

As to the first matter above mentioned, we do not deem it necessary to set forth all of the state’s evidence in detail. *612 The principal contention made by appellant is that the testimony of the prosecuting witness that she was asleep when the act was perpetrated and was awakened when appellant bit her neck was unbelievable.

We can infer from questions asked her on cross-examination (appellant did not testify) that appellant’s contention was that she had previously invited him to enter the house (as soon as the lights were extinguished) for the purpose of having intercourse.

An employee of the Wapato Police Department, who talked with appellant after his arrest (which was a few hours after the alleged rape), testified:

“A. Very briefly, Raynaldo Jaime stated to me that he had been in this basement apartment and that, on the night of the alleged assault, and that he had had intercourse with the girl. Q. Did he make any statements as to whether he knew this girl or not? A. He stated that he knew this girl and that he had known her for seven or eight years. Q. Did he make any statements as to when he knew her? A. I believe he said back in 1957' or ’58 he had known her then. Q. Did he state that he knew her well at that time? A. Well, he stated that he had had intercourse with her during that time, 1957 or ’58.

“Mr. Hurst: That is all the questions I have.

“Cross examination by Mr. Elofson: Q. Regarding the statement that Mr. Jaime made to you, did he say that he was invited to that apartment? A. I believe that’s in the statement. Q. Your answer is, ‘Yes,’ that he did state that? A. I think—yes, he stated that he was supposed to come there, I believe. That was the way he put it. Q. And that it was a rendezvous between the two of them, right? A. That is what he said. Q. And that she was more than willing; at least equally willing with him? A. Yes. Q. And he gave this statement to you? A. Yes. Q. Did he state that he was to come in when the lights were to go out? A. Yes.”

According to this witness, appellant further stated that he had known the prosecuting witness for seven or eight years (no place was mentioned), and that he had been intimate with her in 1957 or 1958. The prosecuting witness stated that she had never been in the state of Washington in her life until she arrived in Wapato with her husband at 6 p.m. (seven or eight hours prior to the assault) for the *613 purpose of visiting his relatives. She further testified that she had not asked appellant to come to her room and she had not even talked to any young person during this time.

After weighing all the evidence presented by the state (there being none presented by appellant), the jury chose to believe the testimony of the prosecuting witness. Since the jury, under the instructions given them by the court (which appellant concedes to be correct), found appellant to be guilty of the offense charged in count 1, neither the trial court nor this court can say that the testimony of the prosecuting witness was unbelieváble.

When appellant’s counsel was concluding his argument on his motion for dismissal in the trial court at the conclusion of the case, the following colloquy took place:

“Mr. Elofson: In response, I freely admit that the technical evidence has been put in that would be sufficient, but that it is unbelievable, so unbelievable that the matter should be taken from the jury. The Court: I think that is for the jury to determine, whether it is believable or unbelievable. Motion will be denied.”

That this ruling was correct is shown by our decision in State v. Gilmore, 42 Wn. (2d) 624, 627, 257 P. (2d) 215 (1953), in which we said:

“Even if it were incumbent upon the state to prove that the check was signed on July 2nd and no other day, the conflict in the evidence outlined above merely presented a question of fact for the jury. It was within the province of the jury to believe the testimony presented by one side and disbelieve that presented by the other. In this case, the jury chose to believe the state’s evidence. The verdict having been based on substantial, competent evidence, it will not be disturbed. State v. Kirkby, 20 Wn. (2d) 455, 147 P. (2d) 947; State v. Rosencrans, 24 Wn. (2d) 775, 167 P. (2d) 170.”

In the case at bar, there was no evidence presented by appellant, and the issue was whether the jury believed the state’s evidence and particularly whether it believed the testimony of the prosecuting witness. The verdict of guilty as charged in count 1 disposes of appellant’s first contention.

Appellant contends that he was prevented from having *614

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
384 P.2d 363, 62 Wash. 2d 610, 1963 Wash. LEXIS 372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jaime-wash-1963.