State v. McCormick

442 P.2d 134, 7 Ariz. App. 576, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 445
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 18, 1968
Docket2 CA-CR 100
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 442 P.2d 134 (State v. McCormick) 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. McCormick, 442 P.2d 134, 7 Ariz. App. 576, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 445 (Ark. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinion

HATHAWAY, Chief Judge.

This appeal presents for review the defendant’s conviction as to each of eleven counts of grand theft. He was accused by indictment returned, by a Pima County grand jury of stealing certain sums of money from Alianza, a fraternal society whose members are Spanish speaking people organized into numerous lodges. The. defendant, who became associated with Alianza in the early 1950’s became its Supreme-President in May, 1962. The alleged thefts with which he was charged occurred subsequent thereto in the form of a number of checks issued by him or at his direction to various individuals and business entities.

On appeal, the defendant raises the following questions:

“1. ■ Whether a defendant can be tried • upon • a void indictment returned by. a defectively .impaneled grand jury.
2. Whether a defendant can be convicted of theft by larceny upon proof of theft by embezzlement.
3. Whether a defendant can be convicted of theft by larceny when the State fails to offer any evidence on one or more elements of the crime.
4. Whether there is sufficient evidence to support the verdict.
5. Whether the trial court erred in charging or refusing to charge certain instructions * *

■ The defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to quash the indictment which was “void because returned; by a defectively impaneled grand jury.” This claim of '“voidness” is predicated on.' the decision of our Supreme Court in State v. Superior Court, etc., 102 Ariz. 388, 430 P.2d 408 (1967) which sustained the action of the Pima County superior • court in discharging the Pima County grand jury because of a defect in its impanelment. Subsequently, however, the Supreme Court in State v. Superior Court, etc., 102 Ariz. 588, 435 P.2d 485 (1968) held that such defect was not jurisdictional, hence failure to timely move to quash the indictment would constitute a waiver of such defect.

The defendant did move to quash the indictment urging, inter alia, as grounds therefor the failure to inquire into the qualifications of the grand jurors (the defect which was considered by the Supreme Court to be grounds for discharge). No evidence in support' thereof was attached to the motion nor was a hearing held thereon. The trial court, however, granted to the defendant an opportunity to file an amended motion to quash • the indictment prior to a specified future date. No amended motion was filed and more than two months after the expiration of the allotted period the trial court, by minute entry, denied the original motion to quash.

The defendant had the burden' of establishing the alleged defect in the jury impanelment, Lopez v. State, 158 Tex. Cr.R. 16, 252 S.W.2d 701 (1952), cert. denied, 344 U.S. 893, 73 S.Ct. 213, 97 L.Ed. 691 (1952); State v. Manney, 24 N.J. 571,-133 A.2d 313 (1957); United States v. Hoffa, D.C., 205 F.Supp. 710 (1962); United States v. Greenberg, D.C., 200 F. Supp. 382 (1961); United States v. Flynn, D.C., 103 F.Supp. 925 (1951), and since the motion was based on allegations of facts dehors the record in the criminal cause, it was incumbent upon him to present evidence in support of the allegations of his motion to quash. State v. Superior Court, etc., 7 Ariz.App. 170, 436 P.2d 948 (1968); State v. Pennick, 364 S.W.2d 556 (Mo. 1963); State v. McIntosh, 333 S.W.2d *579 51 (Mo.1960); McDonald v. State, 379 S.W.2d 349 (Tex.Cr.App.1964); Bates v. State, 166 Tex.Cr.R. 177, 312 S.W.2d 675 (1958); United States v. Skidmore, 123. F.2d 604 (7th Cir. 1941); Cochran v. United States, 310 F.2d 585 (8th Cir. 1962); 27 Am.Jur. Indictments and Informations § 142; 42 C.J.S. Indictments and Informations § 214b(l). Therefore, nothing having been presented in support of the motion, it was properly denied. United States v. Perlstein, 120 F.2d 276 (3d Cir. 1941); Smith v. State of Mississippi, 162 U.S. 592, 16 S.Ct. 900, 40 L.Ed. 1082 (1896) 1

The -defendant’s second contention is: “A defendant cannot be convicted of theft by larceny upon proof of theft by embezzlement.”

Count I of the indictment recited:

“The grand jurors of. the County of - Pima, in the name of the State of Arizona, and by its authority accuse J. Carlos McCormick of the crime of grand theft and charge that on or about the 3d day of July 1963, in Pima County, Arizona, and before the bringing of this indictment, the said J. Carlos McCormick, stole from Alianza money of a sum exceeding $100, all in violation of A.R.S., § 13-661, § 13-662, § 13-663 as amended and § 13-671.”

The remaining counts are worded exactly the same with the exception of the date of the theft alleged. In response to the defendant’s motion for a bill of particulars, the "State furnished the following information as to each count: (1) the exact amount of money" allegedly stolen, (2) that each of the amounts indicated were checks drawn on Alianza accounts - and" (3) the names of the payees and/or the .beneficiaries or possible recipients of the money.

The defendant contends that he may not be charged with one crime and then convicted thereof on proof of an entirely different offense. See State v. Singh, 4 Ariz.App. 273, 419 P.2d 403 (1966). In Singh, one count of the information charged the defendant with passing or uttering a supplemental escrow instruction to Dwayne Moore. At trial, the State proved that the aforesaid instrument was delivered to one Frank Donaldson rather than to Dwayne Moore. At the close of the State’s case, a motion to amend the information to conform to this evidence was granted pursuant to Rule 145, Rules of Criminal Procedure, 17 A.R.S. On appeal, this court reversed, pointing out that notwithstanding Rule 145 allows an amendment tp be made to the information, it does not allow an amended information to be substituted to charge a defendant with a different crime. We stated:

“A defendant is entitled to be charged with a specific offense in order that he may know the nature and extent of the accusation against him. One way of testing herein whether the defendant has been prejudiced by the amendment is to *580 ask whether or not upon' an acquittal of the charge of passing a forged document to Dwayne Moore, the defendant could then be charged with forgery in relation to passing a forged document to Frank Donaldson. If there has been no jeopardy as to a charge of passing a forged document to Frank Donaldson, then we are dealing with two separate offenses, and the court may not grant the County Attorney’s motion to change the nature of the charge against the defendant by allowing an amendment to the information.

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Bluebook (online)
442 P.2d 134, 7 Ariz. App. 576, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 445, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mccormick-arizctapp-1968.