State v. Randall

443 P.2d 434, 8 Ariz. App. 72, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 469
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJuly 3, 1968
Docket2 CA-CR 118
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 443 P.2d 434 (State v. Randall) 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. Randall, 443 P.2d 434, 8 Ariz. App. 72, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 469 (Ark. Ct. App. 1968).

Opinions

KRUCKER, Judge.

James Randall, together with Cody Blackmon, was charged in an information with the crime of petty theft, in which a prior felony conviction was alleged, increasing the penalty under the provisions of A.R.S. § 13-1649. The prior felony conviction alleged in the information was admitted by the defendant. The information charged the defendant under the name of James Randall aka Robert Clayton Ma-hone. Trial before a jury resulted in a conviction on August 31, 1967.

Judgment of guilty was entered on September 13, 1967, and from this judgment and order denying a motion for a new trial, this appeal is taken.

The first question raised on the appeal is whether it was error to inform the jury that the defendant had been known by an alias when such information is not essential to identification of the defendant by witnesses nor necessary to show an element of the crime charged.

At the outset of the case, in chambers before the reading of the charges and the empaneling of the jury, defendant’s counsel moved the court to omit the defendant’s alias of “Robert Clayton Mahone” at the reading of the information, which motion the court denied. The Rules of Criminal Procedure, A.R.S. 17, provide in part:

“Rule 117. Name of defendant

A. In an indictment, information or bill of particulars, it is sufficient for the purpose of identifying the defendant to state his true name, or to state the name, appellation or nickname by which he has been or is known, or, if no better way of identifying him is practicable, to state a fictitious name, or to describe him as a person whose name is unknown, or in any other manner. In stating the true name, or the name by which the defendant has been or is known, or a fictitious name, it is sufficient to state a surname, a surname and one or more given names, or a surname and one or more abbreviations or initials of a given name or names.
* * * H- *
C. If in the course of the proceedings the true name of a person indicted or informed against otherwise than by his true name is disclosed by the defendant to the court, or appears in some other manner to the court, the court shall cause the true name of the defendant to be inserted in the indictment, information or bill of particulars and record of the proceedings wherever his name appears otherwise therein, and the proceedings shall be continued against him in his true name.”

And Rule 161:

“Rule 161. True name on arraignment
When the defendant is arraigned, he shall be informed that if the name by which he is charged is not his true name he must then declare his true name, or be proceeded against by the name in the indictment or information. If he gives no other name, the court may proceed accordingly. If he alleges that another name is his true name, the court shall direct an entry thereof in the minutes and record of the arraignment, and the subsequent proceedings may be had against him by that name, referring also to the name by which he was first charged.”

[74]*74Both parties cite Antone v. State of Arizona, 49 Ariz. 168, 65 P.2d 646 (1937), which appears to be the only case in this (jurisdiction dealing with the precise question. In Antone, it is stated:

“ * * * Where a person is known by several names, it has always been the practice to indict him or inform against him under all of such names. We think this is permissible. He may on his arraignment give the name he wishes the proceeding to be carried on in, and it is then * * * the duty of the court to have ‘subsequent proceedings’ in that name.”

'The word “alias” was not used in the case 'before us. The caption of the information ■read “James Randall aka Robert Clayton iMahone.” The minute entry in the arraignment June 20, 1967, indicates the fol-1 lowing:

* * Both Defts. true names as stated. Deft. JAMES RANDALL, aka ¿ROBERT CLAYTON MAHONE is sworn and questioned by the Court re his ability to employ counsel. * * * Deft. RANDALL enters a plea of ‘Not Guilty’, does not waive the 60-day trial period and admits the prior conviction.

Appellant relies heavily on the case of State of Washington v. Smith, 55 Wash.2d 482, 348 P.2d 417 (1960), wherein the Supreme Court of Washington reversed a conviction because the trial court inadvertently allowed unproved aliases to go to the jury in the reading of the instructions and on the verdict forms stating that it constituted prejudicial error. The Washington Court notes that it is common "knowledge that the use of aliases is frequently associated in the public mind with so-called “criminal” classes and that the reviewing court could not assume that the (jury was not affected by unproved aliases which appeared on the verdict forms and ;in the information, and any doubt as to the prejudicial effect must be resolved in favor of the defendant. Also see, Griffin v. State of California, 380 U.S. 609, 85 S.Ct. 1229, 14 L.Ed.2d 106 (1965); and Petrilli v. United States, 129 F.2d 101 (8th Cir. 1942).

Under the statement in Antone, supra, the statement that it is the duty of the court to have subsequent proceedings in the true name, particularly where requested under the rules and where request was, we think, timely made by defense, the rule should be followed. We appreciate that no case should be reversed because of technical error, A.R.S. Constitution, Art. VI, § 27, and State v. Dutton, 83 Ariz. 193, 318 P.2d 667 (1957), but we feel that the prejudice here is sufficient to warrant a reversal.

We will deal with the other questions presented on appeal in order to perhaps facilitate the work of the trial court in the event of a retrial of this action.

The second question presented by the appellant is as follows:

“Is it error to refuse a motion for new trial when the prosecuting attorney, during rebuttal argument, made a statement of opinion based on the assumption of a fact which had no support in the evidence and could not have been proven for the reason that it did not exist?”

Appellant does not point out in his brief the exact statements to which objection is made, and we therefore cannot pass upon the entire argument and say that a new trial should have been granted because of statements that might have been made. A prosecutor is allowed considerable latitude in discussion of the evidence and making reasonable inferences therefrom. State v. Dowthard, 92 Ariz. 44, 373 P.2d 357 (1962). Suffice to say that rebuttal argument should confine itself to answering issues brought up in the argument of the defense counsel and should serve no other purpose. 88 C.J.S. Trial § 169, at 339.

Defendant contends that the trial court committed reversible error in giving an instruction on flight. The contention is that there was no substantial evidence in the record to support the instruction on flight. We must agree.

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State v. Randall
443 P.2d 434 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1968)

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Bluebook (online)
443 P.2d 434, 8 Ariz. App. 72, 1968 Ariz. App. LEXIS 469, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-randall-arizctapp-1968.