State v. Sears

522 P.2d 784, 22 Ariz. App. 23, 1974 Ariz. App. LEXIS 397
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedMay 30, 1974
DocketNo. 1 CA-CR 633
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 522 P.2d 784 (State v. Sears) 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. Sears, 522 P.2d 784, 22 Ariz. App. 23, 1974 Ariz. App. LEXIS 397 (Ark. Ct. App. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

STEVENS, Judge.

Roger W. Sears (defendant) was tried and convicted of burglary in the second degree with a prior conviction. He was sentenced to the Arizona State Prison and the date of the commencement of the sentence allowed him credit for his pretrial incarceration. He then appealed to this Court.

The opening brief presents two questions as follows:

“QUESTION NO. 1
“Did failure of the court to submit the question whether defendant’s statements were voluntarily made and if voluntary, were true, constitute plain error ?
“QUESTION NO. 2
“Was defendant entitled to a directed verdict of acquittal?”

On 4 May 1973 the defendant, his “common law wife” Gwendolin Harrison, Donald Downing and a fourth person drove from the southerly area of Phoenix to Glendale, Arizona. Downing’s car was used and he was the driver. In Glendale the fourth person left the car and the three drove to Smitty’s Big Town located at 6020 North 59th Avenue in Glendale. Smitty’s is a large store offering groceries, meats and other items. On their arrival at Smitty’s, Downing entered the store and thereafter the defendant and Harrison entered separately. The three were observed by Officer Thompson. Downing placed a number of items of merchandise in an opaque container. The defendant and Harrison left separately and shortly thereafter Downing left with the merchandise without paying. He was promptly arrested by Officer Thompson. Officer Thompsqn signaled to other officers present who arrested the defendant and Harrison. The defendant was charged with burglary, it being urged that he did aid and abet Downing in the commission of the burglary. A.R.S. § 13-139. One who acts as a [24]*24lookout may aid and abet. State v. Bearden, 99 Ariz. 1, 405 P.2d 885 (1965).

At the defendant’s preliminary hearing he was represented by a Deputy Public Defender. The store manager of Smitty’s and Officer Thompson testified. The defendant’s counsel became fully aware of the basic evidence to be presented by the State, as well as the foundation for the statements which Officer Thompson attributed to the defendant. The defendant was bound over, an information with a prior conviction addendum was filed, the defendant entered a plea of not guilty and denied the prior conviction. At the Superior Court trial the defendant was represented by the same Deputy Public Defender who represented him at the preliminary hearing.

After the jury was empaneled in the Superior Court, there was a voluntariness hearing conducted in the absence of the jury. Officer Thompson and the defendant testified. There were differences in their testimony. The trial judge, at the conclusion of the hearing, ruled that the defendant’s statements were voluntary. No error is assigned to this ruling, nor do we find any error therein.

In the presence of the jury Officer Thompson testified as to the Miranda warnings and the circumstances surrounding the defendant’s statements to him. His testimony provided an adequate foundation as to the statements of the defendant. No objections questioning the adequacy of the foundation were made at the formal presentation of the evidence. No questions were asked which reflected on the issue of the voluntariness of the statements. The defendant did not take the stand, he offered no evidence and he rested following the denial of his motion for a directed verdict, a motion urged after the State rested its case.

INSTRUCTION

There was no request for an instruction relative to the “issue” of the voluntariness of the defendant’s statement. The first question presented on this appeal is that it was fundamental and reversible error for the trial court to fail to so instruct on its own motion. Under the facts of this case, we do not agree.

The two-pronged voluntariness instruction relating to (1) whether it was voluntary and (2) whether the statements were true is quoted in State v. Hood, 69 Ariz. 294 at 299, 213 P.2d 368 at 371 (1950).1

In State v. Pulliam, 87 Ariz. 216, 349 P.2d 781 (1960), our Supreme Court recog[25]*25nized that under an appropriate fact situation it was fundamental error for the trial court, on its own motion, to fail to submit a voluntariness instruction to the jury. Pulliam executed a written confession. There was a timely objection and a hearing was held out of the presence of the jury. The trial court ruled the confession to be admissible, notwithstanding the defendant’s testimony, and the Supreme Court found no error in that ruling which followed the “out of the presence of the jury” hearing.

In the presence of the jury the officer testified as to foundation. The confession was admitted. The defendant then testified as he had at the voluntariness hearing and the State offered rebuttal testimony. No voluntariness instruction was requested and the failure of the trial court to give that instruction was held to be fundamental error.

Our Supreme Court stated:

“ * * * However, if it appears to the reasonable satisfaction of the trial court that the confession was obtained freely and voluntarily, it is within the court’s discretion to permit it to be read to the jury, and then submit to the jury, under proper instruction, for its determination the question whether under all the facts and circumstances the confession was made freely and voluntarily. * * *.
“The rule in this jurisdiction is also well established that it is the duty of the trial court to submit appropriate instructions to the jury regarding any confession that is admitted into evidence where the defense raises the issue of involuntariness.” (Emphasis theirs) 87 Ariz. at 220, 221, 223, 349 P.2d at 784.

In our opinion Pulliam clearly states that the jury is faced with a decision whether to accept or reject the confession only when there are facts and circumstances presented to the jury which create an issue as to voluntariness.

In State v. Kellington, 93 Ariz. 396, 381 P.2d 215 (1963), there was a motion to strike certain testimony attributing statements to the defendant, the motion being made on the basis of lack of foundation. [There was no such objection or motion in the case which is the subject of this opinion.] The motion was denied and there was further testimony as to the defendant’s statements. Our Supreme Court concluded as follows:

“The testimony by officers Roth and Gardiner of the foregoing statements made by defendant to them could not possibly be any stronger as an acknowledgement of guilt of the particular act charged. Thus, since the statements constituted a purported confession, it was the duty of the court to require a proper foundation to determine whether they were voluntary, and to submit an appropriate cautionary instruction to the jury to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made.” [Citations omitted] 93 Ariz. at 399, 381 P.2d at 217.

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Related

State v. Kennedy
592 P.2d 1288 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1979)
State v. Porter
595 P.2d 1003 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1978)
State v. Green
570 P.2d 755 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1977)

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Bluebook (online)
522 P.2d 784, 22 Ariz. App. 23, 1974 Ariz. App. LEXIS 397, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sears-arizctapp-1974.