The People v. Frugoli

166 N.E. 129, 334 Ill. 324
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 20, 1929
DocketNo. 18577. Reversed and remanded.
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 166 N.E. 129 (The People v. Frugoli) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
The People v. Frugoli, 166 N.E. 129, 334 Ill. 324 (Ill. 1929).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Duncan

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiff in error, Fred Frugoli, (hereinafter called the defendant,) was indicted jointly with Paul Hendricks for the crime of robbery while armed with a pistol. Hendricks entered a plea of guilty. The defendant on his plea of not guilty was tried and convicted by a jury. After his motions for a new trial and in arrest of judgment were overruled he was sentenced by the criminal court of Cook county to be imprisoned in the penitentiary for an indeterminate term. He brings the record here for review on writ of error.

Walter R. Knutson, manager of a store of the National Tea Company at 5149 West Chicago avenue, in the city of Chicago, and Bernice DeLaughter, a clerk in the store, testified in substance as follows: About eight o’clock in the morning of March 16, 1927, they and Emily Kapenski, another employee, were in the store of said company and Knutson was counting out and putting in the cash register the change to be used during the day. He put $35 in the cash register and about $165 of the previous day’s receipts under the bread counter. While he was engaged in counting out the money the defendant came into the store and said he wanted some cakes. Miss DeLaughter started to wait on him, and at that time Hendricks came into the store and drew a revolver, which he pointed at Knutson. The defendant also drew a revolver and forced Knutson and the clerks into a back room and took the money from the cash register. Hendricks then ordered Knutson to come out of the back room and show them where he had put the receipts of the previous day. He did so and was then ordered into the back room. After the defendant and Hendricks had gone, Knutson and the other two employees came out of the back room. The $35 that was in the cash register and the $165 under the bread counter were both missing. The defendant covered Knutson with his pistol while he was showing them where the money was. As. the defendant and Hendricks left the place they told all three of the employees to stay in the back room. Knutson and Miss DeLaughter both identified the defendant at the Austin police station. Knutson testified that before the day of the robbery he had never seen either of the two men that robbed him, and that on the day he identified the defendant the police officer put him up against the wall and said to witness, “Do you recognize this man?” and that he identified the defendant; that he had a good look at him and did not shake his head “in the negative” in answer to the officer’s question. Miss DeLaughter did not testify as to whether or not she had ever before the robbery seen the two men that robbed the store. She testified that when she identified ' the defendant the officer said to him, “Do you remember this lady?” and that he answered that he had seen her at the National Tea Company’s place on Chicago avenue near Laramie, but he did not state when he had seen her there. Both witnesses also identified Hendricks at the police station about March 17, 1927, two days before they identified the defendant. Both witnesses testified that the defendant took the money from the hiding place under the bread counter. Miss Kapenslci was out of the State at the time of the trial and did not testify.

Henry G. Penzin, a police officer of the city of Chicago, testified in substance as follows: He saw the defendant at 7:20 P. M. on March 19 at the Austin police station. He made a statement concerning the National Tea store robbery. Officers Venn, Kane and Leonard were there at the time. Witness asked the defendant if he knew Paul Hendricks, and he said he had known him for a few weeks and met him on March 16, about 7:30 P. M., at Chicago avenue and Clark street. Witness asked him the purpose of their meeting there at that time, and he answered that Hendricks had told him there was a National Tea store on Chicago avenue near Laramie street, and if they went out there they could stick them up and get quite a bit of money. Witness asked the defendant if he went out there, and he answered that he did, and that they got off at Laramie street and went to the store. (Witness then identified the defendant as the one who made the statement.) The defendant then told him that there was a woman and a man there and that Hendricks took them into the rear of the store. He further stated that they then left the store and went to Hendricks’ room at 713 Chicago avenue, and that he there gave Hendricks the gun he used, a .32 nickel-plated, loaded revolver, and left it there in the room. Witness asked the defendant if he would sign a statement, and he answered that he would not unless he was advised to do so by his lawyer. The first time witness talked to the defendant he denied having anything to do with the robbery. Witness first saw Hendricks at the Desplaines street station and took him to the Austin station. He asked Hendricks if the defendant was with him when he committed the robbery at the store of the National Tea Company, and he answered that the defendant was with him at that robbery and was also with him on four other robberies.

William Burke and Raymond Venn, police officers of Chicago, testified that when Miss DeLaughter identified the defendant at the police station as one of the men who took part in the robbery, officer Penzin asked him if had ever seen Miss DeLaughter before, and he replied, “Yes; on Chicago avenue and Laramie street, in the National Tea store.” The officers did not testify that the defendant mentioned the date, or anything that indicated the date, that he saw Miss DeLaughter at said store.

It was stipulated by the parties to this suit that the defendant was twenty-three years old.

For the defendant, Paul Hendricks testified that for two months before he testified he had been living in the county jail. He pleaded guilty “in this same court” to the robbery of the National Tea store the day before he testified for the defendant, and was sentenced to the penitentiary at Joliet for a period of not more than ten years. He is one of the parties who committed the robbery. Lie was arrested by the officers and taken to the Desplaines street station. They did not tell him there for what he was arrested. He was later taken to the Austin avenue police station, and after he was there two or three nights he made a statement in writing to the police. Up to the time he made that statement or confession he had denied that he had anything to do with the robbery. In that statement he implicated the defendant as the party who helped him commit the robbery. He then testified that the defendant was not with him when he committed the robbery and did not assist him in the commission of it. The defendant’s counsel asked him the question, “Why did you tell the police officers Fred Frugoli was with you at that time?” This question was objected to by counsel for the State and the court sustained the objection. On cross-examination he was asked if he did not on the day before, when he pleaded guilty, testify that the defendant was with him when he committed the robbery. The defendant’s counsel objected to this question and asked that it be stricken and that the jury be instructed to disregard it entirely. The court overruled the objection, and the witness answered that he did not so testify.

David L. Bane, a witness for the defendant, testified that he was duly licensed to practice law in this State and represented Paul Hendricks by appointment of the court. He was present when Hendricks pleaded guilty before the court.

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Bluebook (online)
166 N.E. 129, 334 Ill. 324, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/the-people-v-frugoli-ill-1929.