People v. Blackburn
People v. Blackburn
Opinion
The evidence on which defendant was found guilty of robbery was as follows:1 *Page 556
On December 2, 1965, defendant, at gun point, forced his way into the home of John Menard who had just finished dinner with his family. The time was about 7 p.m. He demanded Mrs. Menard's jewelry. Although she was terrified, Mrs. Menard tried to lead defendant to believe that she did not have any, but eventually he discovered it in a bathroom drawer, took it and left.
The Menards' daughter, Linda, was present during the proceedings.
The matter was immediately reported to the police. Thereafter, from time to time, the Menards were shown various photographs, but failed to identify the robber. Finally, in April 1966, Mr. and Mrs. Menard were shown a group of five to seven photographs. Mr. Menard thought that one of them showed the robber. Mrs. Menard was more positive that it did. Linda was not present when the pictures were shown to her parents. About a week later the parents as well as the daughter picked defendant out of a lineup of four individuals at the Beverly Hills police station. All three made positive courtroom idenifications.
Some time after defendant's arrest, Officer McKnight talked to him at the Beverly Hills police station. He advised him of his right to an attorney, his right to remain silent and that anything he said could be used against him. He did not advise him that if he could not afford an attorney one would be provided for him, nor did he specifically advise him that he could have an attorney present at all times during the interrogation.
Defendant said that he had already called his attorney and had talked to him the night before. McKnight told defendant that he had been identified by the Menards as being the person responsible for the December 2, 1965, robbery. Defendant said that he did not mind since he was out of the country at the time. He claimed to have left Los Angeles for Brazil in the early spring of 1965; he then returned to Los Angeles for a two week period in June and then went to New York where he remained until December 15, 1965.
The defense was an alibi. In essence defendant claimed that on the evening of December 2, 1965, he had been at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Duboff. A Mr. Theodore Banks was there for the purpose of repairing an air conditioner. The alibi was supported by Mr. and Mrs. Duboff and also by Banks. Banks' recollection concerning the date was refreshed by an appointment record kept by himself and by his wife. This record, *Page 557 which was never physically offered in evidence, showed a notation at 11 a.m., December 2, 1965: "Ted at Duboff, Van Nuys, A/C." Banks attempted to explain this entry as being the time when the call requesting his services was received.
[1] On appeal defendant's first point is that the admission of his exculpatory statement to Officer McKnight violated the rule of Miranda v. Arizona,
The Attorney General more or less admits that the constitutional warning was perhaps not perfect and for the purpose of this opinion we agree. On the other hand we are persuaded that the People have carried their burden of proving that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. (Chapman
v. California,
It is evident that although the court discussed the evidence in some detail, the discrepancy between the statement given to Officer KcKnight and the alibi defense played no part in its reasoning.
[2] Next it is claimed that defendant should have been informed of his right to have counsel present at the lineup. The lineup took place in April, 1966. The right to counsel at lineups, recognized on June 12, 1967, by United States v.Wade,
Much is made of the fact that the parents were not as positive of the identification when the photograph was shown to them as they were later at the lineup and in court. This is only a matter of weight and proves nothing, since the photograph is not part of the record.
Nor is there anything to the argument that all three members of the Menard family testified that the robber had a hairline moustache, while all the defense witnesses and defendant's landlord, called by the People, said he had no such moustache on December 2, 1965. Moustaches need not be grown. Although hairline moustaches are perhaps not the best possible disguise, events have shown that defendant is not the best possible robber.5
[4] The final point is that the trial court failed to determine the degree of the offense. The information with respect to the count of which defendant was convicted charged robbery in the customary language and added "That at the time of the commission of the above offense said defendant was armed with a deadly weapon, to wit, a blue steel automatic pistol." The reporter's transcript merely shows that the court said: "The defendant will be found guilty of Count III . . ." A creative minute order in the clerk's transcript recites: "Court finds the defendant `Guilty' as charged in count 3 of the information, violation of section
Section
The judgment is modified by striking therefrom the word "first" and substituting the word "second" and further by striking the words "and that defendant was armed as alleged" so that the relevant portion of the judgment shall read: "Whereas the said defendant having been duly found guilty in this court of the crime of ROBBERY (Sec.
As thus modified the judgment is affirmed.
Hufstedler, J., and Stephens, J., concurred.
A petition for a rehearing was denied May 17, 1968, and the opinion was modified to read as printed above. Respondent's petition for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied June 19, 1968.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The People, and v. Kenneth Eugene Blackburn, And
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published