People v. Stearns
People v. Stearns
Opinion of the Court
Opinion
On August 27, 1970, an opinion was filed by this court in this case. Thereafter the court granted respondent’s petition for rehearing. The following is the opinion upon rehearing.
By information the defendant was accused of the murder of Kenneth A. Lindstrand, the crime being alleged to have occurred on or about October
The defendant is represented on this appeal by the same attorney who represented him at the trial. The first contention presented is that the trial court committed prejudicial error by admitting the in-court testimony of the witness Bruce Cane on the issue of the identification of the defendant as the person who committed the crime because, it is asserted, that identification was based on the defendant’s appearance in a lineup so unfairly conducted as to deny him due process of law. The second contention is that the trial court erred in failing to give instructions to the jury with respect to the crimes of murder in the second degree and manslaughter. As an alternative matter, the defendant asks that this court reduce the offense to either murder of the second degree or voluntary manslaughter.
The homicide occurred on October 29, 1967, at 1:50 a.m. in a preHalloween party in the lobby of the Valley Country Club Apartments in San Fernando Valley. The weapon used was a .38 caliber revolver. The defendant Stearns was not arrested until April 25, 1969.
After the jury had been sworn but before evidence was received in the presence of the jury, defense counsel presented an oral motion for an order excluding the testimony of Bruce Cane, Gale [Gail] Cane, Teruko Azumane “and anyone else that the People have information of who will be testifying as eyewitnesses to the crime” and who attended a police lineup on or about April 28, 1969. The ground of the motion was that the composition of the lineup constituted a violation of the defendant’s right to due process. Photographs of the lineup were received in evidence as exhibits 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The defendant had been represented by counsel at the lineup.
The People called Sergeant St. John as a witness with respect to the issue raised by the defendant’s motion. He testified that the defendant was arrested on April 25, 1969. The lineup occurred on April 28, 1969. Eight men from the jail, in addition to the defendant, were placed in the lineup. The lineup was conducted in the police auditorium. When Teruko Azumane arrived, the officer told her that he had a suspect whom he believed was the
The officer further testified that he told the Canes that he had a suspect and he would like them to be present at the lineup. When they arrived he told them he had a suspect whom he believed was the man. He did not tell them what the man looked like, how he was dressed, how he combed his hair or anything about it. Neither he nor anyone in his presence told the Canes that he would help them with their selection of the man. A one-way screen was used. The witnesses were not seated in such a way that any one of them could hear the comments of another.
Defense counsel stated that the issue which he was raising was the composition of the lineup and he referred to testimony of Mr. Cane at the preliminary hearing as follows: “Mr. Cane testified at the preliminary hearing. He testified he had been shown on more than one occasion prior to the lineup photographs of the suspect; that he could not identify the suspect; that as a result of the lineup he was able to identify the suspect. Therefore, under Caruso [68 Cal.2d 183 (65 Cal.Rptr. 336, 436 P.2d 336)] and Menchaca [264 Cal.App.2d 642 (70 Cal.Rptr. 843)], should your Honor hold that the composition of this lineup is illegal due to the fact that seven of the nine people are of Latin origin, that it was not a fair lineup, that Cane’s testimony was based on the lineup and not on his prior recall of this man, and especially since he could not identify the man from his own photograph with other Causacians in it, that the lineup is unconstitutional. That is the only issue, your Honor.” The court immediately responded: “Now, are you asking for a ruling on that?” Upon receiving an affirmative answer from defense counsel, the court stated: “Well, I rule that it is a good lineup. In other words, I do not sustain your position. I find that as far as the lineup appears before me—I am looking at [photographs] 1, 2, and 3 in evidence—I do not hold that this lineup constitutes abuse of any prerogative on the part of the arresting officers. It would not appear to me to be unfair or an unfair lineup.”
The governing law with respect to the matter of due process where a lineup is involved is expressed in People v. Caruso, 68 Cal.2d 183 [65 Cal.Rptr. 336, 436 P.2d 336]. As there stated at page 184, “before defendant may invoke an exclusionary concept he must demonstrate that the lineup ‘resulted in such unfairness that it infringed his right to due process of law.’ (Stovall v. Denno (1967) 388 U.S. 293, 299 [18 L.Ed.2d 1199, 1205, 87 S.Ct. 1967].)” The defendant herein sought and was given a hearing on the issue of the fairness of the lineup prior to the introduction
We now turn to the claim that it was error to fail to give instructions on second degree murder and on manslaughter. The People concede that the general rule requires the giving of instructions on all the issues raised by the evidence and, even though not requested to do so, the trial court must, sua sponte, instruct on lesser included offenses. (People v. Hood, 1 Cal.3d 444, 449-450 [82 Cal.Rptr. 618, 462 P.2d 370].) Second degree murder and manslaughter are offenses included in the crime charged herein. (In re McCartney, 64 Cal.2d 830, 831 [51 Cal.Rptr. 894, 415 P.2d 782]; People v. Superior Court, 202 Cal. 165, 167 [259 P. 943]; People v. Lewis, 186 Cal.App.2d 585, 596 [9 Cal.Rptr. 263].) No instructions on these crimes were given in the instant case. The People seek to justify the failure to do so on the basis of invited error, waiver, and that the defense of alibi negated the necessity for such in this case. The record reveals that during trial defendant personally, and through his counsel, expressly requested that only first degree murder instructions be given. Under such circumstances it has been held that the doctrine of invited error bars reversal. (See People v. Coogler, 71 Cal.2d 153, 170 [77 Cal.Rptr. 790, 454 P.2d 686]; People v. Graham, 71 Cal.2d 303, 319 [78 Cal.Rptr. 217, 455 P.2d 153]; People v. Phillips, 64 Cal.2d 574, 580-581, fn. 4 [51 Cal.Rptr. 225, 414 P.2d 353]; People v. Helfend, 1 Cal.App.3d 873, 882-883 [82 Cal.Rptr. 295].) However, we note that prior to argument of counsel and the court’s charging of the jury defendant changed his mind and requested instructions on second degree murder and manslaughter. The request was denied. We hold that the failure to give such instructions under these circumstances was error. The People further argue that in view of the prior waiver the giving or refusal to give the instructions was discretionary with the trial court and that since the failure to so instruct
With respect to defendant’s request that this court reduce the offense to that of murder in the second degree or voluntary manslaughter, we cannot say that there was no substantial evidence to support a finding of murder in the first degree. The determination of guilt or innocence and the degree of the crime are functions of the trier of fact, in this case the jury, under appropriate instructions. Although there was evidence to support a contrary conclusion, the possession of a revolver at a Halloween costume party, the firing of three shots and the apparently
The attempted appeal from the order denying defendant’s “motion for a new trial" is dismissed. The request for reduction of the degree of the crime is denied. The judgment is reversed.
Schweitzer, J., concurred.
People v. Ibarra, 60 Cal.2d 460 [34 Cal.Rptr. 863, 386 P.2d 487],
Concurring Opinion
I concur in the reversal of the judgment. I do not, however, agree with that portion of the opinion of the majority which holds that the lineup was not constitutionally inadequate and that the failure of the defendant’s attorney who was present at the lineup to make any objection at that time, pointing out the claimed unfairness, amounted to a waiver of the claim of constitutional inadequacy.
The lineup occurred about a year and a half after the homicide. At the hearing in the superior court on the issue of the fairness of the lineup, three photographs were introduced which showed the composition of the lineup. An examination of those photographs compels the conclusion that of the nine men in the lineup, in which the defendant was in the middle, none bore a reasonably similar physical resemblance to the defendant except possibly the man who stood immediately to the left of him. In my opinion, in the absence of countervailing evidence those photographs established as a matter of law that the lineup was unfair.
It is true that after the motion relating to the lineup was denied by the court, no further objection of the same nature was made in the course of the trial before the jury. But it would be to condone a denial of due process to hold that under the circumstances of this case the matter was not preserved for appellate review. (See People v. Morrow, 276 Cal.App.2d 700, 705 [81 Cal.Rptr. 201].)
That the unfairness of the lineup was of a prejudicial nature is manifest from the cross-examination of Bruce Cane, the only witness who positively identified the defendant as the killer. A portion of his testimony was: “Q. . . . Would it be fair to say that it was the lineup that finally cemented in your mind the fact that Mr. Stearns was the man you saw with the gun? A. Yes.” The conclusion that the real basis of the identification was an unfair lineup is supported by the following portions of Mr. Cane’s testimony on cross-examination: “Q. Calling your attention to People’s 2 which is a frontal view of the police lineup, right? A. Yes. . . . Q. You on your check list identified the man as No. 5? A. Yes. Q. And No. 5, either from
The record contains no testimony to overcome the inference that the constitutionally improper lineup fatally tainted Mr. Cane’s in-court identification. Upon a retrial, the trial court should be free to rehear in a plenary manner the defendant’s challenge of the constitutional adequacy of the lineup and its impact upon the testimony of the witness Bruce Cane as to the identity of the killer.
In view of the unfairness of the lineup as shown by the photographs, it is not reasonable to conclude that the attorney’s failure to testify was of substantial significance. Moreover, with respect to the question of waiver based on the asserted failure of that attorney “to make timely on-the-spot objection pointing out the claimed unfairness,” the record is devoid of any evidence that the lineup was conducted under such circumstances that the attorney was afforded a meaningful opportunity to make any objection.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. JACK GENTRY STEARNS, Defendant and Appellant
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published