People v. Fredericks
People v. Fredericks
Opinion of the Court
The appellant, Fredericks, was charged with the murder of one Herrick. He was subsequently convicted and a judgment of death passed upon him by the trial court. He now appeals from such judgment and from the order denying his motion for a new trial. Upon the morning of March 23, 1894, during business hours, Fredericks, in attempting to rob a savings bank in the city of San Francisco, precipitated a combat with the employees, at which time the cashier, Herrick, was shot and killed. Fredericks immediately fled from the scene of his crime, but was hotly pursued and captured within a few hours. Upon March 28th he was preliminarily examined by a committing magistrate and committed for trial. Upon March 29th an information was filed against him, and upon March 30th he was arraigned and allowed until April 2d to plead to the information. At that time, upon refusing to plead, a plea of not guilty was entered in his behalf, and the case set for trial April 5th, at 10 a. m. Upon that day the trial proceeded. At each step in these proceedings the defendant asked for more time, and excepted to the vaious orders of the court denying his request.
While the period of time, to wit, three days intervening between the arraignment and the commencement of
1. It is claimed that the information is fatally defective in its statement of facts. While it alleges the offense to have been committed in the city and county of San Francisco, it is insisted that the superior court has no jurisdiction over certain territory situated within said city and county, and for that reason no jurisdiction is shown in the court by the information to try the case, there being no allegation contained therein denying the commission of the offense upon such excepted territory. This question of jurisdiction was directly presented to the court for consideration in the very recent case of People v. Collins, 105 Cal. 504, and it was there held that it could not be raised by demurrer or motion in arrest of judgment, but was a matter of defense.
2. Defendant’s counsel moved for a change of venue, and in support of his motion read the affidavit of the
3. This court is only allowed to review an order denying a challenge to a juror upon the ground of actual bias when the evidence upon the examination of the juror is so opposed to the decision of the trial court that the question becomes one of law, for it is only upon questions of law that this court has appellate jurisdiction in criminal cases. (See concurring opinion in People v. Wong Ark, 96 Cal. 129; People v. Wells, 100 Cal. 227) In this case the examination, of some of the venire, who were subsequently unsuccessfully challenged upon the ground of actual bias by the defendant, discloses a state of facts which might well have justified the trial court in excluding them from the jury-box. But the evidence of these various jurors taken upon their voir dire is not at all conclusive that they were disqualified from acting in the case. When the matter was submitted to the court for a decision upon the evidence taken, it can at least he said the question was an open one as to their disqualification. The evidence of each juror was contradictory in itself; it was subject to more than one con
4. The trial court committed no error in admitting evidence as to the pursuit and capture of the defendant immediately after the commission of the homicide; and the prosecution had the right to prove the facts pertaining thereto if it deemed that course advisable, rather than take an admission as to them from the defendant. We do not discover any error in the admission of defendant's statements and confessions. It appears that they were freely and voluntarily made.
5. It is claimed that the verdict is contrary to the evidence. Defendant’s counsel declares that the evidence shows conclusively that it was a physical impossibility for the defendant to have fired the shot that killed the deceased. In answer to this contention it is sufficient to say that the witness Melvin testified in direct terms that defendant fired the fatal shot, and the defendant himself admits the fact. Under these circumstances we will not disturb the verdict upon the ground of the insufficiency of the evidence upon the point as to who fired the fatal shot.
6. After conviction defendant made a motion for a new trial, and, as one of his grounds, relied upon newly discovered evidence. We find within the lids of the transcript certain affidavits which counsel in his brief assumes were used by him as the basis of his motion for a new trial. They are not incorporated in any bill of exceptions. Neither are they identified in any way by
There is nothing further disclosed by the record demanding our consideration.
McFarland, J., Van Fleet, J., and Harrison, J., concurred.
Eehearing denied.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- THE PEOPLE v. WILLIAM M. FREDERICKS
- Cited By
- 45 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Criminal Law—Homicide—Pleading—Jurisdiction of Offense.—Where the information alleges that the offense of murder was committed in the city and county of San Francisco, the fact that it does not allege that it was not committed within excepted limits over which the superior court has no jurisdiction, and over which the United States courts have exclu. sive jurisdiction, does not render the information defective, but if the offense was committed within the excepted territory, it is matter of defense to he specially pleaded by the defendant. Id.—Motion for Change of Venue—Popular Prejudice—Sufficiency of Showing—Waiver of Motion.—Where a motion for a change of venue is made upon affidavits showing a strong prima facie case in support of the motion, on the ground of bias and prejudice of the people against the defendant, without any counter-showing as to the condition of the public mind in the locality where the defendant was to be tried, the defendant is entitled to a change of venue, but where, after denial of the motion, another opportunity is afforded by the court to the defendant to urge the motion, and the hearing thereof is set for a particular date, at which time counsel for defendant failed to call up the motion, and no action was taken upon it by the trial court, the failure to urge the motion under these circumstances is an abandonment and waiver of it. Id.—Challenge of Juror for Actual Blas—Review upon Appeal.—The supreme court can only review an order denying the challenge of a juror upon the ground of actual bias, when the evidence upon the examination of the juror is so opposed to the decision of the trial court that the question becomes one of law, and where the evidence is conflicting, or shows a state of facts which might have justified the trial court in excluding the juror, the decision by the trial court as to the question of fact is conclusive. Id.—Evidence—Pursuit and Capture of Defendant.—Evidence is admissible as to the pursuit and capture of the defendant immediately after the commission of the homicide; and the prosecution has the right to prove the facts pertaining thereto, rather than take an admission as to them from the defendant. Id.—Admissions and Confessions of Defendant.—Admissions and confessions of the defendant, which it appears were freely and voluntarily made, are properly received in evidence. Id.—Motion for New Trial—Newly Discovered Evidence—Uncertified Affidavits.—Where a motion for a new trial is made upon the ground of newly discovered evidence, affidavits inserted in the transcript which are not incorporated in any bill of exceptions, nor identified in any way by the judge as having been used and considered upon the hearing of the motion for a new trial, cannot be considered upon appeal.