People v. Delgado Montañez
People v. Delgado Montañez
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the Court.
May a person convicted of the offense of attempt to commit burglary be granted the benefit of a suspended sentence? We conclude that he may on the following grounds.
Appellant, Miguel A. Delgado Montañez, and Rafael Hernández González were jointly accused and convicted of the offense of attempt to commit burglary in the first degree. The right to be tried by jury having been waived, the case was heard by the court.
Facts of the Case
On the night of February 24, 1963, the police patrol in Humacao took appellant by surprise as well as Hernán-dez González while they “pushed” or “shook” and “struggled” with the entrance door of a supermarket. The police sergeant in command of the patrol testified that the defendants went out running when they were caught and that the other two patrol policemen overtook them at the public square of Humacao and brought them to the door in question which was found open. Policeman Cabrera’s testimony was limited to the fact that the vehicle wherein he was patrolling that night stopped in front of - the supermarket to leave .the sergeant there and immediately went out in
Errors Assigned
On appeal, appellant assigns two errors:
First Error: “The trial court committed prejudicial error
, Second Error: “The sentence of from one to two years in the penitentiary for the offense of attempt to commit burglary in the first degree is excessive as to appellant in view of the fact that the court sentenced codefendant, Rafael Hernández— from whom a master key was seized from his pockets and who had penal antecedents — to serve only six months in jail.”
1. The judges of the Superior Court are authorized, in the exercise of their discretion, to grant suspended sentences in any felony case, except first-degree murder, and in every case of misdemeanor arising from facts in the felony and not excluded, provided the convicted person was under 21 years of age on the date the offense was committed. (34 L.P.R.A. § 1042.) Doubtlessly the aforementioned report of the Probation Officer was based on said legal provision. It is evident, however, that it was not taken into consideration that this age limit does not bar the discretion of the court from suspending the effects of a sentence pursuant to § 2 of-Act No. 259 of April 3, 1946 (34 L.P.R.A. § 1027) amended by Act No. 61 of June 19, 1965. This provision authorizes said court to suspend the effects of the sentence entered in any case of felony, which is not murder, robbery, incest, extortion, rape, infamous crime against nature, larceny, kidnapping, or burglary, as well as of the ones entered in cases of misdemeanors arising from the same facts or transaction which would have justified a sentence for a felony case not excluded. Therefore, the court in this case could have requested another report from the Probation Officer, in accordance with the provisions of the aforesaid § 2. Since it is an Act intended to benefit the convicted person and the attempt to commit burglary is not specifically included in the enumeration of the cases of the offenses in which by operation of the law the court is precluded from granting the act of grace or clemency of a sus
2. .Considering all the attendant circumstances it seems to us that the sentence imposed upon appellant.is excessive.
In view of the foregoing, and in the use of our discretion, the sentence imposed on appellant is modified by reducing it to a term of from six months to two years in the penitentiary. The case will be remanded to the Superior Court, Humacao Part, in order that it shall consider the possibility of granting appellant the act of grace or clemency of a suspended sentence, if applicable. People v. Pachot, judgment of September 16, 1965; People v. Santana, per curiam decision of June 1, 1964; People v. Sánchez González, 90 P.R.R. 192 (1964).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.