THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. FELICE PAUL FAILLA, Defendant and Appellant.
Crim. No. 9734
In Bank. Supreme Court of California
May 16, 1966
June 8, 1966
Respondents’ petition for a rehearing was denied June 8, 1966, and the opinion was modified to read as printed above. White, J.,* sat in place of Mosk, J. McComb, J., and White, J.,* were of the opinion that the petition should be granted.
Thomas C. Lynch, Attorney General, William E. James, Assistant Attorney General, and Paul N. Wenger, Deputy Attorney General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
MOSK, J.—Defendant appeals from a judgment convicting him, upon jury verdicts, of five counts of first degree burglary (
The facts of the alleged offenses need not be related in great detail. Counts I through V charged defendant with five burglaries arising out of nighttime entries into the apartments of five different female victims “with the intent . . . to commit a felony and theft“; Count VI, kidnaping, was predicated on an incident occurring in the course of the burglary charged in Count II. In summary, the evidence showed the defendant entered each apartment, awoke the victim, and threatened her into silence. On Count I there was evidence tending to show that defendant intended to commit an act of oral copulation in violation of
The court instructed the jury in the language of the statute (
The court committed prejudicial error in failing to give a further instruction on its own motion defining “felony” and advising the jury which acts the defendant, upon entry, may have intended to commit would amount to felonies. In People v. Chavez (1951) 37 Cal.2d 656, 668 [234 P.2d 632], we clearly intimated that on a proper occasion it is error to fail to define for the jury the acts which, if intended by the defendant, will transform an entry into a burglary. No error was found in the circumstances of that case because “There was no evidence tending to prove that, when Chavez entered the house, he intended to commit any felony other than rape and murder. Both were defined by the court, and an instruction concerning other crimes would have had no evidentiary basis.” In People v. Corral (1943) 60 Cal.App.2d 66, 72 [140 P.2d 172], the jury was instructed on burglary in the terms of the statute; in rejecting an argument that a further instruction should have been given defining the different kinds of conduct proscribed as “theft” in California (
This rule is applicable to the case at bar. Since defendant made no admissions or confessions and relied on a defense of alibi, on each burglary count the jury was required to find his intent upon entry circumstantially from his conduct and state-
The general rule provides that in defining the elements of a crime it is enough for the court to instruct in the language of the statute when the defendant fails to request an amplification thereof. (People v. Reed (1952) 38 Cal.2d 423, 430 [240 P.2d 590].) But that rule is always subject to the qualification that “‘An instruction in the language of a statute is proper only if the jury would have no difficulty in understanding the statute without guidance from the court.‘” (People v. Thomas (1945) 25 Cal.2d 880, 895 [156 P.2d 7].) The instruction here under discussion declares rules of law that were necessary to the jury‘s understanding of the charge and were “closely and openly connected with the facts of the case before the court,” and hence should have been given by the court on its own motion. (People v. Wade (1959) 53 Cal.2d 322, 334 [1 Cal.Rptr. 683, 348 P.2d 116].)
The People insist that no prejudice is shown from the failure to instruct as indicated above because “it appeared clear at the trial to all parties concerned” that defendant‘s intentions at the time of entry “were bent upon oral copulation.” The facts, however, are otherwise. While there was evidence of such intent on Count I and evidence from which such intent could possibly be inferred on Count IV, the testimony on Counts II, III, and V lent no support to such a theory. The prosecutor appears to have been aware of this deficiency: in his closing argument he submitted an intent of defendant to commit oral copulation on Counts I and IV but did not do so on Counts II, III, and V, leaving the jurors to their own devices with respect to what felonies were allegedly intended in those instances. Moreover, even on Counts I and IV we cannot know whether the jury predicated its verdict of
Finally, the People contend that the error in failing to give the instruction in question was not prejudicial as to Counts I and II at least, because on each of the latter there was evidence tending to show that defendant also engaged or attempted to engage in theft upon entering his victim‘s apartment. The argument is unconvincing. Even if the evidence of a preconceived intent to steal were not as weak as it is,1 we still could not say with any confidence that on Counts I and II the jury found the requisite burglarious intent in defendant‘s larcenous conduct rather than in his undifferentiated sexual misbehavior. Nor does the evidence show a defined pattern in which defendant rifled his victims’ purses before entering their bedrooms. On Counts III and IV defendant apparently entered the apartments without waking his victims, yet there was no evidence that he committed or attempted to commit theft before pursuing his sexual purposes; and on Count V defendant was frightened away in the very act of entering. Throughout the trial, moreover, the prosecutor stressed defendant‘s sexual intent and activities, and “There is no reason why we should treat this evidence as any less ‘crucial’ than the prosecutor—and so presumably the jury—treated it.” (People v. Cruz (1964) 61 Cal.2d 861, 868 [40 Cal.Rptr. 841, 395 P.2d 889].)
We have not overlooked the fact that defense counsel “conceded” in his arguments to the jury that whoever entered the apartments involved here was guilty of burglary.
After a review of the entire cause, including the evidence, we are of the opinion that it is reasonably probable a result more favorable to defendant would have been reached in the absence of the error here in issue. (
We next consider briefly certain other contentions of defendant relating to instructions which may be presented on retrial.
Defendant urges that the court should have instructed that in order to find him guilty of burglary it was necessary for all the jurors to agree on what particular felony or felonies he intended at the time of entry. The question appears to be one of first impression in a burglary context, but we are not without guidance in the cases. In People v. Nye (1965) 63 Cal.2d 166, 173 [45 Cal.Rptr. 328, 403 P.2d 736], we reaffirmed our holding in People v. Chavez (1951) supra, 37 Cal.2d 656, 670-672, that in a prosecution for first degree murder it is not necessary to instruct that all the jurors must agree on one or more of the several theories proposed by the prosecution, so long as all agree the defendant is guilty of first degree murder as defined in the statute. The same rule applies in theft cases. Thus in People v. Nor Woods (1951) 37 Cal.2d 584, 586 [233 P.2d 897], we held that it is not necessary to instruct that all the jurors must agree on the particular theory of theft shown by the evidence, provided all agree the defendant fraudulently appropriated the property; in that event, “it is immaterial whether or not they agreed as to the technical pigeonhole into which the theft fell.” (Accord, People v. Jones (1943) 61 Cal.App.2d 608, 622-623 [143 P.2d 726]; People v. Caldwell (1942) 55 Cal.App.2d 238, 255-256 [130 P.2d 495].) By contrast, in a third line of decisions (e.g., People v. Scofield (1928) 203 Cal. 703, 709-711 [265 P. 914]; People v. Dutra
The controlling statute in the case at bar (
Defendant next contends that with respect to Count V he was entitled to an instruction on attempted burglary. The point is without merit. The uncontradicted testimony of the victim established that before she frightened defendant away with her screams, one of his feet was on her windowsill and the other was poised in midair inside her room. It is settled that a sufficient entry is made to warrant a conviction of burglary when any part of the body of the intruder is inside the premises. (People v. Allison (1927) 200 Cal. 404, 407-408 [253 P. 318]; People v. Massey (1961) 196 Cal.App.2d 230, 236 [16 Cal.Rptr. 402].)
Defendant complains of the failure of his counsel to request an instruction to the effect that the testimony of a prosecuting witness in a trial for a sex offense should be examined with caution and that accusations of such nature are easy to make but difficult to disprove. Although defendant was not technically charged with sex offenses, proof of an intent to commit one or more of such offenses was essential to his convictions of burglary. The instruction should therefore have been given, on the court‘s own motion if necessary. In the circumstances of the case at bar, however, the error in failing to so instruct cannot be deemed prejudicial. (See People v. Wein (1958) 50 Cal.2d 383, 406 [326 P.2d 457].)
In a supplemental brief defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to certify him for psychiatric examination to determine whether he was a mentally disordered sex offender, pursuant to
In considering a retrial of Count II, however, the prosecutor will face a dilemma. The evidence on Counts II and VI established that the victim was sleeping in the same bedroom as her roommate, in adjacent twin beds, when she was awakened by her dog barking at the foot of her bed. Presently defendant entered, threatened her, and said, “Keep that dog quiet and get up and come into the other room. I want to talk to you.” She rose and walked into the next room where, as related above, defendant exposed himself and fled after striking her when she began to scream. We recently restated the rule that
The judgment is reversed on Counts I through V, and affirmed on Count VI.
Traynor, C. J., Peters, J., Tobriner, J., and Peek, J., concurred.
BURKE, J.—I dissent from the reversal of defendant‘s conviction on the charges of burglary.
There was no error in the instructions given as to the elements of the crime of burglary. The trial judge followed the wording of the statute. Error, if any, was in the failure of the court to amplify the code section to explain what was meant by the words, “any felony.” However, even if such failure be deemed error it was not prejudicial and reversal of the conviction, in my opinion, is unwarranted.
Defendant‘s defense was alibi. By its verdict we may assume the jury did not believe such defense. In argument to the jury defendant‘s counsel had stated, “As in Count I, as in Count V, we do not argue to you that what was done by whoever was there did not constitute either burglary or kidnaping. I will agree 100% with what Mr. Johnson [the prosecutor] said. Whoever committed those acts was guilty of those offenses.” The trial judge was thereby assured that the defendant raised no issue with respect to counts I and V that such conduct constituted violations of the law as charged. The sole issue was the identity of the offender.
In determining what instructions a trial court is required to give without request this court has said: “. . . the trial court cannot be required to anticipate every possible theory that may fit the facts of the case before it and instruct the jury accordingly. The judge need not fill in every time a litigant or his counsel fails to discover an abstruse but possible theory of the facts.” (People v. Wade, 53 Cal.2d 322, 334 [1 Cal.Rptr. 683, 348 P.2d 116].) In Wade, as here, a new theory of defense was asserted for the first time on appeal.
It has also been stated in People v. Kuykendall, 134 Cal.App.2d 642, 646 [285 P.2d 996]: “It is true the general rule in a criminal case is that it is the duty of a trial judge to instruct the jury on its own motion, charging them fully and fairly on the law relating to the facts of the case, and it is not relieved of the duty to give such instructions merely because they are not requested. (People v. Baker, 42 Cal.2d 550, 576 [20] [268 P.2d 705].) However, there is an exception to this general rule that instructions defining the elements of an offense may be couched in the language of the code where no instructions in elaboration of the principles of statutory definitions are requested by defendant. (People v. Reed, 38 Cal.2d 423, 430 [1] [240 P.2d 590].)”
There was no such request in this case since the defense was alibi and the trial court was under no duty to anticipate the defense defendant now raises on appeal, particularly after defense counsel‘s statement conceding, as to counts I and V, that the charges of burglary and kidnaping were applicable to the facts presented. Accordingly, the omission of the trial court in failing to distinguish the acts committed by defendant that were felonious from those that were either misdemeanors or no violation whatever should not be deemed reversible error. The true test was not what acts actually
The evidence indicates that in two instances the defendant examined the victims’ purses after entry and before accosting them; in the first, he took a wallet from the victim‘s purse and left it on the living room floor with her credit cards in disarray nearby—there had been no bills (money) in the wallet; in the second, $8.00 had been stolen from the victim‘s wallet which the defendant, apparently, later returned to his victim. The evidence taken as a whole shows a course of conduct which includes both theft and carnal desires.
The evidence as to counts I and IV showed that oral copulation, a felony, was defendant‘s purpose; the victims testified that he asserted this intention to them and threatened to kill them if they screamed. In one instance defendant flourished a knife, threatening his victim. In another he stated he had a knife and the victim felt a handle in his hand. In a third case he asserted he had a gun and was going to kill his victim but she saw no gun and screamed. In a scuffle he struck her in the abdomen with his fist. In two of the instances he placed his hand upon the private parts of his victims and exerted physical force in an attempt to carry out his intentions. In one case he asked the victim if she wanted him to have intercourse with her and when she said “no” he took her hand and used it for masturbation—at this time he had completely removed his trousers.
In the instance where defendant only got one foot in the window, after removing the screen, he wore only a T-shirt, shorts, and no trousers. The latter has some significance as to his intentions.
Such direct evidence tends to establish a “common plan or scheme” incompatible with a conclusion that defendant‘s entry of any of the several dwellings could have been attended with only an intent to commit acts classifiable as misdemeanors.
I am therefore of the opinion that it would not have been probable that a judgment more favorable to defendant would have been resulted had the omission in instructions, if it be deemed error, not occurred. I would affirm the judgment pursuant to the mandate of
McComb, J., concurred.
Respondent‘s petition for a rehearing was denied June 8, 1966. McComb, J., and Burke, J., were of the opinion that the petition should be granted.
Notes
On Count II the victim testified that she heard defendant moving about in other parts of her apartment for an undisclosed time before he entered her bedroom; that when she went into the adjoining room at his command she sat down on a chair on which her wallet was lying; and that although she subsequently found $8.00 missing from her wallet, before he left defendant pulled his hand out of his pocket and said, “Here, I have got some money for you.” Rather than indicating intent to steal, this gesture suggests an intent of defendant to pay his victim for the sexual indignity she suffered.
