Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/2d/55/849.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 16:58:34+00:00

Document:
THE PEOPLE, Respondent, v. RONALD RITTGER, Appellant.
Lawrence Shostak and Cominos & Shostak for Appellant.
Stanley Mosk, Attorney General, Arlo E. Smith, Albert W. Harris, Jr., and Edward P. O'Brien, Deputy Attorneys General, for Respondent.
The People move to dismiss defendant's appeal from an order denying his motion to reduce the death penalty, made after this court had affirmed the judgment of death. For the reasons hereinafter stated it appears that the motion should be granted, effective forthwith.
In People v. Rittger (1960), 54 Cal. 2d 720 [355 P.2d 645], we affirmed a judgment of death rendered on defendant's conviction of first degree murder and an order denying his motion for new trial or reduction of the class or degree of [55 Cal. 2d 851] the offense or of the penalty. Thereafter we denied a rehearing, the remittitur went down, and the trial court set the date for reimposition of the death sentence pursuant to Penal Code, section 1193. fn. 1 Defendant filed (in the trial court) "Notice of Motion to Modify Impending Sentence." Such notice stated that the motion was "on the ground that the penalty sought to be imposed is too severe, under the present circumstances. Said motion will be made and based upon this notice and upon the pleadings, papers, records and files in this action, including the decision on appeal by the Supreme Court of the State of California."
On March 7, 1961, the superior court entered an order purporting to grant defendant's motion for a stay of execution to June 14, 1961. On March 16, 1961, the record on appeal was filed in this court. The People, as stated, have moved to dismiss the appeal.
Defendant relies on several opinions which are not factually or legally controlling and which afford no persuasive analogy to the case at bench. He cites Lloyd v. Superior Court (1929), 208 Cal. 622 [283 P. 931], and People v. Superior Court (1930), 208 Cal. 692 [284 P. 451], which hold that by section 1203 of the Penal Code as amended by Stats. 1927, p. 1493, the trial court which imposed a sentence of imprisonment is empowered "to hear and determine applications for probation at any time prior to the execution of sentence, and that without reference to whether the defendant had in the meantime undertaken to prosecute a vain and unsuccessful appeal." [P. 630.]  Section 1193, subdivision 1, of the Penal Code, ante, f.n. 1, contemplates no such analogous power to reduce a death sentence after affirmance of the judgment; furthermore, as we have seen, defendant's imprisonment in San Quentin is the commencement of execution of his sentence.
Also relied on by defendant is People v. Hall (1952), 115 Cal. App. 2d 144 [251 P.2d 979]. There the appellate court held that the superior court had jurisdiction to grant probation where defendant had been sentenced, committed and physically delivered into custody of the director of corrections. But--and this is a very important qualification--the delivery of the defendant to the prison authority had been made by the sheriff before the time for jurisdictionally cognizable proceedings in the superior court, or to appeal from orders therein, had expired. The legal and factual considerations which gave the trial court such jurisdiction in the Hall case (and which are obviously not present here) are as follows (p. 156 [7-10] of 115 Cal.App.2d): Defendant pleaded guilty to violation of Penal Code, section 288; probation was denied; judgment of imprisonment was entered and commitment ordered but a stay of execution was granted; timely notice of appeal from the judgment was filed. Thereafter defendant filed a motion to set aside the judgment and plea of guilty and dismissed his appeal from the judgment. The motion to set aside the judgment and plea of guilty was denied and defendant filed timely notice of appeal from such order of denial. On defendant's motion bond on appeal from the denial order was fixed and a certificate of probable cause issued.
The Hall case came to the District Court of Appeal on the People's appeal from the trial court's order denying a motion to set aside the order placing defendant on probation and the order recalling the commitment. In the circumstances related, the holding of the District Court of Appeal that the trial court had jurisdiction to grant probation furnishes no modicum of support for defendant here.
Defendant directs our attention to People v. Reimringer (1953), 116 Cal. App. 2d 332, 343  [253 P.2d 756], which upholds the power of the sentencing court, within 60 days after the commencement of service of judgment of imprisonment, to modify the judgment by specifying the manner of running--whether concurrently or consecutively--of sentences of imprisonment on different counts. That case rests entirely on the appellate court's view of a statute (Pen. Code, § 669) which has no relevance to the matter before us.
For the reasons above stated, the appeal is dismissed. This order is final forthwith.
FN 1. Section 1193 (subd. 1) provides in pertinent part that "when any judgment imposing the death penalty has been affirmed by the appellate court, sentence may be reimposed upon the defendant in his absence by the court from which such appeal was taken, and in the manner following, to wit: Upon receipt by the superior court from which such appeal is taken of the certificate of the appellate court affirming such judgment, the judge of the said superior court shall forthwith make and cause to be entered an order pronouncing sentence against the defendant, and a warrant signed by the judge ... must be drawn, and it must state the conviction and judgment and appoint a day upon which the judgment shall be executed, which must not be less than 60 days nor more than 90 days from the time of making such order; ... when any judgment imposing the death penalty has been affirmed and sentence has been reimposed as above provided there shall be no appeal from the order fixing the time for and directing the execution of such judgment as herein provided."

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