Opinion ID: 1153433
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Hearing on Motion to Suppress Evidence

Text: Prior to the selection of the jury, the trial court heard a motion to suppress, pursuant to section 1538.5 of the Penal Code. Suppression of the following items was asked: The .22 caliber automatic pistol allegedly obtained from defendant in San Diego by Officer Abbott, and any other items then obtained; the three-quarter length black leather coat allegedly obtained from 1462 West 35th Street, Los Angeles, on February 28, 1969, by officers; the gold sweater shirt allegedly obtained in a search of 1462 West 35th Street on or about March 1, 1969, by officers; and any other items obtained there on that date by the officers. It was stipulated, in respect to any of the items, that at the time of their acquisition there was no search warrant or warrant for defendant's arrest. At the hearing on the motion, Officer Abbott testified, among other things, that the radio call to check a man carrying a gun indicated that the man was wearing a green shirt and a brown jacket; that he arrived at the area of the bar within two minutes after receiving the call; that as he was proceeding across the intersection at the bar he saw a man in a green shirt and brown jacket (defendant) leaving the front door of the bar; that he went to the front door, and a man met him and said that the person going down the street (defendant) was the man with the gun; that after discovering the gun on defendant's person in a pat-down of his pockets, he arrested defendant for carrying a concealed weapon and told him that he had a right to remain silent then or at any time, that anything he said could be used against him in court, that he had the right to an attorney then or any time during the interrogation, and that if he could not afford one, the city would provide one for him free of charge; that he asked defendant if he understood these rights, and defendant said yes; and that he asked if defendant was willing to talk with him, and defendant said yes. Sergeant Matthys testified that the gun removed from defendant's person was test-fired in his (Sergeant Matthys') presence in San Diego; that Sergeant Franzese took the casings from the test-firing back to Los Angeles, to be matched against shell casings which had been taken from the scenes of the crimes hereinabove related; that Franzese later called and told him there was a positive match on the test casings; that when he and Sergeant Massaro saw defendant at the San Diego police station, they told defendant that they were there to interview him concerning several murders in Los Angeles and had reason to believe he might possibly have committed them; that he asked defendant then if he had been advised of his rights by the San Diego Police Department, and defendant said yes; that he asked defendant if he understood that they were investigating officers, if he knew that he had a right not to tell anything, if he knew that he had the right to have an attorney present, if he knew that he could remain silent, and if he knew that anything he said could be used against him in court; and that defendant said that he wanted to talk with them, that he had never hurt anyone in his life, and that he certainly would never commit a murder. Matthys said that he could not recall whether or not he had said at that time that an attorney would be appointed free of charge if desired. Some time during the conversation, defendant was asked if he had a black, three-quarter length jacket; and Matthys testified that, as he recalled, defendant said he did own a black leather jacket. Sergeant Matthys further testified that when he and Sergeant Massaro went to defendant's residence at 1462 West 35th Street while Sergeant Cannon was interviewing defendant, their purpose was to obtain the black leather jacket which defendant purportedly owned; that they knocked on the door and were admitted by defendant's wife; that she was there alone with two children; that they asked her if she knew where defendant was at that time, and she said she did not; that they told her he had been arrested but they were not at liberty to tell her then exactly what he had been arrested for; that they had been advised he had a black leather jacket possibly at that location, and they asked her if she knew about it; that she said yes, she thought defendant owned a jacket of that description; that they asked her if she would get it for them; that she said she would look for it and see if she could find it; that she then got a jacket from a bedroom in the front part of the house and gave it to him; and that they talked with her for a while about defendant's being in jail and under arrest and then left. Sergeant Matthys also testified that the next afternoon he returned to defendant's residence, accompanied by Sergeant Cannon; that they went there to obtain a yellow, turtleneck shirt type of clothing; that on their arrival they were admitted by defendant's wife; that he told her what they were looking for and said they were prepared to proceed with getting a search warrant for the shirt they were looking for, but that if she would get the shirt for them, they would not need to go through the procedure and would not have to disturb the rest of her house; that she then went to a service porch door on the southeast corner of the house and obtained the shirt; that she gave it to them; that he thanked her for getting the shirt and told her that he was glad she did not make it necessary for them to obtain a search warrant for it; and that while they were there, he told defendant's wife that defendant had been arrested for murder. Sergeant Matthys further testified that, while there, he recorded on a sheet of paper, marked People's Special 1, the substance of the conversation the officers had with defendant's wife and told her to read it; that he also read it to her; and that after he read it to her, she signed it. Defendant's wife, called as a witness in his behalf, testified that when Sergeant Matthys and his partner came by her home at 12 or 12:30 Friday night, they told her they were police officers, and she let them in; that the officers first asked if defendant had a brown leather jacket; that after she said no, they asked if he had a leather jacket of any kind; that she told them he had received a black one for Christmas; that she gave it to Sergeant Matthys; that when the officers came by the next day, they wanted to know if defendant had a gold sweater; that when she said he did not, they asked if he had a gold shirt of any type, and she said that he did; that Sergeant Matthys said they could be out in five minutes with a search warrant and tear the house up and take her and the children downtown for questioning; that he said there would be reporters if they got a search warrant; and that she went and got the shirt for them. Sergeant Matthys denied stating anything to defendant's wife to the effect that it might be necessary to take her and the children to the police department for questioning or that her house would be torn up if it was necessary to secure a search warrant. He said he told her that things would probably be disturbed in the house if they had to look through it, and he admitted that something may have been said as to reporters' coming there, but he did not know what. He testified that he had no conversation with defendant's wife as to her children other than a friendly conversation. Defendant introduced in evidence a docket sheet of the Municipal Court for the San Diego Judicial District, showing that on February 28, 1969, prior to his release from the jail, a complaint charging him with a felony had been filed against him, an arraignment had taken place, and an attorney had been appointed to represent him. The deputy district attorney called the court's attention to the fact that the charge in San Diego was ex-con with a gun and was entirely unrelated to the charges on which defendant was to be tried herein. Following the close of testimony on the motion to suppress, the trial court found, as to the pistol, that defendant's detention by Officer Abbott was reasonable, the officer having had more than a mere hunch; that the bartender who informed Officer Abbott that defendant was the person who had a gun was not an ordinary police informant but was a citizen informant, and the officer had cause to believe that what was being stated was correct; that the cursory search was reasonable; and that the pistol was procured legally by the officer. As to the coat and sweater or shirt, the trial court found that they were not procured as a result of an illegal search or seizure; that defendant's wife delivered them to the officers freely and voluntarily; that the information which the police department received as to the existence of these items was not in violation of defendant's rights; and that the items were not procured in violation of his rights. The trial court found, further, that there was insufficient evidence to indicate that any of the officers of the Los Angeles or San Diego Police Department knew that defendant had counsel appointed for him at the time Officer Matthys discussed the leather jacket with defendant; that defendant was properly advised of his Miranda rights by Officer Abbott; and that the advisement by Officer Matthys was not complete, but since defendant had previously been advised, it was unnecessary to advise him again. The trial court found, in summary, that the procurement of the black leather coat and the turtleneck sweater or sport shirt was not the fruit of anything of an illegal nature done by the officers in San Diego or elsewhere. The motion to suppress was denied as to all items.