Opinion ID: 396889
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: william wright

Text: 20 William Wright testified that on March 19, 1974, he was at the E & D Luncheonette, sitting in the last booth, facing the door. While he was eating, someone, whom he later identified as Daye, came to use the telephone. At this point, the trial judge interrupted the prosecutor to elicit from Wright that Stanback was using the phone and that Wright knew Stanback. 21 The prosecutor then asked Wright to narrate what had occurred. Wright stated that, when he began eating his lunch, the friend with whom he was sitting said something to him. Wright turned around and a gun went off. The judge again interrupted and asked Wright whether he had seen a man with a gun, where this man was and whether anyone was with the man. 22 The Assistant District Attorney resumed and asked who was using the telephone. When Wright replied, Ike, the judge took over again. 23 The Court: Ike. 24 So you saw Ike and you saw this man? 25 The Witness: Yes, I did. 26 The Court: The man had a gun? 27 The Witness: Yes, sir. 28 The Court: They were both by the telephone? 29 The Witness: Yes. 30 The Court: All right. 31 Then, when the prosecutor asked about the relative positions of the two people standing near the telephone, the judge came in again: 32 Q (by the prosecutor). Now, what I'd like you to do, with the Court's permission, is indicate by demonstrating with the court officer standing next to you how Ike was standing and the man was standing. 33 The Court: Assume that the telephone is against that wall. Use the wall as the wall on which the telephone is located. A (by Wright). Like this. (Indicating.) 34 The Court: In other words, Ike the cook was standing by the wall? 35 The Witness: Right. 36 The Court: The defendant-withdrawn. A man with a gun. 37 Mr. Russo (defense counsel): Your Honor, excuse me. 38 The Court: I struck it. 39 Mr. Russo: I have an application. 40 The Court: What? 41 Mr. Russo: Based on the Court's statement. 42 The Court: I said a man. I struck what I said. 43 Mr. Russo: I'll make my application later. 44 The Court: All right. 45 You say a man with a gun was standing behind him, right? 46 The Witness: Right. 47 The Court: The record should indicate that the right hand-did the right hand have a gun? 48 The Witness: Right. 49 The Court: The right hand had a gun and it was against the right side, right? 50 The Witness: Right. 51 The Court: And the left hand was as you have it, was on the left front? 52 The Witness: Correct. 53 The Court: Over the left shoulder and on the left front with the fingers pointing downward on the left side of the individual who was at the phone who(m) you have identified as Ike. 54 The Witness: Right. 55 The Court: All right. 56 In further questioning by the prosecutor, Wright testified that Daye announced a stick-up and Wright attempted to secret some of his money in his shoe. When defense counsel objected to Wright's saying what he was trying to do, the court again broke in. 57 The Court: He looked in your direction? 58 The Witness: Yes, he did. 59 The Court: After he looked in your direction, what did he do and say?The Witness: He pointed the gun at me and said, hey, I'll kill you if you move. I said, I'm just trying to get the money. I put the money on the table and he came back and got it. 60 The Court: You put all the money on the table? 61 The Witness: Yes, sir. 62 The Court: How much was it? 63 The Witness: $250. 64 When Wright testified that Daye collected money from the restaurant patrons, the court interrupted to ask, Did he always exhibit the gun?, eliciting an affirmative response. 65 Wright then testified that an old man entered the luncheonette. After sustaining an objection to a bit of speculative testimony, the court asked: 66 ... What did the old man do? 67 The Witness: Well, he sit him down in a chair and he pounded him in the head with the butt of the gun two or three times maybe. 68 The Court: You saw the man with the gun hit the elderly man on the head with the gun? 69 The Witness: Exactly. After that he collected a few more or whatever money he was picking up and then he said, well, that's it, let's go, and he was out the door. 70 The Court: He went out the same door? 71 The Witness: The same door, yes. 72 The Court: Leading to the sidewalk? 73 The Witness: Yes. That's correct. 74 Then, after the prosecutor asked his first question about the gun used in the robbery, the court took over: 75 (The Prosecutor): Now, would you be able to describe the gun; what did the gun look like? 76
77 The Court: Nickle plated? 78 The Witness: .32 automatic. 79 The Court: Black? 80 The Witness: The handles were black. 81 Next, the prosecutor elicited that the robber's hand was bleeding. He then asked whether the robber said anything about his hand. 82 A. Yeah. Well, sometime during the robbery he said, you all made me hurt my hand or something like that.... 83 The Court: He said what? 84 The Witness: He said you made me hurt my hand and I'm going to kill all of you. 85 The prosecutor then asked about appellant's conversation with others in the luncheonette, and the court again spoke up: 86 (The Prosecutor): What was (the thief) doing with (the gun)? 87 A. He was pointing it at people, just pointing like this. (Indicating.) 88 The Court: Indicating a movement of the hand right to left, left to right. 89 The Witness: Yes, that's correct. 90 (The Prosecutor): Did he have any words with the lady behind the counter, the man who had this gun? 91 A. Yes, he did. 92 Q. What did he say to her? 93 The Court: Do you know her name? 94 The Witness: No, I don't. I think it was Dorothy. I think. 95 The Court: You think it was Dorothy? 96 The Witness: I think it was. 97 The Court: Is she one of the owners of the place? 98 The Witness: She was a waitress. 99 The Court: She was a waitress? 100 The Witness: Right. He just pointed the gun at her and said, give me that money or I'm going to kill you. 101 Q (by the prosecutor). Approximately how many people were inside the luncheonette; do you remember? 102 A. From 12 to 14 people. 103 The Court: Is that including yourself? 104 The Witness: Yes. 105 The Court: And including the person with the gun as well? 106 The Witness: Yeah, I'd say. That's an approximation. 107 The Court: About 14 or 14 (sic) people including the people that worked there, the deceased, the person with the gun and yourself, correct? 108 The Witness: Yes. 109 After Wright then identified Daye as the man with the gun, the judge intervened: 110 Q (by the prosecutor). Mr. Wright, I want you to look around this courtroom and tell me if you're able to see that or identify that who(m) you see in the courtroom? 111 A. Yes. 112 Q. Will you point him out, please? 113 The Court: Indicating the defendant? 114 Mr. Russo: Yes, I'll concede that the witness has indicated the defendant who is the only black man sitting in the well of the courtroom at the counsel table. 115 The Court: Any question about that; is that the man? 116 The Witness: No doubt. 117 The Court: No doubt in your mind? 118 The Witness: No. 119 The prosecutor then inquired whether Daye was alone or accompanied, the court again took up the questioning: 120 Q. And during the time that this defendant was conducting that robbery after he shot Issac Stanback, was there anybody else assisting him in the robbery, as far as you know. 121 A. Not to my knowledge. 122 The Court: He was the only one with a gun that you saw? 123 The Witness: That's correct. 124 The Court: He was the only one taking money from the various patrons in the restaurant? 125 The Witness: That's correct. 126