Opinion ID: 310051
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Trice

Text: 7 Trice's first allegation of error is that the trial court failed to grant him a judgment of acquittal. He argues that there was insufficient evidence to allow his case to go to the jury. 8 The prosecution need not exclude every reasonable hypothesis except guilt; it need only present evidence which is substantial enough that a jury could reasonably arrive at a guilty verdict. See United States v. Nelson, 419 F.2d 1237, 1242-45 (9th Cir. 1969). The jury knew the following about Trice: although the robbers were masked, he roughly matched the composite description provided by the eyewitnesses to the robbery; he was apprehended six hours after the robbery with Clayton near Clayton's apartment where marked money was found; he had marked money on his person; and more marked money was found stuffed under the seat he occupied in the squad car which took him to jail. This evidence when taken together and coupled with reasonable inferences would allow a jury reasonably to return a guilty verdict. The possession of recently stolen property will support an inference that Trice was the thief. Corey v. United States, 305 F.2d 232, 238 (9th Cir. 1962), cert. denied, 371 U.S. 956, 83 S.Ct. 511, 9 L.Ed.2d 503 (1963). Furthermore, the jury could properly conclude that Trice attempted to hide the money in the squad car and this also supports an inference of guilt-consciousness. Thus the trial judge did not err in allowing Trice's case to go to the jury. 9 Trice's second contention is that the trial judge erred in refusing to give an instruction concerning the testimony of the accomplice, Tijerina. When called as a witness, Tijerina surprised the government and answered only two questions before refusing to testify further, despite a grant of immunity. He was then held in contempt. The two answers he did give were an admission that he drove the getaway car and an acknowledgement that he knew Clayton. Trice sought an instruction, part of which directed the jury to disregard all of Tijerina's testimony. Giving that instruction would have been error. The judge properly refused the instruction, but gave other instructions which, when taken together, cautioned the jury not to draw inferences from any unanswered questions nor from the fact that Tijerina, although charged in the indictment, did not appear as a defendant at the trial. Further, he would not allow the prosecutor to comment in his argument upon Tijerina's refusal to testify. In his discretion, the trial judge properly handled a difficult situation while allowing competent testimony into evidence. 10 Finally, Trice argues that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated because he was not provided a transcript of the grand jury's proceedings. This court has consistently, and recently, held that the recording of grand jury proceedings, at least in the absence of a prior request therefor, is permissive and not mandatory. United States v. Jackson, 448 F.2d 963, 971 (9th Cir. 1971), cert. denied, 405 U.S. 924, 92 S.Ct. 970, 30 L.Ed.2d 796 (1972). 11 Affirmed.