Opinion ID: 1358008
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Extrajudicial Statements of Syas

Text: [11] The People introduced evidence, both during their case in chief and on rebuttal, that Syas, questioned after his arrest, stated that he had known defendant Roberts and delivered packages for him for compensation on various occasions, including the nights of April 2d and 3d, but did not know what was in the packages. Syas testified that he did not meet Roberts on the nights in question and that while he knew Roberts' name he had never spoken with him prior to the bringing of the present charges. The evidence of Syas' contradictory extrajudicial statements was admissible against him both because it tended to prove that he had in fact associated with and worked for Roberts and because it tended to impeach Syas. ( People v. Southack (1952), 39 Cal.2d 578, 584 [248 P.2d 12].) [12] Such evidence, however, would be inadmissible hearsay as to Roberts. ( People v. Gilliland (1940), 39 Cal. App.2d 250, 262 [103 P.2d 179]; Fiswick v. United States (1946), 329 U.S. 211, 217 [67 S.Ct. 224, 91 L.Ed. 196] [confession or admission by one co-conspirator after he has been apprehended is not in any sense a furtherance of the criminal enterprise. It is rather a frustration of it ... (A conspirator's) admissions were therefore not admissible against his erstwhile fellow-conspirators].) The record does not support Roberts' contention that the rule last quoted was violated during his trial. In addition to the fact that his own counsel appears to have been capable, well prepared and ever alert to protect the appellant's interests it is gratifying to note that both the prosecuting attorney and the trial judge, particularly in this respect, appear to have been commendably alert and conscientious in the performance of their respective duties, which of course included as to each of them the duty of seeing to it that the trial was in all respects fair to the defendants as well as to the People. Both the prosecuting attorney and the trial judge repeatedly stated to the jury during the trial that extrajudicial statements of one defendant were offered, admitted, and could be considered only against him, not against the other defendant, and the closing charge to the jury included such an instruction.