Court Opinion

ID: 9793372
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:46:32.986323+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:04:39.132614
License: Public Domain

HANING, J.*
I respectfully dissent.
While I strongly agree with the principles recited by the majority, I arrive at a different conclusion in this unique factual situation.
The foundation cases of Johnson v. Zerbst (1937) 304 U.S. 458 [82 L.Ed. 1461, 58 S.Ct. 1019, 146 A.L.R. 357] and In re Johnson (1965) 62 Cal.2d 325 [42 Cal.Rptr. 228, 398 P.2d 420] are often cited, and properly so, for the principle that waiver of counsel cannot be inferred from a silent record. However, I distinguish between a silent record and a silent defendant. Johnson v. Zerbst, supra, 304 U.S. at p. 464 [82 L.Ed. at p. 1466], held, “The determination of whether there has been an intelligent waiver of the right to counsel must depend, in each case, upon the particular facts and circumstances surrounding that case, including the background, experience, and conduct of the accused. ” (Italics added.) This rule was reiterated by this court in In re Johnson, supra, 62 Cal.2d at p. 335, and a number of decisions following. A review of the cases reversing convictions for ineffective waiver of counsel reveals situations where the court either failed to advise or inadequately advised defendants of their rights. These decisions rest on the premise that the defendants wanted legal assistance or would have accepted it if offered. This record presents a contrary situation—a defendant who was offered the assistance of an experienced specialist and who continually rejected that assistance.
The defendant is no stranger to the criminal courts. Prior to the instant case he was convicted of felonies in Texas and California. He was found capable of representing himself at the preliminary examination, following a thorough voir dire by the magistrate, and he had previously represented himself at various stages of criminal proceedings in Santa Barbara.
Before the preliminary examination the defendant appeared in propria persona before the superior court judge who later presided over his trial. *641At that time he advised the court he wished to enter a guilty plea, but wanted to be committed to a hospital rather than to prison. He engaged in dialogue with the court and responded appropriately to questions about his prior convictions. The court advised him that the only way he could be reasonably assured of being committed to a hospital were if he were found not guilty by reason of insanity or found incompetent to stand trial. Based upon that discussion with the court he subsequently decided to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, and so advised the magistrate when he returned to the municipal court for his preliminary examination.
Although he appeared in propria persona at the preliminary examination and did not cross-examine the witnesses, he did make motions to the court for a continuance, for discovery, for access to the law library, for a legal runner and for legal writing paper and envelopes. The record demonstrates that he had made similar motions on a prior occasion when he represented himself in Santa Barbara.
When he next appeared in superior court after being held to answer, he became uncommunicative and refused to speak or respond to the court’s inquiries. The public defender was then appointed to represent him, but when the deputy defender assigned to his case went to the jail to <see him, the defendant refused to come out and meet with him. When this method of contact failed, the defense attorney was taken back to the defendant’s cell, where he again attempted to speak with him and gain his cooperation. The defendant wouldn’t even reveal his name, rank and serial number, let alone cooperate; he simply remained mute and refused to acknowledge counsel’s presence. His conduct toward the public defender never changed throughout the proceedings. Although questions concerning his competency were raised, he was, as noted by the majority, twice found competent to cooperate with counsel and stand trial—on one occasion by the court and on another as the result of a jury trial on the competency issue.
The trial judge concluded that defendant heard and understood everything being said and was able to cooperate with his counsel. In response to the public defender’s explanation of why he was unable to prepare himself for trial or represent defendant, the court stated:
“. . .it seems to me that all of your problems, which are understandable, are created by the Defendant who understands and is able to cooperate and, in effect, he is waiving a lot of rights that the constitution affords him. But it’s his right to waive those protections. And I find that is what he is doing.
“. . . The record should also indicate a couple of things briefly. ... I have before me a transcript of the proceedings had in this courtroom with *642the Defendant at a time when his case was still in the Municipal Court, where he came up here to talk about settlement of his case on November 16th of this year. The transcript is some eighteen pages long. And I am even more satisfied than I was before, if that is at all possible, that the Defendant is acting as he is wilfully, based on what appears to be an enormous quantity of evidence against him, and his only chance of beating the case, if it is a chance, is to try to get some kind of error into this case, and because he is a very articulate fellow—he was in November—and very bright, and he’s playing the ‘I’m crazy’ game with the Court. Because we talked about that at some length during those Court proceedings.
“Just so that those who look over our shoulders after the case is concluded from on high will understand, that this is the ultimate situation which has been brought to us or visited upon us by Faretta, and we have to deal with it either this way, or the Defendant, this type of a Defendant would never get to trial.”
The court’s observation of the strength of the prosecution’s case is borne out by the record. The victims were alone in their fourth floor apartment at approximately 6:30 a.m. when they were assaulted by an assailant armed with a knife. One victim was stabbed with the knife, the other was raped and both were robbed. The assailant gained entry to the apartment through a bathroom window which opened into an air shaft in the apartment building. The bathroom window was approximately 10 inches from a window to an adjoining apartment. When the police visited the adjoining apartment they discovered that defendant’s brother lived there, but defendant was not present at that time. Upon receiving permission to search the apartment, a set of knives, contained in a case and each in their original wrapping and bearing the distinctive legend “Pierre Santini” were found, with one knife missing from the case. A neighbor located a “Pierre Santini” knife under a vehicle next to her home, near which she noticed a person matching defendant’s description to be loitering suspiciously around the time of the crime. This knife matched the set in the brother’s apartment, and fit into the slot in the knife case for the missing knife. The victims both selected defendant’s picture from a photographic line-up, in addition to identifying him at the trial. During the period when the defendant was communicative and representing himself, and in response to his request for discovery, the investigating officer delivered the discovery items to him. At that time defendant advised the officer that the items were not needed because it was his intention to confess his guilt. The defendant asked the officer to return the following day to obtain the confession and gave him permission to record it. The officer returned as requested, gave a Miranda warning, and obtained and tape-recorded the confession.
*643The defendant, as previously noted, failed to examine any witnesses at the preliminary examination. Neither victim would meet with nor discuss the case with defense counsel and defendant’s brother had disappeared and could not be located. In short, defense counsel’s chances of success shifted rapidly from the category of the improbable to the impossible when the defendant himself elected not to reach for his only possible lifeline in an otherwise hostile sea. The public defender repeatedly advised the court, in defendant’s presence, that as a result of defendant’s lack of cooperation and refusal to communicate with him he was unable to prepare any meaningful defense or provide effective representation. He further advised the court, as the majority notes, that he would not participate in any fashion in the trial. Yet, at no time did defendant object, complain about his counsel’s tactics, nor ask the court to appoint new counsel for him.
“Waiver is the intentional relinquishment of a known right after knowledge of the facts.” (Roesch v. DeMota (1944) 24 Cal.2d 563, 572 [150 P.2d 422].) Waiver may occur as “ ‘the result of an act which, according to its natural import, is so inconsistent with an intent to enforce the right as to induce a reasonable belief that such right has been relinquished.’” (Crest Catering Co. v. Superior Court (1965) 62 Cal.2d 274, 278 [42 Cal.Rptr. 110, 398 P.2d 150], quoting Rheem Mfg. Co. v. United States (1962) 57 Cal.2d 621, 626 [21 Cal.Rptr. 802, 371 P.2d 578]; Medico-Dental etc. Co. v. Horton & Converse (1942) 21 Cal.2d 411, 432 [132 P.2d 457].) The defendant’s conduct here is so inconsistent with an intent to enforce his right to counsel that it does induce a reasonable belief that the right was waived, as the trial judge determined. Given the background, experience and conduct of the defendant within the particular facts and circumstances of this case (Johnson v. Zerbst, supra, 304 U.S. 458; In re Johnson, supra, 62 Cal.2d 325), I conclude that the waiver was understandably and intelligently made, and that the record supports the trial court’s conclusion that the defendant is attempting to manipulate the system.
I would affirm the judgment.
On October 6, 1983, the dissenting opinion of Kaus, J., and the concurrence in that opinion by Richardson, J., were modified to read as printed above.

Assigned by the Chairperson of the Judicial Council.