Court Opinion

ID: 9712318
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 04:51:18.375938+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:11.469026
License: Public Domain

MR. JUSTICE UNDERWOOD, dissenting: I do not agree that admission of proof of Rogers’ prior conviction was reversible error. Whether proof of that conviction is described as impeachment of one’s own witness, or “anticipatory disclosure” as the majority opinion characterizes it, is largely a matter of semantics. The ultimate purpose of all trials is the ascertainment of truth from what is usually conflicting testimony. Vital to the integrity of that process is knowledge by the factfinder of matters affecting the credibility of the witnesses who testify. In my judgment no valid reason precludes presentation of those matters by the party who is aware of them, whether that be the party calling the witness or his adversary. Nor, if both parties are aware of those matters, is there any valid reason why their revelation should abide the opponent’s decision whether to reveal them. The majority opinion permits proceeding in this fashion and with that view I am in complete accord. I agree, too, that occasionally there may be circumstances where, on objection, the trial judge should limit or bar such testimony, or allow it only under a cautionary instruction because of the likelihood of prejudice to defendant. (United States v. Freeman (2d Cir. 1962), 302 F.2d 347, 350, cert. denied (1963), 375 U.S. 958, 11 L. Ed. 2d 316, 84 S. Ct. 448.) No such limiting instruction was requested here, and, while I do not condone the repetitious questioning of defendant regarding his conviction, I do not agree that such questioning was so prejudicial as to necessitate reversal in view of what I consider to be the clear proof of guilt. Demonstration of the reasons I believe the conviction of involuntary manslaughter should stand requires a more detailed statement of the facts than is included in the majority opinion. Jose Pallares died of a gunshot wound in his head on September 20, 1972. He had arrived at the home of his aunt, Mary Sanchez, at approximately 10 p.m. on September 19. Four hours later defendant arrived, carrying a pistol in a brown paper bag. James Sanchez, Mary’s eldest son, admitted defendant into the apartment, then went to watch television in another room. Ricardo Sanchez, 16, Pallares, 17, and defendant, 18, sat on a couch in the living room, where Ricardo’s three younger brothers were asleep on the floor. Mary Sanchez was asleep in a bedroom. Testimony about the shooting was conflicting. Ricardo Sanchez testified that defendant, while sitting on the couch, took the pistol from the paper bag, removed about three cartridges from the weapon, replaced one, spun the cylinder, put the gun to his head and “clicked it.” The gun did not fire. Defendant next pointed the gun at Ricardo, who jumped off the couch and told him not to “fool around.” Defendant then pointed the gun at Pallares, and Ricardo placed a wool blanket over his head. With the blanket in that position Ricardo.heard two more “clicks.” As he started to remove the blanket, but with it still over his eyes, he heard a gunshot and saw a flash. When Ricardo completed pulling the blanket off his head immediately thereafter, he saw defendant with the gun in his hand. Ricardo testified he was standing two or three feet from the couch when the shot was fired, and never saw anyone other than the defendant holding the gun that evening. Ricardo also testified he had given and signed a statement at the police station on the night of the incident stating he had been in the bathroom at the time of the shooting, but that his statement that he had been in the bathroom was untrue and made because he was “scared,” “nervous” and afraid of reprisals. Mary Sanchez testified she awoke upon hearing the gunshot, and rushed into the living room where she saw the gun in defendant’s hand. She stated that both Ricardo and defendant said Pallares had shot himself. Although Mrs. Sanchez urged defendant to wait for the police, he announced he was going to leave and told her to tell the police Pallares had been shot through the window. Defendant then left the building. Augustine Sanchez, who had been sleeping on the living room floor, testified for the defense that he awoke upon hearing the shot and saw the gun lying on an end table. Defendant was standing near a dresser and said Pallares had shot himself. Augustine further testified he heard his brother Ricardo say he had been in the bathroom when the gun discharged. Defendant testified that he had bought the gun a few days before the shooting to protect his mother and that he carried it with him at all times. After defendant arrived at the apartment Pallares asked to see the contents of the bag, so defendant handed the pistol to him. Pallares began to play with the hammer of the gun, pulling it back and letting it go. Defendant told him not to play with the gun, then grabbed the gun, first with one and then both hands, in an attempt to take it away; but the gun discharged, hitting Pallares. Defendant testified he did not know a bullet was in the chamber at the time of the incident, and could not remember whether Pallares ’ finger was on the trigger. He stated that Ricardo was standing in the living room when the gun discharged, with a blanket over his head. Defendant also admitted it was possible he had told Mrs. Sanchez to tell the police that Pallares had been shot through the window. Defendant further testified that after leaving the Sanchez apartment he threw the gun into a nearby vacant lot. Contrary to his testimony at the preliminary hearing, he also stated he returned soon afterwards and retrieved the gun, taking it to the home of Richard Bondie, who hid it. After defendant left Bondie’s house he wrent first to his sister’s home, and then to the home of Frank Rogers, where, defendant continued, he stayed with Rogers’ permission until his arrest. The State established by other witnesses that the gun was later found by Bondie’s mother and turned over to the police. After the defense rested, the State called three rebuttal witnesses. A firearms expert testified the gun could not be fired without pulling the trigger nor, even then, if a person has both hands wrapped tightly around the cylinder. An investigating police officer testified he found no powder burns on Pallares ’ body, but agreed the wound could have been washed before his inspection. Finally, Rogers testified that although defendant was arrested in his home, Rogers did not know he was there. The State also, of course, elicited that Rogers had been convicted of a narcotics violation and had served the entire sentence. On this record it is evident to me that defendant was proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and the court’s opinion so states. The verdict represents the jury’s evaluation of conflicting versions of the shooting. Defendant emphasizes in this court Ricardo’s blood relationship to the deceased, his prior inconsistent statement, the dimly lit living room, the wool blanket over his head, the testimony of Ricardo’s brother Augustine, and defendant’s friendship with Pallares. Defendant ignores, however, that his own testimony places Ricardo in the living room as an occurrence witness, and that Ricardo’s testimony about the gun in defendant’s hand after the shooting was corroborated by Mrs. Sanchez. Moreover, there is uncontradicted evidence that defendant urged Mrs. Sanchez to lie to the police and say Pallares had been shot through the window, that he fled the scene of the shooting and hid for two days before he was arrested, and that he attempted, unsuccessfully, to prevent the discovery of his weapon. Defendant was entitled to a fair trial, not a perfect one, and I believe judgments ought not to be reversed merely because error has been committed, unless it appears that justice has been denied thereby or that the verdict of the jury may have resulted from the error. (People v. Wright (1974), 56 Ill. 2d 523, 533-34; People v. Cavanaugh (1958), 13 Ill. 2d 491, 492.) Because I am convinced the verdict would have been the same had the State not brought Rogers’ prior conviction to the attention of the jury in the manner it did, I would reverse the appellate court and affirm the trial court. RYAN and CREBS, JJ., join in this dissent.