Majority
Petition for writ of habeas corpus.
Facts: About 4 a.m. on June 17, 1953, petitioner rang the bell at the home of Mrs. W., a 27-year-old married woman. When Mrs. W. answered the door petitioner asked for a
The jury found petitioner guilty of two counts of rape (violation of Pen. Code, § 261, subd. 4, charged in counts I and II of the information), violation of section 288a (count III), and burglary in the first degree (violation of § 459, charged in count IY). With respect to the charge of burglary, the information alleged that this crime was “connected in its commission with the charges set forth in all the preceding counts” and that it was committed “with the intent then and there ... to commit Rape, a felony.” The information also alleged a former conviction for violation of section 288, a felony.
Petitioner was sentenced to imprisonment in the state prison for the term prescribed by law on all four of the counts charged, and was also sentenced to serve the term prescribed by law for the prior conviction therein alleged after a finding that petitioner had violated the conditions of the order granting probation for such offense. All of these terms of imprisonment were ordered to run concurrently.
Questions: First. Is petitioner entitled to a writ of habeas corpus because of his allegation that evidence of a prior crime was improperly admitted by the trial court ?
No. Although the record does not contain any of the transcripts, a copy of the minute order at the time of sentencing shows that petitioner admitted a prior conviction of violating section 288 of the Penal Code. Furthermore, habeas corpus does not lie where claimed errors could have been but were not raised upon a timely appeal from a judgment of conviction nor does it lie to review claimed error which
1 Petitioner has not supplied us with a transcript of the trial proceedings. The only record is that obtained by the Attorney General from the Record Office of San Quentin State Prison. Included therein is a document entitled ‘‘Circumstances of Offense,” which contains a narrative of the facts quoted verbatim from the probation officer’s report. Also included are certified copies of the information and the minutes of the proceedings at the time of sentencing.
Second. Was petitioner subjected to multiple punishment proscribed by section 654 of the Penal Code[2] when he was sentenced to concurrent terms for burglary and the sex offenses based on an indivisible course of criminal conducts
Yes. The record discloses that upon petitioner’s entry into the victim’s home he stated that ‘ ‘ he was going to have her in every way possible. ’ ’ In the absence of any other evidence in the record before us going to the intent and objective of petitioner in forcing his way into her home, the only reasonable conclusion is that petitioner was motivated by one objective, the commission of the sex offenses he later accomplished.
Where all the offenses were incident to one objective, petitioner may be punished for any one of them but not for more than one. (Neal v. State of California, 55 Cal.2d 11 , 19 [22] [ 9 Cal.Rptr. 607 , 357 P.2d 839 ]; People v. McFarland, 58 Cal.2d 748 , 760 [12, 13] [ 26 Cal.Rptr. 473 , 376 P.2d 449 ] ; see also In re Johnson, 65 Cal.2d 393 , 395 [3] [ 54 Cal.Rptr. 873 , 420 P.2d 393 ] ; In re Henry, 65 Cal.2d 330 , 331 [1] [ 54 Cal.Rptr. 633 , 420 P.2d 97 ] ; In re Romano, 64 Cal.2d 826 , 828 [1] [ 51 Cal.Rptr. 910 , 415 P.2d 798 ] ; In re Ward, 64 Cal.2d 672 , 676 [4] [ 51 Cal.Rptr. 272 , 414 P.2d 400 ] ; People v. Failla, 64 Cal.2d 560 , 570 [17, 18] [ 51 Cal.Rptr. 103 , 414 P.2d 39 ] ; In re Cruz, 64 Cal.2d 178 , 180 [2a] [ 49 Cal.Rptr. 289 , 410 P.2d 825 ].) Conduct giving rise to more than one offense within the meaning of section 654 of the Penal Code may result in the initial conviction of two or more crimes, only one of which, the more serious offense, may be punished.
It has been settled since People v. McFarland, supra, 58 Cal.2d 748 , that where excessive punishment has been imposed, the appropriate procedure at the appellate level is to eliminate the effect of the judgment as to the less severely punishable offense insofar as penalty alone is concerned. (In re Wright, 65 Cal.2d 650 , 656 [5] [ 56 Cal.Rptr. 110 , 422 P.2d
2 Section 654 provides in part: “An act or omission which is made punishable in different ways by different provisions of this code may be punished under either of such provisions, but in no case can it be punished under more than one. ’ ’
The terms prescribed by law for the respective offenses are five years to life for the burglary (Pen. Code, §§ 461, 671) ; three years to life for rape (Pen. Code, §§ 264, 671) ; and not exceeding 15 years for oral copulation (Pen. Code, § 288a).[3] The maximum term for burglary and rape is the same, but the minimum term for burglary is greater. The punishment for burglary, therefore, is greater. (People v. Gay, 230 Cal.App.2d 102 , 105 [6] [ 40 Cal.Rptr. 778 ].)
The difference between this ease and People v. Hicks, 63 Cal.2d 764 [ 48 Cal.Rptr. 139 , 408 P.2d 747 ], where it was held that the punishment for three sex offenses was greater than the punishment for burglary is that in Hicks, the sentences for the sex offenses were ordered to run consecutively and were capable of being totaled; the cumulative maximum for three separate and distinct sex offenses was life plus 30 years. In the present case, however, the terms were ordered to run concurrently. The minimum term for the sex offenses, running concurrently, is less than the five-year minimum for burglary.
The sentences for the sex offenses are set aside. Petitioner is not entitled to release since he is held under other valid judgments of conviction. The order to show cause is therefore discharged and the petition for writ of habeas corpus is denied.
Traynor, C. J., Peters, J., Tobriner, J., Burke, J., and Schauer, J.,[4] concurred.
3 Section 288a fixes no minimum punishment except where the person found guilty has compelled the other’s participation by force, and it further provides that “The order of commitment shall expressly state whether a person convicted hereunder . . . has compelled coparticipation in Ms act by force. ...” The information did not charge petitioner with using force, nor does the order of commitment expressly state whether he compelled eopartieipation by force. Therefore, the 3-year minimum for oral copulation by force is not applicable.
* Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court sitting under assignment by the Chairman of the Judicial Council.
Cases cited
- In re Shipp 62 Cal.2d 547 at 552 p. 688
- In re Mitchell 56 Cal.2d 667 at 671 p. 688
- In re Dixon 41 Cal.2d 756 at 759 p. 688
- Neal v. State 55 Cal.2d 11 at 19 p. 688
- People v. McFarland 58 Cal.2d 748 at 760 p. 688
- In re Johnson 65 Cal.2d 393 at 395 p. 688
- In re Henry 65 Cal.2d 330 at 331 p. 688
- In re Romano 64 Cal.2d 826 at 828 p. 688
- In re Ward 64 Cal.2d 672 at 676 p. 688
- People v. Failla 64 Cal.2d 560 at 570 p. 688
- In re Cruz 64 Cal.2d 178 at 180 p. 688
- In re Wright 65 Cal.2d 650 at 656 p. 688
- People v. Gay 230 Cal.App.2d 102 at 105 p. 689
- People v. Hicks 63 Cal.2d 764 p. 689