P. v. Steele
Appellant was a suspect, along with five others, in the fatal beating of a man who happened to ride by on his bicycle one night. The victim, John Emery, was found dead from severe head wounds on a rural dirt driveway near Chowchilla. When appellant was questioned about the homicide, he asked the investigating officer whether a deal could be worked out in exchange for his testimony. The appellant was told that if he was not a participant in the murder, the district attorney might be willing to make such a deal, but it would depend on all the information obtained from the investigation. Appellant then began talking to the officer about the incident, portraying his own role as primarily that of a bystander. However, in the course of the investigation, the other perpetrators told the police that appellant was the one who repeatedly hit Emery in the head with a baseball bat. No immunity was granted to appellant. On the date of trial, when appellants motion to suppress his extrajudicial statements was denied, appellant elected to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Following his guilty plea, the appellant filed this appeal in which he contends the trial court erred by (1) denying his motion to suppress, and (2) failing to strike a prior conviction. Court affirm the judgment.
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