People v. Banks

Filed 8/14/14

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, )

)

Plaintiff and Respondent, )

) S080477

v. )

)

KELVYN RONDELL BANKS, )

) Los Angeles County

Defendant and Appellant. ) Super. Ct. No. BA109260

____________________________________)

Defendant Kelvyn Rondell Banks was convicted by a jury in 1998 of two

counts of first degree murder (Pen. Code, § 187; all further statutory references are

to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated), one count of attempted murder

(§§ 187, subd. (a), 664), one count of forcible rape (§ 261, subd. (a)(2)), one count

of forcible oral copulation (§ 288a, subd. (c)), one count of first degree residential

robbery (§ 211), one count of first degree residential burglary (§ 459), and one

count of attempted second degree robbery (§ 211). The jury also found true the

special circumstances allegations of multiple murder, robbery murder, and

burglary murder (§§ 190.2, subd. (a)(3), (l7)(A) & (G)); the allegations that

defendant personally used a firearm in the commission of each offense (former

§ 12022.5, subd. (a)); and the allegation that the attempted murder was committed

willfully, deliberately and with premeditation (§ 664, subd. (a)). Defendant was

acquitted of a third murder count related to the killing of Michael Haney in a

separate incident.

1

The first penalty phase trial ended in a mistrial. After a penalty phase

retrial, a jury returned a verdict of death in 1999. The trial court denied the

automatic motion to modify the penalty (§ 190.4, subd. (e)), sentenced defendant

on the noncapital counts and enhancements, and imposed a sentence of death.

This appeal is automatic. (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 11, subd. (a); § 1239,

subd. (b).) As explained below, the conviction on count 2 of willful, deliberate,

and premeditated attempted murder must be reduced to attempted murder. In all

other respects, we affirm the judgment.

I. FACTS

A. Guilt Phase

1. Prosecution Evidence

a) Crimes against Charles Coleman and Latasha W.

(1) Latasha W.

Latasha W. testified that during the early morning hours of July 1, 1996,

defendant raped her, shot her, and murdered Charles Coleman.

At 2:00 a.m., her friend Charles Coleman, a parapalegic confined to a

wheelchair but able to drive, was driving her in his car to his house on Halldale

Avenue in Los Angeles. Latasha W., who was 17 years old at the time, began

taking shopping bags from the car to the house. As she was returning to the car,

Latasha W. saw defendant and another man approach Coleman‘s car from an alley

around the corner of the street. Coleman appeared to know defendant and the

other man. At Coleman‘s request, defendant pulled Coleman and his wheelchair

up the three or four steps that led to the house.

Once inside the house, defendant stood directly behind Coleman and

pointed a gun at the back of his head. Defendant pulled the gun trigger twice, but

the weapon did not discharge. Defendant pulled the trigger a third time, firing a

2

single bullet into the back of Coleman‘s head. The impact caused Coleman to fall

to the floor from his wheelchair.

Defendant grabbed Latasha W.‘s arm and forced her into Coleman‘s

bedroom where he demanded the location of Coleman‘s money and drugs.

Latasha W. responded that she did not know where Coleman stored his drugs, but

that he kept his money in a hole inside his mattress. Defendant instructed Latasha

W. to kneel in the corner of the bedroom; he then threw the mattress on top of her.

From underneath the mattress, Latasha W. could hear the two men rummaging

through the bedroom.

Defendant eventually removed the mattress. He then led Latasha W. by the

arm to the laundry room, where he unbuckled his pants while holding his gun in

his right hand. Defendant then ordered Latasha W. to get on her knees and, after

placing the gun on top of the washing machine, forced her to orally copulate him.

He then ripped her shorts, forced her onto her hands and knees, and raped her.

After ordering Latasha W. to lie down on her back, defendant raped her a second

time.

Defendant then took Latasha W. into the kitchen, where the second man

was standing with a third man. Defendant kept Latasha W. in the kitchen while

the other two men rummaged through the house. Defendant and his accomplices

referred to one another as ―Blood,‖ a term Latasha W. believed had gang

significance. Although Latasha W. did not know if Coleman was a gang member

at the time of his death, she was aware that he used to be affiliated with the Black

Stone gang, a Bloods gang affiliate.

Latasha W. was led into the living room and forced to lie facedown on the

floor. Using a telephone cord, the second man tied Latasha W.‘s hands and legs.

The men then searched the house for five to seven minutes until Latasha W. heard

one of the men say they had found what they were looking for. The two

3

accomplices exited the house, but defendant remained inside. Defendant shot

Coleman again, striking him in the head. From a distance of approximately six

feet, defendant shot at Latasha W. The bullet struck her ear as she lay facedown

on the floor in the living room. Latasha W. remained motionless until she heard

the three men drive away in Coleman‘s car. After waiting several minutes,

Latasha W. ran outside the house to seek help.

At trial, Latasha W. identified defendant as the person who shot Coleman

and sexually assaulted and shot her.

(2) Los Angeles Police Officer Martin Martinez

Los Angeles Police Officer Martin Martinez testified that around 3:00 a.m.

on the morning of July 1, 1996, Latasha W. flagged him down in his patrol car on

Slauson Avenue. Latasha W. told Officer Martinez that her friend had just been

shot and that she had been raped and shot. She described the shooter as an

African-American male who was approximately 27 years old, five feet nine inches

tall, 180 pounds, and bald. She reported that the shooter was wearing a black

jacket, a white T-shirt, and black or dark-colored shoes. The gun he was carrying

was made of stainless steel.

(3) Madeline Marini

Madeline Marini testified that on July 1, 1996, she performed a sexual

assault examination on Latasha W. at California Hospital. Marini collected oral,

vaginal, and rectal swab specimens from Latasha W. and drew a blood sample.

Latasha W. had physical injuries that were indicative of sexual assault, including

redness, abrasions, and small broken vessels in the vagina. Latasha W. described

the rape suspect as five feet nine inches tall, 170 pounds, bald, and wearing black

clothes.

4

(4) Los Angeles Police Detective Sal LaBarbera

Los Angeles Police Detective Sal LaBarbera testified that on July 1, 1996,

at about 3:30 a.m., he was notified of a homicide at 5835 South Halldale Avenue.

LaBarbera responded to the crime scene with his partner, Officer Christopher

Barling.

LaBarbera further testified that on August 7, 1996, he presented Latasha W.

with a six-pack photographic array. As he was removing the six-pack from his

binder and before he could place the photo array on the table, Latasha W. ―blurted

out that she already sees him, the person that she identified.‖ Latasha W. then

selected defendant‘s photograph and identified him as her and Coleman‘s

assailant.

(5) Deputy Medical Examiner Pedro Ortiz

Deputy Medical Examiner Pedro Ortiz testified that he conducted an

autopsy on Coleman‘s body on July 3, 1996. Coleman had been shot twice. One

bullet entered the back of his head, passed through the back of his skull, and exited

through the center of his head. Soot deposits and evidence of gunpowder on the

entrance wound suggested that this wound was made at close range. A second

bullet entered the left side of his head above the left earlobe and exited through the

right temple. This second wound was sustained from a distance of more than two

feet.

(6) Criminalist Michael Mastrocovo

Michael Mastrocovo, a criminalist employed by the Los Angeles Police

Department, testified that he was responsible for analyzing sexual assault evidence

for criminal court cases. He testified that he analyzed the items in Latasha W.‘s

rape kit and found sperm on all three vaginal slides, the vaginal aspirate, and the

rectal swab and slide. Sperm was also detected in a stain on the crotch area of

Latasha W.‘s underwear. On April 30, 1997, Mastrocovo sent the vaginal swab

5

samples from Latasha W.‘s rape kit, along with blood samples drawn from

Latasha W. and defendant, to Cellmark Diagnostics (Cellmark) for DNA analysis.

(7) Dr. Robin Cotton

Dr. Robin Cotton, the director of Cellmark, testified that Cellmark

conducted a DNA analysis of the vaginal swabs and blood samples submitted by

Mastrocovo. The DNA from the sperm fraction of the swabs was compared to the

DNA from defendant‘s blood sample; the DNA matched at all nine loci tested,

meaning that defendant could not be excluded as the donor of the sperm sample.

Latasha W. could not be excluded as a match with the DNA in the nonsperm

fraction, which is consistent with the swab having been taken from her. Dr.

Cotton testified that the combination of allele types common in the sperm sample

and defendant‘s blood sample would occur in about one in 17 million people in the

African-American population.

(8) Stipulation

The parties stipulated that a tattoo on defendant‘s left arm reads ―HPB,‖

which stands for Harvard Park Bloods or Harvard Park Brims. The Harvard Park

Brims are a Bloods gang affiliate operating in an area of Los Angeles roughly

bounded by Slauson Avenue, Vermont Avenue, Gage Avenue, and Western

Avenue. The word ―Blood‖ is a term commonly used between members of

Bloods gangs.

b) Crimes Against Charles Foster

(1) Sandra Johnson and Yvonne McGill

Sandra Johnson and Yvonne McGill testified that on July 26, 1996, around

12:30 a.m., Johnson drove McGill and Charles Foster to the Home Savings Bank

located on Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles. Johnson and McGill waited in the

car while Foster went to the automated teller machine (ATM). McGill was

6

watching Foster, who was fumbling around with some items, possibly looking for

his ATM card.

From her side view mirror, Johnson saw a hooded man wearing a red

bandana over his face approach the passenger side of the car. Because the man‘s

eyes were not concealed, Johnson could tell he was African-American and had

brown eyes. McGill turned to look out the passenger side window and saw the

man standing with a handgun pointed directly at her. She looked into his eyes and

started screaming. Johnson started her car and drove away while the masked man

looked at Foster standing about 12 feet away by the ATM. After driving a short

distance, they heard two gunshots.

Johnson and McGill stopped a nearby police vehicle and reported that

someone had shot their friend at the ATM. The police car responded to the bank

followed by Johnson and McGill. When they arrived, Foster was dead, lying face-

down in front of the ATM.

On August 27, 1996, McGill was shown a photographic six-pack and

selected a photograph of defendant as having ―eyes [that] look like the guy with

the gun.‖ McGill testified at trial that defendant appeared to be the person whose

eyes matched those of the man who killed Foster.

(2) Detective Frank Weber

Detective Frank Weber testified that he responded to a crime scene at the

Home Savings Bank on July 26, 1996 with his partner, Detective Paul Wright.

Detective Weber recovered two firearm casings within five to 10 feet of Foster‘s

body. A Sizzler discount card was in the receipt slot of the ATM, which had

sustained damage from a bullet strike. Two expended bullets were recovered: one

inside the ATM and the other in an alley west of Vermont Avenue. An empty

deposit envelope was clenched in Foster‘s right hand beneath his body.

7

Detective Weber further testified that on July 29, 1996, he took statements

from both Johnson and McGill. Johnson described the person who approached her

car as an African-American male approximately five feet eight inches tall. He was

wearing a red hoodie with a red scarf. McGill stated that the gunman had a red

sweater wrapped around his head and was wearing a large black jacket. He was

African-American and approximately five feet nine inches tall.

(3) Dr. Eugene Carpenter, Jr.

Dr. Eugene Carpenter, Jr., a medical examiner working for the Department

of Coroner of Los Angeles County, testified that he performed an autopsy on

Foster‘s body. Dr. Carpenter concluded that Foster had sustained two fatal

gunshot wounds. The first bullet entered his right hand and exited the base of his

right thumb; it then created a second entrance wound at his throat and exited near

his neck on his left shoulder. The second bullet struck the back of Foster‘s head

and exited through his forehead.

(4) Patricia Manzanares

Patricia Manzanares testified that she lived in a ground floor apartment

adjacent to the Home Savings Bank parking lot. On the night of the Foster

shooting, Manzanares saw two men pass by her window. One man stayed in front

of the window in an alley while the other man, whom Manzanares later identified

as defendant, walked toward the bank. Defendant was wearing a mask.

Defendant approached Foster, who was using the ATM, and shot him. Defendant

then returned to the alley near Manzanares‘s apartment window and removed his

mask. Manzanares was able to see his face. Defendant laughingly told the other

man who had stayed by the window, ―Oh shit‖ and ―Goddamn.‖ The men left the

area in a large green Cadillac with a white top.

8

Manzanares called the police. She described the shooter as an African-

American male, 25 to 26 years old, about five feet six or seven inches tall, and

about 190 pounds. He had a short ―Afro‖ haircut, a chubby face, and some

whiskers around his upper lip and chin. He was wearing a black-and-white

checkered shirt, a heavy black jacket, black baggy jeans, and a red mask that

extended below his collar.

On August 7, 1996, Manzanares was shown a single photographic six-pack

and selected defendant‘s photograph as depicting the man who shot Foster. She

identified defendant‘s photograph from the same six-pack again on August 21,

1996, and again before the grand jury on August 27, 1996. On February 18, 1997,

Manzanares identified defendant as the gunman in a live lineup. Manzanares

testified at trial that defendant was the person she saw shoot Foster.

(5) Los Angeles Police Officer Marcelo Raffi

Los Angeles Police Officer Marcelo Raffi testified that on July 31, 1996,

around 12:30 a.m., he and his partner were patrolling the area of Harvard Park

near Vermont Avenue in a marked patrol car. Defendant was among a group of

people walking southbound on Vermont Avenue. Defendant began running when

he saw the police and was detained after a brief pursuit. Before he was stopped,

Officer Raffi saw defendant drop an object on a pile of wood. Officer Raffi

recovered a loaded bluesteel nine-millimeter semiautomatic handgun from the

place defendant had dropped the object.

Officer Raffi arrested defendant. The report of defendant‘s arrest indicated

that defendant was five feet 10 inches tall and weighed 225 pounds. His booking

photograph depicted him wearing a black or blue denim jacket that fell somewhere

between his thighs and knees.

9

(6) Detectives Paul Wright and Frank Weber

Detectives Paul Wright and Frank Weber testified that on August 21, 1996,

they executed a search warrant at defendant‘s residence at 1446 West 58th Place

in Los Angeles, located about 50 yards from Coleman‘s house and about one-half

mile from the bank where Foster was murdered. They recovered an extra-large

black jacket on the floor inside a bedroom closet. Officer Raffi identified the

jacket as the same one defendant had been wearing on July 31, 1996, and

Manzanares identified the jacket as the one worn by the man who shot Charles

Foster. The police also recovered four red T-shirts and a pair of black jeans, two

ammunition boxes containing live nine-millimeter bullets, and an empty

ammunition box.

(7) Stipulations

The parties entered several stipulations regarding the ballistics evidence.

The nine-millimeter handgun Officer Raffi recovered was operable. The handgun

fired both of the Speer cartridge casings and both of the bullets recovered from the

Foster and Haney crime scenes. The handgun contained nine-millimeter rounds

manufactured by CCI, Norenco, Federal, and Speer. The Speer cartridge casing in

the handgun and the Speer cartridge casings from the Foster crime scene bore the

same head stamp and shared the same caliber, brand, type, and material

composition. One box of ammunition recovered from defendant‘s residence was

for Speer nine-millimeter ammunition; the Speer materials from the handgun and

the Foster crime scene were commonly packaged in that type of box. The empty

ammunition box recovered from defendant‘s residence was for CCI ammunition,

and the CCI cartridges found in the handgun were of the type commonly packaged

in that type of box.

10

2. Defense Evidence

Defendant did not testify on his own behalf. However, he presented

testimony from Los Angeles Police Officer Donna Shoates and Detective Sal

LaBarbera.

Officer Shoates and her partner transported Latasha W. to California

Hospital for the sexual assault examination on July 1, 1996. Officer Shoates

testified that Latasha W. described the man who had attacked her as an African-

American male who was bald, five feet nine inches tall, and about 175 pounds; he

was wearing a large black jacket, a white T-shirt, and black pants. Latasha W.

told Officer Shoates that the man who attacked her did not ejaculate and that

Coleman was a gang member and known drug dealer.

Detective LaBarbera testified that on July 12, 1996, he showed Latasha W.

a binder with over 100 photographs of Six Deuce Brims and Harvard Park Bloods

gang members. Defendant‘s photograph was not included in that binder. Latasha

W. identified the photograph in position number 11, stating that the person

depicted in that photograph ―looked like‖ the person who attacked and shot her.

On a copy of the page, Latasha W. circled the photograph in position number 11,

initialed and dated it, and wrote ―looks like him.‖ The man Latasha W. identified

was in custody at the time of the incident.

Detective LaBarbera acknowledged that his report indicated defendant

weighed 210 pounds, whereas Officer Raffi‘s report indicated defendant weighed

225 pounds. On cross-examination, Detective LaBarbera testified that despite

writing in his report that the gunman was ―clean shaven, possible stubble,‖

Latasha W. actually described the gunman who raped her as having a mustache

and a small goatee.

The defense also cross-examined various witnesses called by the

prosecution, including Dr. Robin Cotton, Yvonne McGill, and Patricia

11

Manzanares. Dr. Cotton testified on cross-examination that the Cellmark database

used to compute the probability of a specific set of genes occurring in a member of

the African-American population contained a sample of 100 African-Americans

living across the United States; that the database did not account for inter-racial or

mixed race ethnic groups; that the database included only samples from

Caucasians, African-Americans, and Hispanics (not Asians or Native Americans);

and that the true frequency of the combination of genes occurring in a given

population could be 10 times greater or 10 times less than the estimated frequency.

Dr. Cotton further testified that the Cellmark analysts who performed the DNA

testing prepared two reports, one on June 2,1997, and one on June 30, 1997. In

preparing the first report, Cellmark tested five loci and found that the DNA from

the sperm sample and the DNA from defendant‘s blood sample was identical at

each locus tested. The probability that a member of the African-American

population would have the same combination of alleles found in both the sperm

sample and blood sample at each of the five loci would be one in 8,000. In

preparing the second report, Cellmark tested an additional four loci and again

found a perfect match between the sperm sample and defendant‘s blood sample.

The probability that a member of the African-American population would have the

same combination of alleles found at each of the nine loci tested would be one in

17 million.

Yvonne McGill acknowledged on cross-examination that ―most of

[defendant‘s] face was covered‖ when she saw him; that she had stated during her

grand jury testimony that she had only gotten a ―glimpse‖ of the gunman; and that

she had told Officer Weber that the gunman had a dark complexion, whereas she

would describe defendant as ―[l]ight skinned.‖

Patricia Manzanares acknowledged on cross-examination that the jacket

worn by the gunman is common among African-American men in her

12

neighborhood. She also acknowledged that she had previously described the

gunman as five feet seven inches tall and wearing a black-and-white checkered

shirt and a heavy black-and-white jacket.

B. First Penalty Phase

During the first penalty phase trial, the prosecution presented the testimony

of Eddie Candelaria, Armando Quintana, Lashan Thomas, Sandra Hess, Thomas

Butler, Richard Bee, Joseph Elloie, Henry Nandino, Bridget R., Sandra Vinning,

Chandra Vinning, and Roberto Perovich. The defense presented the testimony of

Linda Allen, Barbara Sparks Mitchell, Brian Keith Mitchell, Carole Sparks, Louis

Weisberg, Ira Mansoori, Michael E. Gold, and Nancy Kaser-Boyd.

After a period of deliberation, the court concluded that the jury was unable

to reach a unanimous verdict and declared a mistrial. The jury‘s vote at the time

of the declaration of a mistrial was 11 to one in favor of a death sentence.

C. Penalty Phase Retrial

1. Prosecution Evidence

a) Prior Violent Criminal Activity

(1) Lashan Thomas and Luz Hernandez

Lashan Thomas testified that on January 23, 1988, at 8:00 p.m., she and

defendant were walking down the street behind Luz Hernandez. Defendant,

holding a pipe in his hand, said, ― ‗Watch me rob her.‘ ‖ Defendant approached

Hernandez and demanded her money and her purse. When Hernandez refused,

defendant struck her across the back of the head with the pipe. She fell to the

ground, and defendant took about $20 from her. Thomas and defendant fled but

were later apprehended.

Hernandez and her husband were unavailable at the time of the penalty

phase trial, but their testimony from the juvenile proceeding held on February 24,

13

1988 was read to the jury. Hernandez testified that the blow to her head resulted

in a hematoma that was swollen for five days. She was three months pregnant

when she was struck and miscarried about five days later. Hernandez‘s husband

testified that he saw defendant and Thomas running from Hernandez after she

screamed.

(2) Sandra Hess

Defendant was a student in Sandra Hess‘s literacy class at the Barry J.

Niedorf Juvenile Hall. Hess testified that on March 31, 1988, defendant

approached her desk without permission and challenged her refusal to give him a

―good gram,‖ an acknowledgment of a student‘s good behavior. While Hess was

in the process of removing defendant from the classroom for refusing to return to

his seat, defendant put Hess in a ―choke hold,‖ rendering her unable to breathe or

talk. As defendant moved Hess across the room in the choke hold, he yelled at

another student, ― ‗Come on. You said you‘d help me. We‘ll get her.‘ ‖ When

the other student instead reached for the emergency telephone, defendant stated,

― ‗Don‘t pick up the phone. Don‘t do that.‘ ‖ As soon as the other student picked

up the phone, defendant sat on the chair beside Hess‘s desk and smiled. As a

result of the assault, Hess sustained a bruised larynx; her throat was sore for six

weeks, and she had to speak in a whisper for a week.

(3) Richard Bee

On August 5, 1989, defendant was in the custody of the California Youth

Authority (CYA) at Humboldt Hall. Sergeant Richard Bee testified defendant

refused to be quiet and go to sleep, so he informed defendant he would be placed

in a detention room until the morning. Defendant became argumentative and

aggressive. Bee then sprayed defendant with Mace, and as he did so, defendant

14

swung and struck Bee in the chin and chest. Bee sustained a sore jaw and a

bruised chest.

(4) Bridget R.

Bridget R. testified that she dated defendant for about three months, during

which time they lived together with Bridget R.‘s sister and three-year-old

daughter. On February 21, 1994, defendant accused Bridget R. of cheating on him

and became very violent. He struck Bridget R.‘s face with his fists multiple times;

forced Bridget R. to orally copulate him; hit her on the top of her head with hair

clippers, causing her to bleed from her forehead; choked her to the point of

unconsciousness three times; and raped her in front of her daughter. At the time of

the attack, defendant was aware that Bridget R. was pregnant with his child or

possibly his twins. The attack caused a miscarriage.

Defendant eventually tied Bridget R. up with a telephone cord. He then left

the house to buy a new telephone cord and took Bridget R.‘s daughter with him,

telling Bridget R.: ― ‗I‘m taking your little girl in case you get loose.‘ ‖ Bridget

R. freed herself, ran upstairs to a neighbor‘s residence, and asked the neighbor to

call the police. When defendant returned, Bridget R. pretended that she had just

gotten loose.

When the police arrived, Bridget R. told the police what had happened.

Defendant subsequently called Bridget R. from jail and apologized for causing the

miscarriage. However, he also threatened to kill Bridget R.‘s family members if

she testified against him.

(5) Deputy Roberto Perovich

Los Angeles County Sherriff‘s Deputy Roberto Perovich testified that on

December 10, 1996, around 11:00 p.m., he was patrolling the disciplinary cells at

East Facility when he heard screaming from one of the cells. Upon responding to

15

the cell with another deputy, Deputy Perovich observed that inmate Sevedo

Sanchez was screaming and had redness and swelling on the left side of his face.

Defendant was the only other occupant of the cell. Deputy Perovich observed a

Bible in the cell toilet.

(6) Deputy Arthur Penate

Los Angeles County Sheriff‘s Deputy Arthur Penate testified that on

January 31, 1999, he was conducting a security check of the seventh floor of the

Twin Towers jail facility. The seventh floor housed two types of prisoners in

single cells: mentally ill inmates and extremely violent inmates. Deputy Penate

understood that defendant fell into the latter category. Deputy Penate opened a

small slot in the cell door to give defendant his food. As he received the tray,

defendant bent down and threw a carton containing feces and urine at Deputy

Penate. Defendant aimed at Deputy Penate‘s face but struck him in the torso. In

the days following the incident, defendant laughingly told Deputy Penate, ― ‗See.

See. I told you I was going to get you.‘ ‖ Defendant also wrote, ―Penate is a

bitch‖ and ―Fuck off‖ on the interior walls of his cell, along with various gang-

related comments.

Deputy Penate further testified that a few days before the incident,

defendant accused Deputy Penate of ―disrespecting‖ him when Deputy Penate told

another inmate that defendant was a troublemaker. On a separate occasion about

two weeks before the incident, defendant complained that his food was late.

When Deputy Penate told him to be patient, he replied: ― ‗No. No. No. No. No.

Let me tell you who I am and how it is. [¶] Let me tell you who I am and what I

am capable of doing. [¶] . . . [¶] You know who I am? [¶] You better ask your

deputy friends and ask who I am.‘ ‖

16

Finally, Deputy Penate testified that defendant ―continuously manipulates

and tries to control other deputies‖ and that defendant would often condition his

compliance with orders from prison staff on receiving special items such as extra

clothing or blankets.

b) Circumstances of the Crimes

(1) Crimes against Coleman and Latasha W.

The prosecution presented substantially the same evidence in the penalty

retrial that was presented at the guilt phase of the trial, including the testimony of

Detective Sal LaBarbera, Latasha W., and Dr. Pedro Ortiz. The parties stipulated

to the substance of the DNA evidence testimony provided by Madeline Marini,

Michael Mastrocovo, and Dr. Robin Cotton.

(2) Gang Expert Testimony

Los Angeles Police Detective Christopher Barling testified as an expert on

the Harvard Park Brims gang, also known as the Six Deuce Brims gang. The

Harvard Park Brims gang was an African-American Bloods gang affiliate that was

associated with the color red. It was not uncommon for members of the Harvard

Park Brims gang to refer to themselves as ―Blood.‖ The Coleman and Foster

crime scenes were within the territory of the Harvard Park Brims gang. Defendant

had the letters H.P.B., short for Harvard Park Brims, tattooed on his left arm.

(3) Crimes against Foster

The prosecution presented substantially the same evidence in the penalty

retrial that was presented at the guilt phase, including the testimony of Detective

Frank Weber, Yvonne McGill, Patricia Manzanares, and Officer Marcelo Raffi.

The parties also stipulated to the following facts: (1) the gun recovered by

Officer Raffi was the murder weapon in the Foster shooting; (2) the recovered gun

contained six live rounds, including two CCI brand rounds and one Speer brand

17

round; (3) the Speer round in the recovered gun and the Speer cartridge casings

recovered from the Foster crime scene were the same types of rounds that were

found in the ammunition box recovered from defendant‘s residence; (4) police

executed a search warrant at defendant‘s residence and recovered four red T-shirts,

an empty nine-millimeter luger ammunition box, and a jacket; (5) Dr. Steve

Scholtz performed an autopsy on Foster and determined the cause of death was

gunshot wounds to the head; and (6) a blood screening revealed cocaine

metabolite in Foster‘s system.

c) Victim Impact Testimony — Chandra Vinning

Coleman was survived by his elder sister Chandra Vinning (Chandra), his

mother Sandra Vinning (Sandra), and his daughter. Because Sandra suffered from

a medical disability that made it difficult for her to write, Chandra wrote a letter

that summarized Sandra‘s feelings about losing her son. Chandra testified that

Coleman had been a great help to Sandra, ensuring that she went to her numerous

doctor‘s appointments by driving her or giving her cab fare. Sandra‘s health had

deteriorated since Coleman‘s death.

Chandra further testified that Coleman‘s daughter was ―the joy of his life.‖

She identified a photograph depicting Coleman with his daughter, who was then

four years old. On the night of his murder, Coleman had taken his daughter to an

amusement park.

2. Defense Case

a) Defendant’s Mental Health

(1) Dr. Louis W. Weisberg

Dr. Louis W. Weisberg, a board-certified psychiatrist, testified that he

evaluated defendant at the CYA in 1988. Although Dr. Weisberg had no

independent recollection of the evaluation, he had written a report about it. The

18

report indicated that defendant had made the following statements with respect to

his attack on Sandra Hess: (1) ―he felt very frightened of what he had done

because Hess was older‖; (2) ―he was afraid that he might really hurt someone‖;

and (3) ―[h]e feels frightened about his behavior.‖ The report also indicated that

defendant‘s mother had a history of alcohol and drug abuse.

Dr. Weisberg diagnosed defendant with severe conduct disorder

―[u]ndifferentiated‖ type. Conduct disorder is characterized by disruptive

conduct, a disregard for law and authority, and an avoidance of consequences.

Conduct Disorder also refers to a pattern of antisocial behavior in persons under

the age of 18. In adults, antisocial personality disorder is characterized by an

unstable employment history, frequent arrests due to unlawful behavior,

aggressiveness, impulsiveness, a tendency to lie, and an absence of remorse. Dr.

Weisberg also diagnosed defendant with intermittent explosive disorder, a disorder

characterized by outbursts of violent or aggressive behavior. He noted that

defendant had reported a history of blackouts associated with violence.

In his report, Dr. Weisberg recommended that defendant be evaluated to

rule out organic brain disorder and a seizure disorder. Defendant required ―an

intensive treatment program.‖

(2) Dr. Michael Gold

Dr. Michael Gold, a medical doctor practicing as a neurologist, testified

that he performed a neurologic examination on defendant for purposes of the

penalty phase trial. The examination included an interview with defendant and a

general physical examination. It also included the following diagnostic tests to

evaluate defendant‘s brain characteristics and function: (1) a brain wave or

electroencephalogram (EEG) test; (2) a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain

scan; and (3) a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan, a

19

nuclear imaging test that employs glucose injected with radioactive material to

measure brain activity.

The physical examination revealed that defendant‘s general physical health

was normal. The neurologic test, however, suggested that defendant perceived

less sensation on the left side of his body. The left side of defendant‘s body also

demonstrated different reflexes than the right side. The results of these tests

indicated to Dr. Gold that something was affecting the right side of defendant‘s

brain.

Defendant‘s EEG test and MRI scans were normal. The SPECT scan,

however, revealed an abnormality: a decrease in the utilization of the

radioactively laced glucose in the temporal lobes.

Based on the ―complimentary [sic]‖ results of defendant‘s physical exam

and the SPECT scan, Dr. Gold diagnosed defendant with malfunction or abnormal

function of both of his temporal lobes. The left temporal lobe is responsible for

understanding, reading, speaking, and writing language, and the right temporal

lobe is responsible for behavior, impulse control, and emotions.

(3) Dr. Carl Osborne

Dr. Carl Osborne, a forensic psychologist, testified that he was engaged by

the defense in 1998 to interview and diagnose defendant. Dr. Osborne spent about

18 hours with defendant over eight visits. He reviewed extensive records

pertaining to defendant, including previous psychological and psychiatric reports,

records from the Department of Social Services and Child Protective Services,

interviews with defendant‘s family members, and some of defendant‘s own

writings. Dr. Osborne also performed three psychological tests on defendant:

(1) the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Third Edition, an IQ test comprised of

14 separate subtests measuring different areas of functioning; (2) the Validity

20

Indicator Profile, a test designed to measure whether the test taker is malingering;

and (3) the Wechsler Memory Scale, a test used to assess the test taker‘s memory.

Defendant was cooperative during the interviews and testing. Defendant

scored a 94 on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, indicating normal

intelligence. However, Dr. Osborne found that defendant seemed to have

significant difficulty with three tasks that comprise ―working memory,‖ which is

the ability to store information in one‘s brain and manipulate that information on a

short-term basis. Defendant appeared eager to do the best he could on the Validity

Indicator Profile test, but the results of that test suggested that defendant was not

paying close attention to what he was doing.

Dr. Osborne concluded that defendant suffered from several severe and

chronic mental illnesses. He diagnosed defendant as suffering from intermittent

explosive disorder. Individuals suffering from this disorder experience periods

during which tensions or emotions build up until they ―explode‖ in the form of

aggressive or violent behavior. An explosive episode is followed by a period of

quiescence, during which the pressure builds anew. Dr. Osborne also opined that

defendant probably suffers from substance dependence.

According to Dr. Osborne, defendant‘s test results were consistent with Dr.

Gold‘s theory of underlying brain damage. In particular, a diagnosis of

intermittent explosive disorder would be consistent with temporal lobe damage

because the temporal lobe affects impulse control and intermittent explosive

disorder is an impulse control disorder. Similarly, a problem with working

memory would be consistent with Dr. Gold‘s diagnosis of temporal lobe damage.

Dr. Osborne opined that defendant‘s behavior throughout his life was

influenced by the following factors: (1) his mother was a drug addict who

neglected him; (2) his early life was very chaotic; (3) his mother took him away

from his aunt‘s home where he was happy; (4) his father was absent from his life

21

and very violent toward his mother; (5) he suffered extreme intrauterine trauma

caused by a car accident that occurred when his mother was pregnant; and (6) he

had deficient working memory, which is consistent with brain damage and an

impaired ability to reason.

Dr. Osborne testified that medications exist that could control defendant‘s

behavior, but that these medications must be taken on a very regular basis over a

long period of time to be effective. On cross-examination, Dr. Osborne stated that

defendant will likely remain as violent as he has ever been but that his violent

behavior might remit as he aged.

(4) Dr. Iraj Mansoori

Dr. Iraj Mansoori, a psychologist with a Ph.D. in clinical psychology,

testified that in 1991 he counseled defendant for approximately 12 to 15 hours

over the course of six months while defendant was a ward at the CYA. Dr.

Mansoori got along well with the defendant.

On May 14, 1991, Dr. Mansoori wrote a parole evaluation report on

defendant. Defendant was found not suitable for parole. In response to being

informed by Dr. Mansoori that he would not be paroled, defendant stated simply,

―That‘s okay.‖ Dr. Mansoori interpreted defendant‘s response as indicating a

preference for the CYA over what defendant was offered at home.

b) Defendant’s Childhood

(1) Mary Goldie

Mary Goldie testified that on January 21, 1977, she was a detective with the

Pasadena Police Department assigned to the juvenile section. On that day, a

woman by the name of Mrs. Berkins came in with defendant, who was three years

old at the time. Berkins was not a relative, and no relative could be located.

Goldie took defendant into protective custody and transported him to a shelter care

22

home arranged through McClaron Hall, a facility for abused and neglected

children.

(2) Juanita Terry

Juanita Terry testified that in 1978 she was working as a protective services

employee in the ―Metro Office‖ of the Los Angeles County Department of Public

Social Services. Terry was assigned to defendant‘s case on March 31, 1978. By

that time, defendant had been placed with his aunt, Barbara Mitchell. He had been

removed from his mother‘s care because she was mentally unstable, had been

beating him, and had not provided him consistent care and supervision.

Terry‘s notes indicated that on several occasions, defendant‘s mother had

attempted to remove him from nursery school or had interfered with his care in

Mitchell‘s home. In October 1978, defendant‘s mother regained custody of

defendant against Terry‘s recommendation.

(3) Ms. Emery

The parties stipulated to the testimony that would have been provided by a

certain Ms. Emery, who was defendant‘s and his mother‘s neighbor in 1978.

Emery would have testified that during January and February of 1978, she

witnessed defendant‘s mother speaking to people who were not there and

―scream[ing] and yell[ing] and act[ing] strange.‖ Emery also witnessed

defendant‘s mother striking him. As a result of these observations, Emery called

the Department of Public Social Services.

c) Defendant’s Family

(1) Linda Allen

Linda Allen is defendant‘s maternal aunt; defendant‘s mother, Carole

Sparks, is her older sister. Allen testified that Sparks was a heavy drug user and

stripper. Sparks discovered she was three months pregnant with defendant after

23

she was hit by an automobile while exiting a nightclub. She sustained serious

injuries and was in a full body cast for a ―long time.‖ Allen took care of Sparks

while she was injured, and Sparks told her that she did not want to keep the baby.

While pregnant, Sparks took prescribed medication and illegal drugs. She gave

birth to defendant while her pelvis and legs were still in casts.

Allen testified that defendant‘s father, Melvyn Banks (Melvyn), was very

abusive. Melvyn burned Sparks with cigarettes and beat her with golf clubs.

Allen recalled one time when she went in an ambulance with Sparks after finding

Sparks on the floor of her apartment with burns to her chest. Allen could not

remember whether this incident occurred before or after defendant was born

because there were so many similar incidents. Melvyn died two or three years

before defendant‘s trial.

Sparks attempted suicide many times. Once she drank Drano. Allen could

not recall if that incident occurred before or after defendant‘s birth.

After she got married in 1975, Allen did not see defendant for a long period

of time. Allen renewed contact with defendant in 1978 when he was three or four

years old and living with Allen‘s and Sparks‘s sister, Barbara Mitchell. When

defendant was returned to his mother‘s custody, Allen again lost contact with him.

Sparks prohibited Allen from having contact with defendant and, at one point,

attempted to attack Allen and threatened to kill her and burn down her house

because she thought Allen had picked up defendant from a foster home where he

was living. Although defendant was affectionate towards Sparks, Sparks never

reciprocated his affection.

Allen saw defendant at a grocery store when he was six or seven years old.

Defendant was trying to make money for his mother by taking customers‘ grocery

bags to their cars. Allen prepaid a grocery store to provide defendant food

24

because he complained that he was hungry. She did not give defendant money

directly because he would give it to his mother.

During the period when defendant was not in custody from November 30,

1993 through February 21, 1994, Allen saw defendant frequently at family

gatherings. She was ―setting him up on programs, taking him [to job] interviews,

getting his I.D. and birth certificate‖ in an attempt to help him become a better

person. Defendant was always respectful in Allen‘s presence and never exhibited

any violence towards her or others.

Allen loved defendant and wanted him to live.

(2) Barbara Mitchell

Barbara Mitchell is defendant‘s maternal aunt; Carole Sparks is her

younger sister. Mitchell testified that she took care of Sparks after Sparks was

injured in a car accident. Sparks took prescribed pain medication while she was

pregnant with defendant but, to Mitchell‘s knowledge, did not take any illegal

drugs.

At some point after defendant was born, Sparks and defendant went to live

with defendant‘s father Melvyn. Melvyn beat Sparks, choked her, pushed her

down stairs, slammed car doors on her, and pulled her hair. Mitchell sporadically

cared for defendant during this time.

When defendant was two years old, Sparks dropped him off at the daycare

attended by Mitchell‘s children with a note pinned to his jacket stating, ―Take him.

I don‘t want him.‖ Mitchell took defendant and obtained legal custody of him.

Defendant lived with Mitchell for about three years, during which time Mitchell

cared for defendant as her own. Defendant was an affectionate child. Mitchell

believed that defendant loved Sparks, but that he was afraid of Sparks at the same

25

time. Sparks would tell defendant: ― ‗You‘re a man child. [¶] You have to fend

for yourself.‘ ‖

Mitchell testified that Sparks was a drug addict who had used PCP,

marijuana, and cocaine. She swallowed Drano one time. Mitchell believed

Sparks was crazy.

Sparks eventually told Mitchell she wanted to take defendant back because

she was getting child assistance money from the county, and the county had

discovered that defendant was not living with Sparks. After a hearing, a court

returned custody of defendant to Sparks.

Mitchell had no further contact with defendant until he was about nine

years old. At that time, defendant was living in a halfway house because he had

been ―bad.‖ Mitchell visited him there, and defendant cried during her visits.

Defendant was moved from one foster home to another.

Mitchell had never seen defendant act in a violent manner. She loved

defendant and did not want him to die.

(3) Carole Sparks

Carole Sparks, defendant‘s mother, testified. She admitted that she had

refused to speak with defense counsel and the defense investigator when they

contacted her. The two penalty phase trials were the only times she had been

willing to speak with defense counsel.

Sparks testified that the accident in which she was seriously injured

occurred before she knew she was pregnant with defendant. Sparks admitted to

smoking marijuana before the accident but denied ever using heroin, cocaine, or

PCP. However, she was on pain medication during her pregnancy. According to

Sparks, defendant was born in 1972. But the parties stipulated that defendant was

born on April 3, 1973. Sparks denied that Mitchell and Allen took care of her

26

after her accident or that they cared for defendant when he was an infant. She

denied that defendant ever lived with Mitchell. She did not get along with either

Allen or Mitchell, and referred to them as her mother‘s daughters, not her sisters.

Sparks denied having been a stripper. She claimed she had been a beauty

school student, a bartender, and a waitress. Sparks denied drinking Drano but

acknowledged drinking a mixture of peroxide, sugar, water, and a few other

ingredients to clear out her system from suspected PCP in her home‘s ventilation

system. She testified that defendant‘s father lived with her from 1969 through

1971 but denied that defendant‘s father beat her or that she was accompanied by

her sisters to the hospital after any such beatings.

Sparks denied that she dropped defendant off at a daycare center with a

note stating she did not want him. Although defendant was in foster homes and a

group home for some time, whenever he ran away his probation officer released

him to live with her.

Sparks recalled an incident when appellant was nine or 10 years old and he

came home with stolen property (possibly a bicycle); she made him return it.

3. Prosecution Rebuttal Case

At the behest of the prosecution, Dr. Ronald Markman, a forensic

psychiatrist, conducted a personal interview with defendant for about one and one-

half hours in the lockup area of the courthouse on September 2, 1998. Dr.

Markman asked defendant questions about the crimes defendant had committed.

He also reviewed defendant‘s handwritten notes regarding his past.

Dr. Markman testified that defendant denied committing the crimes he was

convicted of in the guilt phase. Dr. Markman declined to label defendant

manipulative but opined that defendant‘s responses appeared to be carefully

thought through and self-serving.

27

Dr. Markman found defendant‘s written notes about his childhood

memories to be unconvincing. Defendant wrote, for example, that at two years old

he was concerned that his mother was being physically abused by his father and

that she would die and leave him. Dr. Markman testified it was highly unlikely

that defendant would remember an event that occurred when he was two years old.

A child typically does not develop the concept of death until he or she is about

eight or nine years old.

Dr. Markman opined that several of defendant‘s violent acts demonstrated

premeditation and therefore were not caused by temporal lobe disorder.

Dr. Markman further testified that he is familiar with EEGs, MRIs, and

SPECT imaging. Defendant‘s normal MRI indicated the absence of physical

abnormalities. Defendant‘s normal EEG test suggested that the electrical function

in his brain was normal. SPECT imaging, upon which Dr. Gold relied for his

diagnosis, shows whether all areas of the brain are getting proper blood perfusion,

but cannot be used to make a diagnosis or predict behavior. Dr. Markman

accepted Dr. Gold‘s interpretation that defendant‘s SPECT scan showed there was

some blood flow impairment in defendant‘s temporal lobes, but he rejected Dr.

Gold's conclusion that defendant had brain damage.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Guilt Phase Issues

1. Jury Selection: Batson/Wheeler Challenge

Defendant, who is black, contends that the trial court erred in overruling his

objection to the prosecutor‘s use of peremptory challenges against three black

prospective jurors. We disagree.

28

a) Factual Background

The prosecutor exercised five of his first 11 peremptory challenges against

black prospective jurors. Defense counsel did not object to the first four of those

challenges. After the prosecution exercised a preemptory challenge against a fifth

black prospective juror, defense counsel made a motion under People v. Wheeler

(1978) 22 Cal.3d 258 (Wheeler). She pointed out that the prosecutor had struck

five black jurors. Defense counsel argued: ―It appeared to me that certain jurors

were very neutral on everything.‖

The trial court noted that it was ―an interesting time to bring the motion‖

because the last prospective juror, Prospective Juror A.I., had been excused for an

obvious reason, i.e., she had said that she was not sure she could be fair because

defendant was so young. Defense counsel replied that youth is a mitigating factor

and added that she ―couldn‘t see the reason for the peremptory on the first woman

who was excused which was Juror [J.R.].‖ Defense counsel then listed the

specific prospective African-American jurors that the prosecutor had excused.

When the trial court inquired if there was ―anything else that [defense counsel]

wish[ed] to add,‖ defense counsel responded: ―Nothing at this time.‖ Shortly

thereafter, defense counsel acknowledged that the challenged prospective jurors

had expressed ―some degrees [sic] of hesitation‖ about their ability to impose the

death penalty, but suggested that other prospective jurors who had not been

challenged had expressed some degree of hesitation as well.

The prosecutor at first declined to comment because no prima facie case of

discrimination had been shown. He took the opportunity, however, to clarify the

record. The prosecutor noted that he had exercised 11 peremptory challenges: six

against women, five against men, five against black jurors, two against white

jurors, three against Hispanic jurors, and one against an Asian-American juror.

The trial court added that defense counsel had peremptorily struck 10 prospective

29

jurors, comprised of two Hispanics, three Asian Americans, three whites, one

black, and one man from the Philippines.

The prosecutor said the current panel included four blacks, two white men,

an Armenian man, two white women, an Asian-American woman, and a man of

uncertain racial background. Defense counsel agreed that there were four blacks

on the jury panel but classified the Armenian man as white and the man of

uncertain race as Hispanic.

The trial court concluded that no prima facie showing had been made. It

noted that defense counsel had exercised 10 peremptory challenges, only one of

which was against a black prospective juror. Defense counsel‘s strikes were

relevant, the trial court reasoned, ―not because there is anything impermissible, but

[because] it artificially skews things.‖ ―[W]hen the defense does not excuse jurors

of a particular sex or race, or what have you, the other side is left in a situation

where mathematically as a matter of probability the chances will rise dramatically

that the prosecution will exercise challenges [against members of the group in

question].‖ ―If you take out the green socks out of the drawer and leave the blue

ones in,‖ the trial court explained, ―any challenge will be made to a blue sock.‖

The trial court further observed that each of the challenged black prospective

jurors ―gave answers in their questionnaire that present[ed] an ample ground in

this case for the prosecution to exercise peremptories.‖ While it was true that all

the prospective jurors had ―passed the cause muster, which is not that difficult to

do,‖ the trial court found that there were ―things in the questionnaire‖ that could

legitimately ―bother‖ the prosecution.

The trial court then informed the prosecutor that he was permitted, but not

required, to indicate his reasons for striking the five black prospective jurors. The

prosecutor responded, ―I think it is creating a problem for me to justify when there

is no prima facie showing. [¶] I would say that the questionnaires speak for

30

themselves in terms of the answers written there. [¶] The number of answers they

provided while they were seated in the box either caused me discomfort or

concern on their ability to impose the death penalty. [¶] That is why I excused all

of these people was for inability to impose the death penalty.‖

Asked if she had anything to add, defense counsel noted that although

blacks comprised about one-third of the entire panel of 150 jurors, the prosecution

had exercised almost half of his peremptory challenges against black jurors. The

trial court reiterated that, under the circumstances, it was difficult to draw any

inference from the number of challenges alone because ―when you don‘t exclude

jurors of a particular race, that means by the nature of math and counting that more

of that group will be excluded from the other side because that is what is left when

the side makes its challenges.‖ The trial court also said: ―Given the answers of

those jurors that you complain of, and many other jurors, not just those, other

jurors that were excused in this case by the prosecution, it is obvious to the court

that the reason the jurors were being excused has to do with answers given in the

questionnaire. [¶] . . . [¶] Each of those jurors expressed problems with the

concept of the death penalty and its imposition and doubts about their ability and

confusion in some cases. [¶] Many I don‘t know answers and things of that

nature. [¶] Many other things that would certainly give pause to a reasonable

opponent in a criminal case.‖

The seated jury consisted of six black and six white jurors.

b) Analysis

― ‗The prosecution‘s use of peremptory challenges to remove prospective

jurors based on group bias, such as race or ethnicity, violates a defendant‘s right to

trial by a jury drawn from a representative cross-section of the community under

article I, section 16 of the California Constitution and his right to equal protection

31

under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.‘ ‖ (People v.

McKinzie (2012) 54 Cal.4th 1302, 1319; see Batson v. Kentucky (1986) 476 U.S.

79, 89 (Batson); Wheeler, supra, 22 Cal.3d at pp. 276–277.) Although defense

counsel invoked only Wheeler, a Wheeler objection preserves a Batson claim.

(People v. Yeoman (2003) 31 Cal.4th 93, 117−118.)

A Batson/Wheeler objection triggers a three-step inquiry. ―First, the

defendant must make out a prima facie case ‗by showing that the totality of the

relevant facts gives rise to an inference of discriminatory purpose.‘ [Citation.]

Second, once the defendant has made out a prima facie case, the ‗burden shifts to

the State to explain adequately the racial exclusion‘ by offering permissible race-

neutral justifications for the strikes. [Citations.] Third, ‗[i]f a race-neutral

explanation is tendered, the trial court must then decide . . . whether the opponent

of the strike has proved purposeful racial discrimination.‘ [Citation.]‖ (Johnson v.

California (2005) 545 U.S. 162, 168, fn. omitted; see People v. Thomas (2011) 51

Cal.4th 449, 473.)

Here, the trial court first found that there was no prima facie case with

respect to any of defendant‘s Batson/Wheeler claims. Nonetheless, after initially

hesitating, the prosecutor accepted the court‘s invitation to explain his strikes and

stated that all three jurors were struck because of what he perceived to be their

reluctance to impose the death penalty. The trial court agreed with the prosecution

that the challenged jurors had demonstrated reluctance about the death penalty.

―We have characterized such a circumstance as a ‗first stage/third stage

Batson hybrid,‘ which renders ‗ ―moot‖ ‘ whether defendant established a prima

facie showing of a discriminatory purpose. [Citations.] ‗Accordingly, we express

no opinion on whether defense counsel established a prima facie case of

discrimination and instead skip to Batson‘s third stage to evaluate the prosecutor‘s

32

reasons for dismissing [the] African-American prospective jurors.‘ ‖ (People v.

Riccardi (2012) 54 Cal.4th 758, 786–787.)

At the third stage of Batson, the ―critical question . . . is the persuasiveness

of the prosecutor‘s justification for his peremptory strike.‖ (Miller-El v. Cockrell

(2003) 537 U.S. 322, 338–339.) Usually, ―the issue comes down to whether the

trial court finds the prosecutor‘s race-neutral explanations to be credible.

Credibility can be measured by, among other factors, the prosecutor‘s demeanor;

by how reasonable, or how improbable, the explanations are; and by whether the

proffered rationale has some basis in accepted trial strategy.‖ (Id. at p. 339.)

― ‗As with the state of mind of a juror, evaluation of the prosecutor‘s state of mind

based on demeanor and credibility lies ―peculiarly within a trial judge‘s

province.‖ ‘ ‖ (Ibid.) Thus, in reviewing a trial court‘s reasoned determination

that a prosecutor‘s reasons for striking a juror are sincere, we typically defer to the

trial court and consider only ―whether substantial evidence supports the trial

court‘s conclusions.‖ (People v. Lenix (2008) 44 Cal.4th 602, 627 (Lenix).)

In this case, defendant challenges the trial court‘s ruling with respect to

three of the five black jurors struck by the prosecutor: J.R., R.W., and A.I.

Defendant first argues that the trial court erred in considering the fact that

defendant‘s decision to strike only one black juror rendered it statistically more

probable that the prosecutor would strike black jurors at a higher rate than the rate

at which such jurors were represented in the venire. We disagree. In deciding

whether substantial evidence supports a trial court‘s determination that a

peremptory challenge was not motivated by race, we must consider the ―entire

record‖ before the court. (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 621.) In this case, as the

trial court explained, the manner in which defense counsel exercised her

peremptory challenges provided relevant context. Because black jurors comprised

roughly a third of the venire, the fact that defense counsel had exercised only one

33

of her 10 peremptory challenges against a black juror increased the percentage of

blacks remaining on the panel, thus increasing the likelihood that the prosecutor

would exercise a disproportionate share of his peremptory challenges against black

jurors for entirely permissible reasons.

Moreover, the disparity between the percentage of blacks in the entire jury

pool and the percentage of peremptory challenges the prosecutor exercised against

black prospective jurors is not very significant. The prosecutor used about 45

percent of his peremptory challenges to remove black jurors. Had he removed one

fewer black juror, that percentage would have fallen to about 36 percent, almost

equal to the percentage of blacks in the entire jury pool. And at the time defendant

made his Wheeler motion, four of the 12 prospective jurors on the panel — exactly

one-third — were black. Given the small sample size at issue, the trial court

reasonably refused to infer a discriminatory intent on the basis of these statistics.

(See People v. Cleveland (2004) 32 Cal.4th 704, 734 (Cleveland) [where the jury‘s

minority composition is ultimately ―either slightly higher or slightly lower‖ than

the venire‘s, such statistics are ―probative‖ although not necessarily ―dispositive‖

of a lack of discriminatory intent].)

Second, defendant argues that the prosecutor‘s stated reason for excusing

each of the three prospective jurors — their ―inability to impose the death penalty‖

— is belied by the record. He further argues that the prosecutor‘s initial

reluctance to explain the reasons for his challenges is ―suspect.‖ If the prosecutor

―had valid, race-neutral reasons for challenging each of the jurors,‖ defendant

argues, ―then logically it would create no problem for him to justify those

challenges in a succinct statement to the court.‖

As an initial matter, the prosecutor was not obliged to state his reasons for

challenging any prospective juror because the trial court concluded that defendant

had not made a prima facie case of discrimination. (People v. Carasi (2008) 44

34

Cal.4th 1263, 1292.) Thus, there is nothing suspect about any reluctance the

prosecutor may have had to state his reasons.

In any event, the trial court‘s conclusion that defendant did not carry his

burden of demonstrating that the prosecutor acted with discriminatory intent is

supported by substantial evidence. The prosecutor offered valid race-neutral

reasons for excusing each of the three prospective jurors. All three prospective

jurors answered the written questionnaire in a manner that suggested a significant

degree of confusion or hesitation regarding their ability to impose the death

penalty. Prospective Juror J.R. circled both ―yes‖ and ―no‖ in response to question

31(f) of the questionnaire, which asked: ―Regardless of your views on the death

penalty, would you as a juror, be able to vote for the death penalty on another

person if you believe after hearing all the evidence, that the penalty was

appropriate?‖ During voir dire, J.R. explained that the question ―didn‘t have an ‗I

don‘t know‘ so I put a yes and no.‖ When asked if ―don't know‖ was her answer,

J.R. stated, ―Well, I understood it, but my answer to that is I don‘t know anything

much about the death penalty.‖ Similarly, J.R. selected ―don‘t know‖ in answer to

questions 33 and 34. Question 33 asked, ―In this penalty phase would you

automatically, in every case, regardless of the evidence, vote for life in prison

without the possibility of parole?‖ And question 34 asked, ―Do you have any

conscientious objections to the death penalty which you believe might impair your

ability to be fair and impartial in a case in which the prosecution is seeking the

death penalty?‖

Prospective Juror R.W. responded to question 30 of the questionnaire by

writing: ―I have never given a serious thought to the death penalty I would have to

say I honestly don‘t know if I could vote on putting some one to death.‖ Question

31(e) of the questionnaire asked, ―Do you feel California should have the death

penalty?‖ to which Prospective Juror R.W. responded, ―I don't know. I don‘t see it

35

as a way to stop crime because we don‘t kill everybody who commits a crime.‖

She also wrote, in answer to a later question: ―I don't know what the purpose [of

the death penalty] is because it still doesn‘t stop crime!‖ In response to question

34, she selected ―don‘t know‖ as to whether she had any conscientious objections

to the death penalty. During voir dire, when questioned by the court about her

answers to these questions, R.W. twice stated only that she ―th[ought]‖ she would

be able to impose the death penalty if she found the aggravating factors to

outweigh the mitigating factors.

Prospective Juror A.I.‘s written and oral answers also revealed that she had

qualms about the death penalty and wasn‘t sure she could serve as an impartial

juror because of defendant‘s age. In response to question 33, A.I. selected, ―don‘t

know.‖ When asked at voir dire if she could ―think of any reason [she] would

tend to favor one side or the other,‖ A.I. hesitated to answer and then at the court‘s

urging replied, ―I don‘t know. He seems very young. I might hesitate.‖

Prospective Juror A.I. also told the trial court that she would have difficulty

looking at pictures of ―autopsies‖ and the ―murder scene.‖

Defendant correctly observes that none of these three prospective jurors

would have been excusable for cause because each expressed a willingness to

follow the law if selected for the jury. However, ―[a] prosecutor‘s reasons for

exercising a peremptory challenge ‗need not rise to the level justifying exercise of

a challenge for cause.‘ ‖ (People v. Hamilton (2009) 45 Cal.4th 863, 901

(Hamilton).) ―Moreover, even when jurors have expressed neutrality on the death

penalty, ‗neither the prosecutor nor the trial court [i]s required to take the jurors‘

answers at face value.‘ [Citation.] If other statements or attitudes suggest that the

juror has ‗reservations or scruples‘ about imposing the death penalty, this

demonstrated reluctance is a race-neutral reason that can justify a peremptory

36

challenge, even if it would not be sufficient to support a challenge for cause.‖

(People v. Lomax (2010) 49 Cal.4th 530, 572.)

In sum, substantial evidence supports the trial court‘s determination that the

prosecutor‘s strikes of Prospective Jurors J.R., R.W., and A.I. were motivated by

the answers on their juror questionnaires indicating ambivalence about the death

penalty. Our determination is additionally supported by the fact that at the time

defendant made his Batson motion, the jury‘s racial composition exactly matched

the venire‘s and by the fact that half of the jurors ultimately seated were black, a

higher ratio than in the venire. This is a significant ― ‗indication of the

prosecution‘s good faith in exercising his peremptories.‘ ‖ (People v. Huggins

(2006) 38 Cal.4th 175, 236; see Cleveland, supra, 32 Cal.4th at p. 734.)

For the first time on appeal, defendant identifies over two dozen

unchallenged prospective jurors, three of whom ultimately served on the jury, who

circled at least one ―don‘t know‖ answer to questions 32, 33, and 34. Assuming

that defendant has not forfeited this argument by waiting until his reply brief to

raise it, the comparative juror analysis he urges does not demonstrate that the

strikes at issue were based on the jurors‘ race.

First, the answers of the prospective jurors who never made it into the jury

box are irrelevant because they do not prove that the prosecutor would have

accepted such jurors. Nor is it relevant whether a prospective juror circled ―don‘t

know‖ with respect to question 32, which asked whether a juror would always

vote to impose the death penalty.

Second, with respect to the three jurors who ultimately served on the jury,

none circled ―don‘t know‖ in answer to both questions 33 and 34, and none took

the step of indicating uncertainty in response to question 31(f), as Prospective

Juror J.R. did. None wrote explicit comments akin to R.W.‘s indicating that he or

she doubted the efficacy of the death penalty, nor did any give repeated equivocal

37

answers akin to R.W.‘s at voir dire. To the contrary, each of the three seated

jurors indicated strong support for the death penalty and a clear willingness to

impose such a sentence in both their juror questionnaires and their voir dire.

Similarly, none came close to demonstrating the type of reservations expressed by

A.I. about imposing the death sentence on this particular defendant because of his

youthful appearance.

Third, the trial court had the opportunity to see the demeanor of all of the

relevant jurors, and it stated on the record that the challenged jurors had

demonstrated more reluctance to impose the death penalty than other jurors whom

the prosecution did not challenge. Thus, even considering the comparative juror

analysis urged by defendant, substantial evidence supported the trial court‘s

determination that the prosecutor‘s peremptory challenges against Jurors J.R.,

R.W., and A.I. were proper.

2. Whether Defendant Was Properly Convicted of Willful,

Deliberate, and Premeditated Attempted Murder of Latasha

W.

Defendant argues that the trial court erred by permitting the jury to convict

him of the willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder of Latasha W., a

crime with which he was not expressly charged in the indictment. We do not

decide whether defendant consented to be tried for willful, deliberate, and

premeditated attempted murder because we agree with defendant that the jury was

not properly instructed on the meaning of the terms ―willful,‖ ―deliberate,‖ and

―premeditated‖ in any event. We therefore order a reduction of defendant‘s

conviction on count 2 to a conviction for regular attempted murder. We

conditionally impose a lower term sentence on that count, but permit the

prosecution to seek resentencing should it wish to do so.

38

a) Factual Background

In count 2 of the indictment, defendant was charged with attempted murder,

in violation of Penal Code, sections 664 and 187, subdivision (a). Count 2 alleged

that ―On or about July 1, 1996, in the County of Los Angeles, the crime of

attempted murder, in violation of Penal Code section 664/187(A), a felony, was

committed by [defendant], who did willfully, unlawfully and with malice

aforethought attempt to murder Latasha [W.], a human being.‖ (Some

capitalization omitted.) The indictment did not allege that the attempted murder

was ―deliberate‖ or ―premeditated.‖ That omission is significant because the

sentence for regular attempted murder is a determinate term of ―five, seven, or

nine years‖ of imprisonment. (§ 664, subd. (a).) The sentence for attempted

―willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder,‖ by contrast, is ―life with the

possibility of parole.‖ (Ibid.)

Nor was the jury instructed on a theory of attempted willful, deliberate, and

premeditated murder. When discussing CALJIC No. 8.20, which is the instruction

regarding the definitions of the terms ―willful,‖ ―deliberate,‖ and ―premeditated,‖

in the context of one of the first degree murder charges, the parties informed the

court that they had agreed that the instruction would be given only with respect to

the Michael Haney murder, of which defendant was acquitted. The parties did not

discuss giving CALJIC No. 8.67, the analogous instruction pertaining to willful,

deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder, with respect to count 2. When

orally instructing the jury regarding the elements of count 2, the trial court

described the count only as alleging ―attempted murder.‖ The court said nothing

suggesting that defendant was charged with attempted willful, deliberate, and

premeditated murder of Latasha W., and it did not give CALJIC No. 8.67 or

otherwise define those terms with respect to count 2.

39

The court did define the terms ―deliberate‖ and ―premeditated‖ when it read

CALJIC No. 8.20 to the jury in connection with count 7, the Haney murder.

Immediately before doing so, however, the court explicitly told the jury that the

instruction ―applies to the Haney homicide charge only.‖ The word ―HANEY‖ is

handwritten at the top of the copy of CALJIC No. 8.20 that was given to the jury.

Nonetheless, during closing argument the prosecution asserted that

defendant‘s actions demonstrated that defendant‘s attempt to kill Latasha W. was

willful, deliberate, and premeditated. The prosecution had argued a similar theory

to the grand jury when securing the indictment.

There was no discussion between the parties and the court regarding the

jury verdict form for count 2. That form first asked the jury to find whether

defendant attempted to murder Latasha W. It then asked the jury to find true or

not true the allegation that the attempted murder was ―willful, deliberate and

premeditated.‖ The jury found the allegation to be true.

b) Analysis

Defendant contends that because he was not charged in the indictment with

willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder, it was statutory and

constitutional error for the court to permit the jury to consider whether he acted

with deliberation and premeditation and then to sentence him on that basis rather

than for having committed regular attempted murder. Alternatively, he says that

the trial court‘s failure to instruct the jury on the meanings of ―willful,‖

―deliberate,‖ and ―premeditated‖ deprived him of his right to a jury trial under the

Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. He therefore

urges that his life sentence on count 2 for attempted willful, deliberate, and

premeditated murder be reduced to a determinate sentence for regular attempted

murder.

40

The Attorney General responds that defendant forfeited his claim that he

was not properly charged in the indictment by failing to raise it at trial.

Alternately, defendant impliedly consented to being tried with that enhancement

by not objecting to the jury verdict form. The Attorney General also argues that

the indictment reflects a mere ―technical inadequacy‖ because defendant was on

notice of the prosecution‘s intent to charge him with willful, deliberate, and

premeditated murder, both because count 2 alleged that defendant acted

―willfully‖ and because the grand jury transcript revealed the prosecutor‘s theory.

As to the trial court‘s failure to properly instruct the jury, the Attorney General

concedes the error but argues that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable

doubt.

Because we find that the trial court prejudicially erred in failing to instruct

the jury on the meanings of ―willful,‖ ―deliberate,‖ and ―premeditated,‖ we do not

address whether defendant consented to having those allegations placed before the

jury. Assuming without deciding that defendant was properly charged with

willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder, the trial court was required to instruct

the jury on what those terms mean. The willful, deliberate, and premeditated

nature of an attempted murder is ― ‗the functional equivalent of an element‘ ‖ of

the offense insofar as it increases the punishment for an attempted murder.

(People v. Seel (2004) 34 Cal.4th 535, 548.) As such, it must be submitted to a

jury and proved beyond reasonable doubt. (Id. at p. 549; see Apprendi v. New

Jersey (2000) 530 U.S. 466, 490.)

In turn, because the willful, deliberate, and premeditated nature of an

attempted murder is the functional equivalent of an element of the offense, the trial

court was required to instruct the jury on those elements even though defendant

did not request such an instruction. (See, e.g., People v. Montoya (1994) 7 Cal.4th

1027, 1047 [―It is settled that, even in the absence of a request, a trial court must

41

instruct on general principles of law that are commonly or closely connected to the

facts before the court and that are necessary for the jury‘s understanding of the

case.‖].) Thus, the trial court erred in permitting the jury to consider the charge of

attempted willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder without a proper

instruction on what those terms mean.

The failure to instruct the jury on an element of an offense is federal

constitutional error because it violates the defendant‘s due process and Sixth

Amendment rights to have a jury adjudicate guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

(People v. Gonzalez (2012) 54 Cal.4th 643, 662–663; People v. Bolden (2002) 29

Cal.4th 515, 560.) Such error is ―harmless only if, after conducting a thorough

review of the record, the court determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury

verdict would have been the same absent the error.‖ (Bolden, at p. 560; see

Gonzalez, at p. 663; Chapman v. California (1967) 386 U.S. 18, 24.)

On the facts here, we cannot be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that the

jury would have found defendant guilty of attempted willful, deliberate, and

premeditated murder had it been properly instructed. In order to find defendant

guilty of that charge, the jury would have had to conclude that his acts were the

result of ― ‗ ― ‗careful thought and weighing of considerations‘ ‖ ‘ ‖ rather than an

― ‗ ―unconsidered or rash impulse.‖ ‘ ‖ (People v. Manriquez (2005) 37 Cal.4th

547, 577 (Manriquez); see People v. Anderson (1968) 70 Cal.2d 15, 26–27; see

also CALJIC No. 8.67.) That standard is not met by showing only that a

defendant acted willfully and with specific intent to kill. ―By conjoining the

words ‗willful, deliberate, and premeditated‘ in its definition and limitation of the

character of killings falling within murder of the first degree the Legislature

apparently emphasized its intention to require as an element of such crime

substantially more reflection than may be involved in the mere formation of a

42

specific intent to kill.‖ (People v. Thomas (1945) 25 Cal.2d 880, 900, italics

added.)

Latasha W. testified that defendant shot Coleman in the head at point-blank

range shortly after entering Coleman‘s house and again before departing. But

defendant did not take equally deliberate steps toward killing Latasha W. Instead,

one of his confederates tied her up with a telephone cord. Then, only as defendant

was on the verge of leaving the house, did he fire a shot at Latasha W. that grazed

her ear. No doubt there is sufficient evidence from which a rational factfinder

could infer that defendant acted with deliberation and premeditation. But the

pertinent question here is whether there is no reasonable possibility that the jury

could have concluded otherwise had it been properly instructed. The manner in

which defendant shot Coleman and later, for good measure, shot him a second

time plainly indicates that defendant killed him with deliberation and

premeditation. But the manner in which defendant shot at Latasha W., while

sufficient to support a finding of intent to kill, does not necessarily compel a

finding that defendant fired the single shot at her as a result of ― ‗ ―careful thought

and weighing of considerations‖ ‘ ‖ as opposed to an ― ‗ ― ‗unconsidered or rash

impulse‘ ‖ ‘ ‖ just before exiting the home as his two accomplices waited outside.

(Manriquez, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 577.) On these facts, we cannot say it would

have been unreasonable for the jury, had it been properly instructed, not to find

deliberation and premeditation.

The Attorney General‘s argument that the jury likely relied upon the

definition of the terms ―willful,‖ ―deliberate,‖ and ―premeditated‖ contained in the

instructions regarding the murder of Haney is not persuasive. The court

specifically instructed the jury to consider that instruction as ―to the Haney

homicide charge only.‖ (Italics added.) We ―presume the jury followed the

court‘s instructions.‖ (People v. Letner and Tobin (2010) 50 Cal.4th 99, 172.)

43

Furthermore, because the jury found defendant not guilty of the Haney murder, in

which defendant was charged with both first degree and second degree murder, the

jury would have had little cause to consider what the critical terms ―deliberate‖

and ―premeditated‖ mean in connection with that charge. Thus, when the jury was

deliberating on the attempted murder charge, the only instructions it likely would

have considered are the ones the court gave regarding regular attempted murder,

which did not explain the standard for a finding of deliberation and premeditation.

The Attorney General is similarly unpersuasive in her contention that the

court‘s instructional error was harmless because the jury verdict form told the

jurors that they should only find willfulness, deliberation, and premeditation if

they could do so beyond a reasonable doubt. This contention simply begs the

question as to what legal question the jury thought it was answering.

Because the instructional error with respect to count 2 was not harmless

beyond a reasonable doubt, we reverse the penalty enhancement under section

664, subdivision (a) for ―willful, deliberate, and premeditated‖ attempted murder.

Defendant‘s conviction for attempted murder remains intact.

Rather than remand for resentencing on the attempted murder conviction,

we impose the lower term sentence of five years and permit the prosecution to

request resentencing before the superior court within 60 days after the filing of our

remittitur should it choose to do so. We recently followed the same approach in

People v. Boyce (July 24, 2014, S092240) __ Cal.4th __. There, as here, we found

an error that affected the noncapital portion of the sentence imposed upon a capital

defendant. Recognizing that the length of the noncapital sentence would ―have

little practical significance given our affirmance of the special circumstances and

death sentence‖ and that there is considerable ―time and expense involved in

resentencing a capital prisoner‖ (id. at p. ___ [p. 73]), we imposed the lower term

sentence but permitted the prosecution to request resentencing (id. at pp. __, __

44

[pp. 73, 76]). Here, the trial court imposed the mandatory sentence of life without

the possibility of parole for a conviction of attempted willful, deliberate, and

premeditated murder. The trial court therefore had no chance to consider what

sentence would be appropriate for a conviction of regular attempted murder.

Because we do not know what sentence the trial court would have imposed had it

had a chance to consider the proper term, we follow the same approach we

adopted in Boyce.

Our disposition is without prejudice to the prosecution retrying defendant

for the willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder of Latasha W. if doing so is

consistent with statutory and constitutional double jeopardy principles, a question

that was not briefed and that we do not address.

3. Sufficiency of the Evidence that the Foster Homicide was

Committed in the Course of an Attempted Robbery

Defendant contends that there is insufficient evidence to sustain the finding

that he harbored the specific intent to steal from Charles Foster, the victim who

was shot at the ATM. If correct, defendant‘s argument would require us to vacate

defendant‘s convictions on count 9 (robbery of Foster) and count 8 (first degree

murder of Foster on a felony-murder theory). We conclude that the jury could

have reasonably inferred the elements of an attempted robbery from the totality of

the circumstances. Therefore, there is sufficient evidence to sustain the

convictions on both counts.

a) Background

The evidence showed that at 1:13 a.m. on July 26, 1996, Foster walked up

to an ATM while Yvonne McGill and Sandra Johnson waited 12 feet away in a

parked truck. At 1:23 a.m., defendant approached the passenger side of the truck

and pointed a handgun at McGill. As Johnson and McGill drove away, defendant

turned and approached Foster at the ATM.

45

The prosecution introduced a videotape of time-lapse photographs from

two cameras on either side of the ATM. The videotape provides a time-stamped

account of the moments leading to Foster‘s death. The events recorded on the

videotape are as follows.

After Johnson and McGill drove away, defendant stood immediately behind

Foster for 25 seconds before he raised his gun to fire the fatal shots. At one point

during those 25 seconds, defendant placed a hand on Foster‘s arm while

brandishing his gun. Thereafter, Foster turned to face the ATM while defendant

observed with his gun at his side. For the next 11 seconds, Foster was partially

turned toward defendant. Then, without any further physical contact or gesturing,

defendant raised his gun and, with Foster then facing him, shot Foster.

b) Analysis

In reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, we ―review the

whole record to determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found the

essential elements of the crime or special circumstances beyond a reasonable

doubt. [Citation.] The record must disclose substantial evidence to support the

verdict — i.e., evidence that is reasonable, credible, and of solid value — such that

a reasonable trier of fact could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable

doubt. [Citation.] In applying this test, we review the evidence in the light most

favorable to the prosecution and presume in support of the judgment the existence

of every fact the jury could reasonably have deduced from the evidence.

[Citation.]‖ (People v. Zamudio (2008) 43 Cal.4th 327, 357 (Zamudio).)

Moreover, ― ‗ ―[c]ircumstantial evidence may be sufficient to connect a defendant

with the crime and to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.‖ ‘ ‖ (People v.

Thomas (1992) 2 Cal.4th 489, 514.) Accordingly, ―[w]e ‗must accept logical

inferences that the jury might have drawn from the circumstantial evidence.

[Citation.]‘ ‖ (Zamudio, at p. 357.)

46

Defendant contends that the mere fact that the homicide occurred at an

ATM is insufficient evidence to infer he had the specific intent to steal. He says

there is no evidence that he demanded or reached for any of Foster‘s property

either before or after the shooting. Thus, he contends, inferring the specific intent

element of robbery is entirely speculative.

We disagree. Time-lapse photographs from two cameras show defendant

interacting with Foster for approximately 25 seconds before raising his gun to fire.

During that time, defendant touched Foster‘s arm, brandished his gun, and stood

by as Foster attempted to use the ATM. A trier of fact could reasonably infer from

the totality of these circumstances that defendant had the specific intent to steal

from Foster. (See People v. Rodrigues (1994) 8 Cal.4th 1060, 1129–1130 [jury‘s

finding of an attempted robbery sufficiently evidenced by the totality of

circumstances, even though attackers had not specifically demanded money or

drugs], citing People v. Gilbert (1963) 214 Cal.App.2d 566, 567−568 [―where two

armed men appeared in market shortly after closing time and simultaneously

displayed their weapons,‖ lack of phrases such as ― ‗hand over your money‘ ‖ does

not bar the reasonable inference that a forceful taking of property was intended‖].)

(Rodrigues, at pp. 1129-1130.) For example, the jury could have reasonably

inferred that defendant intended to rob Foster but fled after shooting him, knowing

that Johnson and McGill would be summoning the police. (See People v. Zapien

(1993) 4 Cal.4th 929, 984 [affirming a jury‘s reasonable inference that the

defendant fled without completing the robbery because he knew someone had

telephoned the police].) Alternatively, the jury could have reasonably found that

defendant shot Foster because Foster refused to give him money, as evidenced by

the possible argument between the two men, or because defendant realized that,

having failed to use the ATM, Foster likely had no money to steal. (Cf. People v.

Carroll (1970) 1 Cal.3d 581, 584−585 [finding that robbery and shooting of victim

47

constituted one indivisible transaction where defendant shot the victim after

becoming angry when the victim turned out to have no money].)

Because the ― ‗circumstances reasonably justify the trier of fact‘s

findings‘ ‖ that defendant attempted to steal money from Foster, reversal of the

convictions on counts 8 and 9 is unwarranted. (People v. Thomas, supra, 2

Cal.4th at p. 514.) For the same reason, substantial evidence supports the jury‘s

true finding on the special circumstance allegation that the murder was committed

during the commission of an attempted robbery.

4. Instruction on Second Degree Murder as Lesser Included

Offense

Defendant contends the trial court committed error under California law by

failing to instruct the jury sua sponte on second degree murder as a lesser included

offense of the felony murder of Foster charged in count 8 of the indictment. We

agree but find the error harmless. We reject defendant‘s related argument that the

failure to instruct on second degree murder violated his federal constitutional

rights under Beck v. Alabama (1980) 447 U.S. 625 (Beck).

a) Background

Count 8 charged that defendant ―did willfully, unlawfully, and with malice

aforethought murder Charles Foster, a human being.‖ It further alleged that the

murder occurred while defendant ―was engaged in the commission of the crime of

attempted robbery, within the meaning of Penal Code section 190.2(a)(17).‖

When discussing the jury instructions, the prosecution informed the court

that it intended to proceed only on a felony-murder theory with respect to count 8

instead of arguing a first degree premeditated malice murder theory as well. The

following colloquy then occurred between the court and defense counsel:

―[The Court:] [The prosecution] is asking for felony murder only on the

last of the homicides over at the A.T.M. [¶] This will be more up to the defense, it

48

would seem to me . . . . [¶] I think a logical inference to be drawn is that the

fellow was killed at the A.T.M. to try to get money. [¶] But that is not necessarily

the only inference. [¶] You have some evidence, how strong it is is up to the jury,

but you have evidence of some sort of an argument taking place, verbal argument.

And the only thing there to suggest a robbery is the fact that the guy is at the

A.T.M. window. [¶] You have no words of demand or property taken as far as we

know.

―[Prosecutor]: Well, he walked up on him with a shirt wrapped around his

head to conceal his identity.

―The Court: And then shot him in the head and walked away. [¶] The

eyewitnesses say nothing about the logical thing happening and the guy goes to

the wallet.

―[Prosecutor]: That‘s true.

―The Court: I mean it — [¶] I think I probably know what happened. Most

people die at ATM‘s, it is probably a robbery. But here you have evidence that

something else could have been going on. [¶] Some sort of fight. I don‘t know.

[¶] Anyway, on that one, if they want to go felony murder only, what do you want

to do on that? [¶] First or second on that one?

―[Defense counsel]: No.

―The Court: Felony murder only?

―[Defense counsel]: Yes.

―The Court: Fair enough.‖

Defense counsel then asked the court if it would also be willing to instruct

on manslaughter as a lesser included offense if defendant agreed to the jury being

instructed on second degree murder. The court rejected defense counsel‘s

proposal because ―[t]here is nothing to reduce this to a manslaughter. No way,

49

shape or form.‖ Defense counsel did not then request a second degree murder

instruction with respect to count 8.

The jury was instructed that it could find defendant guilty of murder only

on a felony-murder theory on count 8. The jury found defendant guilty of count 8

and found true the allegation that the murder was committed in the course of an

attempted robbery. As noted, the jury also found defendant guilty of count 9,

attempted robbery of Foster.

b) Analysis

Defendant argues that the court should have instructed the jury on second

degree murder as a lesser included offense with respect to count 8, even though

defense counsel declined to request such an instruction when invited to do so.

Defendant‘s primary argument is not that second degree murder is always a lesser

included offense of felony murder. Rather, he argues that second degree murder is

a lesser included offense of count 8 as charged in the indictment.

The Attorney General does not respond directly to defendant‘s argument

that second degree murder is a lesser included offense of felony murder as charged

in count 8. Instead, she contends that second degree murder is not a lesser

included offense of felony murder as a general matter because felony murder does

not require the prosecution to prove malice, a key element of second degree

murder. In the alternative, the Attorney General argues that there was insufficient

evidence to support a second degree murder instruction on these facts because

defendant did not introduce evidence to support a theory that the shooting of

Foster was perpetrated for any reason other than robbery. Finally, the Attorney

General argues that even if there was instructional error, such error was harmless.

50

The Attorney General does not argue that defendant invited any error by

declining the trial court‘s offer to instruct on second degree murder. We therefore

do not address whether counsel‘s conduct amounted to invited error.

― ‗ ― ‗[I]t is settled that in criminal cases, even in the absence of a request,

the trial court must instruct on the general principles of law relevant to the issues

raised by the evidence. [Citations.] The general principles of law governing the

case are those principles closely and openly connected with the facts before the

court, and which are necessary for the jury‘s understanding of the case.‘

[Citation.] That obligation has been held to include giving instructions on lesser

included offenses when the evidence raises a question as to whether all of the

elements of the charged offense were present [citation], but not when there is no

evidence that the offense was less than that charged. [Citations.]‖ ‘ ‖ (People v.

Valdez (2004) 32 Cal.4th 73, 115 (Valdez).)

The rule that juries must be instructed on lesser included offenses

― ‗prevents either party, whether by design or inadvertence, from forcing an all-or-

nothing choice between conviction of the stated offense on the one hand, or

complete acquittal on the other. Hence, the rule encourages a verdict, within the

charge chosen by the prosecution, that is neither ―harsher [n]or more lenient than

the evidence merits.‖ ‘ ‖ (People v. Smith (2013) 57 Cal.4th 232, 239–240

(Smith).) Because instructing on lesser included offenses serves to increase the

accuracy of verdicts, the requirement to do so applies ― ‗even when as a matter of

trial tactics a defendant not only fails to request the instruction but expressly

objects to its being given.‘ [Citation.]‖ (Valdez, supra, 32 Cal.4th at p. 115.)

―On appeal, we review independently the question whether the trial court

improperly failed to instruct on a lesser included offense.‖ (People v. Souza

(2012) 54 Cal.4th 90, 113 (Souza).) ―For purposes of determining a trial court‘s

instructional duties, we have said that ‗a lesser offense is necessarily included in a

51

greater offense if either the statutory elements of the greater offense, or the facts

actually alleged in the accusatory pleading, include all the elements of the lesser

offense, such that the greater cannot be committed without also committing the

lesser.‘ ‖ (Smith, supra, 57 Cal.4th at p. 240, italics added.) When applying the

accusatory pleading test, ―[t]he trial court need only examine the accusatory

pleading.‖ (Id. at p. 244.) ―[S]o long as the prosecution has chosen to allege a

way of committing the greater offense that necessarily subsumes a lesser offense,

and so long as there is substantial evidence that the defendant committed the lesser

offense without also committing the greater, the trial court must instruct on the

lesser included offense.‖ (Ibid.)

Here, under the accusatory pleading test, second degree murder was plainly

a lesser included offense of felony murder as charged in count 8. Count 8 charged

defendant with willfully killing Foster with malice aforethought. ― ‗Second degree

murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice, but without the

additional elements . . . that would support a conviction of first degree murder.‘ ‖

(People v. Taylor (2010) 48 Cal.4th 574, 623 (Taylor).) Thus, it is evident that

second degree murder was a lesser included offense of felony murder as charged

in count 8, which alleged not merely that defendant killed in the course of a

robbery but that he did so willfully and maliciously. Accordingly, the trial court

was required to instruct the jury on second degree murder so long as substantial

evidence would have supported such a finding. We therefore need not and do not

reach the question raised by the Attorney General of whether second degree

murder is a lesser included offense of felony murder under the statutory elements

test.

The evidence of second degree murder in the Foster shooting, though not

particularly strong, was sufficient to obligate the trial court to instruct on second

degree murder. The ―substantial evidence requirement is not satisfied by ‗ ―any

52

evidence . . . no matter how weak‖ ‘ but rather by evidence from which a

reasonable jury could conclude ‗that the lesser offense, but not the greater, was

committed.‘ ‖ (People v. Avila (2009) 46 Cal.4th 680, 705.) The ATM video and

witness testimony in this case established that a gunman approached Foster at the

ATM. The two engaged in some sort of discussion (perhaps an argument), and

Foster turned toward the ATM before being shot. As noted, this evidence was

sufficient for the jury to infer that defendant was attempting to commit robbery.

However, Manzanares testified that Foster and the gunman were arguing, and

there was no evidence that defendant took any property or money from Foster

after the shooting. As the trial court observed, ―I think a logical inference to be

drawn is that the fellow was killed at the A.T.M. to try to get money. [¶] But that

is not necessarily the only inference. [¶] You have some evidence, how strong it is

is up to the jury, but you have evidence of some sort of an argument taking place,

verbal argument.‖ Thus, the evidence permitted the inference that defendant shot

Foster with malice in the course of an argument or fight, not necessarily in the

course of a robbery. Because the evidence was sufficient to support a theory of

second degree murder, the trial court should have instructed the jury on that

theory.

We nonetheless find the error harmless. Our precedent holds that an

erroneous failure to instruct the jury on a lesser included offense is subject to

harmless error analysis under People v. Watson (1956) 46 Cal.2d 818, 837, and

that evidence sufficient to warrant an instruction on a lesser included offense does

not necessarily amount to evidence sufficient to create a reasonable probability of

a different outcome had the instruction been given. (See People v. Beames (2007)

40 Cal.4th 907, 970–971; People v. Breverman (1998) 19 Cal.4th 142, 176.) Here,

there is no reasonable probability that the evidence of an argument between

defendant and Foster, minimal as it was, would have led the jury, had it been

53

properly instructed, to conclude that defendant shot Foster at the ATM out of

malice unrelated to any robbery. As the trial court observed, even though there

was ―some evidence‖ otherwise, the far more plausible inference is that the

―fellow was killed at the A.T.M. to try to get money.‖ Thus, the trial court‘s

failure to instruct on second degree murder was harmless.

Defendant‘s reliance on Beck, supra, 447 U.S. 625 for the proposition that

the failure to instruct on second degree murder violated the United States

Constitution is unavailing under our precedents. After Hopkins v. Reeves (1998)

524 U.S. 88, we have repeatedly rejected Beck claims in light of the differences

between California‘s death penalty scheme and the Alabama scheme at issue in

Beck. (See Taylor, supra, 48 Cal.4th at p. 625; People v. Wilson (2008) 43 Cal.4th

1, 17–18; People v. Rundle (2008) 43 Cal.4th 76, 143, disapproved of on other

grounds by People v. Doolin (2009) 45 Cal.4th 390, 421, fn. 22; People v. Prince

(2007) 40 Cal.4th 1179, 1268–1269; Valdez, supra, 32 Cal.4th at pp. 118–119;

People v. Waidla (2000) 22 Cal.4th 690, 736, fn. 15.)

5. Hearsay

Defendant next contends the trial court violated his constitutional rights

under the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States

Constitution and analogous provisions of the state Constitution by admitting

Officer Martinez‘s testimony recounting what Latasha W. had told him about the

events at the Coleman residence. As explained below, the trial court did not abuse

its discretion in allowing the evidence to be introduced under the spontaneous

declaration exception to the hearsay rule.

a) Background

Officer Martinez testified about statements Latasha W. made in the two-

hour period of time following the events that occurred at the Coleman residence.

54

Officer Martinez first encountered Latasha W. at approximately 3:00 a.m. as she

was ―running in the middle of the street yelling frantically . . . in hysterics . . .

crying.‖ In response to defense questioning, Officer Martinez also testified that

―over the course of the two hours [Latasha W.] was able to calmly relate

descriptions and things that went on in the house‖ in ―a chronological time and

sequence of events. However, by the end of the two hours, she was ―shocked still‖

and was crying and shaking from the ordeal. Concluding that the prosecution had

established that Latasha W.‘s statements were excited utterances or spontaneous

declarations, the trial court overruled four hearsay objections to Officer Martinez‘s

testimony.

b) Analysis

Under the spontaneous declaration hearsay exception, hearsay testimony is

admissible if it ―(a) [p]urports to narrate, describe, or explain an act, condition, or

event perceived by the declarant; and [¶] (b) [w]as made spontaneously while the

declarant was under the stress of excitement caused by such perception.‖ (Evid.

Code, § 1240.) ― ‗To render [statements] admissible [under the spontaneous

declaration exception] it is required that (1) there must be some occurrence

startling enough to produce this nervous excitement and render the utterance

spontaneous and unreflecting; (2) the utterance must have been before there has

been time to contrive and misrepresent, i.e., while the nervous excitement may be

supposed still to dominate and the reflective powers to be yet in abeyance; and (3)

the utterance must relate to the circumstance of the occurrence preceding it.‘ ‖

(People v. Poggi (1988) 45 Cal.3d 306, 318 (Poggi).) ―When the statements in

question were made and whether they were delivered directly or in response to a

question are important factors to be considered on the issue of spontaneity.

[Citations.] But . . . ‗[n]either lapse of time between the event and the declarations

nor the fact that the declarations were elicited by questioning deprives the

55

statements of spontaneity if it nevertheless appears that they were made under the

stress of excitement and while the reflective powers were still in abeyance.‘ ‖ (Id.

at p. 319.) ―Under the same reasoning, the fact that the declarant has become calm

enough to speak coherently also is not inconsistent with spontaneity.‖ (Ibid.)

―Whether the requirements of the spontaneous statement exception are

satisfied in any given case is, in general, largely a question of fact. [Citation.]

The determination of the question is vested in the court, not the jury. [Citation.]‖

(Poggi, supra, 45 Cal.3d at p. 318.) Thus, if supported by substantial evidence,

we must uphold the trial court‘s determination of preliminary facts. (People v.

Brown (2003) 31 Cal.4th 518, 541.)

Defendant argues that Latasha W.‘s statement to Officer Martinez did not

meet the second Poggi requirement, i.e., the declaration was not made while

Latasha W.‘s reflective powers remained in abeyance. We disagree. When

Officer Martinez first encountered Latasha W., after she had run from Coleman‘s

residence, she was ―crying,‖ ―flinging her arms [and] screaming loud[ly],‖

―[f]rightened,‖ ―[h]ysterical,‖ ―[v]ery emotional,‖ and ―[s]peaking very rapidly.‖

At the end of the approximately two hours she spent with Officer Martinez,

Latasha W. ―was shocked . . . [a]nd still shaking by the ordeal.‖ Thus, the trial

court did not abuse its discretion in finding that the two-hour period of time during

which Latasha W. made her statements did not deprive them of their spontaneity.

(See, e.g., People v. Brown, supra, 31 Cal.4th at p. 541 [statements made two and

one-half hours after event held spontaneous where ―the declarant continued to

labor mightily under the emotional influence of the disturbing events he perceived,

so much so that he could not stop his body from shaking nor stem the flow of

tears‖].)

Defendant relies on People v. Lynch (2010) 50 Cal.4th 693, where we held

that a victim‘s statements made approximately two hours after she was attacked

56

were not spontaneous utterances. (Id. at p. 754.) But the ―[m]ost critical[]‖ reason

for our holding was that there was ―no testimony . . . demonstrat[ing] that . . . [the

victim] was excited or frightened as she spoke, or that her physical condition at the

time of her statements precluded deliberation.‖ (Ibid.) Here, there was significant

evidence that Latasha W. was still emotionally distraught throughout her

conversation with Officer Martinez. (See Poggi, supra, 45 Cal.3d at p. 319

[―[T]he fact that the declarant has become calm enough to speak coherently also is

not inconsistent with spontaneity.‖].)

Finally, ―the fact that the statements were delivered in response to

questioning does not render them nonspontaneous.‖ (Poggi, supra, 45 Cal.3d at

pp. 319–320.) Nothing in the record suggests that Officer Martinez‘s questions

throughout the ensuing two hours were anything but routine and nonsuggestive

inquiries. Thus, substantial evidence supports the trial court‘s determination that

all of Latasha W.‘s statements to Officer Martinez were ―made under the stress of

excitement and while the reflective powers were still in abeyance.‖ (Id. at p. 319,

italics omitted.)

6. Latasha W.’s Redirect Testimony

Defendant argues that the trial court erred in admitting Latasha W.‘s

redirect testimony that her friendship with Coleman was based upon his having

served as her protector after she was raped by a different individual on a prior

occasion. Defendant is incorrect. This testimony was admissible because it was

relevant to rebutting defense counsel‘s attack on Latasha W.‘s credibility.

a) Background

In response to defense counsel‘s cross-examination, Latasha W. testified

that she was aware that Coleman was a drug dealer and a gang member. She also

testified that she had previously spent the night at Coleman‘s house. On redirect,

57

the prosecutor asked Latasha W. about the nature of her relationship with

Coleman. Latasha W. explained that he was her best friend but not her boyfriend.

Over defense objection, she further testified that the basis for their close friendship

was that Latasha W. had previously been raped by another individual who had

continued to harass her. Coleman had threatened that individual, successfully

ending that individual‘s harassing behavior. And in response to a prosecution

question about her having spent the night at Coleman‘s house, Latasha W.

explained that on one occasion she had gone to the house with her sister and

stayed overnight when the hour became late.

b) Analysis

Defendant argues that the testimony about Latasha W.‘s prior rape and the

story of her having spent the night at Coleman‘s house should have been excluded

both as irrelevant and as impermissible victim impact testimony. As an initial

matter, we reject the Attorney General‘s argument that defendant forfeited his

claim that the testimony was impermissible victim impact testimony. Defendant

objected that the testimony was irrelevant. Labeling the objection ―impermissible

victim impact testimony‖ does not affect whether the evidence in question is

relevant or more probative than prejudicial. (See People v. Redd (2010) 48

Cal.4th 691, 731, fn. 20.) The substance of the objection is that the testimony in

question, which happens to pertain to victim impact, is not relevant to or

sufficiently probative of any disputed fact during the guilt phase. ―[T]he

proposition that the admission of irrelevant victim-impact evidence constitutes an

error‖ is no ―different from the admission of any other irrelevant evidence. Thus,

defendant‘s ‗relevance‘ objection preserved his [claim that the evidence was

irrelevant victim impact evidence].‖ (Ibid.) Thus, defendant‘s claim that the

58

testimony constituted impermissible guilt phase victim impact testimony is simply

an objection that the testimony was irrelevant or more prejudicial than probative.

Nor is there merit to the Attorney General‘s contention that defendant

forfeited his argument that the story about spending the night at Coleman‘s house

was irrelevant. Defense counsel had already lodged an objection to the line of

questions about Latasha W.‘s relationship with Coleman, and it was not incumbent

upon defense counsel to disrupt the trial by continuing to object to each

subsequent question in order to preserve the objection.

On the merits, defendant‘s claims fail. ― ‗ ―It is well settled that when a

witness is questioned on cross-examination as to matters relevant to the subject of

the direct examination but not elicited on that examination, he [or she] may be

examined on redirect as to such new matter.‖ ‘ [Citation.] ‗ ―The extent of the

redirect examination of a witness is largely within the discretion of the trial

court.‖ ‘ ‖ (Hamilton, supra, 45 Cal.4th at p. 921.) Here, defense counsel elicited

information that Latasha W. was best friends with Coleman despite knowing him

to be a drug dealer and a gang member. That testimony served little purpose other

than to impeach Latasha W.‘s credibility by impliedly connecting her to

Coleman‘s illicit activities. We discern no abuse of discretion in the trial court

having permitted the prosecutor to establish that the basis for Coleman‘s and

Latasha W.‘s friendship was not gang or drug related. Because the testimony was

admissible, there is no merit to defendant‘s further argument that admission of the

testimony violated his right to due process.

7. Confrontation Clause

Defendant contends that Dr. Cotton‘s testimony about the DNA sample

taken from Latasha W. denied him his Sixth Amendment right to confront the

witnesses against him because Dr. Cotton relied on DNA testing done by other

59

individuals who did not testify. We do not decide the merits of this issue because

any error was harmless in light of the fact that Dr. Cotton testified about her own

independent scientific conclusions. This unrebutted testimony, which did not

violate defendant‘s rights under the confrontation clause, convincingly established

that defendant‘s DNA matched that of Latasha W.‘s assailant.

a) Background

Dr. Cotton testified that analysts at her laboratory performed DNA tests on

the vaginal swab taken from Latasha W. that was sent to Cellmark. She testified

that based on testing at nine different DNA loci, the tests established that

defendant could not be excluded as a match to the sperm portion of the swab

sample and that Latasha W. could not be excluded as a match to the nonsperm

portions of the sample. The statistical likelihood of any given African-American

individual‘s DNA matching the sperm portion of the sample was one in 17

million.

Dr. Cotton explained that Cellmark‘s DNA tests produce a thin gel on a

glass plate. Those results are then copied onto an X-ray film. Because the glass

plates cannot be stored for long periods of time, the X-ray films are what are kept

in Cellmark‘s permanent files.

Dr. Cotton testified that she reviewed the X-ray film of the tests of both the

sperm and nonsperm portions of the sample taken from Latasha W. She

concluded that the results were of a particularly high quality. The prosecutor then

asked Dr. Cotton whether she ―concur[red] with the findings [of the two Cellmark

analysts who originally reviewed the DNA data] in the case.‖ Dr. Cotton

responded: ―Yes. [¶] I went back and analyzed the data in preparation of coming

to court so I can discuss it. And I looked at all of their interpretations and I did my

own and mine are the same as theirs.‖ The prosecution then asked: ―So three

60

scientists have looked at this data and all are in agreement in terms of these

findings?‖ Dr. Cotton responded that a fourth scientist had actually looked at

some of the results as well, but then reiterated that in ―preparation for court I had

to look at the information.‖

b) Analysis

Defendant argues that Dr. Cotton‘s testimony regarding the laboratory

results prepared by other Cellmark analysts violated his right under the Sixth

Amendment to confront the witnesses against him. He relies on Crawford v.

Washington (2004) 541 U.S. 36 (Crawford) and its progeny. (See Williams v.

Illinois (2012) __ U.S. __ [132 S.Ct. 2221] (Williams); Bullcoming v. New Mexico

(2011) __ U.S. __ [131 S.Ct. 2705] (Bullcoming); Melendez-Diaz v.

Massachusetts (2009) 557 U.S. 305 (Melendez-Diaz).)

As an initial matter, the Attorney General is incorrect that defendant

forfeited this argument by failing to object at trial. Crawford was decided more

than five years after defendant‘s trial. Because Crawford ―was a dramatic

departure from prior confrontation clause case law,‖ a defendant‘s failure to raise

a Crawford claim in a pre-Crawford trial ―is excusable because defense counsel

could not reasonably have been expected to anticipate this change in the law.‖

(People v. Harris (2013) 57 Cal.4th 804, 840.) Thus, defendant‘s Crawford claim

is not forfeited.

As demonstrated by the passages above, Dr. Cotton‘s testimony can be

divided into two categories. First, she testified that she had reviewed the X-ray

films of the DNA results generated by Cellmark analysts and, based on her

independent review of those results, concluded that defendant‘s DNA matched

Latasha W.‘s assailant‘s. Nothing suggests that the X-ray films, which were

prepared by other Cellmark analysts, were signed or attested to under oath.

61

Second, Dr. Cotton testified that her conclusions were the same as those reached

by the analysts who prepared the X-ray films, although no reports by those

analysts were introduced into evidence.

In Crawford, supra, 541 U.S. 36, the high court held that criminal

defendants have a constitutionally protected right to cross-examine any witness

whose testimonial hearsay is offered against them. (See id. at pp. 50–56.) In a

series of decisions applying Crawford to the introduction of scientific evidence,

shifting majorities of the high court have variously defined what makes hearsay

testimonial. (See Melendez-Diaz, supra, 557 U.S. at pp. 310–311 [lab analysts‘

affidavits describing results of testing they performed were testimonial hearsay];

Bullcoming, supra, __ U.S. at p. __ [131 S.Ct. at p. 2717] [lab analyst‘s

certification as to his lab results, which complied with specific state laws for

admission of lab reports into evidence, was testimonial hearsay]; Williams, supra,

__ U.S. at p. __ [132 S.Ct. at p. 2228] (plur. opn. of Alito, J.); id. at p. __ [132

S.Ct. at p. 2225 (conc. opn. of Thomas, J.) [holding that an expert witness could

testify based on her assumption that unsworn results received from a DNA lab

were accurate, but disagreeing as to whether the unsworn nature of the data relied

on by the witness or the fact that the testimony was conveyed by an expert was the

reason the lab tests were not testimonial].)

Like many courts around the country, we have struggled to interpret and

apply the high court‘s confrontation clause cases. Nonetheless, a few rules emerge

from our cases. First, the introduction of machine-generated data does not

implicate the confrontation clause because ―unlike a person, a machine cannot be

cross-examined.‖ (People v. Lopez (2012) 55 Cal.4th 569, 583 (Lopez).) Second,

an expert witness‘s reliance on statements or reports by other individuals that

―merely record objective facts‖ do not implicate the confrontation clause because

―[s]uch observations are not testimonial in nature.‖ (People v. Dungo (2012) 55

62

Cal.4th 608, 619 (Dungo) [holding that a pathologist‘s ―statements describing

. . . anatomical and physiological observations about the condition‖ of a body upon

which an autopsy was being performed were not testimonial].) Finally, we have

held that a lab technician‘s act of initialing a report describing actions he or she

has taken with respect to a particular lab test is insufficient to convert that report

into a testimonial statement because initialing lacks the requisite formality, absent

(at the least) a signature, certification, or other form of swearing to the truth.

(Lopez, at pp. 584–585.)

Dr. Cotton‘s testimony regarding the opinions of the other analysts may

have violated defendant‘s right to confront those analysts, although it is difficult to

assess this claim because those analysts‘ reports are not in the record. However,

any error that may have occurred would be harmless because Dr. Cotton testified

that she independently reviewed the X-ray films and concluded from those films

that defendant could not be excluded as a match to the sperm portion of the

sample. Dr. Cotton testified as an expert witness observing objective scientific

data — the X-ray film output of a DNA test. Defendant does not suggest that the

X-ray films that Dr. Cotton relied on, which were not introduced into evidence,

were formally attested to by the Cellmark analysts or that they conveyed anything

other than objective scientific data. Thus, under Lopez and Dungo, defendant has

not demonstrated that Dr. Cotton‘s testimony as to her own conclusions based on

the X-ray films violated defendant‘s right to cross-examination. (See Dungo,

supra, 55 Cal.4th at p. 619; Lopez, supra, 55 Cal.4th at pp. 570–571.) Although

Dr. Cotton‘s testimony about her own conclusions may have been slightly

bolstered by the constitutionally dubious portion of her testimony about other

analysts‘ conclusions, any error that may have occurred was harmless beyond a

reasonable doubt. Defendant was unable to seriously impeach Dr. Cotton‘s expert

63

opinion and introduced no evidence that would have led a reasonable jury to doubt

Dr. Cotton‘s own analysis.

8. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Based on Opening

Statement

Defendant argues that his attorney rendered ineffective assistance when,

during her opening statement, she referenced a partial confession defendant had

made to the police that the prosecution did not plan to introduce into evidence.

We need not determine whether counsel‘s error amounted to ineffective assistance

because defendant has not demonstrated a reasonable probability that but for

counsel‘s error, the result would have been more favorable to him. (See

Strickland v. Washington (1984) 466 U.S. 668, 694 (Strickland).)

a) Background

On August 21, 1996, defendant admitted to homicide officers in a

videotaped interview that he was present at the scene of the Coleman killing but

denied having killed Coleman or having raped Latasha W. During her opening

statement, defense counsel told the jury: ―The givens are this: [¶] Mr. Banks

admitted to the police when he was questioned that he was present at the Coleman

murder. [¶] He denied that he was the shooter. [¶] He denied raping [Latasha W.].

[¶] But he did admit that he was present.‖

The prosecutor asked to approach and at sidebar informed both the court

and defense counsel that he had no intention of introducing defendant‘s

confession. Defense counsel said she assumed that the prosecutor had intended to

introduce the confession. The court responded, ―I don‘t know why they would put

that in when they have what they have, including an eyewitness. [¶] Again, one

way to find out rather than assuming is certainly to try to ask ahead of time.‖

The next day, defense counsel moved for a mistrial on grounds of her own

incompetence. The trial court denied the motion, stating, ―I don‘t see how it could

64

be incompetence to comment on what you believe the evidence will prove in the

case. [¶] If you have a belief that the evidence will show a particular thing, so be

it. [¶] If the people do not put that evidence on, that happens too. [¶] I say it is a

better idea for counsel to wait until the people have rested to make a statement but

I am not a defense attorney.‖

b) Analysis

Defendant first argues that defense counsel‘s conduct was so egregious as

to constitute complete abandonment under the high court‘s decision in United

States v. Cronic (1984) 466 U.S. 648. Under Cronic, if defense counsel ―entirely

fails to subject the prosecution‘s case to meaningful adversarial testing, then there

has been a denial of Sixth Amendment rights that makes the adversary process

itself presumptively unreliable,‖ and the conviction must be reversed without

further prejudice analysis. (Id. at p. 659.) ―A complete denial of counsel at a

critical stage of the proceedings‖ is sufficient to trigger the Cronic presumption of

prejudice. (People v. Benavides (2005) 35 Cal.4th 69, 86.) ―But when the

defendant is represented by counsel, the [Cronic] presumption of prejudice will

only stand when counsel entirely failed to subject the prosecution‘s case to

meaningful adversarial testing. (Bell v. Cone (2002) 535 U.S. 685; Cronic, at

p. 659.)‖ (Benavides, at p. 86.) Otherwise, ―specific errors and omissions‖ by

trial counsel must generally be litigated as ineffective assistance of counsel claims

under Strickland. (Cronic, at p. 657, fn. 20.)

Here, defense counsel unwisely told the jury the evidence would show that

her client admitted to being present at Coleman‘s house but not to shooting

Coleman or raping Latasha W. When the matter was brought to her attention, she

did not persist. In her closing argument, counsel reminded the jury that some of

the evidence the parties discussed during their opening statements was not

65

presented and that ―[w]hat we said in opening statements and what we say now is

not the evidence in the case. What came from the stand is the evidence in the

case.‖ Furthermore, counsel did not concede any critical element of the Coleman

murder, the robbery special circumstance, the attempted murder, or the rape

charges. Thus, defendant‘s ineffective assistance of counsel claim must be

analyzed under Strickland because his ―argument is not that his counsel failed to

oppose the prosecution throughout the . . . proceeding as a whole, but that his

counsel failed to do so at specific points.‖ (Bell v. Cone, supra, 535 U.S. at

p. 697; see In re Avena (1996) 12 Cal.4th 694, 727–728.)

In order to demonstrate prejudice under Strickland, a ―defendant must show

that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel‘s unprofessional errors,

the result of the proceeding would have been different.‖ (Strickland, supra, 466

U.S. at p. 694.) Where no prejudice showing has been made, there is no need to

inquire whether counsel‘s efforts were in fact ineffective. (Id. at p. 697.) Both

DNA evidence and Latasha W.‘s eyewitness testimony convincingly established

that defendant was not only present at the scene of the Coleman shooting but that

he was the person who raped Latasha W. and shot Coleman. Thus, there is no

reasonable probability that defense counsel‘s error impacted the jury‘s guilty

verdict with respect to any of the crimes that occurred at Coleman‘s home.

9. CALJIC No. 17.41.1 — the “Juror Snitch” Instruction

At both the guilt and penalty phases, the trial court instructed the jury in

accordance with CALJIC No. 17.41.1, the now-defunct ―so-called ‗antijury

nullification‘ instruction.‖ (People v. Rogers (2013) 57 Cal.4th 296, 339

(Rogers).) The instruction provided: ―The integrity of a trial requires that jurors,

at all times during their deliberations, conduct themselves as required by these

instructions. Accordingly, should it occur that any juror refuses to deliberate or

66

expresses an intention to disregard the law or to decide the case based on [penalty

or punishment, or] any [other] improper basis, it is the obligation of the other

jurors to immediately advise the Court of the situation.‖ (CALJIC No. 17.41.1

(6th ed. 1996).) Defendant argues that giving this instruction to the jury violated

his rights to a jury trial and due process under the Sixth and Fourteenth

Amendments to the federal Constitution.

We have previously rejected identical claims, and defendant provides no

reason why we should reach a different conclusion here. In People v. Engelman

(2002) 28 Cal.4th 436, 445–449, we exercised our supervisory powers to order

that the anti-nullification instruction should not be given in future trials. We

explained that ―it is inadvisable and unnecessary for a trial court to create the risk

of intrusion upon the secrecy of deliberation or of an adverse impact upon the

course of deliberations by giving such an instruction.‖ (Id. at p. 445.) At the same

time, we said ―we are not persuaded that, merely because CALJIC No. 17.41.1

might induce a juror who believes there has been juror misconduct to reveal the

content of deliberations unnecessarily (or threaten to do so), the giving of the

instruction constitutes a violation of the constitutional right to trial by jury or

otherwise constitutes error under state law.‖ (Id. at p. 444.) We have repeatedly

affirmed Engelman‘s holding that CALJIC No. 17.41.1 does not violate a

defendant‘s right to a fair trial. (See, e.g., Rogers, supra, 57 Cal.4th at p. 340;

Souza, supra, 54 Cal.4th at p. 144.) Nor did giving CALJIC No. 17.41.1 violate

defendant‘s right to due process here, where there is no suggestion that any juror

was hampered in his or her deliberation or was coerced into changing his or her

views as a result of the instruction. (See People v. McKinnon (2011) 52 Cal.4th

610, 656–657.)

67

10. Judicial Bias

Defendant launches a multi-pronged attack on the overall fairness of his

guilt phase trial, arguing that the trial court made ―repeated one-sided rulings and

remarks directed against defense counsel and appellant, disparaging counsel and

weakening the defense‘s ability to present evidence countering the charges against

appellant.‖ Defendant says that these rulings and comments violated his due

process right to a fair trial before an unbiased judge. However, none of the trial

court‘s remarks in isolation or in the aggregate demonstrated bias on the part of

the judge or denied defendant his right to a fair trial.

a) Defendant’s pretrial absences

First, defendant argues that a series of comments made by the trial judge

during pretrial proceedings regarding defendant‘s repeated absences from those

proceedings demonstrate bias. As explained below, the record reflects that

throughout the pretrial proceedings defendant was taking a variety of psychiatric

medications and was absent from at least six hearings or proceedings, often on

account of self-inflicted injuries or suicide attempts.

On March 18, 1998, defendant was absent from a pretrial conference.

Officials at the prison where defendant was housed informed the trial court that

defendant said he felt ill, refused to leave his cell, and claimed that if forced to

come to court, he would hurt himself or others. Defendant was on suicide watch,

and defense counsel advised the court that he had attempted suicide twice during

the preceding weeks. The trial court decided not to order a forcible cell extraction

but told defense counsel to warn defendant that ―he can‘t set the pace over here‖

and to alert him that the court might order extraction in the future. The court then

proceeded to hear argument on the issues scheduled for the conference but made

tentative rulings only.

68

Defendant was absent from another pretrial conference on April 21, 1998.

The bailiff informed the trial court that defendant had ―overdosed on something.‖

The court then denied a defense motion to delay trial, which appears to have been

based not on defendant‘s overdose but on defense counsel‘s needing to do ―some

other things . . . that I have just found out about.‖

On May 4, 1998, defendant was absent from yet another pretrial

conference. Defense counsel informed the court that defendant had recently been

hospitalized after another suicide attempt, although the bailiff informed the court

that defendant was in his cell but refusing to come to court. Seemingly in

response to the similarity between the judge‘s name (Horan) and the last name of

an officer at the jail (Herran) who spoke to the bailiff, the trial court quipped, ―I

was working last night over there [at the jail]‖ and ―Who else is going to think

there is a conspiracy going on with Mr. Banks?‖

On August 3, 1998, the day pretrial preparations were scheduled to begin,

defendant was absent. The bailiff informed the court that defendant ―took 20 pills

and they had to pump his stomach this morning and . . . he will be listed day to

day.‖ The court stated that defendant ―seems to want to come to court when he

wants to come to court and when he does not, he doesn‘t. [¶] He either injures

himself, although none of his injuries are life threatening. [¶] He comes

sometimes and other times he does not. [¶] The sad fact is that we have to try this

case at some point.‖ Defense counsel told the court she was ―concerned about the

court‘s characterization. [¶] Mr. Banks is mentally ill. [¶] He is brain damaged

and mentally ill and he doesn‘t understand and work on the same level that we do

and most of the other defendants do. [¶] He has had a long, long history of suicide

attempts, not just since this case has happened. [¶] He has had a long history of

doing damage to himself.‖

69

―Apparently unsuccessfully,‖ the court responded. After another brief

colloquy with defense counsel, the court discussed defendant‘s ―attempts, as you

want to characterize them, I would not characterize them as suicide attempts. [¶]

If a guy has been trying to kill himself his entire life, one would suspect that one

would succeed. [¶] I am not trying to minimize your client‘s problems. I assume

he has problems. But when he has a court date that he does not want to make, his

so-called attempts seem to coincide with my court calendar.‖ The court then told

defense counsel to inform her client that ―the court will consider his next medical

problem that is self-induced to be an attempt to delay this trial.‖ And ―if the law

— if I conclude that the law allows me to proceed [in defendant‘s absence], I

will.‖ Otherwise, ―what I will do is explain to the jurors the reason for their

inconvenience and use the same bunch and tell them that: ‗The defendant will not

come to court from jail and, therefore, folks, we have dragged you down here and

will have to ask your indulgence,‘ because I am not going to play a game wherein

we keep ordering up and have — go to the trouble of bringing 150 — I think it is

150 — people into the courtroom while we wait patiently for the defendant to feel

like coming.‖

The next day, defendant was transported to court and made it as far as

lockup. But the bailiff explained to the court that when he went to bring defendant

to the courtroom, defendant told the bailiff ―he needs his medication and that his

jaw is locking up because he needs his medication and he needs to go and he

requested paramedics.‖ Defense counsel then informed the court that she had

relayed the court‘s warnings to defendant and that he had told counsel that he was

―starting to feel ill‖ and explained that ―when they pumped his stomach, they give

him certain medications and it locks up his jaw and it was starting — and he was

starting to get dizzy and did not feel well.‖

70

The court stated: ―It seems that while I don‘t doubt that the defendant may

have some problems that are beyond the ability of this court to diagnose, it seems,

again, that the bulk of his problems revolve around his court dates. [¶] His

‗suicide attempts,‘ all of which have been fruitless, revolve around his court dates.

[¶] His refusal to come to court on certain occasion, it has not been the matter of a

suicide attempt or medication or anything else other than Mr. Banks notifying

deputies at the county jail that he refuses to come in and I have not ordered a cell

extraction.‖ Counsel noted that defendant had made additional suicide attempts,

not coinciding with his court dates, of which the court had not been apprised, and

she requested that defendant be seen by a psychologist at the University of

Southern California (USC).

The court responded that ―[t]here is not a thing wrong with this fellow

when he is in court. [¶] He is responsive and is like any other defendant that I

have ever seen. [¶] The problem is getting him into a courtroom. [¶] Once he is in

court he is controllable. [¶] Nothing will happen in this courtroom, guaranteed.‖

After hearing argument from the prosecution, the court concluded by noting that

the jury was set to arrive the following day and ordered defendant to be there. The

court said that it would ―contact the county jail and explain that we are going to

have [defendant] here tomorrow.‖

The following morning, August 5, 1998, defendant was not present

because, according to the bailiff, he ―was saying that he is too sick to come to

court.‖ The court stated that it ―spent about three hours yesterday, after counsel

left, speaking to the doctors at the county jail, specifically the medical doctor who

is in charge of the county jail medical system, Dr. Clark. [¶] He, at the court‘s

request, became personally involved in the case and spoke directly to Dr. Ortego

. . . at the men‘s central jail health staff. [¶] It is the opinion of Dr. Ortego that in

spite of his suicidal gestures that Mr. Banks is not a serious threat, i.e., re suicide,

71

however, he should be watched while in transit and in the holding area to prevent

delays in the trial proceedings. [¶] They are also of the opinion that he is mentally

stable to start trial and that he has been medically clear and is physically able to

proceed with his trial.‖ The court then concluded that defendant‘s claimed

medical problems the prior day were an instance of malingering.

Defense counsel expressed concern that neither doctor mentioned by the

court was known to her as being the psychiatrists who were treating defendant.

She requested a brief delay in proceedings to permit a USC psychiatrist to

examine defendant and prescribe appropriate medication.

The court denied defense counsel‘s request. Some time later, after a brief

recess, defendant appeared in court, having finally agreed to appear without resort

to a forced extraction. The court informed defendant that if he failed to appear

during the rest of the trial, the court would order forcible cell extraction and later

advised defendant that if he failed to appear, the court would inform the jury that

―the reason for any delay is the recalcitrance of the defendant refusing to come to

court.‖

Finally, on August 12, 1998, proceedings began late due to a delay in

getting defendant to court. The court informed the prospective alternate jurors

who were present at the time that ―[t]here was a problem obtaining the presence of

the defendant in a timely fashion this morning. He is now here and we can go

forward.‖

Defendant argues that these interchanges, in particular the court‘s

skepticism about the severity of defendant‘s mental health situation, betrayed

judicial bias that infected the whole trial. We disagree.

The record shows that the trial court was frustrated with defendant‘s

repeated absences, and understandably so. The record also shows that the court

characterized defendant‘s repeated attempts to harm himself (including an

72

overdose that required his stomach to be pumped) as malingering or recalcitrance,

and threatened to inform the jury accordingly, without consulting a mental health

expert. When the court eventually did consult a mental health professional, the

court reported information from ex parte off-the-record conversations with prison

medical staff without indicating whether the physicians in question were directly

responsible for defendant‘s care. A better course would have been to conduct a

hearing on the issue or to have defendant examined by a court-appointed

psychiatrist, as urged by defense counsel. (Cf. People v. Lewis (2006) 39 Cal.4th

970, 994 [court properly concluded defendant was feigning mental incompetence

where such a finding ―w[as] supported by the record, including expert testimony

introduced at a hearing on [the defendant‘s] competence‖].)

Nevertheless, defendant does not argue that the court violated state or

federal law in its attempts to secure defendant‘s attendance, or that it violated state

or federal law by holding preliminary hearings in his absence or by engaging in ex

parte communications with prison medical staff. His only argument is that the

court‘s comments demonstrate bias against defendant that infected the entire trial.

We do not agree that the court‘s skepticism as to the reasons for defendant‘s

pretrial absence demonstrated bias toward any facet of defendant‘s guilt phase

case, in which defendant did not assert any mental health-based defenses. (See

People v. Guerra (2006) 37 Cal.4th 1067, 1112 [―adverse or erroneous rulings,

especially those that are subject to review, do not establish a charge of judicial

bias‖].) Rather, the court‘s comments reflected frustration with the disruptions

caused by defendant‘s repeated absences. Nothing suggests that the court

developed a generally antagonistic stance toward defendant that bled into some

other facet of the guilt phase trial.

Equally important, defendant does not demonstrate any way in which the

court‘s pretrial comments impacted the jury. (See People v. Sturm (2006) 37

73

Cal.4th 1218, 1237 (Sturm) [―Trial judges ‗should be exceedingly discreet in what

they say and do in the presence of a jury lest they seem to lean toward or lend their

influence to one side or the other‘ ‖ (italics added)].) The only comment the court

made in front of (prospective) jurors was the remark that proceedings had been

delayed one morning because of a ―problem obtaining the presence of the

defendant in a timely fashion.‖ But that comment did not blame defendant for the

delay, nor did it indicate that the court had an unfavorable view of defendant, his

mental health, or his cooperation with prison authorities. Thus, the trial court‘s

exchanges with defendant and defense counsel regarding defendant‘s repeated

absences and mental health did not deprive defendant of his due process right to a

fair trial.

b) Interruption of Opening Statement

During her opening statement, defense counsel stated: ―Each homicide [of

those charged] is a totally different case and you have to decide on them totally

separately. [¶] They are not being charged together so you can[not] use one for

the other. [¶] If a piece of evidence that you feel belongs to one or the other, that

is fine. But they are three separate cases and you need to decide them

individually. [¶] It is fine for you to discuss and you should — ‖ The court

interrupted: ―Counsel, let me remind you that this is not an argument. [¶] That

will come at the end of the case. [¶] Go ahead and make your statement.‖

Defendant is incorrect that the court‘s interruption demonstrates judicial

bias. Regardless of whether the trial court was correct that there was anything

improper about counsel‘s opening statement (a question we do not address), the

trial court‘s intervention does not approach the type of ― ‗discourteous and

disparaging remarks to defense counsel‘ ‖ that we have found to constitute judicial

misconduct. (Sturm, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 1223; see, e.g., id. at pp. 1235–1236

74

[court told counsel the line of questioning was ― ‗going nowhere‘ ‖ and counsel

was ― ‗not grasping my ruling,‘ ‖ accused counsel of ― ‗trying to sneak [forbidden

questions] by,‘ ‖ referred to the ― ‗inordinate amount of time whereby objections

are raised with regard to questions by [defense counsel],‘ ‖ and described counsel

to the jury as having ― ‗supposedly learn[ed] the rules of evidence‘ ‖ in law school

(italics omitted)].)

c) Court’s ruling on an evidentiary objection

Finally, defendant objects to the trial court‘s handling of the prosecution‘s

objection to defense counsel‘s cross-examination of Dr. Cotton, the prosecution‘s

DNA expert. On cross-examination, defense counsel sought to explore the fact

that Dr. Cotton‘s lab had originally conducted the DNA test at only five loci,

resulting in a one in 8,000 probability that any particular African-American might

be the source of the sperm sample. A later test involving nine loci decreased the

probability of a match within the African-American population to one in 17

million.

Defense counsel then asked Dr. Cotton, ―So basically under the first set of

testing, the prosecution indicated they didn‘t like the statistics.‖ The prosecution

objected ―to that characterization.‖ The court sustained the objection as follows:

―Look, this is so objectionable. [¶] What the lady [Dr. Cotton] said was the

following: [¶] They tested several loci and stopped, were asked to do more and

said fine and kept going and kept up with their results. [¶] So please, counsel, I

assume you understand and please do not ask questions that misstate the evidence

in the case or that assume facts not shown by the evidence in the case. [¶] Please

don‘t do that.‖

Defendant did not object to the court‘s comments. Shortly thereafter, and

without the jury present, the trial court further criticized counsel for the question

75

she posed to Dr. Cotton. Defense counsel defended her conduct but did not object

to the court‘s comments to the jury or request a specific admonition with respect to

them.

As to any claim that the particular remark, on its own, constituted judicial

misconduct sufficient to warrant reversal, that claim is forfeited by defendant‘s

failure to object. A claim of pervasive judicial bias does not necessarily require an

objection to be preserved because such an objection may be futile, but ―[a]s a

general rule,‖ isolated ―judicial misconduct claims are not preserved for appellate

review if no objections were made on those grounds at trial.‖ (Sturm, supra, 37

Cal.4th at p. 1237.) We therefore consider defendant‘s claim only for purposes of

determining whether it demonstrated pervasive judicial bias against defendant.

A trial court must avoid making ―comments implying that defense counsel

was behaving unethically or in an underhanded fashion‖ in front of the jury.

(Sturm, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 1241.) Here, when defense counsel alleged that

―the prosecution indicated they didn‘t like the statistics‖ from the initial test, the

court properly admonished defense counsel against assuming facts not in

evidence. However, the court‘s remark — ―They tested several loci and stopped,

were asked to do more and said fine and kept going and kept up with their results.

[¶] So please, counsel, I assume you understand and please do not ask questions

that misstate the evidence in the case . . . .‖ — arguably implied that defense

counsel made an allegation that she knew to be specious, when in fact there had

been no evidence up to that point, one way or the other, as to why Dr. Cotton‘s lab

had been ―asked to do more.‖

But whether or not this particular admonition of defense counsel was

improper, this isolated incident does not support defendant‘s claim that the trial

court was pervasively biased against him. Defendant relies primarily on Sturm,

where we reversed a conviction due to the trial court‘s pervasive misconduct.

76

There, the trial court ―belittled defense witnesses on several occasions‖ (Sturm,

supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 1233), repeatedly answered questions (once incorrectly) for

a defense witness (id. at p. 1239), ―disparaged defense counsel‖ on multiple

occasions (id. at p. 1234), and ―interposed [its] own objections to questions asked

by defense counsel‖ on ―numerous occasions‖ (id. at p. 1235). The trial court also

compounded its behavior by admonishing the jury that it was not biased against

defense counsel, but doing so in a way that implied that defense counsel did not

understand the rules of evidence. (Id. at p. 1236). Here, by contrast, the trial

court‘s remark did not demonstrate pervasive bias against defendant either in

isolation or in combination with its pretrial comments about defendant‘s mental

health. (See People v. Houston (2012) 54 Cal.4th 1186, 1221 [―Even if improper

. . . two brief remarks ‗ ―fall short of the intemperate or biased judicial conduct

[that] warrants reversal.‖ ‘ ‖]; People v. Fudge (1994) 7 Cal.4th 1075, 1107 [―A

trial court commits misconduct if it ‗persists in making discourteous and

disparaging remarks to a defendant‘s counsel . . . and utters frequent comment

from which the jury may plainly perceive that the testimony of the witness is not

believed by the judge, and in other ways discredits the cause of the defense . . . .‘ ‖

(italics added)].)

In sum, defendant has not demonstrated judicial bias in the guilt phase.

11. Cumulative Error

Defendant argues that even if any of the individual errors he believes

infected his trial were harmless, the errors are prejudicial in the aggregate. The

only errors we have found are the trial court‘s failure to instruct the jury on the

penalty enhancement for deliberate and premeditated attempted murder of Latasha

W., which we have corrected, and the trial court‘s failure to instruct on the lesser

included offense of second degree murder with respect to the Foster murder,

77

which we have found harmless. We have also concluded that the court‘s pretrial

remarks about defendant‘s mental health and its admonition in response to defense

counsel‘s cross-examination of Dr. Cotton did not demonstrate pervasive bias.

We see no basis for reversal based on cumulative prejudice.

B. Penalty Phase Issues

1. Exclusion of Defendant from Trial

Defendant contends the court violated his statutory right to be present at his

own trial as well as his Sixth Amendment right to cross-examine the witnesses

against him by ordering him excluded from his entire penalty phase trial. In light

of his egregious conduct — spitting on the judge and throwing a bag of excrement

and urine in court — we conclude that the exclusion was proper and no further

warnings were required beyond those given to him at the outset of trial.

a) Background

After the trial court‘s difficulties securing defendant‘s attendance at the

guilt phase trial, the court admonished defendant that he was required to attend the

trial and comport himself properly or else he could be excluded from the trial. The

court explained to defendant that ―[t]here are two situations wherein a defendant is

not present during even critical portions of a death case. [¶] One is when he

waives his presence voluntarily in open court . . . . [¶] The other is if the

defendant becomes disruptive and has to be removed. [¶] If you, for some reason,

refuse to come into the courtroom when required, which is every day, I will make

a finding that you have disrupted the proceeding by your absence and/or waived

your right to your presence so the case will go on even if you are not here.‖

During the penalty phase voir dire, as a panel of prospective jurors was

exiting the courtroom, defendant began yelling at the court, ―You‘re evil. Evil.

Demon.‖ He then flung a plastic bag full of fecal matter and urine at the court.

78

The contents of the bag wound up on the counsel tables and on the bench.

According to the court, defendant said, ― ‗I‘m done,‘ or ‗That‘s it,‘ or some words

indicating that he was not interested in fighting and he went with the bailiff into

lock up.‖

The court then said that ―this is a long history with Mr. Banks, not this

particular behavior, but coming to court when he pleases and things of this nature

and refusing to come and the court having to get orders to remove him from the

cell and playing those games with him. [¶] We will not continue to play the games

with Mr. Banks. [¶] My intention is to have Mr. Banks far removed from the

proceedings until concluded.‖

The next day the court reiterated this ruling after hearing defense counsel‘s

argument that defendant‘s behavior may have been attributable to his not being

medicated. In reaching this conclusion, the court determined that it could not

―think of a restraint, short of absolute mummification, which I don‘t propose, that

would protect the participants and the integrity of the trial.‖

Later that day, the court had defendant brought to the courtroom, explained

its ruling, and asked defendant if he wished to have speakers installed in the

lockup to allow him to hear the proceedings. The court allowed defendant to

confer with counsel but denied his request for ―a few minutes alone‖ with her.

When defendant then refused to answer whether he wanted a speaker, the court

ordered him escorted out of the courtroom, at which point defendant responded

―Shut up‖ and spat on the trial judge from approximately 12 feet away.

The trial court said that if either party believed appellant‘s presence to be

necessary in order to give testimony or to be identified by other witnesses, that

party could so move, and the court would hear arguments on whether and how to

make appropriate arrangements. Defense counsel never moved for defendant to be

readmitted to the courtroom during the penalty phase retrial, and defendant did not

79

return. Over counsel‘s objection, defendant also was not permitted to be present

when he was formally sentenced. Instead, he was held in lockup, approximately

10 feet outside the courtroom, with the door open so that he could hear.

b) Analysis

In Illinois v. Allen (1970) 397 U.S. 337 (Allen), the high court said that

―[o]ne of the most basic of the rights guaranteed by the Confrontation Clause is

the accused‘s right to be present in the courtroom at every stage of his trial.‖ (Id.

at p. 338.) Nonetheless, ―a defendant can lose his right to be present at trial if,

after he has been warned by the judge that he will be removed if he continues his

disruptive behavior, he nevertheless insists on conducting himself in a manner so

disorderly, disruptive, and disrespectful of the court that his trial cannot be carried

on with him in the courtroom. Once lost, the right to be present can, of course, be

reclaimed as soon as the defendant is willing to conduct himself consistently with

the decorum and respect inherent in the concept of courts and judicial

proceedings.‖ (Id. at p. 343, fn. omitted.) Thus, before ordering a defendant

excluded from his own trial, a court must warn the defendant that the conduct in

question will lead to his or her exclusion. And a defendant who has been excluded

must be permitted to return upon demonstrating a willingness to reform. Our

Legislature has codified these rules at Penal Code section 1043, subdivisions (b)

and (c).

Applying these standards, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its

discretion in excluding defendant from his penalty phase retrial. Because of the

prior conflict between defendant and the court regarding defendant‘s attendance at

trial, defendant had already been expressly warned that misconduct could result in

his exclusion from trial. Defense counsel acknowledged that defendant had been

warned he could be excluded if he ―d[id] not behave himself in court.‖ Whether

80

or not a broadly worded, general warning to a defendant at the outset of trial is

ordinarily sufficient to justify excluding the defendant for any subsequent

misconduct, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in failing to give defendant

additional warnings under these unique and egregious circumstances. It is difficult

to imagine conduct more repugnant to the orderly conduct of a trial or more

disrespectful of the dignity of the courtroom and its participants than defendant‘s

act of throwing a bag of excrement and urine at the trial judge. Moreover, we

agree with the trial court‘s observation that the degree of premeditation involved

in creating and hiding the projectile in question belies any claim that his actions

reflected a momentary lapse of impulse control. Any remaining doubt as to

defendant‘s ability or willingness to control his behavior was dispelled the next

day, when defendant spat on the judge from 12 feet away. Defendant‘s purposeful

defilement of the courtroom went much farther than more typical types of

misconduct, such as verbal disruptions or abusive language, that might call for a

specific warning befo

This text is long and has been trimmed here. Open the source document for the complete record.