Source: https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/3d/46/212.html
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Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 211', '§ 211', '§ 190', '§ 190', '§ 12022', '§ 11', '§ 1239', '§ 954', '§ 1101', '§ 1098', '§ 1098', '§ 1098', '§ 190', '§ 190', '§ 1223']

People v. Boyde (1988) :: :: Supreme Court of California Decisions :: California Case Law :: California Law :: US Law :: Justia
Justia › US Law › Case Law › California Case Law › Cal. 3d › Volume 46 › People v. Boyde (1988)
People v. Boyde (1988)
[No. S004447, Crim. No. 22584.
Appellant Richard Boyde was convicted of robbery and kidnapping for robbery and found to have personally used a knife in perpetrating these offenses upon a gas station attendant in Riverside on January 5, 1981. (Pen. Code, §§ 211, 209, subd. (b), 12022, subd. (b).) fn. 1 In addition, Boyde was convicted of robbery, kidnapping for robbery, and first degree murder of the clerk in a 7-Eleven store in Riverside on January 15, 1981. (§§ 211, 209, 189.) The jury found two special circumstances true (murder during the commission of robbery (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(17)(i)) and during the commission of kidnapping in violation of section 209 (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(17)(ii))), found that Boyde personally used a firearm in perpetrating all three offenses (§ 12022.5), and specially found that Boyde "personally killed [the victim] with express malice aforethought and premeditation and deliberation." The jury fixed the penalty at death; the appeal is automatic. (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 11; § 1239, subd. (b).) [46 Cal. 3d 222]
Three and one-half hours after the initial report, a local citizen found a body in a nearby orange grove and reported his finding to police at the 7-Eleven store. Investigators found the body, later identified as the store's night clerk Dickie Gibson, lying on its back in the dirt. Detective Callow noticed a gunshot wound in the victim's forehead, a slight wound on the small finger of his right hand, and abrasions on his knees. There were five identifiable footprints at the scene, including an impression left by a flat-soled left shoe near the victim's head and several impressions with a diamond pattern located four feet from the body, near its feet. The autopsy showed the victim was killed by a bullet wound above the right ear, which was probably fired from a .22-caliber gun from a distance of more than 16 inches. There were also gunshot wounds to the fingers of the right hand. [46 Cal. 3d 223] The shot to the forehead had not penetrated the skull and was not the cause of death, but the nature of the wound indicated it had been inflicted from close range, probably six to twelve inches. The abrasions on the hands and on the knees could have been caused by a hard dirt or asphalt surface. Death probably occurred between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on January 15. The victim's brother testified that everything had appeared normal when he stopped by the store for a visit between 1 and 1:40 a.m.
After advisement as required by Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 [16 L. Ed. 2d 694, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 10 A.L.R.3d 974], Boyde waived his rights and agreed to discuss the gas station robbery with Detective Callow. Callow informed Boyde he was under arrest for this robbery and that the watch recovered from Boyde's home had been stolen in it. Boyde denied involvement and claimed he had bought the watch from "Moe." Confronted with information that clothing recovered from his home matched the description of the robber's clothes, Boyde claimed he had loaned the clothes to "Moe." Told that the victim had selected his picture in a photographic lineup, Boyde explained that "Moe" looked quite a bit like him. Finally, confronted with Callow's assertion that police had sufficient evidence to prove he committed the robbery, Boyde said, "you got me."
Boyde then became disturbed at the prospect of returning to prison or jail and asked if there were any way he could avoid it. Callow told him "six or seven times" the police department could not make any such promises. Boyde then asked what would happen if he had information -- specifically about the football coach at the 7-Eleven store who was killed. Callow said that he would be willing to relay his information to the district attorney's office. [46 Cal. 3d 224]
The three men drove to the 7-Eleven store at Indiana and Monroe Streets so that Boyde could buy cigarettes and a soda. Both Boyde and Big Mike got out of the car, but Big Mike went into the store alone while Boyde and Ellison waited outside. It was late. The clerk unlocked the door to let Big Mike in, and Big Mike walked to the back of the store. As Boyde was returning to the car, he looked up in time to see Big Mike pull the gun on the clerk who raised his hands and then put money from the cash register into a bag. Big Mike then brought the clerk outside and told him to get in the back seat of the car. The clerk did not close the car door completely, and as Big Mike entered the other rear door, the clerk threw a stereo speaker at him and ran from the car. Big Mike fired once and then chased him. The clerk fell near the side of the store, and Big Mike caught up with him. They returned to the car, and Big Mike told Ellison to drive up [46 Cal. 3d 225] Monroe toward the orange groves. Boyde tried to convince Big Mike to let the clerk go, but he refused.
Boyde described the kind of money taken in the robbery (a few ones, two fives and some change). He said he had worn tennis shoes but didn't remember where that particular pair was. He said Ellison was wearing canvas-topped, rubber-soled walking shoes. [46 Cal. 3d 226]
Ellison stuck to his story during the initial portion of his interview with the polygraph operator, but later recanted. He claimed he did not kill the clerk, but that Boyde did. He said they had gone to the 7-Eleven to "take the money and leave," but Boyde had shot the clerk. Ellison then gave a detailed account of how the robbery came about. He claimed it was Boyde's idea, that Boyde had asked him to bring the gun and he had done so, that Boyde had driven around and selected the store and then had Ellison drive during the robbery, that Boyde had explained afterwards that he had to kill [46 Cal. 3d 227] the clerk because he was determined not to go back to prison. Ellison said he had gone into the grove to see what Boyde was doing and that he had turned the clerk over because Boyde told him to. Ellison was scared; he knew the man was dead. He said he had covered up for Boyde because he felt he bore half the responsibility because he had been present and because he knew Boyde would serve more time as a result of his prior conviction.
The trial court heard extensive pretrial motions, including Boyde's motion to sever the counts alleged against him (§ 954), Boyde's motion to exclude evidence of his prior crimes (Evid. Code, § 1101), both defendants' motions to sever their trials (§ 1098), to suppress their incriminating statements to police (for asserted involuntariness and Miranda violations) and to exclude portions of those statements implicating the nondeclarant defendant in the Gibson robbery-murder. (Bruton v. United States (1968) 391 U.S. 123 [20 L. Ed. 2d 476, 88 S. Ct. 1620]; People v. Aranda (1965) 63 Cal. 2d 518 [47 Cal. Rptr. 353, 407 P.2d 265].)
Following lengthy voir dire, the trial proceeded with the prosecution's case-in-chief against Boyde. The prosecutor presented testimony by Baker describing the nature and circumstances of the January 5, 1981, gas station robbery and Baker's in-court identification of Boyde as the perpetrator. The officers who investigated both 1981 crimes testified concerning fruits of the gas station robbery found in Boyde's home, the physical evidence at the 7-Eleven store, the physical evidence at the site where Gibson's body was found and the autopsy results. Boyde's three tape-recorded statements to investigating police officers were played for the jury. Otharean Owens -- Ellison's mother and Boyde's sister -- testified that during a conversation at the jail, Boyde admitted to her that Ellison was not involved in the killing. [46 Cal. 3d 228]
Boyde's defense consisted only of the testimony of Deputy District Attorney Robert Spitzer, which was offered in support of Boyde's claim that his incriminating statements were involuntary because they were elicited by a promise of lenience. (People v. Jimenez (1978) 21 Cal. 3d 595 [147 Cal. Rptr. 172, 580 P.2d 672].)
Ellison did as he was told, returned to the spot where he had left the others, and went into the grove to find Boyde. He heard a shot. When he found Boyde and the clerk, the clerk was lying on the ground breathing [46 Cal. 3d 229] loudly. Boyde told him to turn the clerk over, but Ellison refused and ran for the car. The car stalled; before Ellison could get it started he heard another shot. Boyde got in, saying, "let's get out of here."
Ellison's only other defense witness was Lucinda Taylor, his half-sister. Taylor testified that Boyde had come by Ellison's house on January 15 and that he seemed nervous. The two had sat in Ellison's mother's bedroom watching television for a while. Boyde sent her out of the room on contrived errands at least three times. fn. 3 [46 Cal. 3d 230]
Boyde spent the following day with Preston Scott in Whittier; he was not at Ellison's house. He denied ever telling Otharean Owens that Ellison was not involved in the killing. [46 Cal. 3d 231]
The court found Ellison guilty of all counts charged. At sentencing, however, the court found Ellison's lesser culpability as an aider and abettor warranted striking the special circumstances. (People v. Williams (1981) 30 Cal. 3d 470 [179 Cal. Rptr. 443, 637 P.2d 1029].) Ellison was sentenced to the term prescribed for first degree murder, 25 years to life.
[1a] Boyde contends that the trial court's refusal to order separate trials for the defendants constituted a prejudicial abuse of discretion. The California Penal Code provides for joint trials of defendants jointly charged with criminal offenses. "When two or more defendants are jointly charged with any public offense, whether felony or misdemeanor, they must be tried jointly, unless the court orders separate trials. ..." (§ 1098.) [2] The Legislature has in this manner expressed a preference for joint trials. (See People v. Lara (1967) 67 Cal. 2d 365, 394 [62 Cal. Rptr. 586, 432 P.2d 202]; [46 Cal. 3d 232] People v. Isenor (1971) 17 Cal. App. 3d 324, 330-331 [94 Cal. Rptr. 746].) The statute nevertheless permits the trial court to order separate trials, and the decision to do so is one "largely within the discretion of the trial court." (People v. Turner (1984) 37 Cal. 3d 302, 312 [208 Cal. Rptr. 196, 690 P.2d 669]; People v. Graham (1969) 71 Cal. 2d 303, 330 [78 Cal. Rptr. 217, 455 P.2d 153].) Whether denial of a motion to sever constitutes an abuse of discretion must be decided on the facts as they appear at the time of the hearing on the motion to sever. (People v. Turner, supra, 37 Cal.3d at p. 312.)
[3] The grounds which may justify a severance were summarized in People v. Massie (1967) 66 Cal. 2d 899 [59 Cal. Rptr. 733, 428 P.2d 869]: (1) Where there is an extrajudicial statement made by one defendant which incriminates another defendant and which cannot adequately be edited to excise the portions incriminating the latter; (2) where there may be prejudicial association with codefendants; (3) where there may be likely confusion from evidence on multiple counts; (4) where there may be conflicting defenses; and (5) where there is a possibility that in a separate trial the codefendant may give exonerating testimony. (People v. Massie, supra, 66 Cal.2d at pp. 916-917.)
Although several California decisions have stated that the existence of conflicting defenses may compel severance of codefendants' trials, none has found an abuse of discretion or reversed a conviction on this basis. (See People v. Massie, supra, 66 Cal. 2d 899; People v. Turner, supra, 37 Cal. 3d 302; People v. Jones (1970) 10 Cal. App. 3d 237 [88 Cal. Rptr. 871]; People v. Wheeler (1973) 32 Cal. App. 3d 455 [108 Cal. Rptr. 26].) Indeed, we recently rejected such a claim in People v. Turner, supra, 37 Cal.3d at pages 311-313, where Turner presented no defense and his codefendant Souza testified that Turner was the killer and that he had assisted in the robbery because he feared Turner. We noted that there is a statutory preference for joint trials (see § 1098) and that the "instant case provided the classic situation for joint trial -- defendants charged with common crimes against common victims. [¶] As to conflicting defenses, counsel could articulate no reason for separate trials except to point out that the prosecution would simply put on [46 Cal. 3d 233] its case, then sit back and watch as defense counsel became the real adversaries. Of course, if that point has merit, separate trials would appear to be mandatory in almost every case." (37 Cal.3d at pp. 312-313.)
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to find an abuse of discretion in similar circumstances. In United States v. Brady (9th Cir. 1978) 579 F.2d 1121 (cert. den. 439 U.S. 1074 [59 L. Ed. 2d 41, 99 S.Ct. 849]), each of the two defendants facing manslaughter charges defended by claiming that the other inflicted the fatal blows to the victim of their joint assault. Acknowledging the obvious hostility and conflict in the positions taken by defendants, the court found that "the prejudice which either appellant may have suffered from the testimony of the other is relatively slight. It is undisputed that each appellant participated in the incident. Consequently, it would only be natural for one to try to place the blame on the other. The jury had the responsibility of assessing each of the appellants' credibility. Moreover, the testimony of each appellant was merely cumulative of the government's case against the other and considering the simplicity of the case, there is no sound reason to suggest that members of the jury, being properly instructed as they were, could not realistically appraise the evidence against each appellant." (Id. at p. 1128.)
[1b] As in Turner, supra, 37 Cal. 3d 302, and Brady, supra, 579 F.2d 1121, it cannot be said here that the trial court abused its discretion in denying severance or that Boyde was denied a fair trial by the procedure employed. Although the defense positions might be characterized as antagonistic on the issue of the identity of the actual killer, it was undisputed that each defendant participated in the incident. Ellison's testimony -- while critical as a percipient witness in placing the gun in Boyde's hand -- only corroborated the other details of the offense established by Boyde's own extrajudicial statements and physical evidence presented by the prosecution. Ellison did not present the kind of extensive evidence against Boyde which [46 Cal. 3d 234] would have turned the trial into more of a contest between the defendants than between the prosecution and either of them, and his counsel made no arguments to the Boyde jury. No evidence inadmissible as to Boyde was introduced as a result of the joint trial; Boyde himself introduced Ellison's extrajudicial statements, and Ellison was available and fully cross-examined. (See Nelson v. O'Neil (1971) 402 U.S. 622 [29 L. Ed. 2d 222, 91 S. Ct. 1723].) The prosecutor did not simply sit back and let the defendants convict each other; his case-in-chief against both successfully withstood the test of sections 1118 and 1118.1, and he aggressively cross-examined Ellison as well as Boyde.
[4a] Boyde claims the prosecutor's failure to disclose an inducement given for Ellison's testimony constituted the suppression of substantial material evidence relating to the credibility of a key witness which denied him due process of law. (People v. Ruthford (1975) 14 Cal. 3d 399, 406 [121 Cal. Rptr. 261, 534 P.2d 1341, A.L.R.4th 3132]; see also, People v. Phillips (1985) 41 Cal. 3d 29, 45-49 [222 Cal. Rptr. 127, 711 P.2d 423].) Although Ellison was not called as a witness for the prosecution, and although no plea bargain was entered, Boyde asserts that Ellison's decision to waive jury and submit to a court trial and his decision to testify in his own defense were [46 Cal. 3d 235] prompted by an express or implied agreement that the prosecutor would not seek the death penalty against Ellison, and would agree that any special circumstances found true as to Ellison should be stricken.
On October 6, 1981, while hearing another motion pertaining only to Ellison, counsel announced that Ellison had elected to waive jury trial. The prosecutor joined in the waiver as to trial on guilt, special circumstances, and penalty. The prosecutor stated on the record "this is not a slow plea by any stretch of the imagination, and there are no concessions being made by either side, and it will be anticipated a fully contested trial down the line on the issue of guilt." The prosecutor also stated, "As the Court well knows, and since there will not be picking a jury, there will be no evidence presented in aggravation other than the facts of the crime and the special circumstances. [¶] While I -- I'm not going to come out in court and concede something at this point in time -- it suggests to me that at some point in time the law is going to require the Court -- will not put the Court in a position to come back with a finding of death in this case. [¶] We would not be willing to waive jury to put you in that kind of a predicament in a case like this. [¶] I think it is not part of the negotiations for the jury waiver, or anything else. It is just an understanding that there will be no further evidence in aggravation, and that as I interpret the factors under 209 [sic] of the Penal Code, the Court will be required as a matter of law, to come back if, in fact, special circumstances are found, of course, with life without parole, and I wanted the Court to be aware of that." Ellison's counsel then commented that "Mr. Ellison will take part in the regular full-blown trial. There's been no concessions made by the District Attorney. In fact, it was after a little agonizing soul searching and conferences that my proposal to waive jury was accepted by him, and then I had to reconsider all the facets. [¶] We will take part in the trial. Evidence will be presented and Mr. Ellison will testify." [46 Cal. 3d 236]
"So Mr. Ellison has, perhaps not intentionally, done a tremendous service to the People of the State of California by his posture in this particular case." The prosecutor also argued that Ellison was less culpable for the murder and concluded, "I believe that if this defendant is sentenced to a 25 [46 Cal. 3d 237] to life sentence, rather than a Life Without Parole, justice will have been served, or at least not disserved."
The fact that Ellison later successfully moved to have his conviction reduced to second degree murder, pursuant to People v. Dillon (1983) 34 Cal. 3d 441 [194 Cal. Rptr. 390, 668 P.2d 697], and that the district attorney at that time agreed the reduction would be appropriate, is not determinative either. The district attorney's position as to the relative culpability of the codefendants remained consistent.
Boyde challenges the admission of his various statements to the police, claiming they were not proved beyond a reasonable doubt to have been voluntarily given. (People v. Jimenez, supra, 21 Cal. 3d 595.) Specifically, he argues that: (1) the January 22 statement in which he admitted knowledge of the 7-Eleven robbery-homicide was induced by an implied promise of leniency with regard to the charges arising out of the gas station robbery-kidnapping (People v. Jimenez, supra, 21 Cal.3d at pp. 611-612); (2) he did not waive his rights with regard to the offense of murder (see U.S. v. McCrary (5th Cir. 1981) 643 F.2d 323, 328); (3) the statement was given while he was in a state of extreme emotional upset and was not therefore the "'"product of a rational intellect and a free will"'" (People v. MacPherson (1970) 2 Cal. 3d 109, 113 [84 Cal. Rptr. 129, 465 P.2d 17]; In re Cameron (1968) 68 Cal. 2d 487, 498 [67 Cal. Rptr. 529, 439 P.2d 633]); (4) the January 23 statements in which he admitted involvement in the robbery-homicide [46 Cal. 3d 238] were the fruits of the earlier, involuntary statement (People v. Braeseke (1979) 25 Cal. 3d 691, 703-704 [159 Cal. Rptr. 684, 602 P.2d 384]); and (5) the final statement on January 23, in which he confessed the 7-Eleven robbery was induced by police deception as to the legal consequences of his prior admission of some involvement (see People v. Disbrow (1976) 16 Cal. 3d 101, 112, fn. 12 [127 Cal. Rptr. 360, 545 P.2d 272]).
[7] In general, a confession is considered voluntary "if the accused's decision to speak is entirely 'self-motivated' [citation], i.e., if he freely and voluntarily chooses to speak without 'any form of compulsion or promise of reward. ...' [Citation.]" (People v. Thompson (1980) 27 Cal. 3d 303, 327-328 [165 Cal. Rptr. 289, 611 P.2d 883].) However, where a person in authority makes an express or clearly implied promise of leniency or advantage for the accused which is a motivating cause of the decision to confess, the confession is involuntary and inadmissible as a matter of law. (People v. Brommel (1961) 56 Cal. 2d 629, 632 [15 Cal. Rptr. 909, 364 P.2d 845].) Mere advice or exhortation by the police that it would be better for the accused to tell the truth, when unaccompanied by either a threat or a promise, does not, however, make a subsequent confession involuntary. (People v. Jimenez, supra, 21 Cal.3d at p. 611.)
[8a] Boyde claims that his initial statement admitting knowledge of the Gibson robbery-homicide was induced by an implied promise that a statement would lead to more favorable disposition of the charges of robbery and kidnapping for robbery of Baker, for which he had been arrested. [46 Cal. 3d 239] Because Detective Callow admitted that he considered appellant a potential suspect in the Gibson homicide at the time of the January 22 interview regarding the Baker robbery-kidnapping, Boyde asserts the officer was motivated by a desire to obtain an incriminatory statement. Further, although Callow repeatedly informed Boyde that the police could not promise leniency but could only pass any information along to the district attorney who had the authority to make such an offer, Boyde argues Callow "made it crystal clear" that he had "no hope of anything other than incarceration" unless he gave a statement on the homicide. (See In re Roger G. (1975) 53 Cal. App. 3d 198 [125 Cal. Rptr. 625].)
The cases upon which Boyde relies are inapposite. In In re Roger G., supra, 53 Cal. App. 3d 198, for instance, officers engaged in a lengthy effort to induce a minor to abandon his claim of innocence of a shooting for which he had been arrested. They told him he might be incarcerated for "'seven or eight or ten or life, you know ...'" and said, "'... it's gonna help you out for a chance of probation or getting parole if you are honest about the thing. ... [but] if you go in there ... and ... try to cover up, do you think we'd give you a chance at probation or parole? No way.'" Although they subsequently stated they could not promise probation or parole, that it was only a possibility, the appellate court found the evidence established an "implied, if not express threat of harsher punishment if Roger did not confess, and an implied, if not express, promise of the possibility of more lenient treatment if he did." (Id. at pp. 200-202.) And although dictum in People v. Nelson (1964) 224 Cal. App. 2d 238 [36 Cal. Rptr. 385] indicates that a confession to crimes for which defendant was arrested might be involuntary if induced by promises of lenient treatment on an unrelated pending charge, that is not the factual posture of appellant's case.
At the time of his January 22 statement Boyde made a voluntary, if unwise, decision to offer false information in hope of obtaining favorable treatment. The trial court's determination that the statement was voluntary beyond a reasonable doubt is correct. [46 Cal. 3d 240]
[9] Boyde argues that the failure to inform him he was a suspect in the robbery-murder rendered his January 22 statement involuntary because his decision to waive his rights to remain silent and to consult counsel was not made knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily. He acknowledges that no California decision had held that Miranda warnings (Miranda v. Arizona, supra, 384 U.S. 436) must specify the actual charge pending against the person being interrogated and that the Court of Appeal rejected such an argument in People v. Neely (1979) 95 Cal. App. 3d 1011, 1017 [157 Cal. Rptr. 531]. He also acknowledges that the Court of Appeal has held that new Miranda warnings are not necessarily required whenever an interrogation about one crime leads to discussion of another. (People v. Schenk (1972) 24 Cal. App. 3d 233, 236 [101 Cal. Rptr. 75].)
He urges that the position taken by a minority of courts which require such information to implement Miranda is the better approach. Boyde relies upon United States v. McCrary, supra, 643 F.2d 323, Schenk v. Ellsworth (D.Mont. 1968) 293 F. Supp. 26, and Commonwealth v. Dixon (1977) 475 Pa. 17 [379 A.2d 553]. The argument does not fit the facts of this case. On January 22 Boyde volunteered information about these crimes, and as noted above, admitted no complicity but claimed to know that others had committed the offenses. This statement was damaging because it led directly to the later statements in which Boyde admitted his guilt, but was incriminating only by comparison to those later statements.
The evidence does not indicate Boyde was so distraught that his will to resist confession was overborne. Detective Callow testified that Boyde seemed to calm down after being removed to an interview room and being given coffee and a cigarette. Boyde presented no contradictory evidence. There was no indication of intoxication or mental illness. [46 Cal. 3d 241]
[11] Boyde claims that at the conclusion of this statement Lund told him it amounted to a full confession, that he believed Boyde had in fact been more deeply involved than he had admitted, and that any further statement could not result in any greater liability than he had already incurred. After this confrontation Boyde told his final version, which implicated him at least as an accomplice in the robbery and felony murder. Boyde contends this incriminating statement was induced by Lund's misrepresentation as to the legal effect of the prior statement, and that this deception amounts to psychological coercion which rendered the statement involuntary. (See People v. Hogan (1982) 31 Cal. 3d 815, 840-841 [183 Cal. Rptr. 817, 647 P.2d 93].)
Boyde's description of the encounter is factually inaccurate. The transcript of the interview shows that at the conclusion of the "I was just along for the ride" story, Lund stated: "I'll tell you the problems I'm having, and, and I'm no lawyer, but I would think ... what bothers me is you, you got such great detail, you sure you weren't in the store? You sure you didn't walk in?" Boyde repeated he had not gone in. Lund continued questioning whether Boyde might have been in the doorway of the store and whether he could have seen the money go into the bag or heard Big Mike saying it was a robbery without having been in the store. Finally, Lund stated: "It doesn't make no difference whether you were sitting in the car the whole time or whether you were right in Big Mike's back pocket, you're, you're involved in this the same, if everything else is the truth. ..." [46 Cal. 3d 242]
We need not determine the merits of this contention since it is clear that any error in admitting the evidence was harmless. There is no reasonable probability that Boyde would have obtained a more favorable result had the evidence been excluded. (People v. Watson (1956) 46 Cal. 2d 818, 836 [299 P.2d 243].) Boyde's defense was damaged beyond repair, even without consideration of the prior crime, by Ellison's testimony, inferences from the placement of the footprints in the orange grove, and Boyde's extensive knowledge of the details of the robbery and shooting. [46 Cal. 3d 243]
This claim is unpersuasive. Although Boyde is correct that use of No. 2.27 is discouraged in cases where one witness's testimony requires corroboration (see use note to CALJIC No. 2.27 (4th ed. 1979)), so long as the appropriate instructions on the use of accomplice testimony are given, the giving of No. 2.27 is not error. (People v. Cooks (1983) 141 Cal. App. 3d 224, 333 [190 Cal. Rptr. 211]; People v. Stewart (1983) 145 Cal. App. 3d 967, 974-975 [193 Cal. Rptr. 799].)
[14] Boyde contends that the court prejudicially erred under Carlos v. Superior Court (1983) 35 Cal. 3d 131 [197 Cal. Rptr. 79, 672 P.2d 862], in failing to instruct the jury that it could not find the felony-murder special circumstances true unless it found that defendant intended to kill at the time of the homicide. His contention must be rejected.
In People v. Anderson (1987) 43 Cal. 3d 1104, 1147 [240 Cal. Rptr. 585, 742 P.2d 1306], we held that, with respect to the actual killer, the court need not instruct on intent to kill in connection with felony-murder special circumstances. Such an instruction is required only when there is evidence from which the jury could find that the defendant was an accomplice rather than the actual killer. Although an instruction was warranted on the basis of Boyde's testimony that he was not the killer, the error in failing to give it was cured by the jury's special verdict that Boyde "personally killed Dickie Lee Gibson with express malice aforethought and premeditation and deliberation." [46 Cal. 3d 244]
[15] Boyde claims that removal from the guilt phase jury of 11 persons who would automatically vote against death at the penalty phase but who could render an impartial verdict on the issue of guilt or innocence violates the constitutional requirement that his jury be drawn from a fair cross-section of the community and his constitutional right to trial by an impartial jury. These claims have been rejected by both this court and the United States Supreme Court. (Lockhart v. McCree (1986) 476 U.S. 162 [90 L. Ed. 2d 137, 106 S. Ct. 1758]; People v. Fields (1983) 35 Cal. 3d 329, 374 [197 Cal. Rptr. 803, 673 P.2d 680] (Kaus, J., conc.); Hovey v. Superior Court (1980) 28 Cal. 3d 1 [168 Cal. Rptr. 128, 616 P.2d 1301].)
[16] Boyde argues that the prosecutor's use of peremptory challenges on all prospective jurors with reservations about the death penalty denied him an impartial jury on the issue of penalty and constituted group bias in violation of People v. Wheeler (1978) 22 Cal. 3d 258 [148 Cal. Rptr. 890, 583 P.2d 748]. We have previously rejected this argument in People v. Zimmerman (1984) 36 Cal. 3d 154, 160-161 [202 Cal. Rptr. 826, 680 P.2d 776] and People v. Turner, supra, 37 Cal.3d at pages 313-315.
[17a] Boyde contends that three jurors were improperly excused under Witherspoon v. Illinois (1968) 391 U.S. 510 [20 L. Ed. 2d 776, 88 S. Ct. 1770]. He asserts that the jurors had not made it "unmistakably clear" that they [46 Cal. 3d 245] "would automatically vote against the imposition of capital punishment without regard to the evidence that might be developed at the trial ..." (Id. at p. 522, fn. 21 [20 L.Ed.2d at p. 785].) The United States Supreme Court recently modified the Witherspoon standard in Wainwright v. Witt (1985) 469 U.S. 412 [83 L. Ed. 2d 841, 105 S. Ct. 844], and we adopted that modification in People v. Ghent (1987) 43 Cal. 3d 739, 767-769 [239 Cal. Rptr. 82, 739 P.2d 1250]. [18] The new standard is whether a juror's views would "'prevent or substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror in accordance with his instructions and his oath.'" (469 U.S. at p. 424 [83 L.Ed.2d at pp. 851-852].) "[I]n addition to dispensing with Witherspoon's reference to 'automatic' decisionmaking, this standard likewise does not require that a juror's bias be proved with 'unmistakable clarity.' This is because determinations of juror bias cannot be reduced to question-and-answer sessions which obtain results in the manner of a catechism." (Ibid. [83 L.Ed.2d at p. 852].) Our task on review is to examine the context surrounding the juror's exclusion to determine whether the trial court's decision that the juror's beliefs would "substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror" is fairly supported by the record. (Darden v. Wainwright (1986) 477 U.S. 168, 175 [91 L. Ed. 2d 144, 153-154, 106 S. Ct. 2464, 2469].)
Prospective juror Bennett was initially unclear as to whether he was unequivocally opposed to the death penalty. His later responses, however, revealed his clear opposition to the death penalty. In reply to questions from both defense counsel and the prosecution about whether he would impose the death penalty if he found that the evidence in aggravation outweighed the evidence in mitigation, he stated that he would not, regardless of the severity of the evidence in aggravation. Prospective juror Bennett also said he could think of no circumstance where he could personally vote for the death penalty. He was thereafter excused. The record supports the trial court's excusal in that it demonstrates that prospective juror Bennett's views would "'substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror [46 Cal. 3d 246] in accordance with his instructions and his oath.'" (Wainwright v. Witt, supra, 469 U.S. at p. 424 [83 L.Ed.2d at pp. 851-852].)
Defense counsel then sought to explain the balancing of aggravating factors against mitigating factors, but gave an explanation later determined to be inaccurate in People v. Brown (1985) 40 Cal. 3d 512 [220 Cal. Rptr. 637, 709 P.2d 440] (revd. on other grounds California v. Brown (1987) 479 U.S. 538 [93 L. Ed. 2d 934, 107 S.Ct. 837]). Counsel stated that if a juror weighed the evidence and determined that the evidence in aggravation outweighed the evidence in mitigation, "the law mandates that you come in with a finding of death, no matter what your personal feelings may be." Under those circumstances he asked if she could impose a death penalty, and Ms. Warne replied, "No, I don't think I could."
Prospective juror Warne's responses indicated that she would "automatically vote against the imposition of capital punishment without regard to any evidence that might be developed at trial." (Witherspoon v. Illinois, supra, 391 U.S. at p. 522, fn. 21 [20 L.Ed.2d at p. 785].) The only situation in which she would be willing to vote for the death penalty was one which she would never encounter, since she would never be permitted to be a juror in a case involving a crime against her child. The fact that defense counsel and the prosecutor may have misstated the decisionmaking process under People v. Brown, supra, 40 Cal. 3d 512, does not alter our conclusion. The question at hand was whether prospective juror Warne would be willing to [46 Cal. 3d 247] follow the law and vote to impose the death penalty in an appropriate case. She indicated that she would not, and that qualified her for excusal under Wainwright v. Witt, supra, 469 U.S. 412.
Testimony from three police officers regarding their contacts with Boyde included information about Boyde's untruthfulness (Detective Smith), Boyde's possession of stolen property (Detective Knofflock), and his possession of marijuana in jail (Deputy Nelson). [46 Cal. 3d 248]
Boyde presented testimony by his mother, two sisters, stepfather, ex-girlfriend and her mother, and his wife. His family was poor; he did not know his father; his mother had little education and worked as a domestic. Boyde had health problems from a young age and did poorly in school. As a young teenager he began to skip school, stay out late, and have trouble with the [46 Cal. 3d 249] police. The family was not able to obtain counseling through the school system and could not afford to do so privately. Boyde had few friends and was uncomfortable with the strictness of his stepfather who came into the home when he was eight. Boyde's former girlfriend and his sister both testified that they found him to be a giving person, good with children and good to them. His wife testified that he had looked hard for work after his release from prison in November 1980, but his efforts were unsuccessful. She married him after his arrest for these crimes and was shocked at the crimes he was accused of because it seemed so unlike him.
[19a] Boyde correctly contends that certain evidence was improperly admitted because it did not relate to any of the statutory aggravating factors. (See People v. Boyd (1985) 38 Cal. 3d 762 [215 Cal. Rptr. 1, 700 P.2d 782].) Most of the evidence presented about Boyde's CYA commitment and parole falls into this category in that it did not pertain to a prior felony conviction (§ 190.3, factor (c)) or criminal activity involving force or violence (§ 190.3, factor (b)). The same may be said for testimony by officers about Boyde's untruthfulness, possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana in jail. Also improper was testimony by victims of other offenses about the impact that the event had on their lives. fn. 5
[20] We do not agree, however, with Boyde's contention that evidence of the escape plan was improperly admitted. Contrary to Boyde's claim, violent criminal activity need not have preceded the charged crimes to be admissible under section 190.3, factor (b). (See People v. Balderas (1985) 41 [46 Cal. 3d 250] Cal.3d 144, 202 [222 Cal. Rptr. 184, 711 P.2d 480].) The plan called for use of a gun to subdue the guard if necessary and thus met the force or violence requirement for admissibility under factor (b). The remaining question is whether the evidence revealed the technically complete crime of conspiracy to qualify as "criminal activity" under factor (b). (See People v. Phillips, supra, 41 Cal.3d at p. 72.)
Boyde contends that a technically complete crime was not shown because there was no independent evidence of the agreement and no overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy was established. (See Evid. Code, § 1223; People v. Leach (1975) 15 Cal. 3d 419, 430-431, fn. 19 [124 Cal. Rptr. 752, 541 P.2d 296].) He is mistaken. He stipulated that the sending of the letters constituted the overt act. As to the agreement, Moore's actions are sufficient circumstantial evidence to show the agreement since all that is necessary is a prima facie showing before consideration of a coconspirator's admissions. (See People v. Jourdain (1980) 111 Cal. App. 3d 396, 404-406 [168 Cal. Rptr. 702]; People v. Perez (1978) 83 Cal. App. 3d 718, 728-730 [148 Cal. Rptr. 90].) Here we have Moore's receipt of Boyde's letter, his reading and studying it with English, their discussion of the maps and plans, and Moore's receipt of the second letter. Moore told English after receipt of the first letter that he was going to help Boyde. The fact that Moore testified that he never planned to help Boyde does not nullify the other evidence of his agreement; it merely went to the weight of the evidence for the jury to consider in determining whether the conspiracy had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The instructions on conspiracy were sufficient; sua sponte instructions on the elements of the offense were not required. (See People v. Phillips, supra, 41 Cal.3d at p. 68.)
The court gave the complete version of CALJIC No. 8.84.1 as it read before its amendment in response to our suggestion in People v. Easley (1983) 34 Cal. 3d 858, 878, footnote 10 [196 Cal. Rptr. 309, 671 P.2d 813], for clarification of the factor (k) of section 190.3 (hereafter referred to as [46 Cal. 3d 251] factor (k)). The version of factor (k) that was given read: "Any other circumstance which extenuates the gravity of the crime even though it is not a legal excuse for the crime." CALJIC No. 8.84.1 has since been amended to add the following phrase to factor (k): "and any sympathetic or other aspect of the defendant's character or record that the defendant offers as a basis for a sentence less than death, whether or not related to the offense for which he is on trial." (1986 rev.)
3. Failure to Edit CALJIC No. 8.84.1. [23] Boyde contends the court should have deleted all inappropriate mitigating factors from the instruction. We rejected an identical claim in People v. Ghent, supra, 43 Cal. 3d 739, 776.
[24] Boyde also contends the trial court should have modified the instruction to make it clear that section 190.3, factor (c) applied only to items that were not already covered by factors (a) and (b). We discussed a similar [46 Cal. 3d 252] claim in People v. Melton (1988) 44 Cal. 3d 713, 764-765 [244 Cal. Rptr. 867, 750 P.2d 741], and concluded that although factor (a) ("circumstances of the crime of which the defendant was convicted in the present proceeding") is limited to the charged crimes whether or not violent, factors (b) (violent criminal activity) and (c) (prior felony convictions) may properly overlap when a prior felony conviction involved force or violence. Thus the only clarification called for was that the charged crimes should be considered only under factor (a). We do not believe, however, that a reasonable jury would have considered the circumstances of the crime more than once.
[25] Boyde contends that the trial court erred in submitting both the robbery and kidnapping-for-robbery special circumstances to the jury because the offenses were committed as part of a single, indivisible course of criminal conduct. We rejected a virtually identical claim in People v. Melton, supra, 44 Cal. 3d 713, 765-769.
In People v. Brown, supra, 40 Cal.3d at pages 538-545, we concluded that the directive of section 190.3 that the trier of fact "shall impose a sentence of death" if it "concluded that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances" did not impermissibly restrict the jury's constitutional sentencing discretion. We rejected the defendant's proffered mechanistic construction of the words "outweigh" and "shall" in favor of one which directed the jury to weigh the various factors and determine under the relevant evidence which penalty is appropriate in a particular case. We noted, however, that the statutory language -- particularly the words "shall impose" -- left room for confusion about the jury's role and therefore directed courts in the future to instruct on the scope of the jury's discretion. As to cases tried before our opinion, we concluded that each must be examined on its own merits to determine whether the sentencer may have been misled to the defendant's prejudice regarding the scope of its sentencing discretion. (Id. at p. 544, fn. 17.) [46 Cal. 3d 253]
In our view, the Brown concerns were satisfied here. The jury was clearly informed that the word "weigh" did not connote mere counting, but rather involves a qualitative judgment. The jury was also adequately informed as to its discretion in determining whether death was the appropriate penalty. Obviously, when jurors are informed that they have discretion to assign whatever value they deem appropriate to the factors listed, they necessarily understand they have discretion to determine the appropriate penalty. The task of assigning weights to factors is not an arid exercise performed in a vacuum; it is the very means by which the jury arrives at its qualitative and normative decision as to the appropriate penalty. We recognized this in Brown, where we explained: "Each juror is free to assign whatever moral or sympathetic value he deems appropriate to each and all of the various factors he is permitted to consider, including factor 'k' as we have interpreted it. [Fn.] By directing that the jury 'shall' impose the death penalty if it finds that aggravating factors 'outweigh' mitigating, the statute should not [46 Cal. 3d 254] be understood to require any juror to vote for the death penalty unless, upon completion of the 'weighing' process, he decides that death is the appropriate penalty under all the circumstances. Thus the jury, by weighing the various factors, simply determines under the relevant evidence which penalty is appropriate in the particular case." (40 Cal.3d at p. 541, italics added.)
The dissent also mistakenly faults the prosecutor for urging the jurors to base their decision on the evidence presented as measured by the guidelines [46 Cal. 3d 255] set forth in the court's instructions rather than by simply consulting their personal feelings. The prosecutor's exhortations did no more than urge the jurors to limit the "sentencing considerations to record evidence," a completely proper request according to the United States Supreme Court in California v. Brown, supra, 479 U.S. at page 543 [93 L.Ed.2d at p. 941]. We find no impropriety in such argument. It is a misinterpretation of the prosecutor's argument to assert, as the dissent does, that he was telling the jury it had no discretion to determine the appropriate penalty. We conclude that the jury was adequately informed that the manner in which it weighed mitigating versus aggravating circumstances was in its sole discretion and that it thereby determined whether death was appropriate.
Boyde contends that the 1978 death penalty law violates the Eighth Amendment's proscription of "arbitrary" sentencing procedures because it does not provide adequate safeguards to protect against arbitrary death judgments. He also argues the 1978 law is unconstitutional in various other respects. Each of his constitutional arguments has been considered and rejected in recent opinions. (See e.g., People v. Rodriguez (1986) 42 Cal. 3d 730, 777-779 [230 Cal. Rptr. 667, 726 P.2d 113].)
[27] The prosecutor asserted during closing argument that the absence of a mitigating circumstance constituted aggravation. Although we stated in People v. Davenport (1985) 41 Cal. 3d 247, 290 [221 Cal. Rptr. 794, 710 P.2d 861], that such argument "should not in the future be permitted," we did not rely on the point in reversing the penalty judgment. The trial in this case took place in 1982, well before our Davenport opinion. The argument here occurred only once at the outset when the prosecutor went through the list of aggravating and mitigating factors in light of the evidence presented. Though erroneous, we do not believe the prosecutor's argument can be deemed to have misled the jury. The trial court had instructed the jury to consider the sentencing factors only "if applicable." We generally presume that the jurors follow the court's instructions, and we are presented with no reason to believe that the jurors did not do so.
[28] Boyde claims that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the escape evidence and the evidence in aggravation for which proper notice had not been given. His claim is unavailing since we have reviewed the matters cited on their merits and found no prejudicial error. [46 Cal. 3d 256] (See People v. Fosselman (1983) 33 Cal. 3d 572, 584 [189 Cal. Rptr. 855, 659 P.2d 1144].)
Lucas, C. J., Eagleson, J., and Kaufman, J., concurred. [46 Cal. 3d 257]
I concur in the majority opinion insofar as it affirms the judgment of guilt and the special circumstance findings but respectfully dissent insofar as it affirms the penalty judgment. In my view, the record in this case, taken as a whole, demonstrates that the jury was misled with regard to the nature of its task and the scope of its discretion at the penalty phase of the trial. (See People v. Brown (1985) 40 Cal. 3d 512, 538-544 [220 Cal. Rptr. 637, 709 P.2d 440]; People v. Milner (1988) 45 Cal. 3d 227, 253-258 [246 Cal. Rptr. 713, 753 P.2d 669].) Accordingly, I would reverse the penalty judgment and remand for a new penalty trial before a properly advised jury.
In Brown, supra, 40 Cal. 3d 512, 538-544, this court recognized that the wording of the instruction which the trial court gave in this case, although tracking the language of the 1978 statute, leave"[s] room for some confusion as to the jury's role" in determining the appropriate penalty. (40 Cal.3d at p. 544, fn. 17.) In People v. Allen (1986) 42 Cal. 3d 1222, 1276-1277 [232 Cal. Rptr. 849, 729 P.2d 115], we explained in some detail the possible confusion that may be engendered by the wording of such an instruction.
As we explained in Allen, "[o]ur concern in Brown was that the unadorned statutory instruction might in two interrelated ways lead the jury to misapprehend its discretion and responsibility. [¶] First, we pointed out that the jury might be confused about the nature of the weighing process. As we [46 Cal. 3d 258] observed, '[T]he word "weighing" is a metaphor for a process which by nature is incapable of precise description. The word connotes a mental balancing process, but certainly not one which calls for a mere mechanical counting of factors on each side of the imaginary "scale," or the arbitrary assignment of "weights" to any of them. Each juror is free to assign whatever moral or sympathetic value he deems appropriate to each and all of the various factors he is permitted to consider.' [Citation.] [¶] Second, we were concerned in Brown that the unadorned instruction's phrase, 'the trier of fact ... shall impose a sentence of death if [it] concludes that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances' ..., could mislead the jury as to the ultimate question it was called on to answer in determining which sentence to impose. Although the quoted phrase could be understood to require a juror (i) to determine whether 'the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances' without regard to the juror's personal view as to the appropriate sentence, and then (ii) to impose a sentence of death if aggravation outweighs mitigation even if the juror does not personally believe death is the appropriate sentence under all the circumstances, we concluded in Brown that the statute was not intended to, and should not, be interpreted in that fashion. Instead we stated: 'By directing that the jury "shall" impose the death penalty if it finds that aggravating factors "outweigh" mitigating, the statute should not be understood to require any juror to vote for the death penalty unless, upon completion of the "weighing" process, he decides that death is the appropriate penalty under all the circumstances. Thus the jury, by weighing the various factors, simply determines under the relevant evidence which penalty is appropriate in the particular case.' [Citation.]" (42 Cal.3d at pp. 1276-1277, italics added in Allen.)
Because of the potential ambiguity inherent in a jury instruction which simply tracks the statutory language, Brown indicated that in cases tried after that decision, trial courts should give clarifying instructions, explaining to the jury the full scope of its discretion and responsibility under the 1978 law as interpreted in Brown, supra, 40 Cal. 3d 512. With respect to cases, like the present matter, which were tried prior to Brown, we stated that we would examine each prior case "on its own merits to determine whether, in context, the sentencer may have been misled to defendant's prejudice about the scope of its sentencing discretion under the 1978 law." (Brown, supra, 40 Cal.3d at p. 544, fn. 17.) Since Brown, we have undertaken such a review in numerous death penalty appeals. (See, e.g., Allen, supra, 42 Cal. 3d 1222, at pp. 1276-1280; People v. Myers (1987) 43 Cal. 3d 250, 273-276 [233 Cal. Rptr. 264, 729 P.2d 698]; People v. Howard (1988) 44 Cal. 3d 375, 434-436 [243 Cal. Rptr. 842, 749 P.2d 279]; People v. Hendricks (1988) 44 Cal. 3d 635, 650-651 [244 Cal. Rptr. 181, 749 P.2d 836]; People v. [46 Cal. 3d 259] Melton (1988) 44 Cal. 3d 713, 761-762 [244 Cal. Rptr. 867, 750 P.2d 741]; Milner, supra, 45 Cal. 3d 227, 253-258.)
I cannot agree, however, with the majority's conclusion that the second concern of Brown was adequately satisfied. Indeed, when the entire record is considered, I think it is rather clear that the jury in this case was misled on this second, most fundamental point, i.e., on "the ultimate question [which] it was called on to answer in determining which sentence to impose." (Allen, supra, 42 Cal. 3d 1222, 1277.)
As we have seen, in Brown and Allen we recognized that the crucial phrase in the 1978 law -- "the trier of fact ... shall impose a sentence of death if [it] concludes that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances" -- is, on its face, reasonably susceptible to varying interpretations, and "could be understood to require a juror (i) to determine whether 'the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances' without regard to the juror's personal view as to the appropriate sentence, and then (ii) to impose a sentence of death if aggravation outweighs mitigation even if the juror does not personally believe death is the appropriate sentence under all the circumstances ...." (Allen, supra, 42 Cal. 3d 1222, 1277.) As Allen emphasized, however, "we concluded in Brown that the statute was not intended to, and should not, be interpreted in that fashion." (Ibid., italics added.) Instead, we held in Brown that the statute "should not be understood to require any juror to vote for the death penalty unless, upon completion of the 'weighing' process, he decides that death is the appropriate penalty under all the circumstances." (Brown, supra, 40 Cal.3d at p. 541.)
The record in this case reveals that from the very outset of the trial proceedings the jurors were repeatedly misinformed on this precise point. The source of the problem lay in the fact that both the prosecutor and the defense counsel misinterpreted the above-quoted phrase in the 1978 law in the very manner described in Allen, and proceeded on the assumption that, under the 1978 statute, each juror was not to make his or her own personal judgment of whether death was the appropriate punishment under all the [46 Cal. 3d 260] circumstances. Instead, both counsel believed that the law required the jurors simply to weigh the aggravating and mitigating factors without regard to their own assessment of the appropriate punishment and to impose the death penalty if aggravation outweighed mitigation.
The attorneys' confusion on this point is evident from several quotations from the jury voir dire which appear in the majority opinion's discussion of an entirely separate issue, the Witherspoon claim (Witherspoon v. Illinois (1968) 391 U.S. 510 [20 L. Ed. 2d 776, 88 S.Ct. 1770]). As the majority opinion indicates, the district attorney told one prospective juror during voir dire "that the law requires a death verdict where aggravation outweighs mitigation, 'even if you personally don't think the crime is worth it ...'" (ante, p. 246), and defense counsel conveyed the same misunderstanding to the same juror, informing her that if a juror weighed the evidence and determined that aggravation outweighed mitigation "'the law mandates that you come in with a finding of death, no matter what your personal feelings may be.'" (Ibid.)
As a review of the entire voir dire reveals, the passages quoted in the majority opinion are by no means isolated or atypical statements. fn. 1 Throughout the lengthy voir dire process, counsel repeatedly informed potential jurors of this erroneous view of the jury's task at the penalty phase, and repeatedly sought assurance from potential jurors that they would adhere to this understanding of their role and would resolve the question of penalty solely on the basis of whether aggravation outweighed mitigation or mitigation outweighed aggravation, without regard to the juror's own personal view of whether death or life without possibility of parole was the appropriate punishment under all the circumstances. fn. 2 [46 Cal. 3d 261]
Furthermore, the prosecutor repeatedly suggested to potential jurors that one of the virtues of such a sentencing procedure was that it relieved a juror [46 Cal. 3d 262] of the responsibility of deciding "whether I personally think [the defendant] should die or not die" and contributed to the juror's "peace of mind" by enabling him to view his role as simply applying the law "as it has been passed." fn. 3 In light of the awesome nature of the responsibility of personally determining whether death is the appropriate punishment for another individual, it is not surprising that the jurors readily agreed that they would prefer not to have to make that kind of personal moral judgment. (Cf. Caldwell v. Mississippi (1985) 472 U.S. 320, 332-333 [86 L. Ed. 2d 231, 241-242, 105 S. Ct. 2633].)
At the beginning of his penalty phase argument, the prosecutor read the language of the pre-Brown instruction that the trial court subsequently gave the jury and explained to the jury: "... the test is whether aggravating outweighs mitigating or mitigating outweighs aggravating. There is no requirement that I have to prove the aggravating outweighs beyond a reasonable doubt, beyond clear and convincing evidence. The test is whether, when you weigh the two, do the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors or vice versa. [¶] If you find that the aggravating factors outweigh, [46 Cal. 3d 263] and it can be a slight outweigh, it will be your obligation to return a verdict of death." (Italics added.)
Although the majority opinion interprets the last quoted sentence as indicating that the prosecutor was telling the jurors to personally decide for themselves whether or not they felt that death was warranted (i.e., "appropriate"), when viewed in the context of the entire record I do not believe that that is how that sentence would have been understood by the jury. As we have seen, the prosecutor had carefully instructed the jurors during voir dire that it was "the law" -- rather than the jury's personal judgment -- which determines whether the death penalty is "warranted," and that the law mandates that death be imposed if aggravation outweighs mitigation. In this setting, I do not think that the emphasized sentence would have been viewed by the jury as contradicting all the prosecutor had previously argued, [46 Cal. 3d 264] but rather would have been understood simply as a reiteration of the prosecutor's theme.
Then, at the end of his argument, the prosecutor advised the jury: "I would suggest, as you go through this evidence and you go through each factor, that you go through them one by one and decide whether that factor aggravates or that factor mitigates. [¶] If you find at the very end that every factor that you've heard aggravates this crime, the penalty is, obviously, apparent, it is clearly the death penalty. But, let's say you find one factor mitigates and the other factors all aggravate. It is not a process of counting, it's not 10 to 1, it is a process of weighing. And, you should decide whether or not that one factor in mitigation outweighs all those factors in aggravation and then decide the case. [¶] And the instruction is specific on this and I don't know if Defense Counsel is inviting you not to do this, that he is inviting you to make a decision independent of what the instruction is; fn. [5] but, this is what your obligation is, if you conclude the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances, you shall impose the sentence of death." [46 Cal. 3d 265]
Although the majority purports to find support for its determination that the jury was not misled in the language of the 1986 revision of CALJIC No. 8.84.2 (see ante, p. 254) -- an instruction that was not given to this jury -- in fact that revised instruction contains a crucial passage which provides jurors with an entirely different message than the one which the prosecutor conveyed to the jurors in this case. The revised instruction specifically informs the jury that "[t]o return a judgment of death, each of you must be persuaded that the aggravating evidence (circumstances) is (are) so substantial in comparison with the mitigating circumstances that it warrants death instead of life without parole." (Italics added.) As we have seen, the prosecutor in this case never suggested to the jurors that they had to determine whether the aggravating evidence in comparison with the mitigating evidence was "so substantial ... that it warrants death instead of life without parole," but on the contrary argued that if the jurors found that the aggravating factors even slightly outweighed the mitigating factors the jurors were obligated to return a verdict of death and that it was not each juror's [46 Cal. 3d 266] responsibility to determine "whether it's my decision to impose the death penalty." fn. 6
Under these circumstances, I conclude that the penalty judgment should be reversed and the case remanded for a new penalty trial before a jury that is properly informed as to its responsibility and discretion in determining the appropriate penalty. (See Milner, supra, 45 Cal. 3d 227, 256-268.)
FN 2. The codefendant, Boyde's nephew, is named Carl Franklin Ellison. For the sake of clarity we will refer to him as Ellison.
FN 3. The gun was found by police under Otharean Owens's mattress.
FN 4. CALJIC No. 2.27 provides: "Testimony which you believe given by one witness is sufficient for the proof of any fact. However, before finding any fact [required to be established by the prosecution] to be proved solely by the testimony of such a single witness, you should carefully review all the testimony upon which the proof of such fact depends."
FN 5. The testimony also was arguably improper under Booth v. Maryland (1987) 482 U.S. 496 [96 L. Ed. 2d 440, 107 S. Ct. 2529], which condemned the admission of detailed testimony at the penalty phase by family members regarding the impact that the victim's death had had on their lives. Unlike Booth, the testimony here was by the actual victims themselves who in the course of describing Boyde's criminal conduct also mentioned the effect it had on them. The improper testimony was far more fleeting than that in Booth and, in our view, could not have affected the verdict.
FN 6. The comments, in any event, have been magnified by the dissent. Each was a result of the prosecutor's contrasting the current death penalty law with the former one that was unconstitutional for lack of standards governing the jury's exercise of discretion in sentencing. (See Furman v. Georgia (1972) 408 U.S. 238 [33 L. Ed. 2d 346, 92 S. Ct. 2726].) He was attempting to explain that the current law does not leave jurors "rudderless," but instead provides concrete standards to guide the jury's exercise of discretion.
FN 1. At one point, the majority appears to imply that it may be improper to look to discussions between counsel and potential jurors during voir dire in determining whether or not the jurors properly understood the scope of their sentencing discretion under the 1978 law as interpreted in Brown. (Ante, pp. 254-255.) In People v. Allen, supra, 42 Cal. 3d 1222, 1279-1280, however, this court -- in evaluating a Brown claim similar to that at issue here -- relied on a prosecutor's voir dire exchanges with potential jurors in finding that several comments made by the prosecutor during the penalty phase closing argument were not likely to have misled the jurors as to the scope of their sentencing discretion. If voir dire exchanges may be referred to in order to "cure" potential Brown error as they were in Allen, it is difficult to see a principled basis for refusing to consider such voir dire exchanges when they exacerbate, rather than alleviate, the potentially misleading impact of closing argument
FN 2. Excerpts from the voir dire of several jurors who were chosen to sit on the jury illustrate the point.
FN 3. "Q. [District Attorney] ... The situation becomes most difficult, I think, when you are dealing about a question of life and death. The question as to whether or not the Defendant should get the death penalty or should not get the death penalty. Because the way the law is set up now, it is a very strict structure, there are a list of about nine or ten factors that you are to look at in deciding whether the death penalty should be imposed or whether life without possibility of parole should be imposed. [¶] And, I believe it is quite possible that you, personally, if you were writing on a blank slate or writing the law yourself would, in a particular case, not think the death penalty was appropriate, but yet the law says it is.
FN 4. As the majority opinion acknowledges (ante, p. 255), in discussing the statutory factors the prosecutor erroneously told the jury that the absence of a mitigating factor constituted an aggravating factor. (See People v. Davenport (1985) 41 Cal. 3d 247, 289-290 [221 Cal. Rptr. 794, 710 P.2d 861].) Thus, after completing his review of all of the factors up to factor (k), he told the jury: "it seems to me that before you even get to the last factor ... you've got ten solid factors in aggravation, ten solid factors."
FN [5]. At this point, the prosecutor was apparently referring to the brief comment in defense counsel's closing argument that is quoted by the majority: "Can (k) outweigh (a) through (j)? If you find that it does, it does, and that is your choice. That is what we are asking you to do." Although this remark may have suggested to the jury that it had the power to find that mitigation outweighed aggravation and thus to decline to impose the death penalty, defense counsel never argued that the statutory "aggravation outweighs mitigation" formulation was intended to require each juror to make his or her own normative judgment as to whether death was the appropriate punishment, and thus the quoted comment of defense counsel was vulnerable to the prosecutor's argument that counsel was inviting the jury to make a decision "independent of" the court's instruction. This is particularly so since, during voir dire, defense counsel never took issue with the prosecutor's repeated assertion that the law required the imposition of the death penalty if aggravation outweighed mitigation, without regard to the jurors' personal views as to appropriateness of the penalty under all the circumstances.
FN 6. Indeed, although the majority finds no Brown error in this case, the Attorney General has never argued that the jury was accurately informed of its proper penalty phase role under Brown, supra, 40 Cal. 3d 512. In the only post-Brown brief filed by the Attorney General, the Attorney General simply argues that Brown was wrongly decided and should be overruled. We have, of course, recently reaffirmed the Brown decision. (See, e.g., Milner, supra, 45 Cal. 3d 227, 253-258; see also People v. Guzman (1988) 45 Cal. 3d 915, 958-959 [248 Cal. Rptr. 467, 755 P.2d 917].)