Opinion ID: 1249738
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Admitting Rebuttal Evidence of Defendant's Continued Gang Membership.

Text: On direct examination defendant had testified to his reformed character, including statements that he received his general education degree, took correspondence courses, and managed to impress the warden at San Quentin Prison that he had changed enough to merit a transfer to Tehachapi, with its college campus atmosphere. On cross-examination the prosecution questioned defendant about BGF literature found in his cell. Defendant admitted that Literature was found which was determined to be BGF, literature which some of I disagreed with. The prosecution sought to call a retired Soledad Prison guard to introduce evidence that defendant had BGF plans or orders to take over Soledad. The prosecution learned of the alleged plan from the guard's report, which described the discovery of messages concerning the purported plan. After it became evident the original messages could not be found and the retired guard's memory about their content was dim, the trial court granted a motion to bar the guard's testimony. Thereafter, defendant continued to assert on cross-examination that although he had BGF literature he was trying to escape from the group. Some days after defendant testified, the prosecution told him that the materials found in his Soledad cell had just been found and would be introduced if possible. Defendant moved to exclude the evidence solely on the basis that he had asked for any such materials two years earlier and had been told they did not exist. He argued that under section 190.3 he was entitled to pretrial notice that these materials would be introduced. The day before, a Monday, defendant had also objected to the prosecution's having purportedly discovered the items on the Friday before but not having notified him until that day. The prosecution thereupon delivered copies of some of the items to defendant's counsel on Monday night and gave him copies of the others before the hearing. The court denied the section 190.3 motion, and the prosecution called a sergeant who testified he had found the materials in defendant's cell. One of the items was a kite, or message, addressed to defendant. The prosecutor asked whether it was found during the search. Upon testimony that it was, the prosecutor ended his inquiry. He did not seek to have the note's contents read to the jury. Shortly afterward the prosecution reviewed outside the jury's presence the items it wanted to introduce as penalty phase evidence. Defendant again objected to introduction of the evidence found in his cell on the ground that under section 190.3 he was entitled to notice of its introduction. The court denied the motion. At closing argument, the prosecutor then read the contents of the note. Now we also have  I suppose [defendant's counsel] might say, `Gee, that's just sort of interesting Black Guerrilla literature.' Then we have these things, are called kites.... This one is real interesting. It contains code words. It contains code words like the code word for hit is to school him. To say `school him,' means you are going to hit him. You can look at them here. The interesting thing is the address on the back, to the lieutenant [defendant], the institution enforcer. This was in Mr. Roberts' cell down in Soledad when he had long ago quit BGF. Defendant assigned misconduct after the prosecutor's argument ended; but the court, noting that the kite was in evidence, denied a motion to tell the jury to disregard the commentary. (49) Defendant claims error in the introduction of the literary evidence and the other items found in his cell. First, he contends it was not evidence of conduct that demonstrates the commission of an actual crime. ( People v. Phillips, supra, 41 Cal.3d 29, 72.) But clearly the evidence was offered in rebuttal to defendant's testimony that he had reformed and was trying to leave the BGF. Defendant also maintains the evidence was improper rebuttal because he had conceded its presence in his cell and because the introduction of the actual literature on rebuttal clearly exceeded the scope of direct. We disagree: again, defendant's direct testimony suggested an effort to improve himself and to leave the gang; the prosecution was entitled to ask whether a person striving for these goals would cache such literature in his cell. (50) Next, defendant contends the evidence was substantially more prejudicial than probative. (Evid. Code, § 352.) But the defense did not object to its introduction on any ground other than lack of notice. As notice was not required for rebuttal evidence (§ 190.3), defendant cannot raise a claim of error on other state law grounds now. Nor, for the foregoing reasons, do we agree with defendant that his Eighth Amendment and due process rights were violated.