Opinion ID: 2637056
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of evidence of sexual assault

Text: Defendant challenges, on due process and double jeopardy grounds, the admission of evidence that he sexually assaulted Wanda B. in 1983 (ante, at pp. 12-13; U.S. Const., 5th Amend.; Cal. Const, art. I, ง 15). He further contends that principles of collateral estoppel and laches, as well as the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments' requirement of heightened reliability in capital cases, dictated exclusion of the evidence. Observing that the trial court ultimately concluded, in ruling on the automatic motion to modify the death verdict (ง 190.4, subd. (e)), that the evidence was insufficient to prove the sexual acts were done without Ms. B.'s consent, defendant argues the assertedly erroneous admission of the evidence compels reversal of his sentence. We conclude defendant's claims lack merit. Defendant predicates his double jeopardy argument on the fact that the charges against him stemming from the Wanda B. incident were dismissed on the prosecutor's motion for insufficient evidence. The dismissal, he contends, was tantamount to an acquittal, and evidence of prior charges of which a defendant was acquitted may not be presented to the jury as part of the prosecutor's case in aggravation. (ง 190.3; People v. Sheldon (1989) 48 Cal.3d 935, 951, 258 Cal.Rptr. 242, 771 P.2d 1330.) We disagree, however, with defendant's premise: Dismissal of the charges, whether bargained for or otherwise, does not constitute an acquittal and thus does not dictate exclusion of the evidence of the underlying incident. ( People v. Bradford, supra, 15 Cal.4th at p. 1375, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 145, 939 P.2d 259.) Defendant was not previously placed in jeopardy on the dismissed Wanda B. charges, and the lack of any findings on the charges renders the collateral estoppel doctrine inapplicable on these facts. Defendant argues that laches, i.e., the sheer lapse of time following the prosecution's dismissal of the Wanda B. incident, bars, on grounds of fundamental fairness, admission of the underlying evidence on the question of penalty in the present trial. More correctly stated, laches is an equitable defense to the enforcement of a stale claim and requires a showing of unreasonable delay plus either the plaintiffs acquiescence in the act complained of or prejudice to the defendant resulting from the delay. ( Conti v. Board of Civil Service Commissioners (1969) 1 Cal.3d 351, 359, 82 Cal.Rptr. 337, 461 P.2d 617.) The doctrine of laches may be asserted only in a suit in equity. ( People v. Harvest (2000) 84 Cal.App.4th 641, 652, 101 Cal.Rptr.2d 135 [laches inapplicable to resentencing proceeding].) Accordingly, defendant may not raise the defense of laches in the present proceeding. Defendant's broader claim of unfairness in the admission of the evidence lacks merit, as he fails to show he was disadvantaged in defending against the Wanda B. evidence. Despite the passage of 10 years, defendant called witnesses to the incident, and he himself testified to his version of the event. As the Attorney General observes, neither remoteness nor the expiration of the statutory limitations period bars admission of a defendant's prior unadjudicated criminal conduct for purposes of section 190.3, factor (b). ( People v. Medina (1995) 11 Cal.4th 694, 772, 47 Cal.Rptr.2d 165, 906 P.2d 2.) Defendant further contends there was insufficient evidence of Wanda B.'s lack of consent to the sexual acts to permit their admission in the prosecutor's case in aggravation. We disagree. Before the evidence was admitted, the trial court held a hearing, out of the presence of the jury, to assess Ms. B.'s credibility. Both she and defendant testified at this hearing. In thereafter ruling on the admissibility of the evidence, the trial court demonstrated its awareness of the correct standard: [T]he judge should not permit evidence to go to the jury in a penalty phase as to other crimes which [have] not resulted in a conviction unless there's sufficient evidence that could satisfy the reasonable doubt standard. Unless a juror could reasonably come to a finding that there's enough evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, the [defendant's guilty of the crime. [Sic] Judge is not supposed to allow the evidence to go to the jury. The court found that Ms. B.'s felony convictions (drug possession for sale and drunk driving) detracted somewhat from her credibility, but also noted, a lot of what she says has a ring of truth. Had she been eager to lie about the case, [she] could have made things worse against [defendant]. Instead, she was reluctant to give certain information like the specificity of the rape charge not wanting to be embarrassed by that.... [ถ] It appears to me that sheโ that if she were testifying alone, no other corroborating circumstances, that it would be difficult to say that a juror could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that she's accurate and truthful about her testimony. But in view of the offer of proof that Officer Gault would testify, she mentioned a gun prior to the time she could have seen the gun, that Officer Santiago will testify he found a gun, and that Sergeant Humphrey will testify he saw the torn zipper in the jeans. All those are corroborating circumstances that could cause a juror to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the act occurred. We conclude the trial court correctly admitted the evidence. The correctness of this ruling was in no way undermined by the court's later determination, when deciding the verdict modification application, not to consider the Wanda B. incident in aggravation of penalty. That the trial court, in exercising its independent judgment under section 190.4, concluded the evidence did not prove the conduct beyond a reasonable doubt did not mean that the jury could not reasonably come to the opposite conclusion. In the analogous context of an appellate claim of insufficiency of evidence, we have said that `Although it is the duty of the jury to acquit a defendant if it finds that circumstantial evidence is susceptible of two interpretations, one of which suggests guilt and the other innocence [citations], it is the jury, not the appellate court which must be convinced of the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the circumstances reasonably justify the trier of fact's findings, the opinion of the reviewing court that the circumstances might also reasonably be reconciled with a contrary finding does not warrant a reversal of the judgment. [Citations.]' [Citation.] ( People v. Thomas, supra, 2 Cal.4th at p. 514, 7 Cal.Rptr.2d 199, 828 P.2d 101.) The jury was instructed not to consider the Wanda B. evidence unless it found, beyond a reasonable doubt, that defendant had committed the alleged offenses. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, we presume the jury made no inappropriate use of the Wanda B. evidence. (See People v. Cunningham (2001) 25 Cal.4th 926, 1014, 108 Cal.Rptr.2d 291, 25 P.3d 519.)