Opinion ID: 1129438
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Premeditated-murder Finding

Text: The jury was instructed on three separate theories of first degree murder, namely, premeditated murder, murder by torture, and murder by lying in wait. (See § 189.) The jury found defendant guilty of first degree murder, and also expressly found the murder was premeditated. Thus, although defendant challenges the jury's implied findings of lying-in-wait murder and torture murder, if the premeditated-murder finding is sustained we need not consider defendant's contentions regarding these alternative theories of first degree murder. (We do, however, discuss some of these contentions in connection with our review of the lying-in-wait and torture-murder special-circumstance findings.) Accordingly, we turn next to the issues which bear on the premeditated-murder finding. Defendant acknowledges the jury's special finding of premeditated murder, but argues that (1) there was no statutory basis for that finding, and (2) the jury was not instructed that such a finding must be based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Neither point has merit. (4a) Section 1150, with exceptions not pertinent here, requires a general verdict. (See also § 1152 [special verdicts].) Defendant characterizes the jury's finding as a forbidden special verdict. We disagree. (5) As we pointed out in People v. Burgener (1986) 41 Cal.3d 505, 537 [224 Cal. Rptr. 112, 714 P.2d 1251], a special verdict presents conclusions of fact and leaves to the court the task of drawing conclusions of law and rendering judgment upon them where the jury is unable to do so. (4b) In the present case, of course, the jury itself rendered additional findings which fully resolved all counts submitted for its consideration. In Burgener, the trial court asked the jury to make a special finding as to whether or not the murder was committed with express malice and with deliberation and premeditation. We held that such special findings were appropriate under section 190.4, subdivision (a), which requires a special finding on the truth of each alleged special circumstance. A finding as to malice and premeditation was deemed appropriate to support the felony-murder special-circumstance finding, by reason of Carlos v. Superior Court (1983) 35 Cal.3d 131 [197 Cal. Rptr. 79, 672 P.2d 862] (later overruled in People v. Anderson (1987) 43 Cal.3d 1104, 1138-1139 [240 Cal. Rptr. 585, 742 P.2d 1306]), and its intent to kill requirement. ( Burgener, supra, 41 Cal.3d at pp. 536-538.) We further observed that, in any event, it was not reasonably probable that a more favorable verdict would have been rendered had the jury not been directed to make a special finding as to malice and premeditation. (P. 538.) Burgener seems controlling here. As in that case, a special finding on the issues of premeditation and deliberation may have been deemed appropriate to support the torture-murder special-circumstance finding, which requires proof of an intentional murder. (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(18).) In any event, the evidence of premeditation and deliberation was overwhelming in this case, and any error in instructing the jury to decide that issue by a special finding was accordingly harmless. (6) Defendant also contends that the court failed to instruct the jury that its special finding should be based on proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We rejected a similar argument in Burgener, supra, 41 Cal.3d 505, 538-540, observing that the jury was adequately instructed regarding the People's general proof burden and the reasonable doubt standard, and that there was no reasonable possibility that the jury could have been misled as to the appropriate standard for their special finding on express malice. The instructions taken as a whole indicate that the prosecutor's burden of proof throughout was proof beyond a reasonable doubt. (P. 540.) Similarly, in the present case, the instructions repeatedly emphasized the need to apply a reasonable doubt standard in deciding such issues as defendant's guilt, the degree of his crimes, the truth of the special circumstances, and the weapon enhancement issue. In short, no other standard reasonably could have been applied by the jury.