Opinion ID: 1349797
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: George Oglesby

Text: (5b) As noted above, Oglesby died of a heart attack one day before the evidentiary hearing was scheduled to begin. [15] The record establishes that he had been treated for a heart condition for years. Documents appended by the People to their postevidentiary-hearing briefs in this court, and not objected to by petitioner, disclose that the prison authorities transported Oglesby to a medical center soon after he complained of chest pains, and that the county coroner observed no trauma associated with his death. Petitioner suggests the prosecutor committed misconduct by arranging to transport Oglesby to the hearing in the same bus with petitioner, and that Oglesby was literally scared to death by this prospect. (Both the record, and various exhibits appended to the briefs in this court, suggest petitioner is a strong, muscular man who is a member of the Crips street gang, and the Black Guerilla Family, a prison gang.) As the People observe, however (again, by reference to documents appended to their post-evidentiary-hearing briefs in this court, and not objected to by petitioner), they were most solicitous of Oglesby's safety, and obtained from our referee a protective order regarding transportation and housing of Oglesby. The order expressly noted that Oglesby, who was then housed in Soledad State Prison, was in significant danger as a result of information and testimony provided against members of the Mexican Mafia, Aryan Brotherhood, and Hoover Crips, and that Oglesby had been in protective custody since 1981. The order concluded it was necessary to effect a protective keep away order so that the witness does not mingle with any other prisoners or gang members, particularly defendant Stanley Williams. ... (Italics in original.) Finally, the order specified that Oglesby's heart medicine be made available to him on a regular basis. [16] We conclude petitioner has failed to show any misconduct on the part of the prosecutor that contributed to Oglesby's refusal (i.e., failure) to testify. As the People observed at the evidentiary hearing, the intervention came from a higher authority.