Opinion ID: 1203248
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony of Victims' Mothers

Text: (70) Defendant contends his right to due process was violated when the trial court, during the guilt phase, refused to accept his stipulation to the identity of the victims as shown in proferred photographs in lieu of the identification testimony of the victims' mothers. He claims the evidentiary error was prejudicial because Mrs. Beckett wept when she saw her son's photograph. Respondent counters that the offer to stipulate was not explicit enough to fall under our holding in People v. Bonin (1989) 47 Cal.3d 808, 848-849 [254 Cal. Rptr. 298, 765 P.2d 460]. In any event, any error could not have been prejudicial at the guilt phase, given the state of the evidence against defendant, and because the prosecutor did not mention the episode in her closing argument. Defendant's primary contention seems to be that the error was prejudicial at the penalty phase under Booth v. Maryland (1987) 482 U.S. 496, 503-506 [96 L.Ed.2d 440, 448-450, 107 S.Ct. 2529], and South Carolina v. Gathers (1989) 490 U.S. 805 [104 L.Ed.2d 876, 109 S.Ct. 2207]. Of course, this authority has since been reconsidered. ( Payne v. Tennessee (1991) 501 U.S. โ [115 L.Ed.2d 720, 111 S.Ct. 2597].) A majority of this court has determined that `evidence of the specific harm caused by the defendant,' including evidence of impact on the family of the victim, is admissible under factor (a) of section 190.3. ( People v. Edwards, supra, 54 Cal.3d at p. 833, quoting Payne v. Tennessee, supra, 501 U.S. at p. โ [115 L.Ed.2d at p. 735, 111 S.Ct. at p. 2608].) Here, neither the evidence itself nor the prosecutor's argument suggested that `emotion may reign over reason' or that irrational, purely subjective responses should carry the day. ( People v. Edwards, supra, 54 Cal.3d at p. 836.) The witness's emotion was quickly controlled, and the prosecutor did not refer to it in argument. Thus, assuming for the purpose of discussion that there was an abuse of discretion at the guilt trial, we see no possibility of prejudice at the penalty trial.