Opinion ID: 3179278
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Case in Mitigation

Text: To establish lingering doubt, Masters sought to further undermine the credibility of Bobby Evans‘s testimony that Masters had admitted his role in Sergeant Burchfield‘s murder. Masters also challenged the evidence tying Masters to the Hamil and Jackson murders, and disputed the significance of the other unadjudicated violent criminal activity. Further, the defense recounted Masters‘s social history of neglect, abuse, crime, and violence; described prison conditions and the effect they had on prisoners; and discussed Masters‘s ability to be lawful and productive if sentenced to life imprisonment.
Bobby Evans was recalled as a witness. He testified that before being imprisoned, he had been hired to shoot several people. He ultimately shot six people, but none died. James Hahn was a parole agent employed by Department of Corrections. He was also recalled to testify about the actions he took on Evans‘s behalf. He spoke to Evans around 10 times between June 1989 and October 30, 1989, the date Evans first testified at trial. In June, Evans told Agent Hahn that he was facing prison time after pleading guilty to attempted robbery in Alameda County, and that he did not want to return to prison because the BGF had threatened to kill him. Agent Hahn told Evans he would ―take care‖ of Evans‘s safety and security, but could not make any promises regarding either Evans‘s case in Alameda County or any other benefit he might receive for providing information. Agent Hahn said he would try to get the sentencing hearing in Alameda County postponed long enough so that Evans would end up serving his time in county jail rather than in prison. 15 Russell Giuntini was an Alameda County deputy district attorney. On two or three occasions, Agent Hahn called him and asked that Evans‘s sentencing hearing be postponed. Agent Hahn told Evans that, if he did have to return to prison, he (Hahn) would try to arrange it so that Evans could serve his sentence in another state. Agent Hahn also said he would try to place Evans and his family in a witness relocation program. Agent Hahn admitted that he did not document his efforts to have Evans‘s sentencing hearing postponed. William Denny also was an Alameda County deputy district attorney. Denny was prosecuting Evans‘s attempted robbery case. Giuntini testified that he called Denny at Agent Hahn‘s behest. In response to Giuntini‘s inquiries, Denny twice requested that Evans‘s sentencing hearing be postponed. Agent Hahn also called Denny once to ask if Evans had accumulated enough presentence credits to be released based on time served.
A police officer testified that he took no steps to charge Masters for his role in the robbery and murder of Hamil at the liquor store. Masters testified that he did not commit the robbery. During the police interview after he was arrested, Masters was intimidated because there were several officers questioning him, but there was no tape recorder. As a result, he bragged about some of the crimes he committed and then lied about others. He viewed the interview as a game. Masters also testified about his robbery spree. After committing the gas station robbery when he was 17 years old, he was incarcerated in a California Youth Authority facility. He escaped from custody. He then committed the string of robberies because he felt he had ―nothing to lose‖ since he would have to serve time for escaping. Masters testified that when he committed robberies he was out 16 of control and angry with himself and ―the system.‖ He denied striking or shooting anyone during any of these crimes. Masters testified that when the police officers responded to the aborted gas station robbery, he shot only into the air, not at the officers. Masters admitted having a physical confrontation with deputies in the Los Angeles County jail and possessing prisoner-made weapons. He also testified that during the altercation with the deputy during the trial, he was not trying to escape or hit the officer with his elbows. Rather, he claimed that he was trying to intervene in and diffuse the confrontation Lawrence Woodard was having with the other deputies. Three inmates who had been on the exercise yard when Jackson was killed testified that Masters was not near Jackson when he was stabbed. A correctional officer searched Masters immediately after Jackson‘s murder but found no contraband, blood, cuts, or abrasions. Masters testified that he did not stab Jackson. Hoze testified that he withdrew from the BGF after Sergeant Burchfield‘s murder. He stated that he and Masters were no longer friends because Masters had threatened to kill him and his entire family. Hoze said he ―wanted [Masters] dead.‖ Masters refused to answer any questions about Sergeant Burchfield‘s murder or the BGF.
Masters, various family members, and others familiar with his social history testified about his family and his childhood and teenage years. Craig Haney was a psychology professor. In his testimony, he divided Masters‘s social history into five stages. The first stage, from birth to age six, was 17 a period of neglect and abandonment by his family. The second stage, from ages six to nine, was a period of positive social development, although it was tinged with pain due to Masters‘s separation from his biological family. The third stage, from ages nine to 15, was a period of distrust of adult authority figures amid increasing influence by neighborhood gangs. The fourth stage, from ages 15 to 18, was a period marked by both negative and positive experiences in institutional settings. The fifth stage was Masters‘s imprisonment in San Quentin, which Dr. Haney described as being placed in ―the worst prison in the California system at the worst time in its history.‖ Cynthia Campbell was Masters‘s mother. She had a total of eight children with five men. Masters was her fifth child and the second of three fathered by her husband at the time, Billy Masters. The marriage was unstable and beset with violence. The family lived on welfare and moved frequently due to lack of money for rent. Billy frequently physically abused Campbell and threatened to kill her. When Masters was about two years old, Billy set a fire in their house. Masters‘s maternal aunt and uncle arrived to find the children screaming and crying. The parents were fighting. Billy brandished a straight razor and threatened to kill them all. Masters‘s uncle hit Billy with a pipe until he ran away. He did not return to the family. Masters had no childhood memories of his father. After Billy left, Campbell became a prostitute and drug user. She essentially provided no care for the children. Eventually, they moved into a house with Otis Harris. This relationship was also a violent one. On one occasion, Masters and his siblings hid under a bed while Harris beat Campbell until she lost consciousness. The children continued to be neglected. Campbell had sex with numerous men in the house. Masters sometimes secretly watched. Harris and Campbell sold and took drugs in the house. Masters felt that things were best when Campbell and Harris were high on drugs because they would be more calm. 18 After his mother gave birth to twins, Masters‘s older sister was responsible for taking care of the girl while Masters was responsible for taking care of the boy. The boy later died of sudden infant death syndrome. Often the children would be left alone for days without sufficient food. Campbell would sometimes arrange for other prostitutes to babysit, and they would occasionally give Masters alcohol. The house was dirty, as were the children. Eventually, people at the children‘s schools began washing the children and their clothes. Harris never exhibited any affection toward Masters. He hit Masters numerous times with his hands and an electrical cord. When Masters was four or five years old, he stood with a butcher knife over a sleeping Harris and contemplated stabbing him. When Masters was six years old, the children were placed in foster care. Masters was separated from his siblings and placed with an elderly couple, the Procks. They took good care of him. Masters became particularly close to his foster mother. When Masters was around nine years old, Mrs. Prock died, and he was placed in a new foster home. He stayed there for about a year. His new foster parents favored their biological children and treated the foster children as the ―chorekeepers‖ of the house. Masters began running away to the Procks‘ house, particularly after he was not allowed to attend Mrs. Prock‘s funeral. Masters was then placed in several juvenile facilities. He preferred this to living with foster parents, although he occasionally ran away. Masters received sporadic visits from various family members. When Masters was 12 years old, he was placed in the home of his maternal uncle and his wife. He lived with them and their two children for several years. During that time, Masters‘s mother bought him a bike and used him as a courier for delivering drugs to her customers. Masters also became exposed to gangs through his older half-brother, Tommy. After the incident in which he shot at a 19 house, Masters was placed in juvenile camps for a number of months. When he returned to his aunt‘s house, he became heavily involved with a gang. He had numerous disciplinary problems at school and was disrespectful toward authority figures. The school Masters attended was considered a ―holding tank‖ for problem students. At one point, his social worker had him committed to a hospital for psychological treatment, including forced medication. When Masters was 15 years old, he was placed under the care of the California Youth Authority. Violence between the wards and between the staff and the wards was prevalent. Masters had testified in a civil trial regarding the conditions at a facility where he was housed. When Masters was 16 years old, he was transferred to a different institution. Masters responded well to the emphasis on positive reinforcement. He excelled in sports, was placed on the academic honor roll, and obtained his high school diploma. A counselor testified that Masters was the ―top ward in the dorm.‖ After a year, Masters was paroled to a group home in Stockton. Masters‘s family reunited, and he returned to Southern California to join them. Masters‘s mother was still using drugs. At times, she used Masters to deliver drugs for her. Masters stayed at his aunt‘s house, but he was surrounded by gangs and criminal activity. After his arrest for robbing a gas station, on the night of his 18th birthday, a group of deputies at the jail beat him up.
Robert Slater was a staff psychiatrist at San Quentin from 1982 to 1984. He testified about the conditions at the prison. At that time, San Quentin housed very serious criminals, including many who had created problems at other prisons. The overcrowding of violent prisoners created ―oppressive‖ conditions. The level of violence between inmates was so high that they generally had a ―sense of 20 impending and immediate annihilation.‖ In 1984, 12 inmates were murdered and several more who had been assaulted would have died if they had not received immediate medical attention. Much of the violence was racially motivated. The presence of armed guards on the gunrails of the prison and the frequent firing of warning shots added to the level of fear. In Dr. Slater‘s opinion, the only thing that prevented riots was the near-constant lockdowns. Dr. Slater believed that the constant fear led the inmates to misperceive potential threats, which could lead to their taking preemptive actions in what they believed was self-defense. John Irwin was a sociology professor and former inmate. He agreed that the conditions at San Quentin caused prisoners to become paranoid. He explained that prison culture also encouraged inmates to bolster their reputations by falsely claiming they committed acts of violence. Dr. Haney testified that the fearful conditions at San Quentin fostered the formation of the prison gangs. The gangs provided structure and security for their members.
Masters testified that he had matured and no longer wanted to participate in violence or criminal activities. Masters testified that his mother‘s death made him realize that life was precious. He claimed to have withdrawn from the BGF, even though doing so meant he might be attacked. According to Masters, he had intervened in several potentially violent situations and helped to resolve them peacefully. Dr. Haney testified that he believed Masters had recently undergone significant changes that included self-improvement, openness, critical thinking, and the ability to have a perspective apart from an institutional setting. Dr. Haney trusted Masters‘s statement that he had withdrawn from the BGF and noted that he 21 had received only three minor disciplinary infractions since 1986. Dr. Irwin similarly testified that it is common for inmates to phase out of gangs as they age. A correctional officer testified in rebuttal, however, that he had recently observed Masters appearing to lead BGF classes on the exercise yard. Dr. Haney testified that Masters would adapt well if he were to be confined under a life sentence in a highly structured prison environment.