Opinion ID: 2639471
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: The Statutory Death Eligibility Process

Text: Defendant asserts California's homicide and death penalty statutes do not sufficiently narrow the class of homicide offenders eligible for the death penalty. We have rejected this claim in numerous decisions and decline to conclude differently here. (See, e.g., Burgener, supra, 29 Cal.4th at pp. 884-885, 129 Cal.Rptr.2d 747, 62 P.3d 1; People v. Hughes (2002) 27 Cal.4th 287, 404, 116 Cal.Rptr.2d 401, 39 P.3d 432; People v. Bolin (1998) 18 Cal.4th 297, 345, 75 Cal.Rptr.2d 412, 956 P.2d 374; People v. Barnett (1998) 17 Cal.4th 1044, 1179, 74 Cal.Rptr.2d 121, 954 P.2d 384, and cases cited; People v. Scott (1997) 15 Cal.4th 1188, 1228, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 240, 939 P.2d 354.) Defendant also asserts that the prosecutorial discretion permitted under our statutes renders California's death eligibility process unconstitutional. Again, we have rejected this claim in numerous decisions and decline to reconsider them now. (See, e.g., Hughes, supra, 27 Cal.4th at p. 404,116 Cal.Rptr.2d 401, 39 P.3d 432; Bolin, supra, 18 Cal.4th at p. 345, 75 Cal. Rptr.2d 412, 956 P.2d 374; Barnett, supra, 17 Cal.4th at p. 1179, 74 Cal.Rptr.2d 121, 954 P.2d 384, and cases cited; Scott, supra, 15 Cal.4th at p. 1228, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 240, 939 P.2d 354.)