Opinion ID: 1351576
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Constitutional Validity of the Verdict of Death

Text: The jury returned the following verdict: We, the Jury, find that the aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating factors and having considered the totality of the circumstances of the case, we fix the penalty at death. They provided no written statement in support. (35) Defendant contends that the verdict of death is invalid. He claims that the cruel and unusual punishments clause of the Eighth Amendment and the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment each require a supporting written statement. They do not. (E.g., People v. Rodriguez (1986) 42 Cal.3d 730, 777-779 [230 Cal. Rptr. 667, 726 P.2d 113]; see, e.g., People v. Gordon, supra, 50 Cal.3d at p. 1278.) Contrary to defendant's assertion, there is no reason to revisit the question.