Opinion ID: 1179588
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Instructions on the use of prior felony convictions to impeach.

Text: (35) The trial court instructed the jury that in determining the credibility of a witness it could consider prior felony convictions. (CALJIC No. 2.20.) The problem is that the jury had heard evidence of some felony convictions which, under the law at time of trial, would not be admissible to impeach. It had learned of defendant's prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon, and Shoopman's prior conviction for murder. Prosecution witnesses were equally tainted: the jury learned of Norris's prior rape conviction and Lloyd Douglas's convictions for manslaughter and burglary. Under People v. Beagle (1972) 6 Cal.3d 441 [99 Cal. Rptr. 313, 492 P.2d 1], which states the law governing defendant's trial, a felony conviction was admissible to impeach only if the offense bore upon veracity. (See People v. Rist (1976) 16 Cal.3d 211, 219 [127 Cal. Rptr. 457, 545 P.2d 833]; People v. Delgado (1973) 32 Cal. App.3d 242, 250 [108 Cal. Rptr. 399].) Of the convictions brought before the jury, only Douglas's conviction for burglary would meet that test. Thus the court should either have limited its instruction to convictions bearing on veracity or, when admitting the evidence, admonished the jury that it could not be used to impeach the credibility of the witness. Since the error is not of constitutional dimension, the appropriate test of prejudice is the reasonable probability test set out in People v. Watson (1956) 46 Cal.2d 818, 836 [299 P.2d 243]. In light of the overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt, we find no reasonable probability that, absent the error in question, the jury would have reached a different result.