Opinion ID: 2613958
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Court's Rulings and Remarks Regarding the Defense's Arguments

Text: Defendant contends that the trial court made erroneous and unfair comments when ruling on two prosecution objections during the defense's closing argument. He also contends that the court's overall treatment of the defense was unfair in comparison to its treatment of the prosecution. We disagree. During closing argument, defense counsel reminded the jury that an allegation of personal gun use (§ 12022.5) against defendant was dismissed when defendant pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon (§ 245) on Frank Roach. Counsel continued: What does that mean in simple layman's language? That means that the allegation as part of that charge that Mr. Rodrigues was the shooter, used a gun, 12022.5 means used a gun, got a gun in his hand, pulled the trigger, that was dismissed. At this point, the prosecutor objected and the following exchange took place: [Prosecutor]: I would object, your Honor. That's a misstatement of the law, as the court well knows, it's an additional sentencing enhancement that does not erase from the underlying charge the use of the weapon. [Defense counsel]: I'm stating what the 12022.5 is, and it's a use of the weapon. [The court]: However, it still does not detract from the fact of the charge itself, so the objection is sustained. (59) Defendant contends the above ruling and accompanying remarks were erroneous and resulted in the denial of his constitutional rights to due process, a fair trial, the effective assistance of counsel and a reliable penalty determination. Defendant reasons that because one can violate section 245 as either an aider and abettor or as the actual perpetrator, his conviction under section 245 did not necessarily connote an assault with a deadly weapon by him personally. Therefore, defendant argues, the trial court's ruling erroneously and effectively squelched defense counsel's intended argument that because of the dismissal of the section 12022.5 allegation, the conviction of section 245, standing alone, was entirely consistent with the defense theory and evidence that Oscar Payne and Billy Grejeda  rather than [defendant]  shot Frank Roach in 1977. The record does not support defendant's claims. First, defense counsel's sole comment in response to the prosecutor's objection was: I'm stating what the 12022.5 is, and it's a use of the weapon. After the court made its ruling, counsel made no attempt to explain or elaborate upon his position. This was plainly insufficient to raise or preserve the arguments defendant makes on appeal. As defendant apparently concedes, the clear import of the court's remark, viewed in its proper context, was that weapon use was included in the underlying charge of assault with a deadly weapon and that the dismissal of the enhancement allegation did not detract from that legal fact. We find nothing erroneous about such a remark and nothing in the court's ruling that foreclosed defense counsel from making the intended argument identified by defendant on appeal. In reaching this conclusion, we reject defendant's claim that the court's remark effectively told the jury that the underlying conviction of assault with a deadly weapon constituted a finding that defendant personally used a weapon. Later during his closing argument, defense counsel began to sum up by specifically asking the jury to spare defendant's life, but the prosecutor again objected and the court again agreed with the prosecutor's position: [Defense argument]: You have not seen any evidence which warrants the death penalty in this case. You know by what I said a few minutes ago that Mr. Rodrigues will spend the rest of his life in prison. [¶] When you are exercising your discretion and your total authority in this case about what is appropriate for the punishment you should determine whether or not Mr. Rodrigues is such a person that the prison system cannot control him that he must be put to death. [¶] You have not seen that kind of evidence. [Prosecutor]: Objection, your honor. That's not the legal standard at all that that should be imposed only if the legal system cannot control the defendant. [The court]: It's not the legal standard, but it's argument and I'll allow it in. (60) Defendant contends that the court's remark [i]t's not the legal standard was improper, prejudicial and violative of his constitutional rights because it effectively told the jury that although counsel can argue what he wants, the law says that you cannot spare the defendant's life solely because you find that he would not be a dangerous prisoner. No basis for reversal appears. We observe at the outset that these contentions have been waived by defendant's failure to assert them below. In any event, we conclude that no reasonable juror could possibly have construed the court's remark in the manner asserted by defendant, and that the court was correct in its assessment that defense counsel's argument did not reflect the legal standard. Even if we assume, however, that the court's comment was reasonably susceptible of defendant's construction, any possible misapprehension regarding the proper legal standard was eliminated when the court specifically instructed the jurors to consider, among other things: Any other circumstance which extenuates the gravity of the crime even though it is not a legal excuse for the crime, and any sympathetic or other aspect of the defendant's character or record which appears to you as a basis for a sentence less than death, whether or not related to the offense for which he is on trial. You must disregard any jury instruction given to you in the guilt or innocence phase of this trial which conflicts with this principle. The court's brief remark was neither improper nor prejudicial. Defendant next contends that the trial court's overall disparate treatment of the prosecutor and defense counsel during the penalty phase closing arguments was patently unfair to defendant and constituted prejudicial error. This contention is based on a comparison of the number of overruled defense objections with the fewer number of overruled prosecution objections. He also criticizes as unfair the comments made by the trial court in conjunction with those rulings. Defendant fails to demonstrate that any of the trial court's rulings were erroneous, or that the cited remarks were incorrect or resulted in prejudice. Defendant also fails to establish that the court acted inequitably in any way. Whether considered singly or together, the rulings and remarks made by the court furnish no grounds for a reversal of the death judgment.