Opinion ID: 2637056
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Asserted unreliability of death judgment due to self representation

Text: Defendant contends his sentence of death is invalid because his self-representation at trial renders the judgment unreliable by the standards of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution. Arguing that the absence of counsel detrimentally affected his exercise of all other constitutional rights (see Menefield v. Borg (9th Cir.1989) 881 F.2d 696, 698), defendant asks this court to hold the Sixth Amendment right of self-representation guaranteed by Faretta, supra, 422 U.S. 806, 95 S.Ct. 2525, 45 L.Ed.2d 562, inapplicable to capital trials. We have previously declined the invitation. `Notwithstanding the state's significant interest in a reliable penalty determination, a determination best made by a fully informed sentencer, a defendant's fundamental constitutional right to control his defense governs. [Citation.] The defendant has the right to present no defense and to take the stand and both confess guilt and request imposition of the death penalty. [Citations.] It follows that the state's interest in ensuring a reliable penalty determination may not be urged as a basis for denying a capital defendant his fundamental right to control his defense by representing himself at all stages of the trial.' ( People v. Bradford (1997) 15 Cal.4th 1229, 1364-1365, 65 Cal. Rptr.2d 145, 939 P.2d 259, quoting People v. Clark (1990) 50 Cal.3d 583, 617-618, 268 Cal.Rptr. 399, 789 P.2d 127, fn. omitted.) Other states considering the question have answered it similarly. (E.g., People v. Coleman (1995) 168 Ill.2d 509 [214 Ill.Dec. 212, 660 N.E.2d 919, 937-938]; Bridges v. State (Nev.2000) 6 P.3d 1000, 1012; State v. Reed (1998) 332 S.C. 35 [503 S.E.2d 747, 750].)