Opinion ID: 2570544
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Evidence of Uncharged Rape

Text: Defendant raises a number of arguments related to the trial court's admission of evidence that five years before the crimes against Uwe Durbin and L.R., defendant had committed a number of forcible sex crimes against his then girlfriend, K.K. As we explain, we reject all of these claims.
Prior to trial, the prosecution moved to admit evidence of defendant's uncharged sex crimes against K.K. pursuant to Evidence Code section 1108. Defendant opposed the motion, relying largely on Evidence Code section 1101. The matter was discussed at a hearing, and the trial court made a tentative ruling admitting the evidence. The court noted the crimes against K.K. were not remote; the degree of similarity between the past and present crimes, while not great, was sufficient to permit admission of the evidence; and it was highly relevant on the issue of disposition to commit sexual offenses. Although the court was concerned that proof of the prior uncharged crimes would consume an undue amount of time and distract the jury, it noted the burden was on the defense to show that, and it reserved the right to change its ruling if defendant could make an offer of proof that he intended to call several witnesses to refute the victim. The court specifically referenced Evidence Code section 352 in its ruling. Defendant's request that he be allowed to testify and refute K.K.'s expected testimony without subjecting himself to cross-examination on other topics was denied because, according to the trial court, a waiver of one's Fifth Amendment right was a waiver for all purposes. [7] K.K., a Finnish national, testified she was 22 years old when she met defendant in February 1992. She began an intimate relationship with him, and they planned to marry. They had been living with defendant's mother but were asked to leave, so they went to defendant's mother's place of business, a bail bond office, to sleep in the back room. Once there, defendant left and did not answer his telephone or pager for several hours, enraging K.K. When he finally returned, he and K.K. quarreled, and she broke first his pager and then a telephone. Defendant began beating her with his fists, throwing her around the office. According to K.K., defendant then forced her to orally copulate him, before forcibly sodomizing her. She tried to fight him off but was unsuccessful. Afterwards, defendant removed a gun from a box in the office and handled it in her presence, although he did not overtly threaten her with it. She fell asleep, but the next morning defendant again forcibly raped her and forced her to orally copulate him. He covered her mouth during the rape to keep her quiet. A friend came and picked K.K. up and took her to a hospital where she spoke to a police officer. She did not tell the officer about the gun because she knew defendant was on parole and would have gone to jail for a long time. She still loved him and even visited him both in jail and in prison. (The jury was not told why defendant was in jail and prison during that time.) K.K. returned to Finland in January 1993, explaining that although they still planned to marry, she was having doubts and was afraid defendant would kill her when he was released from prison. Defendant did not object to any of K.K.'s references to jail, prison or her expressed belief that he might attempt to kill her. In fact, on crossexamination, defense counsel referred to defendant's time in Corcoran State Prison and how far the prison was from Los Angeles, apparently attempting to underscore the depth of K.K.'s affection for defendant. In response to defense counsel's question that defendant seemed to wander around a lot; is that right?, K.K. replied: Yes. He was pimping women. Counsel did not ask that the answer be stricken or the jury admonished. Defendant did not call any witnesses to refute K.K.'s account. Following K.K.'s testimony, the trial court, the jury not being present, noted: I was not aware when I made the [Evidence Code section] 352 ruling, I don't believe, of the fact that you intended to bring out the visits to Corcoran, the fact that the defendant was on parole or that there was any gun issue in this. [¶] I assume from your cross-examination that you were aware of this, Mr. Belter. Defense counsel explained he had learned of the gun use the day before. The prosecutor then explained: I found out yesterday, and I told Mr. Belter yesterday about the gun. I didn't intend to bring out the Corcoran visits, but Mr. Belter indicated he was going to bring them out. So they just kind of came out. Defendant's counsel explained that he intended to characterize the crimes against K.K. as more of a date-rape situation in an attempt to minimize their seriousness. The trial court responded: Well, I had no idea that either of you were going to bring out his parole status or imprisonment in Corcoran, which I think is problematic. But, I mean, there are ways to impeach without bringing that out, saying you went a long way to see him. I take it it was a tactical decision. Following the close of the guilt phase evidence, the trial court reiterated its concern that the jury had learned of defendant's parole status and prior incarceration. The court stated its intention to instruct the jury to consider that evidence solely for assessing K.K.'s credibility and not to show defendant's bad character. The court later so instructed the jury.
(8) Defendant raises a number of related arguments challenging the admission of evidence of his uncharged crimes against K.K., but we find none availing because the evidence was admissible under Evidence Code section 1108. At the time of defendant's trial, that section provided in pertinent part: (a) In a criminal action in which the defendant is accused of a sexual offense, evidence of the defendant's commission of another sexual offense or offenses is not made inadmissible by Section 1101, if the evidence is not inadmissible pursuant to Section 352. (Added by Stats. 1995, ch. 439, § 2, p. 3429.) Defendant first argues that Evidence Code section 1108 is unconstitutional because it violates his constitutional right to due process of law. We rejected that precise argument in People v. Falsetta (1999) 21 Cal.4th 903 [89 Cal.Rptr.2d 847, 986 P.2d 182] ( Falsetta ), certiorari denied sub nomine Falsetta v. California (2000) 529 U.S. 1089 [146 L.Ed.2d 645, 120 S.Ct. 1723], where we explained that although evidence of a criminal's propensity had long been excluded in this state, such long-standing practice does not necessarily reflect a fundamental, unalterable principle embodied in the Constitution ( Falsetta, at p. 914), that a rule permitting admission of such evidence does not offend those fundamental due process principles ( id. at p. 915), and that the trial court's discretion to exclude propensity evidence under section 352 saves section 1108 from [the] defendant's due process challenge ( id. at p. 917). We have recently endorsed and applied Falsetta ( People v. Abilez, supra, 41 Cal.4th at pp. 501-502; see also People v. Reliford (2003) 29 Cal.4th 1007 [130 Cal.Rptr.2d 254, 62 P.3d 601] [assuming Falsetta 's correctness]), as have the Courts of Appeal ( People v. Cabrera (2007) 152 Cal.App.4th 695, 703-704 [61 Cal.Rptr.3d 373], and cases cited). In addition, the federal courts follow an analogous rule. (See U.S. v. LeMay (9th Cir. 2001) 260 F.3d 1018, 1022 [upholding constitutionality of Fed. Rules Evid., rule 414, 28 U.S.C.].) Although defendant invites this court to reconsider the correctness of Falsetta, he proffers no persuasive reason to do so. We thus reject his claim that Evidence Code section 1108 violates due process. Defendant next argues that even if Evidence Code section 1108 is constitutional, the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of his 1992 crimes against K.K. But as respondent argues, Evidence Code section 1108 expressly reserves the trial court's power to exclude evidence as more prejudicial than probative under Evidence Code section 352, a matter over which the trial court exercises broad discretion. ( People v. Cole (2004) 33 Cal.4th 1158, 1197 [17 Cal.Rptr.3d 532, 95 P.3d 811]; People v. Rodrigues (1994) 8 Cal.4th 1060, 1124 [36 Cal.Rptr.2d 235, 885 P.2d 1].) On balance, we cannot say the trial court abused its discretion, as the crimes against K.K. occurred only five years before the L.R. rapes and were relevant to proving the charge that defendant twice raped L.R. Significantly, the crimes against K.K. were quickly proven, thus supporting the trial court's decision that, under Evidence Code section 352, presentation of the evidence would not consume an undue amount of time or distract the jury from the present charges. [8] Defendant argues the trial court's decision to admit the evidence was made before the court knew the evidence would include a showing defendant was on parole, had been incarcerated, and had handled a gun right after the first set of sex crimes against K.K. He notes the court itself found this additional evidence problematic and argues the court failed to `exclude irrelevant though inflammatory details surrounding the offense.' But defendant never moved to exclude those details and in fact elicited some of them himself. When the trial court opined that it assumed defense counsel's decision to elicit such evidence was a tactical one, counsel did not disagree. We conclude the revelation of defendant's prior incarceration and parole, and his handling of a firearm, was not so significant that we may conclude the trial court abused its discretion in admitting it, especially considering that the defense did not object and the court later instructed the jury the evidence was admitted for a limited purpose. We assume the jury followed this instruction. ( People v. Romo (1975) 14 Cal.3d 189, 194-195 [121 Cal.Rptr. 111, 534 P.2d 1015].) Defendant's remaining four subclaims are less substantial. (1) That K.K. declined to press charges and defendant was never convicted of the crimes against her is irrelevant to the question of admissibility, for Evidence Code section 1108 authorizes the admission of evidence not just of convictions but of a defendant's commission of prior sex crimes. (2) Although K.K.'s assertion that she moved back to Finland because she was afraid defendant might kill her was undoubtedly detrimental to his defense, he did not object or request that the answer be stricken or the jury admonished. Accordingly, the matter was forfeited. Moreover, any prejudice was minimized when counsel elicited from K.K. that she had to leave the country in any event because both her airplane ticket and her visa were expiring. (9) (3) Although defendant contends the trial court erred by refusing to permit him to testify and refute K.K.'s testimony without subjecting himself to cross-examination on other topics, it does not appear the court ever made a final ruling in this regard, emphasizing that its ruling was tentative. Because defendant never sought a final ruling, we conclude the present claim was abandoned. (See People v. Bolin (1998) 18 Cal.4th 297, 312-313 [75 Cal.Rptr.2d 412, 956 P.2d 374] [change of venue motion].) In any event, the court did not violate defendant's constitutional rights because he remained free to testify and defend himself against K.K.'s charges. A defendant who elects to testify does not give up his Fifth Amendment rights nor his corresponding California privilege against self-incrimination (Cal. Const., art. I, § 15) except as to matters within the scope of relevant cross-examination [citations]. ( People v. Tealer (1975) 48 Cal.App.3d 598, 604 [122 Cal.Rptr. 144]; see also People v. Thornton (1974) 11 Cal.3d 738, 760 [114 Cal.Rptr. 467, 523 P.2d 267], overruled on another ground in People v. Martinez (1999) 20 Cal.4th 225 [83 Cal.Rptr.2d 533, 973 P.2d 512]; People v. Ing (1967) 65 Cal.2d 603, 611 [55 Cal.Rptr. 902, 422 P.2d 590]; 3 Witkin, Cal. Evidence, supra, Presentation At Trial, § 233, p. 302.) Though tactically dangerous, because he would still have been subject to cross-examination for bias, interest or motive ( People v. Munoz (1984) 157 Cal.App.3d 999, 1026 [204 Cal.Rptr. 271]; Simons, Cal. Evidence Manual (2007) § 3.18, p. 215), defendant could have taken the stand and refuted K.K.'s testimony, carefully limiting the scope of his testimony, and then objected to any crossexamination that sought information beyond the scope of his direct testimony. (4) Defendant contends that even if the introduction of K.K.'s testimony was permissible under Evidence Code section 1108, the evidence of his propensity was sufficiently unreliable that it contravened the need for heightened reliability in capital cases and thus violated his right to due process. (See, e.g., In re Sakarias (2005) 35 Cal.4th 140, 160 [25 Cal.Rptr.3d 265, 106 P.3d 931] [noting the need for heightened reliability in capital cases].) But the evidence was relevant to the noncapital part of the case (his rapes of L.R.), not the capital part (his torture and murder of Uwe Durbin). Although K.K.'s evidence was also admitted against him at the penalty phase, the jury was instructed that it must find the crimes against K.K. true beyond a reasonable doubt before considering them as aggravating evidence, thus satisfying any concerns about reliability. In sum, we find the trial court correctly admitted the evidence of defendant's prior sex crimes against K.K.