Opinion ID: 1237936
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 19

Heading: Lack of Testing of Defendant's Blood Type

Text: During the redirect examination of prosecution witness John Boyd, a criminalist employed by the California Department of Justice, the prosecutor asked Boyd whether he had ever received a sample of defendant's blood. Defendant raised a relevance objection, which the court considered out of the jury's presence. Defense counsel argued to the court that defendant's blood type was irrelevant because all the blood found at the Hickey murder scene was consistent with Hickey's blood type. The court observed that defense counsel in open court had previously refused to provide a sample of defendant's blood without a warrant, and that the jury could infer consciousness of guilt from this refusal. The court's only ruling, however, was that the witness would be allowed to say whether or not he had received a sample of defendant's blood. The prosecutor then asked whether the witness had ever received a specimen of blood from defendant, and the witness said he had not. (49) We agree with defendant that the challenged evidence lacked relevance. Because analysis of evidence taken from the scene of the Hickey killing did not reveal the presence of any blood inconsistent with the victim's blood type, evidence of defendant's blood type could not have tended to incriminate or exonerate him. The lack of such evidence was likewise meaningless on the ultimate issue of guilt or innocence. We need not determine whether evidence of defense counsel's refusal to voluntarily provide a blood sample would have been admissible to show consciousness of guilt by defendant because no such evidence was ever presented to the jury, nor did the prosecutor urge such an inference in argument to the jury. Although evidence that the prosecution's criminalist had not received a sample of defendant's blood was not relevant, its admission did not prejudice defendant. Absent evidence that defendant was ever asked to provide a blood sample, the jury would have no reason to infer consciousness of guilt, and blood type in itself was simply not an issue in this case. Had the challenged evidence been excluded, there is no reasonable probability that the jury would have returned a verdict more favorable to defendant. ( People v. Watson, supra, 46 Cal.2d 818, 836.)