Opinion ID: 1247657
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Instruction on Admissions.

Text: (46) Defendant contends the court prejudicially erred in failing to instruct sua sponte that admissions by a defendant are to be viewed with caution. The admissions to which he refers are: (1) telling Bessy Henderson being lied to made him want to hurt somebody; (2) telling the Missouri prison guard, Don't fuck with me; (3) the statement someone in the group made to the two Missouri police officers, Go for your gun and you're dead. The statements in question were not admissions as that term is defined in CALJIC Nos. 2.70 and 2.71, the instructions defendant claims should have been given. Those instructions state that an admission is a statement by a defendant, which does not acknowledge his guilt by itself but which tends to prove guilt when considered with the rest of the evidence. None of these statements played a part in establishing defendant's guilt of the crimes in question  (1) brandishing a firearm; (2) manslaughter; (3) robbery. Thus the court had no sua sponte duty to instruct on viewing a defendant's admissions with caution. Moreover, any error in failing to so instruct would have been harmless in any event.