Opinion ID: 1205096
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Post-event Information

Text: (23) Next, defendant contends that the trial court erred in refusing his request that the jury be instructed as follows: Was the witness' memory affected by intervening time and events? Memory tends to fade over time, and studies show that a witness may subconsciously incorporate into her memory information from other sources. The trial court did not err. The requested instruction was argumentative, in that it invited the jury to draw inferences favorable to the defendant from specified items of evidence on a disputed question of fact. ( People v. Wright, supra, 45 Cal.3d at p. 1135.) As such, it was properly refused. In addition, the concept that post-event information could contaminate a witness's identification was adequately covered by other instructions. The jury was told to consider [w]hether the witness' identification is in fact the product of her own recollection and [w]hether the witness' memory was or was not affected by intervening time and events.