Opinion ID: 1281505
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 24

Heading: Denial of Application for Modification of Penalty

Text: Section 190.4, subdivision (e) states that in ruling on an application for modification of a verdict of death, ... the judge shall review the evidence, consider, take into account, and be guided by the aggravating and mitigating circumstances referred to in Section 190.3, and shall make a determination as to whether the jury's findings and verdicts that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating circumstances are contrary to law or the evidence presented. The judge shall state on the record the reasons for his findings. (46a) Defendant relies on Rodriguez, supra, 42 Cal.3d 730, in which we held that section 190.4, subdivision (e) requires an independent consideration of whether the evidence and aggravating and mitigating circumstances support imposition of the death penalty and in which we required that reasons for denying the modification be given with sufficient particularity so as to permit effective appellate review. ( Id. at pp. 793-794; see also People v. Thompson (1988) 45 Cal.3d 86, 140 [246 Cal. Rptr. 245, 753 P.2d 37].) Defendant asserts that nothing indicates the trial judge exercised his independent judgment. Further, he urges, the trial judge failed to specify any reasons in support of denying the motion. He argues that at a minimum, he is entitled to a new hearing on his motion to reduce the penalty. We conclude, however, that the judge clearly understood he was to independently weigh the evidence in considering the propriety of the jury's verdict of death, and his statement of reasons for denying the motion for modification, taken in the context of the immediately preceding hearing, was not so inadequate as to require a new hearing. We further conclude that even if the trial judge erred in failing to state his reasons in more detail, there is no reasonable possibility his omission affected the outcome in this case.