Opinion ID: 2625366
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Defendant's Parole Violation

Text: Defendant next argues the court erred in allowing the prosecutor to admit evidence showing that, by taking a job in Houston, Texas, defendant failed to comply with the conditions of his parole from a Mexican prison. The defense had elicited testimony from defendant's wife, Maria Bautista, to the effect that he was released from prison because his conduct was good. Bautista also testified she was unaware that defendant's trip to the United States was a violation of his parole, or that he was required to spend weekends in the nearest Mexican jail. On cross-examination, the prosecutor showed Bautista a document she had signed requiring defendant to report any address change that could interfere with the prison's surveillance over him. The prosecutor also called a Mexican prison director, Miguel Castro, who confirmed that defendant was released from prison on condition he report to the nearest Mexican jail for incarceration on weekends. According to Castro, persons not complying were subject to arrest and returned to prison. Defendant violated his parole by failing to appear for incarceration for 66 weekends. Defendant argues the court erred in admitting the terms and circumstances of his release from the Mexican prison. In defendant's view, impeaching Bautista and admitting Castro's testimony was improper because the matter of defendant's release was wholly collateral to the penalty determination. The Attorney General responds that the foregoing evidence was appropriate to rebut the inference, arising from Bautista's direct testimony, that defendant was a well-behaved prisoner who complied with the conditions of his release. Although the challenged evidence was only marginally relevant to the penalty issue, we find no abuse of the court's broad discretion to permit such cross-examination or rebuttal. (See People v. Rodriguez, supra, 42 Cal.3d at p. 791, 230 Cal.Rptr. 667, 726 P.2d 113.) In any event, any error in admitting evidence of defendant's parole violation was harmless in light of the other aggravating circumstances in the case. (See, e.g., People v. Kaurish (1990) 52 Cal.3d 648, 702, 276 Cal.Rptr. 788, 802 P.2d 278 [probation violation evidence harmless]; People v. Wright, supra, 52 Cal.3d at pp. 427-429, 276 Cal.Rptr. 731, 802 P.2d 221.)