Opinion ID: 1129438
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Automatic Motion to Modify Sentence

Text: (41a), (42a) Finally, defendant argues that the trial court relied on inadmissible evidence, and failed to consider defendant's mitigating evidence, in passing on his motion to modify the death sentence. (See § 190.4, subd. (e).) We disagree. In every case in which a death penalty is returned, section 190.4, subdivision (e), requires the trial court to review the evidence, consider, take into account, and be guided by the aggravating and mitigating circumstances ... and ... 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. Defendant urges the court committed three errors in its statutory modification ruling. (41b) First, he contends that the court improperly considered inadmissible evidence, including his robbery conviction occurring subsequent to the Winchell murder, and the statements of Ricky Ortega implicating him. (43a) Second, defendant argues that the court improperly considered both special circumstance findings, including the torture-murder finding. (42b) Third, the court assertedly failed to consider defendant's evidence of duress as a mitigating factor because it was not extreme. As we have previously explained, the evidence of Ortega's statements and defendant's commission of a violent robbery was admissible on the grounds set forth herein. (41c) Although the fact of defendant's conviction of the robbery was inadmissible ( People v. Balderas, supra, 41 Cal.3d 144), and should not have been considered by the court in deciding defendant's motion to modify sentence, the record does not indicate that the court placed undue weight upon that factor. (43b) As for the torture-murder special-circumstance finding, we have upheld that finding herein and accordingly it was proper for the court to consider it. (42c) With respect to the duress issue, although the trial court found no evidence of extreme duress, there is no indication that it failed to consider the duress evidence offered by defendant. The record discloses that the court considered all of defendant's mitigating evidence, but believed that such evidence was insufficient to justify a modified sentence. We conclude that the court committed no prejudicial errors in ruling on defendant's motion to modify the sentence. The purported judgment n.o.v. as to the implied torture-murder finding is set aside, and in all other respects the judgment is affirmed.