Opinion ID: 2584774
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Gang Association

Text: Defendant contends that trial court comments during voir dire referring to evidence of gang affiliation and instructions given the jury concerning gang affiliation violated his state and federal constitutional rights to due process, trial by jury, and a fair trial. We disagree. During voir dire the trial court twice stated that if gang evidence was introduced such evidence could be used only to show intent, motive, or identity and not as evidence of guilt. [2] At the guilt phase, the jury was instructed on the use of gang evidence and on motive. As to the use of gang evidence, it was told: Gang membership evidence has been introduced in this case for the limited purpose of proving motive and intent to commit the crime charged. [¶] Such evidence may not be used for any other purpose, such as to assume a pre-disposition of the defendant to commit the crime. As to motive, the jury was instructed: Motive is not an element of the crime charged and need not be shown. However, you may consider motive or lack of motive as a circumstance in this case. Presence of motive may tend to establish the defendant is guilty. Absence of motive may tend to show that the defendant is not guilty. Defendant argues that advising the jury that gang affiliation may be considered to prove motive followed by instructing the jury that the presence of motive may tend to establish guilt was improper because there was no substantial, credible evidence that he was associated with a gang when the crimes were committed or that the offenses were gang related. We disagree. Defense alibi witness Magin Munoz, a member of the Rockwood gang, testified on cross-examination by the prosecution that defendant was a member of the Rockwood gang and that his gang name was Steam. A baseball cap bearing the name Rockwood was found in defendant's bedroom. This evidence is sufficient to support a finding that defendant was associated with the Rockwood gang when the crimes in this case were committed. When considered with that evidence, defendant's acquisition of gang-related tattoos after the crimes were committed and while he was incarcerated provides additional evidence of defendant's gang affiliation. To prove that the crimes were gang related, the prosecution presented gang expert testimony that defendant's Rockwood gang and the Temple gang to which murder victim Afable belonged were enemies and that a gang member could elevate his standing within his own gang by committing crimes in a rival gang's territory. Here, Afable was killed in Temple gang territory and Hau was killed outside of Rockwood gang territory in an area that a Rockwood gang member would consider enemy territory. (See People v. Gardeley (1996) 14 Cal.4th 605, 617-620 [59 Cal.Rptr.2d 356, 927 P.2d 713].) We consider this sufficient evidence of a gang-related connection to the crimes.