Opinion ID: 1172635
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Effect of Guilt Phase Errors on Penalty Phase

Text: At the penalty phase of the trial, defendant's jury was instructed to consider, in determining the appropriate penalty, all of the evidence received during any part of the trial (including, obviously, all guilt phase evidence). Defendant argues, based on this instruction, that every error committed during the guilt phase, even those we conclude did not prejudice the guilt determination, must separately be evaluated for their impact, if any, on the penalty determination. Defendant does not state which specific guilt phase error or errors he believes prejudicially impacted the penalty phase, asserting, instead, that the present case was so closely balanced on the penalty issue that any error could very well have made for him the difference between life and death. As will be recalled, defendant has carried his burden of demonstrating guilt phase error in only one instance, the trial court's unmodified use of CALJIC No. 2.11.5 (see fn. 5, ante ), and that error did not prejudice the guilt determination. Defendant offers neither specific argumentation nor record citation to support his speculation the trial court's guilt phase use of CALJIC No. 2.11.5 impacted the jury's penalty deliberations. Defendant thus fails to demonstrate the death judgment must be reversed because guilt phase errors prejudiced the penalty phase of the trial.