Opinion ID: 2599854
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Failure to instruct jury to view Vieyra's testimony with distrust

Text: The trial court instructed the jury on the definition of an accomplice (CALJIC No. 3.10), the requirement that the testimony of accomplices be corroborated (CALJIC No. 3.11) and the sufficiency of evidence needed to supply corroboration (CALJIC No. 3.12). Defendant did not request, and the trial court did not give, CALJIC No. 3.18, which at the time directed the jury to view an accomplice's testimony with distrust. Although neither party mentions it in their briefs in this court, the question whether to give CALJIC No. 3.18 was raised and discussed in the trial court. The prosecutor objected to giving the instruction, citing a Use Note that appeared in the published version of the then current version of CALJIC. Counsel for Vieyra joined in the objection, and the trial court agreed. Counsel for defendant remained silent during this discussion. Despite this discussion in the trial court and despite his attorney's silence, defendant contends the trial court's failure to instruct the jury with CALJIC No. 3.18 was both state law error and error of federal constitutional dimension requiring reversal. We disagree and instead find no error. At the time of defendant's trial, CALJIC No. 3.18 (5th ed.1988) provided: The testimony of an accomplice ought to be viewed with distrust. This does not mean that you may arbitrarily disregard such testimony, but you should give to it the weight to which you find it to be entitled after examining it with care and caution and in the light of all the evidence in the case. (Italics added.) At the time of defendant's trial, [10] the law provided that CALJIC No. 3.18 should not be given sua sponte if the alleged accomplice was called as a witness by the defendant ( People v. Williams (1988) 45 Cal.3d 1268, 1314, 248 Cal.Rptr. 834, 756 P.2d 221), the view being that for the instructions to impugn the integrity of a defense witness was highly prejudicial (5 Witkin & Epstein, Cal.Criminal Law (3d ed. 2000) Criminal Trial, § 655, p. 943). In this case, Vieyra, charged with the same crimes as defendant, testified in his own defense; in effect, he called himself as a witness. Accordingly, the trial court correctly granted the request that CALJIC No. 3.18 not be given to the jury. Nor was the trial court under a sua sponte duty to modify the instruction for defendant's benefit. ( People v. Guiuan, supra, 18 Cal.4th at p. 560, 76 Cal.Rptr.2d 239, 957 P.2d 928.)