Opinion ID: 1119859
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Defense Counsel Informing Jury of Prior Judgment of Death

Text: During cross-examination of a prosecution penalty phase witness, defense counsel deliberately elicited testimony that defendant had previously been found guilty of the Riverside County crimes and had received the death penalty. Counsel also referred to the prior judgment of death while examining the defense penalty phase expert Dr. Craig Rath, and discussed it extensively during argument to the jury. (42) Defendant contends his attorney was ineffective in causing the jury to learn of the prior judgment of death. He contends this prejudicially diminished the jury's sense of responsibility for its own penalty decision. (See Caldwell v. Mississippi (1985) 472 U.S. 320 [86 L.Ed.2d 231, 105 S.Ct. 2633].) We disagree. Although there was certainly a danger the information might reduce the jury's sense of responsibility, defense counsel reasonably could, and obviously did, believe that on balance, the information, in conjunction with the use counsel made of it, would increase the chances of the defense avoiding a second death verdict. We have previously outlined the applicable law. (See pt. I.B. of Discussion, ante. ) The fact that defense counsel pointedly and repeatedly referred to the prior judgment strongly implies that he believed it was in his client's best interests to do so. The jury in the first trial, having heard essentially the same testimony as in this case, returned a death verdict. This suggests that unusual tactics might be appropriate in the second trial to try to avoid the same result. The record suggests two specific tactical reasons for counsel's decision. First, counsel elicited testimony from Dr. Rath that because of the prior death judgment, defendant would have little motivation to cooperate at the second trial, and he might just go[] along for the ride. Second, the murder of Danny O., an 11-year-old boy who was heroically trying to save his cousin from defendant's clutches, in which defendant applied the coup de grace with a bullet between the eyes from close range while the boy was pleading for his life, was obviously and reasonably of great concern to counsel. Reasonable counsel could worry that the jury would wonder whether defendant had received the death penalty for that murder. If not informed that he had, the jury might impose the death penalty itself just in case he had not received it the first time whether or not it felt the death penalty was warranted in this case. Informing the jury of the earlier verdict would protect against this danger. Counsel effectively used the prior judgment in closing argument. He argued that defendant had already been sentenced to death for the earlier murder, so the jury need not duplicate that verdict. He also suggested to the jury that this second prosecution was, literally and figuratively, overkill and somehow unfair to defendant. He stated, for example, that it's almost like double jeopardy, and that two cyanide tablets instead of six will be plenty adequate. [12] The decision whether to inform the jury of the prior verdict exemplifies the difficult tactical decisions that counsel may, indeed must, make without fear of appellate second-guessing. Unlike appellate counsel, trial counsel was present at trial and had a feel for the jury, which he helped select. Only he could fully weigh the risks and benefits of informing that jury of the prior verdict. Counsel was not ineffective in making this difficult but important decision.