Opinion ID: 1386250
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Trial Court's Consideration of Probation Report and Statements by Relatives of the Victims When Ruling on Application to Modify the Verdict

Text: Before ruling on defendant's application for modification of the jury verdict of death (ง 190.4, subd. (e)), the trial court had received a probation report that included as attachments several reports pertaining to defendant's misconduct in jail. At the time of the hearing on the application to modify the verdict, the court allowed Maria Guerrero and two other relatives of the victims to make brief statements. All three said only that they were satisfied justice had been done and thanked the court. To preclude the trial court from considering the probation report or the victim statements when ruling on defendant's application, his counsel moved to strike both the probation report and the relatives' statements from the record. Without directly addressing the motion to strike, the trial court ruled on the application to modify the jury verdict of death. The court referred to the aggravating and mitigating evidence presented at trial and, based on that evidence, denied the application to modify the verdict. Thereafter, the court arraigned defendant for sentencing and for the first time mentioned that it had read and considered the probation report. The court then expressly ruled on the motion to strike, declining to strike from the report those portions which contain infraction reports concerning Mr. Bacigalupo's conduct in custody. (37) Defendant contends that the judgment of death must be vacated and the case remanded to the trial court to reconsider defendant's application for modification of the jury verdict of death. He asserts that, in ruling on his application for modification of the verdict, the trial court improperly considered the statements by the victims' relatives and the probation report, which was evidence that had not been presented to the jury. The record reflects that the trial court heard the statements by the victims' relatives and must have read the probation report before ruling on the application to modify the verdict. This was error. ( People v. Lewis (1990) 50 Cal.3d 262, 287 [266 Cal. Rptr. 834, 786 P.2d 892].) We have said that when ruling on an application to modify a verdict of death, the trial court reviews only the evidence that was presented to the jury. ( People v. Adcox (1988) 47 Cal.3d 207, 274 [253 Cal. Rptr. 55, 763 P.2d 906].) Of course, that evidence does not include the probation report ( ibid. ) or statements by the victim's family members made at the hearing on the application for modification of the verdict ( People v. Jennings (1988) 46 Cal.3d 963, 994-995 [251 Cal. Rptr. 278, 760 P.2d 475]). We have said that the trial court should defer reading a probation report or hearing victim impact statements until after the ruling on the section 190.4, subdivision (e) application. ( People v. Lewis, supra, 50 Cal.3d at p. 287.) But even when the trial court has considered such extraneous information in ruling on a defendant's application under section 190.4, subdivision (e), we assume there has been no improper influence on the court, absent specific evidence to the contrary. ( People v. Adcox, supra, 47 Cal.3d at p. 274; People v. Williams (1988) 45 Cal.3d 1268, 1329 [248 Cal. Rptr. 834, 756 P.2d 221].) Here, although extraneous information was before the trial court when it considered defendant's application for modification of the jury's verdict of death, there is nothing in the record to indicate that the court's ruling was based at all on that information. No evidence was included in the comments by the victim's relatives. Those individuals each made short statements expressing thanks that justice had been done. The reports of defendant's jail misconduct that were attached to the probation report did reveal information to the trial court that was not known to the jury. Defendant suffered no prejudice, however. The most serious of those probation reports showed that defendant had been found in possession of homemade weapons or shanks. Although from that information the trial court could infer that defendant posed a continuing safety threat even though in custody, the court was already aware that defendant posed a safety threat based on the penalty phase testimony of defense witness Dr. Brady, who on cross-examination alluded to earlier incidents of dangerous, antisocial behavior by defendant while in jail. Thus we need not vacate the judgment and remand for a ruling on the application for modification of the jury verdict of death. (See People v. Ramirez (1990) 50 Cal.3d 1158, 1201-1202 [270 Cal. Rptr. 286, 791 P.2d 965].)