Opinion ID: 2613228
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Instruction on Witness's False Testimony

Text: (23) At the penalty phase, the court instructed the jury, based on CALJIC No. 2.21 (4th ed. 1979), that the testimony of a witness who makes a willfully false statement on a material point could be disregarded in its entirety, unless the probability of truth favors his testimony in other particulars. Defendant contends such instruction, commonly used at the guilt phase to assist the jury in its fact-finding function (see, e.g., People v. Allison (1989) 48 Cal.3d 879, 895 [258 Cal. Rptr. 208, 771 P.2d 1294]), is inappropriate at the penalty phase because of the subjective, nonfactual nature of the jury's normative penalty decision. Defendant notes the instruction refers to material testimony, a description he suggests is inappropriate to much penalty phase testimony. Although we have found no cases expressly approving the use of the foregoing instruction at the penalty phase, one case implicitly recognizes that the instruction would be appropriate at both phases of a capital trial. (See People v. Gates (1987) 43 Cal.3d 1168, 1209 [240 Cal. Rptr. 666, 743 P.2d 301] [observing that witness credibility instructions, such as CALJIC No. 2.21, by their very terms are not specifically limited to the issue of guilt or innocence].) Such a conclusion seems reasonable, given the admissibility of penalty phase testimony on a variety of factual matters, including other crimes evidence. (See § 190.3.) In the present case, the People presented an array of penalty-phase witnesses attesting to various prior violent acts by defendant. The defense likewise called witnesses to testify to factual matters, including additional facts to rebut the prosecution's other crimes evidence, and testimony concerning defendant's childhood and background. We see no reason why an instruction based on CALJIC No. 2.21 should not be given to assist the jury in appraising the credibility of penalty phase testimony, where appropriate under the evidence.