Opinion ID: 2675341
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: “Riding Around With a 187”

Text: George testified that, on the day after the murder, he was driving defendant home when defendant bragged to George about how he shot Walker. George initially disbelieved defendant’s story, but changed his mind when his friend, Victor Dominguez, came up to the car and told George, “You’re riding around with a 187,” a reference to section 187, our state’s murder statute (“187”). Later, George, defendant, and Dominguez went inside defendant’s home where George heard defendant tell his father, “I had to do it. I ain’t gonna let four vatos go down for some white boy.” 62 Prior to this portion of George’s testimony, defendant had objected on hearsay grounds to the admission of Dominguez’s “187” statement. 27 After the prosecutor explained that the statement was being offered not for its truth, but to explain George’s subsequent conduct, the trial court overruled the objection and instructed the jury that “the next statement is entered only for the purpose of explaining this witness’s further action.” Defendant concedes an out-of-court statement can be admitted for the nonhearsay purpose of showing that it imparted certain information to the hearer, and that the hearer, believing such information to be true, acted in conformity with such belief. (People v. Hill (1992) 3 Cal.4th 959, 987.) The nonhearsay purpose must also be relevant to an issue in dispute. (People v. Armendariz (1984) 37 Cal.3d 573, 585; 1 Witkin, Cal. Evidence (5th ed. 2012) Hearsay § 41, p. 835; 1 Jefferson, Cal. Evidence Benchbook (4th ed. 2012) § 1.34, pp. 25-26 [trial judge should not sustain a hearsay objection when evidence has a relevant nonhearsay use, even if its probative value appears to be very slight].) Defendant contends George’s reaction or state of mind after hearing the “187” statement shed no light on any issue in the case and that therefore Dominguez’s statement should not have been admitted. We conclude George’s reaction to the statement was relevant to a disputed issue at trial, namely, how and why George came to be inside defendant’s home and came to hear defendant make his “four vatos” statement. Trial counsel for all four defendants treated the “four vatos” statement as one of the most incriminating pieces of evidence against defendant. That this statement was made in front of 27 Defense counsel previously had made an unsuccessful objection to the prosecutor’s reference to the “riding around with a 187” comment during the prosecutor’s opening statement. 63 several witnesses, including defendant’s own father, made it particularly important.28 The parties engaged in detailed questioning of George’s account of the sequence of events leading up to his hearing the “four vatos” statement, beginning with George’s reaction to Dominguez’s “187” comment. Much of the questioning focused on George’s prior statements. Before trial, George had been interviewed by an investigator who worked for the attorney representing George’s brother. The interview was made available to all parties before trial and was played to the jury. In the interview, George recounted that, after Dominguez made the “187” comment, George realized defendant had committed the murder. Shocked, George ordered defendant out of his car. George parked at Dominguez’s house, but became curious and walked back to defendant’s house with Dominguez. Once in defendant’s house, George and Dominguez heard defendant tell his father, “I ain’t gonna let four vatos go down for some white boy.” Defendant acknowledges Dominguez’s “187” comment might have been relevant to George’s conduct if, as recounted in the investigator’s interview, George ordered defendant out of his car after hearing it. Defendant argues the “187” statement was inadmissible because George’s account during direct examination by the prosecutor differed from his statements in the earlier interview. George testified on direct examination that he did not order defendant out of his car, and that, after he parked, he, defendant, and Dominguez went directly to 28 Defendant’s father, who had not been shown to be unavailable as a witness, was not called by the defense to refute George’s account of what defendant had said. As noted previously, the prosecutor argued at both the guilt and penalty phases that the jury could infer from the defense’s failure to call defendant’s father that his testimony would have been adverse to defendant’s position. 64 defendant’s house. During cross-examination by counsel for one of the codefendants, George said his account in the interview was the correct one. Whichever version the jury decided to credit (see Evid. Code, § 1235), George’s reaction to the “187” statement was relevant because it related to the plausibility of George’s account of the sequence of events resulting in his hearing defendant make the “four vatos” statement to defendant’s father. We conclude the trial court did not err by admitting the “187” statement for a relevant nonhearsay purpose. (See 1 Jefferson, Cal. Evidence Benchbook, supra, § 1.36, p. 27.)