Opinion ID: 2517672
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Boyd's Postcrime Behavior Evidenced Consciousness of Guilt

Text: In addition to Boyd's many incriminating admissions, the suspicious cuts on his hands, his having carried a knife around the time of the murders and all the other evidence described above, petitioner also alleges that Boyd's behavior and demeanor following the murders suggested he suffered from a consciousness of guilt. For example, as described above, Boyd claimed a false alibi and pressured and threatened others to support it. In addition, Boyd threatened those who had heard him make incriminating statements to keep silent. At Boyd's urging, Harvey's son, who was only 13 or 14 years old at the time, falsely told police he had heard from a schoolmate that petitioner and someone named Buck were planning on committing a murder. (Buck was codefendant Mark Reilly's nickname.) Boyd denied pressuring his stepson in this way, but the referee found Boyd was not credible on this point. Petitioner also alleges that, indicative of his guilty state of mind, Boyd testified falsely at both the preliminary hearing and the trial in petitioner's case. For example, at the preliminary hearing, Boyd testified under a false name and testified falsely that he had never been to prison. By the time of trial, Boyd had admitted his status as a felon but falsely testified he had received no consideration for his trial testimony, although he had received immunity for his perjury at the preliminary hearing. The referee ruled specifically on this point, concluding: At the reference hearing, Boyd admitted that prior to his testimony at trial, [the prosecutor] promised him that he would not be prosecuted for perjury committed at the preliminary hearing. This evidence, as well as the secret grant of immunity which [the prosecutor] awarded Boyd prior to the hearing,[ [13] ] showed that Boyd testified falsely when he stated at trial that [the prosecutor] had not promised him anything in connection with his testimony. At trial, Boyd testified that on the morning after the murders, he entered Steven Rice's apartment around 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. and used it as a shortcut to exit the apartment complex by jumping over a wall. Once in the apartment, he saw Reilly and petitioner sleeping; Colette Mitchell and Rice were also present. He testified that he used Rice's apartment as a shortcut mostly every day. This evidence placed petitioner in Reilly's company just hours after the crimes and rendered it more plausible the two of them had acted together in murdering the victims, a point the prosecution emphasized in closing argument. But at the evidentiary hearing, Boyd testified he never used Rice's apartment as a shortcut as there was no need to do so. The referee cited this inconsistency as evidence of Boyd's lack of credibility. Petitioner makes a number of additional allegations essentially highlighting inconsistencies in Boyd's testimony at trial and argues these discrepancies comprise further evidence of Boyd's duplicity and demonstrate he was the real killer. Two examples suffice: Petitioner first alleges that after the murders Boyd's demeanor changed. He appeared nervous and stopped carrying his knife. This allegation is supported by Rickey Ginsburg's testimony that after the murders Boyd appeared more nervous and paranoid and ... real edgy. Harvey's son similarly observed that after the killings Boyd became paranoid, shaking, everything that he done he done in a rush. Petitioner also alleges Boyd, at trial, falsely testified he had received no consideration from the Santa Clara County Superior Court in recognition of his assistance in testifying against petitioner. Petitioner alleges Boyd, facing sentencing for a burglary conviction in that county at the time of petitioner's trial, allegedly received the lightest possible sentence in Santa Clara County and, in fact, suffered no penalty at all for having fled the jurisdiction prior to sentencing. Although Boyd touched on the subject at the evidentiary hearing, suggesting that prosecuting authorities in Los Angeles County had made some overtures to obtain leniency for him in Santa Clara County, the referee made no specific findings of fact for these allegations. Accordingly, we assign no weight to them, nor to several other allegations that were not contradicted at the evidentiary hearing, but for which the referee made no finding, such as those involving the precise time Boyd learned of the murders, Boyd's alleged lie about seeing a red stain on petitioner's boots, Boyd's alleged accusation of Reilly, Boyd's alleged conversations with Reilly in the apartment laundry room in which Reilly allegedly made damaging admissions, Reilly's alleged solicitation of Boyd to commit the murders, and others.