Opinion ID: 1239150
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Admission of Juanita Farren's testimony

Text: (31) Defendant contends the trial court erred in admitting the testimony of Juanita Farren. Farren testified that on August 9, 1984, defendant visited the photography store, spoke to Farren, asked her to step outside the store, indicated he knew that the police were following him and had interviewed Farren, pointed out a nearby unmarked police vehicle to Farren, and inquired what she had told the police about defendant. While in the store, defendant also inspected a strip of negatives, separating and chewing up a particular negative. Farren testified that none of the negatives that defendant inspected that day depicted Shari, whom she recognized. Defendant contends the evidence was inadmissible under Evidence Code section 350, because it did not have any bearing upon defendant's guilt, and was inadmissible under Evidence Code section 352, because it was substantially more prejudicial than probative. Defendant points out that the police twice previously had searched defendant's apartment and vehicle. He also asserts that as of August 9, he was not being investigated in connection with Shari's death, and Tracey's disappearance was classified simply as a missing person case. By August 9, the police had discovered in defendant's possession the photographs and negatives of Shari, leading to the identification of Jane Doe No. 60. The police had learned from defendant himself that he had spent time with her in the days preceding her death and had taken photographs of her during that period. The police also had discovered that defendant was the last person to see Tracey, that she had expressed an interest in modeling, and that he had advised her to prepare a photographic portfolio. Defendant's conduct in inspecting the negatives as soon as he received them, and his destroying one of them, closely following his observance of the police vehicle and inquiry of Farren as to what she had told the police, clearly was relevant with regard to the issue of his guilt. This is especially so in the context of other evidence establishing that the negative immediately preceding in sequence the one destroyed by defendant depicted Shari's bare breasts. Moreover, the probative value of the evidence substantially outweighed any prejudicial effect. Farren, while describing unusual, noteworthy conduct on the part of defendant, did not give an account of behavior so extreme or bizarre in nature that the passions of the jury would be inflamed against defendant.