Opinion ID: 2625337
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reasonable doubt and evidentiary instructions

Text: Defendant challenges 11 standard jury instructions that the trial court gave. Four of the instructions, CALJIC Nos. 2.01, 2.02, 8.83, and 8.83.1, told the jurors that they must accept a reasonable interpretation of evidence over an unreasonable one. Defendant contends these instructions would have misled the jury into finding him guilty if it decided defendant reasonably appeared guilty, rather than finding him not guilty if it entertained a reasonable doubt about his guilt. As defendant concedes, we have previously rejected this contention. ( People v. Mendoza (2000) 24 Cal.4th 130, 181, 99 Cal. Rptr.2d 485, 6 P.3d 150; People v. Crittenden (1994) 9 Cal.4th 83, 144, 36 Cal. Rptr.2d 474, 885 P.2d 887.) We do so again here. Defendant points out that four of the instructions, CALJIC Nos. 1.00, 2.01, 2.51, and 2.52, referred to guilt or innocence. This phrase, he argues, relieved the prosecution of its burden of proof by implying that the issue was one of guilt or innocence instead of whether there was or was not a reasonable doubt about defendant's guilt. Challenges to the wording of jury instructions are resolved by determining whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the jury misapplied or misconstrued the instruction. ( People v. Clair (1992) 2 Cal.4th 629, 662-663, 7 Cal. Rptr.2d 564, 828 P.2d 705.) Here, it is not reasonably likely that the jury would have misapplied or misconstrued the challenged instructions, one of which expressly reiterates that defendant's guilt must be established beyond a reasonable doubt. (CALJIC No. 2.01.) The instructions in question use the word innocence to mean evidence less than that required to establish guilt, not to mean the defendant must establish innocence or that the prosecution has any burden other than proof beyond a reasonable doubt. ( People v. Wade (1995) 39 Cal.App.4th 1487, 1493, 46 Cal.Rptr.2d 645.) Here, the jury was repeatedly instructed on the proper burden of proof. (E.g., CALJIC Nos. 2.90, 4.21, 8.71.) Defendant contends three other jury instructions improperly lessened the prosecution's burden of proof. The first of those stated that a witness willfully false in part of his or her testimony was to be distrusted in other parts of the testimony. (CALJIC No. 2.21.2.) We have in the past rejected such a challenge when the defendant is the witness. ( People v. Beardslee (1991) 53 Cal.3d 68, 94-95, 279 Cal.Rptr. 276, 806 P.2d 1311.) The challenge has even less force when, as here, the witness is other than the defendant. Second, defendant challenges the instruction that the jury should not decide guilt or innocence based on the number of witnesses but on the convincing force of the evidence. (CALJIC No. 2.22.) This instruction addresses the jury's evaluation of evidence, not the burden of proof. Defendant's third challenge is to CALJIC No. 8.20. This instruction requires the jury to find the killing was preceded by a clear and deliberate intent to kill that must have been formed upon preexisting reflection and not precluded by conditions that negate deliberation. There is no reasonable likelihood that any jury would misconstrue this instruction as lessening the prosecution's burden of proof in any respect.