Opinion ID: 1181051
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Instructions and Argument on Defendant's Failure to Disclose Defense Witnesses' Interview Evidence

Text: The defense called three witnesses to provide an alibi for the Dallas offense. Donald Bicknell, a former lover, testified he spent part of Christmas Day with defendant and that defendant was still in Palm Springs on December 26. Steven Erskine testified he met defendant and Bicknell at a party on Christmas Day and spent that night with them, leaving at 6 a.m. on the 26th; he saw defendant again sometime after 8 p.m. on the 28th. William Elliott, M.D., a Palm Springs surgeon who treated defendant for a broken wrist in mid-December, testified defendant kept a 4 p.m. appointment with him on December 28. He stated defendant could have arrived as late as 5 p.m. for that appointment. Both Bicknell and Erskine testified they had previously been interviewed by a defense investigator and that their interviews had been tape recorded. At the conclusion of those two witnesses' testimony, the prosecutor requested the defense furnish him with the tapes, pursuant to section 1102.5. [6] Claiming it would violate his client's privilege against self-incrimination, counsel declined to obey a court order to relinquish the tapes, even to the judge in camera. Immediately thereafter, the court informed the jury of defense counsel's refusal to obey the court's order, and told the jury it would later be instructed on what consideration, if any, you should give [that fact] in your deliberations. At the conclusion of the guilt phase, the court instructed the jury, the attorney for the defendant has refused to obey a direct order of the Court to produce materials for the Court's inspection. You are instructed that you may consider such refusal in determining the credibility of matters covered by the witnesses Donald Bicknell and Steven Erskine in their direct examination. As a result of this refusal to produce the materials requested by the Court, you are instructed that you should view the testimony of the witnesses, Donald Bicknell and Steven Erskine on direct examination with caution. In his closing argument, the prosecutor took full advantage of the court's rulings and instructions. [7] (6) In In re Misener (1985) 38 Cal.3d 543 [213 Cal. Rptr. 569, 698 P.2d 637], a majority of this court invalidated section 1102.5 on the ground it contravened the state constitutional privilege against self-incrimination. ( Id., at p. 558.) Defendant asserts Misener is retroactive, and that it requires reversal here. The Attorney General argues Misener should be overruled. We need not address this contention, because any error under Misener was clearly not prejudicial to defendant. First, the instruction (and the prosecutor's emphasis thereon) focused on the testimony of only two witnesses who were called solely to provide an alibi for the Dallas offense. Neither witness, however, succeeded on direct examination in narrowing the time gap between defendant's last sighting in Palm Springs and Steven Little's disappearance in Dallas to less than 36 hours. With a gap of this length, impeachment may have been superfluous. Second, witness Bicknell was impeached by a prior statement he had given to police investigators that defendant had gone to Texas with a companion during the critical time period. Finally, defendant's strongest alibi evidence remained unimpeached. Dr. Elliot placed defendant in Palm Springs no more than 18 hours after the earliest time at which he (or Steven Little's killer) could have left Dallas. There was no request for Dr. Elliot's prior statements to the defense, and there was no instruction or argument that his testimony should be viewed with distrust. We conclude it is not reasonably probable a result more favorable to defendant would have occurred in the absence of the asserted instructional error and arguments thereon. ( People v. Watson (1956) 46 Cal.2d 818, 836 [299 P.2d 243].)