Opinion ID: 1210141
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Alleged Error in Failing to Present Additional Defense Evidence

Text: The evidence presented by the People on the issue of defendant's guilt may be characterized as overwhelming. The defense, however, presented only two witnesses during the guilt phase of the trial and three witnesses during the penalty phase. Defendant argues that if defense counsel's strategy was to present a minimal defense, which he urges constituted no defense at all, to gain the sympathy of the jury it was tantamount to a plea of guilty. As such, he contends, the trial judge was required to obtain from him an explicit waiver of his rights in accordance with In re Tahl (1969) 1 Cal.3d 122 [81 Cal. Rptr. 577, 460 P.2d 449]. [13] If that was not his strategy, he continues, the absence of an effective defense brings this case within the ambit of People v. Ibarra (1963) 60 Cal.2d 460 [34 Cal. Rptr. 863, 386 P.2d 487], in which case reversal would also be required. These arguments are untenable. The rationale of Tahl and its offspring is to assure that the record demonstrably discloses the defendant knows of and voluntarily waives the three specified rights [against self-incrimination, to a jury trial, and to confront adverse witnesses] surrendered by a guilty plea. ( In re Sutherland (1972) 6 Cal.3d 666, 671 [100 Cal. Rptr. 129, 493 P.2d 857]; see People v. Gallegos (1971) 4 Cal.3d 242, 247 [93 Cal. Rptr. 229, 481 P.2d 237].) The mandate of Tahl, however, applies only to pleas of guilty and situations tantamount to a plea of guilty. (See, e.g., In re Mosley (1970) 1 Cal.3d 913, 924-925 [83 Cal. Rptr. 809, 464 P.2d 473] (submission of the case on the transcript of the preliminary hearing which contained primarily incriminating evidence).) Nothing in our decisions following Tahl indicates that the principles expressed therein were intended to apply to jury trials, even where the evidence of guilt is overwhelming. When a defendant undergoes a jury trial any competent defense counsel will inform him of his right to call witnesses on his own behalf, of his right to testify or not to testify, and, in the absence of unusual circumstances, will cross-examine the witnesses for the prosecution. Here, defendant's case was tried to a jury. Through counsel he clearly exercised his right of confrontation by cross-examining prosecution witnesses and he took advantage of his right against self-incrimination by not taking the witness stand. Defendant also contends that because of the compelling evidence of his guilt and because defense counsel failed to present additional evidence of his innocence, having the practical effect of a plea of guilty, the trial court was required to secure his waiver of the right to offer evidence beyond that which had already been presented. (7) Although there are certain fundamental rights which must be expressly waived in words by the defendant in open court (see, e.g., In re Tahl, supra, 1 Cal.3d 122 (right to jury trial)), the right to present additional evidence during trial is not one of them. The presentation of a particular quantum of evidence may not be characterized as a right; rather it is an event which rests on a tactical decision to be made by counsel. Thus, irrespective of the quantum or quality of evidence of a defendant's guilt, the failure to present additional evidence on the issue of his innocence does not involve a question of waiver but the issue of adequate representation of counsel (see, e.g., People v. Mosqueda (1970) 1 Cal. App.3d 540, 545 [85 Cal. Rptr. 346] (involving defense counsel's decision not to present testimony by the defendant)). (8) It appears in the instant case that defendant's attorney presented whatever evidence he thought was appropriate under the circumstances. [14] In the course of our review of the lengthy record we found no grounds for objections by defendant to either the manner in which his attorney was conducting the case or the decision not to proffer additional evidence at trial if indeed any such evidence was available. [15] That the evidence so presented could be described as minimal was not the result of defense counsel's incompetence as suggested by defendant; it was the concomitant of being faced with compelling evidence of defendant's guilt and, perhaps the possibility that any additional evidence would serve to further weaken the defendant's case. The record clearly indicates that the decision not to present additional evidence was tactical. [16]