Opinion ID: 2599880
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Defense References to the Bible (Lewis, Oliver)

Text: Defendants contend the trial court erred under state decisional law, and violated their rights under the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments, by prohibiting defense counsel from invoking the Bible in closing arguments at the penalty phase. They misread the record. On March 11, 1993, after each side had presented its final witness and the court and counsel began discussing penalty instructions, the court mentioned the prosecutor's inquiries as to whether Oliver's counsel might refer to the Bible in closing argument. Defense counsel questioned whether he should be told in advance what not to say. The trial court suggested that existing law did not allow any reference to the Bible. However, the court said it was not prepared to discuss or decide the issue right now. The court encouraged defense counsel to review the law in preparation for a later hearing. Charles Lloyd, counsel for Oliver, responded with humor. Later, in closing argument, Lloyd alluded to the Bible, saying that [v]iolence begets violence. Counsel also twice mentioned God, reminded jurors that the murders occurred in a church, and commented on the needs of a person's soul. Defendants have not preserved the present claims. They did not object to the trial court's tentative suggestion that the law barred biblical references in closing argument. Nor did they accept the court's offer to litigate the issue fully at a later time. Having deprived the court of the opportunity to make a record and resolve the issue one way or the other, defendants have forfeited their claims on appeal. ( Partida, supra, 37 Cal.4th 428, 435, 35 Cal.Rptr.3d 644, 122 P.3d 765.) Moreover, contrary to defendants' argument, the record contains no indication that counsel were precluded from mentioning the Bible or other religious themes as they wished. As we have seen, the trial court never held a hearing or made a ruling in this regard. The court offered to debate and decide the issue at a later time. No debate or decision occurred. As a result, the defense freely invoked the Bible, God, the church venue, and the human soul in closing argument. Nothing in the record suggests that defendants would have been prevented from saying more along those lines had they sought to do so. No error occurred.