Opinion ID: 2625337
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Inadequate Instruction Claim

Text: The trial court instructed the jury that to find the special circumstance true the jury must find that the murder was intentional, that it was carried out for financial gain, and that defendant believed the death would result in financial gain. (CALJIC No. 8.81.1.) Defendant challenges the instruction as unconstitutionally vague. As defendant concedes, we have in the past upheld an identical instruction ( People v. Jackson, supra, 13 Cal.4th at pp. 1228-1229, 56 Cal.Rptr.2d 49, 920 P.2d 1254) and we have repeatedly held that the instruction in the statutory language is proper (e.g., People v. Padilla (1995) 11 Cal.4th 891, 934, 47 Cal.Rptr.2d 426, 906 P.2d 388). We have in the past rejected defendant's argument that a trial court commits prejudicial error by instructing in the language of CALJIC No. 2.51 that motive is not an element of the crime charged. There is no reasonable likelihood that the jury would have applied the motive instruction to the special circumstance allegation. ( People v. Noguera, supra, 4 Cal.4th at p. 637, 15 Cal.Rptr.2d 400, 842 P.2d 1160.)