Opinion ID: 844217
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admission of Artistic Renderings

Text: Defendant contends the trial court erred in admitting 10 drawings of the scene of the shootings of the two police officers, which were used to illustrate the testimony of eyewitnesses Margaretta Gully, De'Moryea Polidore, and Alicia Jordon. These drawings were prepared by a police artist based on interviews with the witnesses. Each of the witnesses testified that the exhibits accurately reflected what they saw, but in cross-examination, defense counsel elicited testimony demonstrating that in some respects the drawings were not accurate or that they depicted details that the witnesses did not observe. The drawings showed the shooter in a light green jacket, but both Gully and Polidore testified that he was wearing a dark jacket. Drawings used to illustrate Gully's testimony showed sparks coming out of a gun and showed the red truck with defendant's license plate number, the number 454 on the side, and the word Chevrolet, none of which Gully observed. A drawing used to illustrate Polidore's testimony showed the number 454 on the truck, but the witness testified that he saw only four-something-four. (11) Defendant argues that because the drawings demonstrated the artist's interpretation of what the scene looked like, they constituted hearsay that was inadmissible under state law. He also contends that they constituted testimonial hearsay whose admission violated the confrontation clause of the Sixth Amendment to the federal Constitution and his federal due process right to a fair trial. (See Crawford, supra, 541 U.S. 36.) To the contrary, because the drawings were admitted solely to illustrate the witnesses' testimony, and not for the truth of the matters portrayed, they did not constitute inadmissible hearsay. (See Evid. Code, § 1200 [hearsay is evidence of a statement that was made other than by a witness while testifying at the hearing and that is offered to prove the truth of the matter stated].) Furthermore, the confrontation clause does not bar the use of testimonial statements for purposes other than establishing the truth of the matter asserted. ( Crawford, supra, at p. 60, fn. 9; see, e.g., People v. McKinnon (2011) 52 Cal.4th 610, 656 & fn. 28 [130 Cal.Rptr.3d 590, 259 P.3d 1186] [no confrontation clause violation where gang expert's testimony regarding rumors that a member of defendant's gang had been killed by a member of a rival gang was admitted for the nonhearsay purpose of explaining defendant's motive]; People v. Mendoza (2007) 42 Cal.4th 686, 698-699 [68 Cal.Rptr.3d 274, 171 P.3d 2] [no confrontation clause violation where murder victim's statements accusing defendant of molestation were admitted for the nonhearsay purpose of explaining defendant's state of mind]; People v. Ledesma (2006) 39 Cal.4th 641, 706, fn. 17 [47 Cal.Rptr.3d 326, 140 P.3d 657] [no confrontation clause violation where identification of defendant in a photo lineup by a witness to a robbery was admitted for the nonhearsay purpose of establishing defendant's motive for killing the witness].) Defendant contends that even if the drawings did not constitute inadmissible hearsay, they should have been excluded under state law because they did not accurately represent the scene. He also contends that their admission denied defendant a fair trial. In addition to the asserted inaccuracies noted above, defendant points out that the drawings show bright light, but the crimes occurred at night; the drawings show tinted windows in the truck, even though there was conflicting testimony on this point; and the drawings suggest that the eyewitnesses had a good opportunity to observe the perpetrator, when in fact they had only a fleeting glance of him. (12) In an analogous situation, we have held that in ruling on the admissibility of a videotape of the crime scene, a trial court must determine whether: (1) the videotape is a reasonable representation of that which it is alleged to portray; and (2) the use of the videotape would assist the jurors in their determination of the facts of the case or serve to mislead them. ( People v. Rodrigues (1994) 8 Cal.4th 1060, 1114 [36 Cal.Rptr.2d 235, 885 P.2d 1] ( Rodrigues ).) Rodrigues involved a videotape of the crime scene purporting to show the vantage point of one of the witnesses. The defendant claimed that the videotape was inaccurate in that the scenes were shot in daylight, whereas the events occurred at night; the scenes depicted one White male whereas a witness testified that she saw two males, one Hispanic and one Black; and one scene was shown from an inaccurate vantage point. ( Id. at pp. 1113-1114.) We found no error in admitting the videotape. Once the witness confirmed in her testimony that the videotape accurately showed the area where she was when she saw the assailants, the trial court could conclude that the tape was a reasonable representation of the physical layout of the building and the witness's vantage point, and that it would assist the jurors notwithstanding the claimed inaccuracies. ( Id. at p. 1115.) We also noted that any inaccuracies in the tapes were either obvious or brought to the jury's attention. ( Ibid. ) Under circumstances such as these, we must assume that the jurors were intelligent people and that they understood and took into account the differences identified by defendant on appeal. ( Ibid.; see also People v. Mayfield (1997) 14 Cal.4th 668, 747 [60 Cal.Rptr.2d 1, 928 P.2d 485] [video showing the scene of the crime was properly admitted to demonstrate the height and location of walls and fences and what could be seen over them, even though the video was taken in the daytime and the crime occurred at night].) Likewise in the present case, the prosecution established that the drawings accurately depicted the scenes observed by the witnesses in relevant respects, and the trial court could reasonably conclude that the drawings would assist the jurors in understanding the testimony. Through cross-examination, defense counsel was able to establish that these renderings were not entirely accurate in all details, and he brought the discrepancies to the jury's attention in closing argument. [8] As in Rodrigues, we may assume that the jurors took into account the discrepancies between the witnesses' testimony and the artists' renderings and that they were not likely to be misled.