Opinion ID: 1182062
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Unanimity Instruction as to Theory of First Degree Murder

Text: (29) At the request of the prosecutor, the trial court instructed the jury that it need not agree on the theory on which it found defendant guilty of first degree murder (i.e., premeditated murder or felony murder while defendant was engaged in the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery). Defendant's contention that this instruction deprived him of due process and his right to jury trial by allowing a less-than-unanimous verdict is contrary to established law and is rejected on that basis. ( People v. Milan (1973) 9 Cal.3d 185, 194-195 [107 Cal. Rptr. 68, 507 P.2d 956]; see also Schad v. Arizona (1991) 500 U.S. ___ [115 L.Ed.2d 555, 111 S.Ct. 2491].) In any event, any alleged error is harmless. The jury's findings of robbery and the robbery-murder special circumstance signify unanimous agreement with a first degree felony-murder theory. ( People v. Lee (1987) 43 Cal.3d 666, 669 [238 Cal. Rptr. 406, 738 P.2d 752]; People v. Stowe (1987) 188 Cal. App.3d 1605, 1620 [234 Cal. Rptr. 184].)