Opinion ID: 1454621
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: Consideration of Multiple Prior Felony Convictions Involving a Single Incident as Impermissible Aggravation

Text: (51) In 1978, defendant was convicted of attempted rape and assault with intent to commit rape arising from his attack on a 15-year-old former girlfriend. Evidence of both convictions was introduced at the penalty phase. Defendant claims that because both convictions arose from the same incident, the jury's separate consideration of them resulted in an artificial and prejudicial inflation of the aggravating factors. Assuming error in this regard, we hold it was both harmless and waived by defendant. First, defendant did not object to the consideration of these prior felony convictions on the ground he now asserts nor did he request a clarifying instruction that would have prevented any conceivable artificial aggravation. In the absence of a timely objection, defendant waived any error. ( People v. Carrera, supra, 49 Cal.3d 291, 341; People v. Hamilton, supra, 46 Cal.3d at p. 126; People v. Siripongs (1988) 45 Cal.3d 548, 583 [247 Cal. Rptr. 729, 754 P.2d 1306].) Second, to the extent defendant implies that he was improperly convicted in the first instance of multiple offenses arising from a single incident (§ 654; People v. Cole (1982) 31 Cal.3d 568, 582 [183 Cal. Rptr. 350, 645 P.2d 1182]), we need not reach the merits of his argument. There was no prejudice to him in the introduction of those convictions at the penalty phase here. Because the underlying facts of the convictions at issue were presented in the penalty phase, the jury was aware that the two convictions stemmed from a single incident. Nothing in the prosecutor's argument or elsewhere in the record suggests that the jury weighed the mere number of convictions, as distinguished from the facts of the underlying incidents, improperly or inordinately. Indeed, the prosecutor expressly stated in final argument that he was relying on two prior convictions, referring to the separate kidnap and rape incidents. He did not attempt to enumerate defendant's convictions. Any error in introduction of the convictions was harmless.