Opinion ID: 2509517
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Admissibility of Newspaper Articles

Text: While searching defendant's residence on March 24 and 25, 1990, the police discovered copies of three newspapers. Two contained articles about a notorious child molestation case in which the defendants were acquitted. The third contained an article about a father who had set fire to his young son. The prosecution argued that the articles were admissible to show that defendant had been fantasizing about child molesting and had been planning such a crime. Dr. Hatcher testified that persons who commit such crimes almost always [have] a collection of newspaper or magazine articles that have direct relevance to the fantasy and to the subsequent assault that's committed. The defense objected to the admission of the newspaper articles as irrelevant and as more prejudicial than probative. The articles were relevant, both as indicia of defendant's mental condition that led to the crime, and as evidence that defendant was planning, or at least contemplating, such a crime. If defendant's sadistic purpose was an admissible aggravating circumstance, as we concluded earlier in this opinion ( ante, 25 Cal.Rptr.3d at 568-569, 107 P.3d at 240-242), then there is no improper prejudicial effect from the evidence of the newspaper articles.