Opinion ID: 2613958
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reading of Vargas's Testimony to Jury

Text: During guilt phase deliberations, the jury requested portions of testimony of Vargas and two other witnesses. With respect to Vargas, the jury requested [d]irect and/or cross concerning what photo line-ups were shown to her prior to preliminary hearing and what identifications were made. [27] The trial court ordered certain excerpts to be read to the jury, including three portions of Vargas's testimony explaining that she did not identify defendant in the photo lineup predating the preliminary hearing because she was afraid. The court, however, refused defense counsel's request to read portions of her recross-examination testimony that, according to defendant, would have tended to cast a very different light on her alleged fear and would have suggested that, had she been truly afraid of defendant, she would not have identified him at his preliminary hearing. [28] (13) Defendant contends that the court's refusal to delete Vargas's statements that she was afraid or, in the alternative, to include her other testimony that tended to contradict or explain that remark, was an abuse of discretion that unfairly highlighted testimony unfavorable to defendant and violated his rights to due process, a fair jury trial and a reliable guilt determination. He contends that Vargas's fear testimony should not have been read for the additional reason that it raised the possible, but impermissible, inference that defendant had threatened her. In response, the Attorney General asserts that defendant waived any objection to some parts of the challenged testimony because it was his counsel who requested that they be read. (Evid. Code, § 353.) Although defendant disputes the waiver contention, he requests that we review the matter in the context of an ineffective assistance claim if a waiver is found. We find it unnecessary to decide the issues of waiver and ineffective assistance since the underlying claim is so clearly lacking in merit. Vargas's testimony concerning her fear was directly relevant to why she did not identify defendant at the photo lineup. To have omitted this testimony as part of the reading would have grossly distorted the record. No error appears. The court also did not err in denying defendant's request to read portions of Vargas's recross-examination testimony pertaining to her identification of defendant at his preliminary hearing and to her failure to identify Garcia at his live lineup. Unlike the fear evidence, this other testimony was not responsive to the jury's request for what photo line-ups were shown to her prior to the preliminary hearing and what identifications were made. In any event, the court's ruling, even if in error, did not prejudice defendant. The reading of Vargas's testimony was brief, and given in conjunction with testimony by two other witnesses. Additionally, the reading included defense counsel's questioning of Vargas to the effect that if Vargas was actually afraid of defendant, she could have said what she said at Garcia's live lineup. In substance, this was precisely the point defense counsel had hoped to make with the other excluded portions of Vargas's testimony. (See fn. 28, ante. ) Accordingly, any perceived error was harmless. ( People v. Watson, supra, 46 Cal.2d at p. 836.) Finally, defendant argues that Vargas's fear testimony impermissibly suggested that he or someone associated with him had threatened her. (See People v. Mason (1991) 52 Cal.3d 909, 946-947 [277 Cal. Rptr. 166, 802 P.2d 950]; People v. Weiss (1958) 50 Cal.2d 535, 554 [327 P.2d 527]; People v. Pitts (1990) 223 Cal. App.3d 606, 778-781 [273 Cal. Rptr. 757].) We reject this claim at the outset because it was not asserted at trial. (Evid. Code, § 353.) We also find it unpersuasive on the merits. There is no suggestion in the record, either from Vargas's own testimony or from the conduct of trial, including the prosecutor's arguments, that the jury had been told or otherwise left with the impression that Vargas's fear might have been attributable to a threat.