Opinion ID: 844251
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence of defendant's battery of his sister Robin

Text: The prosecution presented evidence that, on August 10, 1992, Banning Police Officer Lowell Wheeler interviewed defendant's sister, Robin McKinnon, regarding a crime she reported. Robin stated that she stood behind defendant in her bedroom and that defendant hit her in her face with his right hand, which was in a cast. She said that he then began to choke her and that they struggled. After Robin broke loose from his grip, she called police. Approximately 20 minutes later, Wheeler returned to Robin's home in response to another call from her. She had reported that defendant was breaking her property. As Wheeler entered the residence through the front door, he observed defendant breaking a small portable television. After defendant was transported to the police station, he spontaneously said, You can keep me for a week or a month, but when I get out I'm going to take care of it. Defendant contends the trial court erred in admitting evidence under factor (b) that he damaged his sister's television, and that, later, he said to police that [y]ou can keep me for a week or a month, but when I get out I'm going to take care of it. He argues that his breaking of his sister's property did not constitute criminal activity involving force or violence within the meaning of this factor. Also, he contends that his statement to police after he battered his sister was not part of a continuous course of criminal activity involving force or violence. In People v. Kirkpatrick, this court held that evidence of the defendant's threats to property was properly admitted as relevant to the prosecution's evidence that the defendant made a threatening phone call in violation of section 653m. ( People v. Kirkpatrick (1994) 7 Cal.4th 988, 1014 [30 Cal.Rptr.2d 818, 874 P.2d 248].) The circumstances here are similar in kind. Defendant committed a violent battery against his sister. (§ 243.) His conduct in returning to his sister's residence and breaking her television provided context to this incident, because it explained why he was arrested 20 minutes after the officers had decided not to arrest him for batterythat is, the officers returned to the house only because Robin had reported during the interim that he was breaking her property. In addition, the statement defendant made to police after his arrest, although a noncriminal act, was made sufficiently close in time to constitute a continuous course of conduct that was probative of an understanding of the violent potential of his battery against his sister as well as his willingness to resort to violence in the future. (Cf. People v. Kipp (2001) 26 Cal.4th 1100, 1114 [113 Cal.Rptr.2d 27, 33 P.3d 450]; id. at pp. 1133-1134 [evidence that defendant threatened to kill a sheriff's sergeant who had assisted in subduing him during his unsuccessful escape was admissible under factor (b) because it was relevant to an understanding of the violent potential of defendant's attempted escape].) In any event, any error in admitting this evidence was harmless. The prosecution presented additional evidence that defendant hit his sister's face with the cast on his right hand and choked her. The murders of Coder and Martin themselves were especially cruel and senseless. Under these circumstances, it is not reasonably possible that the jury would have rendered a different verdict had the challenged evidence been excluded. (See People v. Jackson (1996) 13 Cal.4th 1164, 1232 [56 Cal.Rptr.2d 49, 920 P.2d 1254].)