Opinion ID: 1311837
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Waiver and Ineffective Assistance of Counsel.

Text: (16a) Defendant maintains that if we determine counsel's failure to object waived the errors in admitting evidence of Terry Caylor's criminal background and of Black prison gang activity, such failure denied him the effective assistance of counsel. (17) A defendant who on appeal asserts a claim of ineffective assistance has the burden to show counsel failed to perform as a reasonably competent attorney acting as a diligent advocate and that counsel's deficiencies prejudiced his case. ( People v. Pope, supra, 23 Cal.3d 412, 425; People v. Fosselman, supra, 33 Cal.3d 572, 584; see Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S. 668; People v. Ledesma (1987) 43 Cal.3d 171, 216-217 [233 Cal. Rptr. 404, 729 P.2d 839].) We have observed that a mere failure to object to evidence seldom establishes counsel's incompetence. ( People v. Ghent (1987) 43 Cal.3d 739, 772 [239 Cal. Rptr. 82, 739 P.2d 1250].) Assuming arguendo, however, that a reasonably competent attorney would have objected to the challenged evidence and, further, that there could be no justifiable tactical reason for counsel's failure to object (cf. Pope, supra, at pp. 426, 428; Ghent, supra, at p. 773), defendant still must show counsel's omissions were prejudicial. (16b) Counsel's failure to prevent the improper impeachment of Caylor was prejudicial, defendant maintains, because Caylor's testimony, if believed, discredited Laughlin, whose testimony provided the only direct evidence defendant, and not Crawford, was the perpetrator of the crimes. [10] We disagree. Even without evidence of Caylor's felony convictions for rape and lewd conduct and his pending escape charges, the jury was aware that Caylor, like Laughlin himself, was a convicted felon awaiting trial on new charges. The specifics of his criminal history could not have made an appreciable difference. Indeed, arguably it was less prejudicial for the jury to know the nature of Caylor's priors and pending charges than to leave the question open to speculation. (Cf. People v. Rollo (1977) 20 Cal.3d 109, 119 [141 Cal. Rptr. 177, 569 P.2d 771].) During the guilt phase, moreover, the jury had heard and evidently rejected similar impeaching evidence concerning Laughlin's asserted manufacture of his testimony. [11] The details of Caylor's criminal background could not in the circumstances have been determinative of the jury's resolution of the issue of Laughlin's credibility. Admission of evidence of Black prison gang activity, although arguably improper, likewise was nonprejudicial. As indicated, evidence of prison gang activity in general was properly admitted in the context of describing the environment defendant would interact with were he sentenced to life without possibility of parole, an issue raised by the defense. The single reference to Black gang activity occurred in the course of cross-examination of a prison guard about inmate Smith's fear of retaliation for reporting the sodomy attack. Dr. Rath, testifying for the defense concerning defendant's likely behavior in prison, twice stated that defendant is prone to be a loner, not a gang joiner  thus neutralizing in part any prejudicial effect of the improper reference. Dr. Rath further testified that defendant is a sociopath with attention-deficit disorder whose problems of hyperactivity, irritability and impulsivity would continue to manifest themselves, and that it would be consistent with defendant's personality to try to escape. In light of the above testimony and the overwhelming aggravating evidence  particularly that during defendant's last escape from jail he engaged in a crime and murder spree that left four people dead, and immediately after his commitment to prison for the White murder he engaged in assaultive sexual behavior  the arguably improper reference to Black gangs could not have affected the verdict. Throughout most of the lengthy trial, counsel performed as a vigorous and capable advocate. We conclude that even assuming counsel's failure to object to the challenged evidence was unreasonable, the prejudice defendant suffered, if any, does not warrant setting aside his death sentence. ( Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S. at pp. 694-695, 698-699 [80 L.Ed.2d at pp. 698, 700-701]; People v. Fosselman, supra, 33 Cal.3d at p. 584; People v. Pope, supra, 23 Cal.3d at p. 423.)