Opinion ID: 2632884
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Constitutionality of Statutes and Instructions on Burden of Proof at Penalty Phase

Text: Defendant claims the state's statutes and jury instructions regarding the prosecution's burden of proof are constitutionally inadequate. He complains the court failed to instruct that the prosecution has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that (1) particular aggravating factors exist, (2) these aggravating factors outweigh the mitigating ones, and (3) death is the appropriate penalty. Our case law has rejected this argument on the basis that the jury's penalty selection process is a moral and normative one for which assignment of a proof burden would be inappropriate. (E.g., People v. Welch (1999) 20 Cal.4th 701, 767, 85 Cal.Rptr.2d 203, 976 P.2d 754; People v. Holt (1997) 15 Cal.4th 619, 683-684, 63 Cal.Rptr.2d 782, 937 P.2d 213.) Similarly, our case law has rejected the argument, which defendant also raises, that the prosecution should shoulder a burden of persuasion regarding the penalty determination. ( People v. Combs (2004) 34 Cal.4th 821, 868, 22 Cal. Rptr.3d 61, 101 P.3d 1007; People v. Lenart (2004) 32 Cal.4th 1107, 1135-1136, 12 Cal.Rptr.3d 592, 88 P.3d 498.) We do not agree that the high court decisions in Ring v. Arizona (2002) 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 and Apprendi v. New Jersey (2000) 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 have altered the foregoing analysis. ( People v. Monterroso (2004) 34 Cal.4th 743, 796, 22 Cal.Rptr.3d 1, 101 P.3d 956; People v. Prieto (2003) 30 Cal.4th 226, 262-264, 133 Cal.Rptr.2d 18, 66 P.3d 1123.) Defendant likewise claims the sentencing instructions were constitutionally flawed because they failed to require that the jurors agree unanimously on the aggravating factors on which they relied to reach a death verdict. Again, we have repeatedly rejected the argument. ( People v. Panah (2005) 35 Cal.4th 395, 499, 25 Cal.Rptr.3d 672, 107 P.3d 790; People v. Combs, supra, 34 Cal.4th at p. 868, 22 Cal.Rptr.3d 61,101 P.3d 1007.)