Opinion ID: 2672558
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Penalty Phase Issues (Penalty Retrial)

Text: Defendant claims that at the penalty retrial, the trial court erroneously denied his two motions under People v. Wheeler (1978) 22 Cal.3d 258 (Wheeler) based on the prosecutor’s assertedly discriminatory use of peremptory challenges to remove African-American Prospective Jurors F. J. and J. S., in violation of his state constitutional right to trial by a jury drawn from a representative crosssection of the community (Cal. Const., art. I, § 16). For the first time on appeal, defendant claims the erroneous denial of his Wheeler motions deprived him of his Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection of the laws. (Batson v. Kentucky (1986) 476 U.S. 79 (Batson).)14 For the reasons we explain below, the trial court did not err in denying the Batson/Wheeler motions.15

During general voir dire, the prospective jurors responded orally to questions posed by the trial court that were based on questions that appeared on a printed questionnaire, which was provided to all jurors. Among other things, the jurors were asked to state their occupation, if any, and any prior occupation that was substantially different from their current employment. Prospective Juror F.J. revealed that since graduating from high school he had been a driver with United Parcel Service (UPS) for 18 years. He had never 14 Although the defendant cited only Wheeler when making his motions, on appeal a Wheeler motion is treated as a motion under Wheeler and Batson. (People v. Yeoman (2003) 31 Cal.4th 93, 117-118.) We refer to the defense motions as Batson/Wheeler motions throughout this opinion. 15 Because we find the trial court did not err by denying either of defendant’s Batson/Wheeler motions, we reject defendant’s boilerplate claims of violations of various other state and federal constitutional rights. (See People v. Roldan (2005) 35 Cal.4th 646, 703; People v. Yeoman, supra, 31 Cal.4th at p. 118.) 45 held a supervisory position. He had prior jury experience in two criminal trials: a robbery case, which had proceeded to verdict, and a murder case, which had resulted in a hung jury. He had felt frustrated that the jurors could not reach a verdict. Prospective Juror J.S. designed telephone circuits for Pacific Bell, her employer for 30 years. While she experienced career advancement and trained others in the use of computers and circuit designs for 20 years, she was never a supervisor. As a designer, she would get an order and put together the circuit. While in school and before her employment at Pacific Bell, J.S. worked at the “Department of Justice” or the “District Attorney’s Office” “handling . . . transcripts and filing them.” J.S. had prior jury service in a criminal and a civil trial, each of which reached a verdict. The criminal case concerned child molestation; the civil case involved personal injury. J.S. said she would express her opinions during deliberations and listen to her fellow jurors, but would not change her views just to accommodate the views of others.
Prospective Juror F.J. After the prosecutor exercised her fourth peremptory challenge against Prospective Juror F.J., defense counsel objected the challenge was racially motivated, noting there remained only one or two African-Americans in the venire. The trial court responded that it “always feel[s] inadequate in these Wheeler motions. Now I’m supposed to put on a D.A. hat and look at my notes and see whether, in my opinion, a reasonable D.A. would have had a not racial reason for using a peremptory.” The court noted that some district attorneys automatically exclude a prospective juror who had served on a hung jury. It found defendant failed to make a prima facie showing of group bias and offered the prosecutor the opportunity to place her reasons for the challenge on the record. 46 In response, the prosecutor noted that F.J. had “[n]o significant life experiences that indicates strong decisionmaking skills. He’s been throughout his occupation, a UPS driver, never supervised anybody. There is nothing about his background that indicates that he can engage in a decision that — of this magnitude. There is . . . strength about his background; although, in a different type of case, I think he would be a wonderful juror, but this is a penalty where I’m going to be asking him to bring back a verdict of death. I want strong decisionmaking skills.” The court then said its notes indicated “since high school UPS driver, loading, no supervisory experience, girlfriend sells computers, two minor children, plays golf, coaches a traveling basketball team.” After the court denied the motion, the prosecutor added that the decision in the penalty phase of a death penalty case “is far more stressful and of greater magnitude than your ordinary case, and I bear that in mind when I excuse jurors.” Prospective Juror J.S. Following Prospective Juror F.J.’s excusal, the parties exercised several more peremptory challenges. When the prosecutor challenged Prospective Juror J.S., counsel made his second Batson/Wheeler motion. He argued that “[t]here’s only two or three left in the group in the audience. She seemed like an idea [sic] juror. She had two priors, both—one civil, one criminal. There was a verdict. She has worked for many, many, many years at Pacific Bell. Worked her way up. She supervised people. She trains. She obviously can make decisions. She worked—and just otherwise seems to be a good juror. I can’t see any reason why the District Attorney would not accept her, other than the fact she is a black female. And I would note that the last jury which hung, the two hangs were black females. But that should not be a basis.” The trial court reminded counsel that the prosecutor had explained that she “relied on life’s experience criteria” earlier in excusing Prospective Juror F.J. and 47 stated that it did not recall that Prospective Juror J.S. “supervised anybody.” The trial court “believe[d] she [had] trained people on how to use the computer design circuits.” After the court invited the prosecutor to comment, she stated that “my recollection is that she specifically said she did not supervise anybody.” The prosecutor felt J.S. had a “misleading” job description, that she “makes no decisions. She is given specifications and she inputs that information into a computer. She is basically a more sophisticated form of a filing clerk” and has “held nothing but clerk positions. She has trained individuals in terms of inputting data. She is a data entry specialist, basically. I don’t think the fact she trains people in how they input data makes her specifically qualified for high-stress decision-making jobs. . . . This is going to be a very stressful, deliberative process [that] requires individuals who are seasoned decision makers. They could handle the stress of a tough decision. The fear factor involved any time you get a stressful and difficult decision to make, that can be very crippling in terms of the deliberation process when you get somebody in the jury room who doesn’t have that experience. And that’s one of . . . the many things that I look at in terms of a juror. I’ve looked at her job description. She has basically been in clerk positions. If I were to not kick her, it seems to me that it would only be because she is an African-American. And I don’t believe that I’m going to discriminate in one direction or the other. I’m not going to keep her simply because she is AfricanAmerican. . . . [T]here’s absolutely nothing about her background that tells me that she can operate in a high-stress situation. And that’s very important in this type of case where the issue is life and death.” The court found defendant had failed to make a prima facie case of racial discrimination but permitted counsel to further argue. Counsel argued J.S.’s life experiences, including her 30-year employment with Pacific Bell, employment at 48 the Department of Justice, and her 20-year experience at Pacific Bell training others in the use of computers and circuit designs provided her adequate experience to make difficult decisions, and thus she was qualified to sit as a capital juror. The trial court clarified that J.S. had been a “filing clerk” with the Department of Justice and stated that regardless of whether it would have used the prosecutor’s criteria to exercise peremptory challenges, it found significant that it was “a non-race based criteria. And her use of the peremptory as to this juror was consistent with that non-suspect category use.” The prosecutor was permitted to add to the record that “it’s not just supervisory positions that I look for. I look for how they handled stressful situations or inciden[ts] in their life.” She said she had to decide “whether or not an individual juror has what it takes to be fearless in the decision to handles the stress of the moment, and to engage in basically a deliberative process that involves a decision of an enormous magnitude.” Noting she has limited things she can look at, and that voir dire is like a job interview, she concluded, “I don’t believe that [J.S.] is up to the decision in this case.” The court said it was “confident the D.A. is not using a protected category basis for her peremptories” and gave the defense further opportunity to make a record. Defense counsel asked the court “may I inquire, this juror was asked whether or not she has ever had to deal with stress in her life, specifically?” The trial court stated that “[I] don’t recall that specific question. [B]ut there were questions about her life.” The prosecutor then objected, stating “how a person deals with stress and how they recognize it as stress will vary from individual to individual. I know what I go on; their ability to deal with stress is one of the things I look at, including their ability to make decisions. That includes processing information and experience in making decisions. It’s my opinion that 49 more experienced people in terms of decision makers make better decisions for the appropriate reasons.” The trial court denied the request to reopen voir dire and denied the Batson/Wheeler motion. At that time, the jury for the penalty retrial included 11 Caucasians and one African-American. The alternate jurors included two Caucasians, one African-American, and an individual who may have been Hispanic or Filipino.
The federal and state Constitutions prohibit the use of peremptory challenges to remove prospective jurors based solely on impermissible group bias. (Batson, supra, 476 U.S. at p. 89; Wheeler, supra, 22 Cal.3d at pp. 276-277.) We conduct the three-step Batson inquiry to review claims of alleged group bias based on race. “First, the trial court must determine whether the defendant has made a prima facie showing that the prosecutor exercised a peremptory challenge based on race. Second, if the showing is made, the burden shifts to the prosecutor to demonstrate that the challenges were exercised for a race-neutral reason. Third, the court determines whether the defendant has proven purposeful discrimination. The ultimate burden of persuasion regarding racial motivation rests with, and never shifts from, the opponent of the strike. [Citation.] The three-step procedure also applies to state constitutional claims.” (People v. Lenix (2008) 44 Cal.4th 602, 612-613 (Lenix).) In ruling on defendant’s Batson/Wheeler motion concerning F.J.’s excusal, the court explicitly ruled that he failed to make a prima facie showing of discrimination. Then, after the prosecutor stated her reasons for excusing F.J, the trial court stated that “my notes, since high school UPS driver, loading, no supervisory experience, girlfriend sells computers, two minor children, plays golf, coaches a traveling basketball team.” In doing so, the trial court impliedly agreed 50 with the prosecutor that F.J. did not have supervisory experience and found the prosecutor’s justification was genuine. In denying defendant’s Batson/Wheeler motion regarding J.S., the trial court stated that a “prima facie showing [of group bias] has not been made.” It recalled that J.S. had experience training others at Pacific Bell “on how to use the computer design circuits” but not supervising employees. The court also expressly found that the prosecutor’s justification was a “non-race based criteria” and that her excusal of J.S. was “consistent with that non-suspect category.” Taken together, the court’s statements evince its satisfaction that the prosecutor’s explanations were genuine and credible. Where the trial court determines that defendant did not make a prima facie showing of group bias and also rules on, indicates agreement or satisfaction with, or otherwise passes judgment on the ultimate question of purposeful discrimination, the case is described as a first stage/third stage Batson/Wheeler hybrid, and the question whether a defendant established a prima facie case of group bias is rendered moot. (People v. Riccardi (2012) 54 Cal.4th 758, 786 [question whether defendant established prima facie showing of purposeful discrimination rendered moot where “the court expressly agreed with the prosecutor’s reasons, and thereafter appeared implicitly to agree with the prosecutor’s reasons given in response to [the] defendant’s subsequent Wheeler motions”]; Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 613, fn. 8, citing Hernandez v. New York (1991) 500 U.S. 352, 359; see People v. Mills (2010) 48 Cal.4th 158, 173-174 [question whether prima facie case of group bias has been made is mooted where the trial “passed judgment on the prosecutor’s actual reasons for the peremptory challenges (the third stage of a Batson inquiry), expressly noting that the court was ‘satisfied . . . from the explanation given by the prosecutor’ that the motivation for the challenges was not based on race”].) Here, as indicated above, with respect to 51 each of defendant’s Batson/Wheeler motions, the trial court ruled ultimately that the prosecutor’s stated reasons were genuine and race neutral, and therefore, as to each motion, the question whether defendant made a prima facie showing of racial discrimination is rendered moot. Accordingly, “ ‘we express no opinion on whether defense counsel established a prima facie case of discrimination and instead skip to Batson’s third stage to evaluate the prosecutor’s reasons for dismissing [the] African–American prospective jurors.’ ” (Riccardi, supra, 54 Cal.4th at p. 787.) “At the third stage of the Wheeler/Batson inquiry, ‘the issue comes down to whether the trial court finds the prosecutor’s race-neutral explanations to be credible. Credibility can be measured by, among other factors, the prosecutor’s demeanor; by how reasonable, or how improbable, the explanations are; and by whether the proffered rationale has some basis in accepted trial strategy.’ ” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 613.) In reviewing a trial court’s denial of a Batson/Wheeler motion, we examine “only whether substantial evidence supports its conclusions.” (Id. at p. 613.) “ ‘We presume that a prosecutor uses peremptory challenges in a constitutional manner and give great deference to the trial court’s ability to distinguish bona fide reasons from sham excuses. [Citation.] So long as the trial court makes a sincere and reasoned effort to evaluate the nondiscriminatory justifications offered, its conclusions are entitled to deference on appeal. [Citation.]’ ” (People v. Manibusan (2013) 58 Cal.4th 40, 76.) Defendant first contends we should not give the normal deference to the trial court’s rulings because the trial court was biased. Defendant’s claim to the contrary, the fact that in ruling on the Batson/Wheeler motion as to J.S., the trial court mentioned the reasons the prosecutor gave for her earlier decision to challenge F.J. does not, as defendant asserts, establish it abandoned its neutrality. We next consider whether substantial evidence supports the trial court’s rulings 52 that the prosecutor provided plausible, race-neutral reasons for challenging F.J. and J.S.
“If a prosecutor articulates a basis for a peremptory challenge that results in the disproportionate exclusion of members of a certain race, the trial judge may consider that fact as evidence that the prosecutor’s stated reason constitutes a pretext for racial discrimination.” (Hernandez v. New York (1991) 500 U.S. 352, 363 (plur. opn. of Kennedy, J.).) Defendant contends statistical evidence demonstrates that the prosecutor’s peremptory challenges to F.J. and J.S. were racially motivated. Here, the 59-member venire included four or five African-Americans, representing approximately 6.7 or 8.5 percent of the venire. The prosecutor used 18.2 percent of her challenges (2 of 11) to remove 40 percent (2 of 5) or 50 percent (2 of 4) of the available African-Americans. The prosecutor used two additional challenges against non-African-Americans during selection of the four alternate jurors. Thus, before accepting the panel, the prosecutor exercised a total of 15.4 percent of her challenges (2 of 13) against African-American prospective jurors. One African-American sat on the jury, and one sat as an alternate.16 We do not find these numbers suggest improper discrimination. In People v. Pearson, supra, 56 Cal.4th at page 422, we held the prosecutor’s use of one of two peremptory challenges (50 percent) against a group comprising only 12.5 percent of the 24-member panel did not appear “ ‘suspicious.’ ” The numbers here 16 Further jury selection proceedings were held prior to commencement of the penalty trial after two alternate jurors were excused, one for medical reasons and the other due to a death in the family. Defendant does not support his claim with statistical evidence from those proceedings nor does he complain about the circumstances under which the prosecutor exercised a peremptory challenge during those proceedings. 53 are similar and do not cause concern that the challenges were racially motivated. In addition, we observe that the sole African-American on the jury represented 8.3 percent of the jury, approximately the same percentage of African-Americans on the venire. Further, while not conclusive, the fact that the jury included an African-American “is an indication of good faith [by the prosecutor] in exercising peremptories.” (People v. Turner (1994) 8 Cal.4th 137, 168.) After reviewing the relevant statistics, we are not persuaded that a disproportionate number of African-Americans were excluded from the jury. However, because even a lone race-based challenge is unconstitutional, we bear in mind those statistics while examining the prosecutor’s explanation for challenging F.J. and J.S. (People v. Jones (2011) 51 Cal.4th 346, 363.)
“A prosecutor asked to explain his conduct must provide a ‘ “clear and reasonably specific” ’ explanation of his “legitimate reasons” for exercising the challenges.’ ” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 613, quoting Batson, supra, 476 U.S. at p. 98, fn. 20.) “Nevertheless, although a prosecutor may rely on any number of bases to select jurors, a legitimate reason is one that does not deny equal protection.” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 613.) A peremptory challenge may be justified by “a neutral explanation related to the particular case to be tried.” (Batson, supra, 476 U.S. at p. 98.) A peremptory challenge may be based on employment (see e.g., People v. Johnson (1989) 47 Cal.3d 1194, 1216, 1220), and “ ‘hunches[,]’ and even ‘arbitrary’ exclusion is permissible, so long as the reasons are not based on impermissible group bias” (People v. Turner, supra, 8 Cal.4th at p. 165). The basis for a challenge may range from “the virtually certain to the highly speculative” (Wheeler, supra, 22 Cal.3d at p. 275) and “even a ‘trivial’ 54 reason, if genuine and neutral, will suffice.” (People v. Arias, supra, 13 Cal.4th at p. 136.) Citing Wheeler, supra, 22 Cal.3d at page 276, defendant contends the prosecutor’s reasons were not valid because a lack of supervisory experience does not reflect a specific bias against the prosecution, nor does it indicate the juror will be unable to deliberate in the case at hand. While Wheeler explained that peremptory challenges are permissible to remove a prospective juror who harbors “a specific bias . . . relating to the particular case on trial or the parties or witnesses thereto,” (Wheeler, supra, 22 Cal.3d at p. 276), it also recognized that “the law allows removal of a biased juror by a challenge for which no reason ‘need be given,’ i.e., publicly stated: in many instances the party . . . cannot establish his reason by normal methods of proof . . .” (id. at p. 275). Therefore, as long as it is exercised in a nondiscriminatory manner, a peremptory challenge may be based on speculation that a prospective juror would be unable to decide penalty because he or she lacked supervisory work experience. Here, the prosecutor stated she desired jurors who could make difficult decisions such as those in the penalty phase of a death penalty case. It was her belief that this quality is demonstrated by a person who has had practical work experience as a supervisor and that those who did not have this experience were less likely to be able to decide hard questions. The prosecutor further stated that because the prospective jurors’ oral responses to the written questionnaire the trial court used during general voir dire provided only limited personal and background information about the prospective jurors, she believed this factor provided relevant and sufficient information to consider in exercising peremptory challenges in this case. “The proper focus of a Batson/Wheeler inquiry, of course, is on the subjective genuineness of the race-neutral reasons given for the peremptory 55 challenge, not on the objective reasonableness of those reasons.” (People v. Reynoso (2003) 31 Cal.4th 903, 924 [prosecutor’s subjective opinion that a customer service representative lacks educational experience to effectively serve as a juror, while “of questionable persuasiveness,” could properly form the basis of a peremptory challenge].) Therefore, a prosecutor “can challenge a potential juror whose occupation, in the prosecutor’s subjective estimation, would not render him or her the best type of juror to sit on the case for which the jury is being selected.” (Id. at p. 925.) If the prosecutor in this case genuinely exercised her peremptory challenges because, in her subjective estimation, neither F.J. nor J. S. had the “high stress” decisionmaking skills required of a capital juror, that explanation constitutes “an entirely valid and nondiscriminatory reason for exercising [those] challenge[s].” (People v. Reynoso, supra, 31 Cal.4th at p. 924, italics omitted.) Here, the prosecutor asked other non-African-American prospective jurors whether they had supervisory experience, and the defense, apparently sharing the prosecutor’s view that supervisory experience was a factor worthy of consideration, sought the same information from several other prospective jurors. We conclude the record substantially supports the trial court’s conclusions that the prosecutor’s explanations for peremptorily challenging F.J. and J.S. were genuine and not racially motivated. The dissent makes much of the fact that, in making the Batson/Wheeler objection, defense counsel asserted that “the two hangs [at the first trial] were black females.” Assuming the assertion, not otherwise supported in the record, was accurate, the trial court was aware of it and could take it into account in its ruling. It does not itself show discriminatory intent at the second trial. 56
Defendant contends a comparative juror analysis of F.J.’s and J.S.’s work experience with that of eight non-African-American jurors whom the prosecutor did not challenge (W.B., L.F., G.M., K.K., B.A., R.P., W.F., M.C.) demonstrates that the prosecutor’s justifications for challenging F.J. and J.S. were pretextual. “Comparative juror analysis is evidence that, while subject to inherent limitations, must be considered when reviewing claims of error at [Batson/Wheeler]’s third stage when the defendant relies on such evidence and the record is adequate to permit the comparisons.” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 607.) “In those circumstances, comparative juror analysis must be performed on appeal even when such an analysis was not conducted below.” (Ibid.) “[C]omparative juror analysis is but one form of circumstantial evidence that is relevant, but not necessarily dispositive, on the issue of intentional discrimination.” (Id. at p. 622.) This is true because “[o]n appellate review, a voir dire answer sits on a page of transcript. In the trial court, however, advocates and trial judges watch and listen as the answer is delivered. Myriad subtle nuances may shape it, including attitude, attention, interest, body language, facial expression and eye contact. ‘Even an inflection in the voice can make a difference in the meaning.’ ” (Ibid.) Moreover, we have recognized “that it is a combination of factors rather than any single one which often leads to the exercise of a peremptory challenge”; that “the particular combination or mix of jurors which a lawyer seeks may, and often does, change as certain jurors are removed or seated in the jury box”; and that “the same factors used in evaluating a juror may be given different weight depending on the number of peremptory challenges the lawyer has at the time of the exercise of the peremptory challenge and the number of challenges remaining with the other side.” (People v. Johnson, supra, 47 Cal.3d at p. 1220.) “It is therefore with good reason that we and the United States Supreme Court give great deference to the 57 trial court’s determination that the use of peremptory challenges was not for an improper or class bias purpose.” (Id. at p. 1221.) “The high court stated: ‘It is true that peremptories are often the subjects of instinct, Batson v. Kentucky, supra, [476 U.S.] at [page] 106 . . . (Marshall, J., concurring), and it can sometimes be hard to say what the reason is. But when illegitimate grounds like race are in issue, a prosecutor simply has got to state his reasons as best he can and stand or fall on the plausibility of the reasons he gives. A Batson challenge does not call for a mere exercise in thinking up any rational basis. If the stated reason does not hold up, its pretextual significance does not fade because a trial judge, or an appeals court, can imagine a reason that might not have been shown up as false.’ [Citation.] The high court cautioned that efforts by a trial or reviewing court to ‘substitute’ a reason will not satisfy the prosecutor’s burden of stating a racially neutral explanation. (Ibid.)” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at pp. 624-625.) Preliminarily, defendant contends that the only criteria to be examined using comparative analysis are the prosecutor’s characterizations and the record of actual responses by challenged and unchallenged jurors. However, “[w]hen asked to engage in comparative juror analysis for the first time on appeal, a reviewing court need not, indeed, must not turn a blind eye to reasons the record discloses for not challenging other jurors even if those other jurors are similar in some respects to excused jurors.” (People v. Jones, supra, 51 Cal.4th at pp. 365-366.) This is so because a party legitimately may challenge one prospective juror but not another to whom the same particular concern applies. (Id. at p. 365.) “Two panelists might give a similar answer on a given point. Yet the risk posed by one panelist might be offset by other answers, behavior, attitudes or experiences that make one juror, on balance, more or less desirable. These realities, and the complexity of human nature, make a formulaic comparison of isolated responses an 58 exceptionally poor medium to overturn a trial court’s factual finding.” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 624.) Before we proceed with our analysis, we address the question whether it is appropriate to consider the oral responses of the non-African-American jurors that were provided after the trial court denied his second motion, that is, the responses of Prospective Jurors B.A., R.P., W.F., and M.C. As we stated in Lenix, “appellate review is necessarily circumscribed. . . . [T]he trial court’s finding is reviewed on the record as it stands at the time the [Batson/Wheeler] ruling is made.” (Lenix, supra, 44 Cal.4th at p. 624.) “If the defendant believes that subsequent events should be considered by the trial court, a renewed objection is required to permit appellate consideration of these subsequent developments.” (Ibid.) Thus, if defendant believed the trial court should have considered any post-ruling developments, he could have, and should have, renewed his Batson/Wheeler claim. Because defendant did not, his reliance on the responses of the above jurors that were provided after the trial court denied his second motion is forfeited. Nonetheless, out of caution, we consider the responses of these prospective jurors in our comparison below. Juror W.B. Juror W.B. was a network technician for the Huntington Beach School District, and his responsibilities included computer network administration and computer troubleshooting. He did not supervise anyone in that position, but he had previously worked in sales and office management for an electrical wholesale business. There, he supervised two to three “warehouse-type” employees. Defendant acknowledges this juror’s supervisory experience, but asserts it should be accorded little weight because for the five years prior to defendant’s trial, the juror held jobs that required increased technical experience and lacked supervisory responsibilities. However, the prosecutor’s questions indicate she was concerned 59 with supervisory work experience in general, not that such experience had to be the prospective juror’s current or most recent position. Juror L.F. Juror L.F. worked as an administrative assistant for Boeing “off and on about 20 years,” handling worker’s compensation and medical claims and acting as “a buffer between the injured worker and the insurance carrier.” Although she made no decisions on the approval or rejection of claims, she consulted with others on those decisions, provided input, and discussed pertinent information with the individual making the ultimate decision. The prosecutor may have reasonably viewed Juror L.F. as someone with experience in making decisions in stressful circumstances, and someone who would work well with other jurors as a team and return a verdict. Juror G.M. Juror G.M. was a senior consulting engineer for Tasco Refining. He had never directly supervised people, although he had directed and reviewed the work of engineering contractors. He sometimes worked as part of a team. The prosecutor may have reasonably found Juror G.M. to be more favorable than F.J. and J.S. based solely on his experience in directing and reviewing the work of others, as well as making independent, complex decisions, experience she believed indicated the prospective juror could decide difficult questions. Juror K.K. Juror K.K. was a Raytheon lab technician who had worked in the areas of metallurgy and electronic failure analysis for 15 years. He did not supervise employees, but the employees would help each other. Depending on the problem presented, Juror K.K. might receive instructions from engineers or might instruct others. Juror K.K. had obtained an advance degree in financing that was related to his job. The prosecutor may have reasonably found that while Juror K.K. lacked 60 supervisory experience, his ability to receive and give instructions to solve problems on a continuing basis demonstrated a strong ability to make decisions. By contrast, F.J.’s and J.S.’s work experience did not appear to involve these skills. Juror B.A. Juror B.A. was a sales representative for Frito-Lay company. Previously, she had been the assistant manager of a high school cafeteria for seven years. Defendant asserts this juror “was never a true supervisor” because she merely was responsible for “seeing that the food was served properly and on time and everybody was doing their duties.” The prosecutor had explained she generally was looking for supervisory responsibilities that revealed that a juror could make tough decisions. Juror B.A.’s responses suggested her responsibilities as a cafeteria manager included supervising other employees. Nothing in the description of Prospective Jurors F.J.’s and J.S.’s job responsibilities appears to compare. Significantly, Juror B.A. had been trained in the operation of firearms and owned a variety of firearms. She had shot “.22’s, .38’s, .45’s, [and] nine millimeters,” and owed four .22 rifles, a .22 pistol, a nine-millimeter semiautomatic, and a .20-gauge shotgun. The backgrounds of F.J. and J.S. were distinguishable from Juror B.A. by their lack of any supervisory responsibilities, as well as by their lack of experience with guns, a significant factor given the prosecution’s reliance on ballistics evidence in this case. Juror R.P. Juror R.P. had been a diesel equipment operator for 11 years. Like F.J. and J.S., he did not have supervisory work experience. However, Juror R.P. had had life experiences F.J. and J.S. lacked that suggested he would be a favorable juror for the prosecution. Juror R.P. had previously been a juror in a capital case that involved multiple murder charges and special circumstances allegations, and the 61 jury had reached verdicts in both the guilt and penalty phase. The fact that Juror R.P. had been in the same stressful decisionmaking environment about which the prosecutor was concerned substantially distinguishes him from F.J. and J.S. In addition, Juror R.P. had ties to Long Beach law enforcement: his brother-in-law was the police chief of its airport, his sister was a 911 operator for the Long Beach Police Department, and an acquaintance worked for the police department. The prosecutor could have chosen not to strike Juror R.P. because of those strong ties to law enforcement. (See People v. Gray (2005) 37 Cal.4th 168, 190-191 [prosecutor could have chosen not to strike a juror whose husband was a California Highway Patrol Officer, believing the juror would be favorable to the prosecution].) In addition, Juror R.P. had witnessed two separate killings. At the scene of the first, he identified the suspect for police. Juror R.P. had intended to testify in that case and had gone to court, but was not called to the witness stand. He did testify at the vehicle manslaughter trial related to the second killing. These experiences suggest Juror R.P. was not easily intimidated and could make hard decisions. Notwithstanding Juror R.P.’s lack of supervisory experience, the prosecutor could have believed he would have less difficulty deliberating during penalty than either F.J. or J.S. Juror W.F. Juror W.F. was an account coordinator for a coupon distribution company, consulting with manufacturers to decide the type of media to use for distribution of coupons. She worked in conjunction with her account manager in making decisions for her clients. Juror W.F. had previously worked for a public relations advertising agency and as a marketing manager for Little Caesar’s Pizza. Although she did not have supervisory work experience, her work experience is distinguishable from that of F.J. and J.S. in that it required decisionmaking and working in a team environment. In addition, Juror G.M.’s brother-in-law was a 62 Long Beach police officer whom she saw twice a month. The prosecutor could have believed Juror G.M.’s connection to the Long Beach Police Department, one of the investigating agencies in this case, would have made her a desirable juror for the prosecution. Juror M.C. Juror M.C., a widow with nine adult children, had volunteered as a docent at the Torrance courthouse for 13 years. She had previously been a nurse’s aide for five years. She had prior jury service in a robbery trial that proceeded to verdict. One of her nephews was retired from the Los Angeles Police Department, and another was an interpreter at the Long Beach courthouse. Although Juror M.C. lacked supervisory experience, the prosecutor could have decided she was a desirable juror for the prosecution who could deliberate effectively based on her experience running a large household, her volunteer docent work in a courthouse for 13 years, her experience on a criminal case that reached a verdict, and her ties to the legal community and law enforcement. The comparative analysis we have undertaken, whether or not it includes our consideration of the oral responses of the non-African-American jurors that were provided after the trial court denied defendant’s second motion, does not undermine our conclusion that substantial evidence supports the trial court’s denial of the Batson/Wheeler motions as to F.J. and J.S. 2. Admissibility of Miller’s Statements to Officer Romero, Johnston’s Letter to Defendant, and the Still Photographs In determining the penalty, the jury takes into account “the circumstances of the crime of which the defendant was convicted in the present [case].” (§ 190.3, factor (a).) Therefore, “evidence of the circumstances of the offense, including evidence creating a lingering doubt as to the defendant’s guilt of the offense, is admissible at a penalty retrial as a factor in mitigation under section 63 190.3.” (People v. Gay (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1195, 1221.) During the penalty retrial, the prosecution introduced evidence that it had presented at the guilt trial to establish the circumstances of the crimes. Defendant’s trial attorney argued that notwithstanding the evidence of defendant’s guilt, lingering doubts existed regarding whether the shooting was accidental, whether defendant was the actual shooter, the credibility of Marcia’s accomplice testimony, and the credibility of the forensic expert concerning the expended bullets and casings. Here, defendant contends the trial court at the penalty retrial erred in admitting as circumstances of the crime (1) Miller’s statements to Officer Romero, (2) Johnston’s letter as an adoptive admission defendant committed “that little robbery in Long Beach,” and (3) the still photographs printed at Aerospace. He argues the erroneous admission of this evidence was prejudicial because it permitted the prosecutor to “negat[e] [his] strong mitigating circumstance of lingering doubt and skew[] the jury’s weighing process in the direction of death.” “Error in admitting or excluding evidence at the penalty phase of a capital trial is reversible if there is a reasonable possibility it affected the verdict.” (People v. Gay, supra, 42 Cal.4th at p. 1223.) In part II.B.1, above, we found Miller’s statements were not testimonial within the meaning of Crawford, supra, 541 U.S. 32, and that their admission was constitutionally permissible during the guilt trial. For the same reasons, the evidence was properly admitted at the penalty trial under factor (a) of section 190.3. As discussed above in part II.B.4, above, we conclude Johnston’s letter was erroneously admitted during the guilt phase but that the error was harmless. We also conclude the erroneous instruction under CALJIC NO. 2.71.5 for adoptive admissions did not compound the error or violate defendant’s constitutional rights. Admission of the letter and instruction during the penalty retrial was error for the reasons expressed above. The information in Johnston’s letter, however, was 64 conveyed through Johnston’s own testimony, and it did not address defendant’s role in the crime. Defendant’s attorney argued to the jury that defendant was less culpable because he was not the actual shooter and did not intend to shoot the victim, but Johnston’s letter neither accused defendant of intentionally shooting the clerk nor expressed knowledge of how the crimes were carried out. For these reasons, we conclude the error in admitting Johnston’s letter had no reasonable possibility of affecting the penalty verdict. (People v. Pearson, supra, 56 Cal.4th at p. 472.) Finally, in part II.B.6, above, we concluded the trial court acted within its discretion in admitting the still photographs printed at Aerospace. Here, for the same reasons, the evidence was properly admitted at the penalty retrial under factor (a) of section 190.3. 3. Exclusion of Evidence Explaining why Defendant Shot Moon Defendant contends the trial court erred in excluding Marcia’s statement to Detective Edwards during her interview that defendant told her he shot Moon only because Moon had gone for a gun. Defendant claims the evidence was admissible under Evidence Code section 356’s rule of completeness because it related to other statements Marcia had made to Edwards that were admitted at trial. a. Factual and Procedural Background On direct examination, Detective Edwards testified Marcia gave him several accounts about when the group met and planned the robbery and what defendant had said during their meetings. On cross-examination, defense counsel asked Edwards whether Marcia told him defendant said he shot the victim because the victim had reached for a gun. The prosecutor objected on hearsay grounds. At a sidebar, counsel argued the statement was admissible under the rule of completeness. The trial court sustained the hearsay objection. 65 b. Discussion Evidence Code section 356 provides, in relevant part, that “[w]here part of [a] . . . conversation . . . is given in evidence by one party, the whole on the same subject may be inquired into by an adverse party; . . . . when a . . . conversation . . . is given in evidence, any other act, declaration, conversation, or writing which is necessary to make it understood may also be given in evidence.” “The purpose of Evidence Code section 356 is to avoid creating a misleading impression. [Citation.] It applies only to statements that have some bearing upon, or connection with, the portion of the conversation originally introduced. [Citation.] Statements pertaining to other matters may be excluded.” (People v. Samuels (2005) 36 Cal.4th 96, 130; see People v. Zapien, supra, 4 Cal.4th at p. 959.) Here, defendant contends Marcia’s statement to Detective Edwards that defendant said he shot the victim because Moon was reaching for a gun was admissible because it bore upon the statements Marcia made to Edwards that had already been admitted. However, at the time of counsel’s objection, the relevant portion of the interview that had been elicited through Marcia’s testimony related solely to what she perceived during the planning of the robbery and the events leading to and immediately following the crimes. Marcia’s statements did not suggest a reason for the shooting or refer to any other statements defendant may have made about the shooting. Nothing about what had been presented to the jury was misleading, and the excluded statement had no bearing on the portion of Marcia’s interview that had been introduced into evidence. Accordingly, we conclude the trial court properly excluded Edward’s proffered testimony regarding any statements by Marcia that purportedly explained why or how the victim had been shot. 66 4. Victim Impact Evidence Defendant contends his penalty judgment must be reversed because the presentation of victim impact evidence, including a photo board displaying 17 photographs of the victim, was unduly prejudicial and rendered his trial fundamentally unfair. We summarize the relevant victim impact evidence before addressing defendant’s claim of prejudice. Los Angeles Police Officer Stephen Morris was married to victim Richard Moon’s stepdaughter Maryann. Morris testified he met Richard Moon in 1986 and described him as the most generous person he ever met, crediting Moon with helping him graduate from the police academy. Morris learned of Moon’s death while on duty. He broke down and cried, and his supervisor had to drive him home. Morris felt guilty because he was working blocks from Eddie’s when Moon was shot, but he was not there to help. Morris observed that everything had turned “upside-down” for Moon’s wife, Catherine, after the murder. Morris testified Moon loved life more than anyone he knew, and that Moon enjoyed spending time with his family. Morris identified many photographs on the photo board, including some of himself and his family. Some showed Moon with his wife in Hawaii. Others showed Moon with family members celebrating special occasions such as a graduation ceremony, dressed as Santa Claus, playing with children, posing with his granddaughter, and “clowning around.” One large photograph in the center of the board showed Moon smiling with his arms outstretched. Jolene Watson, mother of Moon’s grandson Christopher, considered Moon to be a good friend. Watson testified that she, Christopher, and Moon’s son Billy were living with Moon and Catherine as a family when Moon was killed. After Watson learned of Moon’s death, she informed Billy. Billy gave the news to his 67 mother, whose reaction “was absolutely horrible.” Watson identified a photograph that depicted Moon at Watson’s high school graduation. Catherine’s daughter Maryann was Moon’s stepdaughter, but Moon treated Maryann like his own child. Maryann described the moment she learned of Moon’s death as the most painful thing that ever happened to her. She added, “[t]here’s just a big gap in our lives.” She described her mother as very lonely and empty, and having “lost the sparkle in her eye.” “In a capital trial, evidence showing the direct impact of the defendant’s acts on the victims’ friends and family is not barred by the Eighth or Fourteenth Amendments to the federal Constitution. (Payne v. Tennessee (1991) 501 U.S. 808, 825-827.) Under California law, victim impact evidence is admissible at the penalty phase under section 190.3, factor (a), as a circumstance of the crime, provided the evidence is not so inflammatory as to elicit from the jury an irrational or emotional response untethered to the facts of the case.” (People v. Pollock (2004) 32 Cal.4th 1153, 1180.) Defendant contends section 1191.117 limits the prosecution to a single victim impact witness at the penalty phase. The issue is forfeited because defendant failed to object on this ground in the trial court. (See People v. Kelly (2007) 42 Cal.4th 763, 793 [failure to object to particular victim impact testimony 17 In relevant part, section 1191.1 reads as follows: “[T]he next of kin of the victim if the victim has died[ ] have the right to attend all sentencing proceedings under this chapter . . . . [¶] The victim, or up to two of the victim’s parents or guardians if the victim is a minor, or the next of kin of the victim if the victim has died, have the right to appear, personally or by counsel, at the sentencing proceeding and to reasonably express his, her, or their views concerning the crime, the person responsible, and the need for restitution. The court in imposing sentence shall consider the statements of victims, parents or guardians, and next of kin made pursuant to this section and shall state on the record its conclusion concerning whether the person would pose a threat to public safety if granted probation.” 68 forfeits issue on appeal]; Evid. Code, § 353, subd. (a).) Even if the issue were preserved, it would fail on its merits because “a trial court has the discretionary power under section 1191.1 to hear witnesses who are not strictly victims.” (People v. Brown (2003) 31 Cal.4th 518, 573, fn. 24; see People v. Zamudio (2008) 43 Cal.4th 327, 364-365 [victim impact evidence not limited to testimony of a single witness]; People v. Pollock, supra, 32 Cal.4th at p. 1183 [victim impact evidence not limited to testimony of family members].) Defendant provides no persuasive reason to reconsider our prior decisions. Next, defendant contends the trial court erroneously admitted victim impact evidence that was far more extensive and prejudicial than the evidence held admissible in Payne v. Tennessee. To the contrary, the testimony of Morris, Watson, and Maryann was limited to explain the nature of their relationship with the victim, the immediate effects of the murder, and the residual and continuing impact of the murder on their lives. (People v. Brown, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 398; see People v. Ervine (2009) 47 Cal.4th 745, 792 [victim impact evidence may include the murder’s effect on friends, coworkers, and the community].) Admission of Watson’s testimony regarding the close relationship the victim had with his son Billy and the emotional impact of the victim’s death on his grandson Christopher was not improper, even though neither of those family members testified. “There is no requirement that family members confine their testimony about the impact of the victim’s death to themselves, omitting mention of other family members.” (People v. Panah (2005) 35 Cal.4th 395, 495.) We also conclude the number of witnesses was not excessive. (See People v. Taylor (2010) 48 Cal.4th 574, 646 [proper to admit victim impact testimony of six family members representing four generations of victim’s close family].) Defendant next contends admission of the prosecution’s photo board was unduly prejudicial and rendered his trial fundamentally unfair. 69 Photographic evidence of the victim while alive is relevant and admissible as “it portrays the victim as seen by the defendant before the murder.” (People v. Anderson (2001) 25 Cal.4th 543, 594.) Here, there was nothing particularly inflammatory about the photographs that might have unfairly influenced the jurors. The prosecutor properly used them to convey that, as Morris, Watson, and Maryann had described, Moon had celebrated and enjoyed life to the fullest. Defendant objected at trial that one particular photograph was inadmissible because it depicted Moon in a “Jesus Christ[-like] pose,” and was used as “nothing but a sympathy ploy.” The photograph depicts Moon by the water looking up while standing with his arms outstretched. That pose and others on the board that depict Moon with his arms outstretched were in keeping with Morris’s description of Moon as one who outwardly expressed his joy for life. Although the challenged photograph was centered on the photo board and larger than the other photographs, the prosecutor placed no special emphasis on the challenged photograph nor did he attribute any religious significance to it. We conclude the challenged photograph was properly admitted as part of the photo board. Defendant contends the prejudicial effect of the photographs was established by the jury’s request to view the photo board during the course of its one-day penalty phase deliberations. Although the request was denied, defendant argues “the request itself lays bare the raw emotion present in the jury room and the prejudicial effect” of the photographs on display. The record does not support the claim of prejudice. In refusing the jury’s request to view the photographs during deliberations, the trial court limited the extent to which the photographs could emotionally affect the jurors, and defendant cites nothing in the record that suggests the photographs were so inflammatory that they prevented the jurors from making a rational penalty determination. Evidence presented at the penalty phase need not be devoid of emotional content. 70 (People v. Lopez (2013) 56 Cal.4th 1028, 1078.) “The photographs admitted here, and the prosecutor’s use of them in argument, assisted the jury in evaluating the consequences of defendant’s crimes and they were not the type of ‘irrelevant information or inflammatory rhetoric that diverts the jury’s attention from its proper role or invites an irrational, purely subjective response.’ ” (People v. Thomas, supra, 53 Cal.4th at p. 825.) Defendant next contends that during rebuttal the prosecutor improperly asked the jury to base its penalty decision on a comparison of the virtues of the victim and defendant, by arguing, “I’m asking you to consider everything. But view Calvin Chism in the context of what he has done in his lifetime, and compare it to those circumstances in aggravation that have been offered to you for your consideration. Then reach an appropriate and truthful verdict.” The prosecutor properly asked the jurors to “consider everything” and “compare” defendant’s conduct throughout his life in light of all the aggravating evidence in deciding penalty. There was no misconduct. 5. Defendant’s Proposed Jury Instructions Defendant claims the trial court erred in refusing to give certain special instructions requested by the defense. He contends their absence deprived him of federal and state constitutional rights to present a defense, to a fair and reliable capital trial, and to due process of law. Defendant’s proposed jury instruction No. 52.16 stated: “The mitigating circumstances that I have read for your consideration are given to you merely as examples of some of the factors that you may take into account as reasons for deciding not to impose a death sentence in this case. You should pay careful attention to each of those factors. Anyone of them may be sufficient, standing alone, to support a decision that death is not the appropriate punishment in this 71 case. But you should not limit your consideration of mitigating circumstances to these specific factors. [¶] You may also consider any other circumstances relating to the case or to the defendant as shown by the evidence as reasons for not imposing the death penalty. [¶] A mitigating circumstance does not have to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt to exist. You must find that a mitigating circumstance exists if there is any substantial evidence to support it. [¶] Any mitigating circumstance presented to you may outweigh all the aggravating factors. You are permitted to use mercy, sympathy, or sentiment in deciding what weight to give each mitigating factor.” The trial court properly rejected this instruction. Pursuant to CALJIC No. 8.85, the court instructed the jury it could consider, take into account, and be guided by, among other things, “[a]ny other circumstance which extenuates the gravity of the crime even though it is not a legal excuse for the crime and any sympathetic or other aspect of the defendant’s character or record that the defendant offers as a basis for a sentence less than death, whether or not related to the offense for which he is on trial.” We have consistently held this instruction “adequately instructs the jury concerning the circumstances that may be considered in mitigation, including sympathy and mercy.” (People v. Burney (2009) 47 Cal.4th 203, 261.) Defendant’s proposed jury instruction No. 52.25 stated: “There is no requirement that all jurors unanimously agree on any matter offered in mitigation. Each juror must make an individual evaluation of each fact or circumstance offered in mitigation. Each juror must make his own individual assessment of the weight to be given such evidence. Each juror should weigh and consider such matters regardless of whether or not they are accepted by other jurors.” We have held the trial court is “not required to instruct [the jury] that unanimity is not required before a juror may consider evidence to be mitigating.” 72 (People v. Coddington (2000) 23 Cal.4th 529, 641.) In addition, “CALJIC No. 8.88 adequately advises jurors on the scope of their discretion to reject death and to return a verdict of life without possibility of parole.” (People v. McKinnon (2011) 52 Cal.4th 610, 696.)18 The trial court did not err in refusing the proposed instruction. Defendant’s proposed jury instruction No. 52.26 stated: “The aggravating factors that I have just listed for you may be considered by you, if applicable, and established by the evidence, in determining the penalty you will impose in this case. These factors that I have listed are the only ones that you may find to be aggravating factors and you cannot take into account any other facts or circumstances as a basis for imposing the penalty of death on the defendant.” Here, “[t]he court gave the standard sentencing instruction (see CALJIC No. 8.85), and we have held that instruction is proper despite its failure expressly 18 The trial court instructed the jury under CALJIC No. 8.88, in pertinent part, as follows: “After having heard all of the evidence, and after having heard and considered the arguments of counsel, you shall consider, take into account, and be guided by the applicable factors of aggravating and mitigating circumstances upon which you have been instructed. [¶] An aggravating factor is any fact, condition or event attending the commission of a crime which increases its guilt or enormity, or adds to its injurious consequences which is above and beyond the elements of the crime itself. [¶] A mitigating circumstance is any fact, condition or event which does not constitute a justification or excuse for the crime in question, but may be considered as an extenuating circumstance in determining the appropriateness of the death penalty. [¶] The weighing of aggravating and mitigating circumstances does not mean a mere mechanical counting of factors on each side of an imaginary scale, or the arbitrary assignments of weights to any of them. [¶] You are free to assign whatever moral or sympathetic value you deem appropriate to each and all of the various factors you are permitted to consider. [¶] In weighing the various circumstances you determine under the relevant evidence which penalty is justified and appropriate by considering the totality of the aggravating circumstances with the totality of the mitigating circumstances. [¶] To return a judgment of death, each of you must be persuaded that the aggravating circumstances are so substantial in comparison with the mitigating circumstances that it warrants death instead of life without parole.” 73 to limit aggravating evidence to the enumerated statutory factors, and to exclude nonstatutory factors as a basis for the death penalty. [Citation.]” (People v. Taylor (2001) 26 Cal.4th 1155, 1180.) The trial court properly refused to instruct the jury with proposed jury instruction No. 52.26. Defendant’s proposed jury instruction No. 52.32 stated: “The law of California does not require that you ever vote to impose the penalty of death. After considering all of the evidence in the case and the instructions given to you by the court, it is entirely up to you to determine whether you are convinced that the death penalty is the appropriate punishment under all of the circumstances of the case.” The proposed instruction was duplicative of CALJIC Nos. 8.8419 and 8.88. “CALJIC No. 8.84 informed the jurors in this case that state law required that a defendant found guilty of a special circumstance murder be punished by death or confinement in prison for life without the possibility of parole and that ‘you must now determine which of these penalties shall now be imposed on the defendant.’ (Italics added.) CALJIC No. 8.88 further advised the jurors that ‘you determine under the relevant evidence which penalty is justified and appropriate.’ ” (People v. McKinnon, supra, 52 Cal.4th at p. 694.) There is no requirement that the trial court must instruct the jury, pursuant to CALJIC No. 8.88, that “death must be the appropriate penalty, not just a warranted penalty.” (People v. Moon (2005) 37 19 Pursuant to CALJIC No. 8.84, the trial court instructed the jury that “[t]he defendant in this case has been found guilty of murder of the first degree. The allegation [that the] murder was committed under a special circumstance has been specially found to be true. It is the law of this state that the penalty for a defendant found guilty of murder in the first degree shall be death, or a confinement in the state prison for life without the possibility of parole, in any case in which the special circumstance alleged in this case has been specially found to be true. Under the law of this state, you must now determine which of these penalties shall be imposed on the defendant.” 74 Cal.4th 1, 43.) The trial court properly rejected defendant’s request to give proposed jury instruction No. 52.32. The defense also asked the trial court to give proposed jury instructions Nos. 52.36, 52.39, and 52.39.1. Those proposed instructions would have told the jurors that “you must assume that the penalty that each of you chooses will in fact be carried out” (No. 52.36), “[l]ife without the possibility of parole means exactly what it says the defendant will be imprisoned for the rest of his life” (No. 52.39), and “ you must assume that a sentence of death means that the defendant will suffer the ultimate penalty and be executed.” However, “because of the ‘possibility of appellate reversal or gubernatorial commutation or pardon, it would be inaccurate and therefore erroneous to instruct the jury that if it returns a death verdict, the sentence of death will inexorably be carried out. [Citations.]’ [Citation.]” (People v. Wallace (2008) 44 Cal.4th 1032, 1091.) “[W]e have consistently held that the phrase ‘life without possibility of parole’ as it appears in CALJIC No. 8.84 adequately informs the jury that a defendant sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole is ineligible for parole. [Citations.] We also have held that the United States Supreme Court decisions in Kelly v. South Carolina (2002) 534 U.S. 246, Shafer v. South Carolina (2001) 532 U.S. 36, and Simmons v. South Carolina (1994) 512 U.S. 154, do nothing to alter that conclusion.” (Ibid.) The trial court properly denied defendant’s request to instruct the jury under defendant’s proposed jury instructions Nos. 52.36, 52.39, and 52.39.1. Defendant’s proposed jury instruction No. 52.38 stated: “Evidence has been introduced in this case that may arouse in you a natural sympathy for the victim or the victim’s family. [¶] You must not allow such evidence to divert your attention from your proper role in deciding the appropriate punishment in this 75 case. [¶] You may not impose the penalty of death as a result of an irrational, purely emotional response to this evidence.” In People v. Zamudio, supra, 43 Cal.4th 327, we listed several reasons why the trial court properly refused to give a similar instruction proposed by the defense. Those reasons apply here as well. “First, the substance of the requested instruction, insofar as it correctly stated the law, was adequately covered by the slightly modified version of CALJIC 8.84.1 the trial court gave;[20] ‘[t]he proposed instruction would not have provided the jury with any information it had not otherwise learned from CALJIC No. 8.84.1 . . . .’ [Citation.] Second, the requested instruction is misleading to the extent it indicates that emotions may play no part in a juror’s decision to opt for the death penalty. Although jurors must never be influenced by passion or prejudice, at the penalty phase, they ‘may properly consider in aggravation, as a circumstance of the crime, the impact of a capital defendant’s crimes on the victim’s family, and in so doing [they] may exercise sympathy for the defendant’s murder victims and . . . their bereaved family members. [Citation.]’ [Citation.] ‘Because the proposed instruction was misleading . . . , and because the point was adequately covered by the instructions that the court did give, the trial court acted correctly in refusing to use’ the instruction defendant proposed. [Citation.]” (People v. Zamudio, supra, 43 Cal.4th at pp. 368-369, fn. omitted.) The trial court properly rejected defendant’s request that it instruct the jury with proposed jury instruction No. 52.38. We conclude the trial court properly refused defendant’s proposed instructions. 20 The court instructed with CALJIC No. 8.84.1, which, as relevant here, told the jurors “[y]ou must neither be influenced by bias, nor prejudice against the defendant, nor be swayed by public opinion or public feelings. Both the People and the defendant have a right to expect that you will consider all of the evidence, follow the law, exercise your discretion conscientiously, and reach a just verdict.” 76 6. Cumulative Error Defendant contends the cumulative effect of the asserted penalty phase errors requires reversal of his convictions and death sentence even if none of the errors individually compels reversal. We conclude any errors or assumed errors were not prejudicial, whether viewed separately or cumulatively. 7. Attempted Robbery Felony-murder Special-circumstance Allegation Defendant was found death-eligible based on the jury’s true finding on the attempted robbery felony-murder special-circumstance allegation. He contends imposition of his death sentence violates international law and the Eighth Amendment’s proportionality requirement, in the absence of a finding that he intended to kill the victim or exhibited reckless indifference to life as a major participant in the robbery. These claims have no merit. “The felony-based special circumstances do not require that the defendant intend to kill. It is sufficient if the defendant is the actual killer or either intends to kill or ‘with reckless indifference to human life and as a major participant, aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, solicits, requests, or assists in the commission’ of the felony. [Citations.]” (People v. Rountree, supra, 56 Cal.4th at p. 854; see People v. Letner and Tobin, supra,50 Cal.4th at p. 194 [rejecting argument that under Hopkins v. Reeves (1998) 524 U.S. 88, 99, the state must prove the actual killer had a culpable mental state].) Imposition of the death penalty absent a finding of a culpable mental state for an actual killer does not violate international law because international law does not prohibit a sentence of death rendered in accordance with state and federal constitutional and statutory requirements. (See People v. Watkins (2012) 55 Cal.4th 999, 1034; People v. Taylor, supra, 48 Cal.4th at p. 661.) We decline defendant’s request to reconsider these prior holdings. 77 8. Challenges to California’s Death Penalty Law Defendant raises numerous challenges to California’s death penalty law under the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the federal Constitution. We have consistently rejected each claim, and defendant offers no persuasive reason to reconsider our prior decisions. “Section 190.2 is not impermissibly broad in violation of the Eighth Amendment.” (People v. Loker (2008) 44 Cal.4th 691, 755.) “The sentencing factor of ‘circumstances of the crime’ (§ 190.3, factor (a)) is not unconstitutionally vague and does not result in the arbitrary and capricious imposition of the death penalty.” (People v. Valencia (2008) 43 Cal.4th 268, 310.) “The jury need not make written findings, or achieve unanimity as to specific aggravating circumstances, or find beyond a reasonable doubt that an aggravating circumstance is proved (except for other crimes), that aggravating circumstances outweigh mitigating circumstances, or that death is the appropriate penalty. [Citations.] The death penalty statute is not unconstitutional for failing to provide the jury with instructions of the burden of proof and standard of proof for finding aggravating and mitigating circumstances in reaching a penalty determination.” (People v. Morrison (2004) 34 Cal.4th 698, 730–731.) “Including in the list of potential mitigating factors adjectives such as ‘extreme’ (§ 190.3, factors (d), (g)) and ‘substantial’ (id. factor (g)) does not erect an impermissible barrier to the jury’s consideration of mitigating evidence.” (People v. Valdez, supra, 55 Cal.4th at p. 180.) “Intercase proportionality review is not required. [Citation.] Use of prior criminal activity in aggravation was proper. The court need not instruct the jury that statutory mitigating factors are relevant solely in mitigation. [Citation.] The California death penalty scheme does not violate equal protection by treating capital and noncapital defendants 78 differently. [Citation.] Use of the death penalty does not violate international law and is not unconstitutional.” (People v. Livingston (2012) 53 Cal.4th 1145, 1180.) 9. Defendant’s Prior Juvenile Adjudication for Assault with a Firearm After a court trial held prior to sentencing, defendant was found to have suffered a prior serious or violent felony conviction for purposes of sentence enhancement under the Three Strikes law. The trial court’s finding was based on defendant’s juvenile adjudication for assault with a firearm (§ 245, subd. (b)) for his involvement in the Arnold Park incident. Applying the second strike provision of the Three Strikes Law, the court doubled defendant’s sentence for the Riteway robbery. (§§ 667, subds. (b)-(i), 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d).) Relying on Apprendi v. New Jersey (2000) 530 U.S. 466, defendant contends the trial court improperly doubled his sentence for his conviction of the Riteway robbery in violation of his federal constitutional because prior juvenile adjudications are not proved to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. After defendant filed his opening brief, we decided in People v. Nguyen (2009) 46 Cal.4th 1007, 1028, that “the absence of a constitutional or statutory right to jury trial under the juvenile law does not, under Apprendi, preclude the use of a prior juvenile adjudication of criminal misconduct to enhance the maximum sentence for a subsequent adult felony offense by the same person.” We decline defendant’s request to reconsider that decision. 10. Imposition of Upper Terms on Counts Two and Three and the Firearm Enhancements on Counts One and Three Citing Cunningham v. California (2007) 549 U.S. 270, defendant contends the trial court violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial by erroneously sentencing him to upper terms for attempted robbery (count two) and second degree robbery (count three) and for the firearm enhancements imposed (former 79 § 12022.5, subd. (a)(1)) as to counts one (first degree murder) and three21 based on facts neither found by a jury beyond a reasonable doubt nor admitted by defendant. In imposing upper terms for counts two and three and the firearm enhancements as to counts one and three, the trial court said “the factors in aggravation greatly outweigh those in mitigation” and specifically found as follows: (1) all of the crimes involved great violence, the threat of great bodily injury, viciousness, and callousness; (2) both victims were particularly vulnerable given they were alone and unarmed; (3) defendant was in a position of leadership and induced Johnson to participate in the attempted robbery; (4) the manner in which the crimes were carried out reflected planning, sophistication, and professionalism; defendant “ha[d] an entourage that he . . . recruit[ed] to commit the robberies;” before defendant entered the store, he sent someone inside to look for clerks and cameras; (5) a firearm was used in each robbery; (6) defendant engaged in violent conduct indicating a threat to society; and (7) defendant had recently been paroled. “Apprendi v. New Jersey (2000) 530 U.S. 466, holds that, under the Sixth Amendment, ‘any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.’ [Citation.] In Blakely v. Washington (2004) 542 U.S. 296, the high court extended the scope of Apprendi by defining ‘statutory maximum’ as the ‘maximum sentence a judge may impose solely on the basis of the facts reflected in the jury verdict or admitted by the defendant.’ [Citations.] Applying Blakely, the court later held in Cunningham v. California, supra, 549 U.S. 270, that California’s determinate sentencing law did not comport with a defendant’s Sixth 21 The trial court stayed defendant’s sentence on count two. 80 Amendment jury trial right. As Cunningham explained, ‘If the jury’s verdict alone does not authorize the sentence, if, instead, the judge must find an additional fact to impose the longer term, the Sixth Amendment requirement is not satisfied.’ (Cunningham, at p. 290.) Because the aggravating circumstances necessary for imposition of an upper term ‘depend on facts found discretely and solely by the judge’ (id. at p. 288), the ‘statutory maximum’ prescribed in California’s sentencing scheme is not the upper term but rather the middle term (ibid.).” (People v. Myles (2012) 53 Cal.4th 1181, 1220.) In People v. Black (2007) 41 Cal.4th 799 (Black), we explained that “the imposition of the upper term does not infringe upon the defendant’s constitutional right to jury trial so long as one legally sufficient aggravating circumstance has been found to exist by the jury, has been admitted by the defendant, or is justified based upon the defendant’s record of prior convictions.” (Id. at p. 816.) This exception “include[s] not only the fact that a prior conviction occurred, but also other related issues that may be determined by examining the records of the prior convictions.” (Id. at p. 819.) For example, the trial court’s finding that the defendant’s prior convictions were “ ‘numerous or of increasing seriousness’ ” falls within this exception for a defendant’s recidivism. (Id. at pp. 818-819; see id., p. 820.) “The determinations whether a defendant has suffered prior convictions, and whether those convictions are ‘numerous or of increasing seriousness’ (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.421(b)(2)), require consideration of only the number, dates, and offenses of the prior convictions alleged. The relative seriousness of these alleged convictions may be determined simply by reference to the range of punishment provided by statute for each offense. This type of determination is ‘quite different from the resolution of the issues submitted to a jury, and is one more typically and appropriately undertaken by a court.’ ” (Id. at pp. 819-820.) 81 In People v. Towne (2008) 44 Cal.4th 63, 80-81, we held that imposition of an upper term based on the trial court’s finding that the defendant was on probation or parole at the time the offense was committed did not violate the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial under Cunningham. Similarly, in this case the trial court’s reliance on its finding that defendant had recently been paroled to impose the upper terms on counts two and three and the firearm enhancements imposed under former section 12022.5, subdivision (a)(1), on counts one and three, was permissible under Cunningham. (See People v. Moberly (2009) 176 Cal.App.4th 1191, 1198 [“the dual use of a fact or facts to aggravate both a base term and the sentence on an enhancement is not prohibited”]; People v. Price (1984) 151 Cal.App.3d 803, 812 & fn. 5 [“a trial court may use the same fact(s) to impose more than one aggravated term provided the fact is reasonably related to the particular count” and “the fact has not already been or will not be used to impose either an enhancement or a consecutive term”].) Accordingly, defendant was not deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial under Cunningham. 11. Conduct Credits At sentencing, the trial court awarded defendant 643 days of custody credits. Defendant contends the trial court erroneously relied on section 2933.2 to deny him any presentence conduct credits. Subdivision (a) of section 2933.2 prohibits any person convicted of murder from accruing any presentence conduct or work time credit. However, the statute applies only to offenses committed after its effective date of June 3, 1998. (§ 2933.2, subd. (d), as approved by voters (Prop. 222) June 2, 1998; see People v. Hutchins (2001) 90 Cal.App.4th 1308, 1317). Because defendant committed his crimes on June 12, 1997, any good time or work time credits are governed by 82 section former section 4019, which provided that a defendant convicted of a crime enumerated in section 667.5 will receive one day of conduct credit for each sixday period of confinement during which he complies with the rules and regulations of the facility. (Former § 4019, subds. (a)(1), (c), (f), as amended by Stats. 1982, ch. 1234, § 7, p. 4553.) Under section 2933.1, subdivision (c), however, “the maximum credit that may be earned against a period of confinement in, or commitment to, a county jail . . . following arrest and prior to placement in the custody of the Director of Corrections, shall not exceed 15 percent of the actual period of confinement for any person specified in subdivision (a).” Subdivision (a) of that statute, which imposes a limitation on the number of work time credits that may be awarded (an issue not relevant here), applies to “any person who is convicted of a felony offense listed in subdivision (c) of Section 667.5.” (§ 2933.1, subd. (a).) Defendant’s convictions for murder and attempted robbery are listed under section 667.5, subdivision (c)(1) (murder) and (9) (robbery) and thus he is a person specified in subdivision (a) of section 2933.1. Therefore, the combined total of defendant’s presentence conduct credits awarded under former section 4019 may not exceed 15 percent of his actual period of confinement. (§ 2933.1, subd. (c); People v. Palacios (1997) 56 Cal.App.4th 252, 258.) Accordingly, defendant is entitled to 96 days of conduct credit (15 percent of 643 presentence days of confinement). (Former § 4019, subds. (a)(1), (c), (f).) 83