Opinion ID: 1195356
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: Applicability of section 190.2, subdivision (a) (10 )

Text: Defendant contends the court should have granted his motion to strike the special circumstance allegation that defendant killed Detective Williams in retaliation for his testimony in a criminal proceeding. (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(10).) He contends that this special circumstance applies only when the victim was a percipient witness of the crime to which his testimony relates. We have rejected defendant's contention. ( People v. Jones (1996) 13 Cal.4th 535, 550, 54 Cal.Rptr.2d 42, 917 P.2d 1165.) Defendant also apparently contends that the special circumstance defined in section 190.2, subdivision (a)(10), was inapplicable in his case because the plot to kill Detective Williams commenced before Williams testified at the Carpenter robbery trial, and at a time when it was not clear he ever would testify against defendant at that trial. In addition, defendant contends Detective Williams was not an important witness in the criminal proceeding. This claim is without merit. There was evidence to demonstrate that the plot to kill Detective Williams was undertaken with the purpose of preventing his testimony, thus falling within the ambit of the special circumstance as defined by section 190.2, subdivision (a)(10). (See People v. Weidert (1985) 39 Cal.3d 836, 853-854, 218 Cal.Rptr. 57, 705 P.2d 380 [section 190.2, subd. (a)(10) is applicable if defendant believes the victim will be a witness in a criminal prosecution, whether or not such a proceeding is pending or about to be initiated].) It is no defense to the special circumstance allegation that the victim was not an important witness in the criminal proceeding, so long as one of the defendant's purposes was to prevent the witness from testifying. (See People v. Stanley (1995) 10 Cal.4th 764, 800-801, 42 Cal.Rptr.2d 543, 897 P.2d 481 [special circumstance applies when multiple purposes motivated defendant, as long as one of them was to prevent the witness's testimony].) Moreover, even assuming error, the jury found this special circumstance allegation not true, and defendant's claim that he was prejudiced by an improper inflation of the number of special circumstance allegations is not persuasive. (See, e.g., People v. Clark, supra, 3 Cal.4th at pp. 167-168, 10 Cal.Rptr.2d 554, 833 P.2d 561.)