Opinion ID: 1203248
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Coercive Plea Bargain

Text: (34) Defendant contends the terms of the prosecutor's plea bargain with Art Corona were coercive, so that Corona's testimony should have been excluded as unreliable. (See People v. Garrison (1989) 47 Cal.3d 746, 767 [254 Cal. Rptr. 257, 765 P.2d 419]; People v. Medina (1974) 41 Cal. App.3d 438 [116 Cal. Rptr. 133].) He claims a violation of state and federal due process guaranties. He argues that given the history of Corona's cooperation with the police, the agreement should be understood to have impermissibly required Corona to adhere to his prior statements without regard for their truthfulness, and to testify in such a way as to assure defendant's conviction. The complaint in this case named Corona as well as defendant and Brown in each count except the Croutch robbery. Just before the preliminary hearing, Corona's case was severed. He waived preliminary hearing and testified against defendant and Brown, denying then and at trial that he had been offered or promised leniency in return for his preliminary hearing testimony. His attorney was called as a witness at the preliminary hearing and testified that he and the prosecutor had discussed what might happen if Corona testified. However, the attorney successfully invoked the attorney-client privilege with respect to the content of those discussions. Seven days later, the prosecutor wrote to Corona's counsel, setting forth the offer defendant now complains of as coercive: It is my belief that Mr. Corona will testify completely and truthfully at any and all trials in this matter. At the conclusion of all such trials the People agree to dismiss Counts I, II, IV, and V as to Mr. Corona and to amend the information to allege a violation by him of Penal Code section 32. He would then plead guilty to this charge as well as to Count III, the burglary. [ถ] The reasons the murder and robbery charges against Mr. Corona will be dropped are twofold: First and foremost, the evidence clearly shows that he did not participate or aid and abet in the killing or robbery of the victims. Secondly, realistically, I believe we need Mr. Corona's testimony to ensure the successful prosecution of the two actual murderers and, even though Mr. Corona has already testified at their preliminary hearing without any `deals' or promises having been made to him, the fact that he did so and is willing to do so in the future โ at a very substantial risk and danger of death to himself and his wife โ merits considerable consideration. [ถ] I trust you and Mr. Corona will be agreeable to this arrangement. During voir dire, defendant moved for discovery of any prosecution agreements with Corona. The court granted the motion. Defense counsel stated that with regard to Corona in reading the preliminary hearing transcript, you get the feeling that there is a deal, but Mr. Corona may not have been fully informed of it by his attorney, although I'm sure [Corona's counsel] had discussed the matter with the district attorney. The prosecutor responded: I represent to the court, as an officer of the court, with respect to Mr. Corona, the only discussions are those that are contained in the letter which was sent to his attorney.... The claim that the prosecutor's offer to Corona was coercive is specious. We have said that a condition that the accomplice testify truthfully is not coercive. ( People v. Andrews (1989) 49 Cal.3d 200, 231 [260 Cal. Rptr. 583, 776 P.2d 285]; People v. Garrison, supra, 47 Cal.3d at pp. 769-770.) The agreement clearly was not conditioned on defendant's conviction. While the prosecutor's letter explained why the prosecution needed Corona's testimony, it imposed no condition on that testimony. The explanation was probably aimed at allaying Corona's counsel's fear that a trial court might reject the bargain being offered to his client. Defendant claims that Corona's police interrogator told him that if he changed his story, he would be hung out, and that only his statement to the police would mean anything. He claims that Corona therefore must have understood that the bargain offered by the prosecutor was conditional on his not changing his story. But the prosecutor's offer itself simply does not bear such a construction, and the context of the interrogation does not support the claim that any kind of bargain was struck at that time.