Opinion ID: 2624500
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Retroactive Application of Payne v. Tennessee

Text: (23) At the time of defendant's first trial in 1981, federal and state law prohibited the introduction of victim impact evidence. ( Booth v. Maryland (1987) 482 U.S. 496 [96 L.Ed.2d 440, 107 S.Ct. 2529] [reversible error to admit victim impact evidence in 1983 trial]; People v. Gordon (1990) 50 Cal.3d 1223, 1266 [270 Cal.Rptr. 451, 792 P.2d 251] [victim impact evidence inadmissible in 1983 trial].) Before the commencement of the penalty retrial in 1995, the United States Supreme Court partially overruled Booth v. Maryland, supra, 482 U.S. 496, and held that the Eighth Amendment does not per se bar the admission of victim impact evidence if the state chooses to permit such evidence. ( Payne v. Tennessee (1991) 501 U.S. 808, 827 [115 L.Ed.2d 720, 111 S.Ct. 2597].) We thereafter overruled People v. Gordon, supra, 50 Cal.3d at page 1266, and concluded that victim impact evidence is admissible in aggravation under section 190.3, factor (a), as a circumstance of the crime of which defendant was convicted. ( People v. Edwards (1991) 54 Cal.3d 787, 835 [1 Cal.Rptr.2d 696, 819 P.2d 436].) Defendant first renews the argument he made in a motion during the penalty retrial that Payne v. Tennessee and People v. Edwards should not be applied retroactively and the admission of any victim impact evidence constituted error. We rejected this argument in People v. Clair (1992) 2 Cal.4th 629, 672 [7 Cal.Rptr.2d 564, 828 P.2d 705], and see no reason to reconsider our decision. Defendant also argues that the retroactive application of Payne v. Tennessee and People v. Edwards at the penalty retrial would violate the ex post facto and due process guarantees of the state and federal Constitutions. Because defendant failed to object at the penalty retrial to the introduction of evidence on these grounds, however, he failed to preserve this claim for appeal. (Evid. Code, § 353; see, e.g., People v. Benavides (2005) 35 Cal.4th 69, 92 [24 Cal.Rptr.3d 507, 105 P.3d 1099]; People v. Champion (1995) 9 Cal.4th 879, 918-919 [39 Cal.Rptr.2d 547, 891 P.2d 93].) In any event, we have rejected this contention. ( People v. Brown (2004) 33 Cal.4th 382, 394 [15 Cal.Rptr.3d 624, 93 P.3d 244].)