Opinion ID: 1233910
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: harris claim

Text: (15) Relying on the plurality opinion in People v. Harris (1984) 36 Cal.3d 36, 66 [201 Cal. Rptr. 782, 679 P.2d 433], defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury that the two special circumstances findings  the rape-murder special circumstance and the sodomy-murder special circumstance  should be considered as only one special circumstance for purposes of determining penalty because the two arose out of an indivisible course of conduct. In People v. Melton, supra, 44 Cal.3d 713, 765-769, however, a majority of the court declined to adopt this portion of the Harris plurality opinion, and held that it is not improper for a penalty jury to take into consideration the fact that a murder was committed in the course of two statutorily enumerated felonies, even if the felonies were part of an indivisible course of conduct.