Opinion ID: 2632884
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Admission of Defendant's Letter to his Landlord

Text: Defendant contends the court erred in admitting the contents of a July 7, 1992, letter he wrote to his landlord apologizing for not yet finishing some work he had promised. In the letter, defendant explained that he had been unemployed and lacked the funds to finish the work, but that he was now employed and working for the Hailses, whose phone number he relayed. The letter indicated that defendant would be able to finish the work by the end of July. Defendant objected to the letter and offered to, and eventually did, stipulate that he had a working relationship with the Hailses on July 8 and several days before then. Nevertheless, the court admitted the letter, finding it relevant to show that a relationship existed between defendant and the victims, that he was going to be at their house, and that he had a possible monetary motive to steal from them. Defendant cites cases holding that evidence presented solely to show a defendant's poverty carries an risk of undue prejudice and accordingly is inadmissible to prove a motive to commit robbery or theft. (E.g., People v. Koontz (2002) 27 Cal.4th 1041, 1076, 119 Cal.Rptr.2d 859, 46 P.3d 335; People v. Wilson (1992) 3 Cal.4th 926, 939, 13 Cal.Rptr.2d 259, 838 P.2d 1212.) But, as the court noted, the letter here was relevant on several grounds. It showed defendant worked for the Hailses and intended to do so in the future, thus circumstantially placing him at the scene of the crime. It even supplied the victims' telephone number, suggesting, as the court found, that the recipient could call him at their residence. Defendant's offer to stipulate to part of what the letter stated did not negate its relevance. The prosecution was entitled to prove these relevant facts out of defendant's own hand. (See People v. Scheid (1997) 16 Cal.4th 1, 16-17, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 348, 939 P.2d 748.) Moreover, the letter was not particularly prejudicial. It was not evidence of poverty, but rather simply a statement that defendant had been unemployed but was now gainfully employed. We see no abuse of discretion in admitting the letter. Moreover, any error was harmless. As noted, the letter was not particularly prejudicial. Indeed, although it stated that defendant had been unemployed, it also stated that he was no longer. The latter statement supported an argument that he lacked a motive to rob the Hailses. Additionally, ample evidence other than the letter implicated defendant in the Hailses' murder, including his taking their truck and driving in it on or about the date of the murders, his taking and selling their stereo speakers, the missing employee notebook, defendant's work record sheet showing that he started working for them at 3:30 p.m. on July 9, found crumpled on their living room floor, his latent palm prints on their truck, similar matching prints found on the crumpled ledger sheet, and the bloodstained tennis shoes found in his garage.