Opinion ID: 1351510
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Evidence of Violent Criminal Conduct Underlying Defendant's Prior Felony Convictions

Text: Defendant argues that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of other criminal conduct which went beyond the least adjudicated elements of his prior convictions. Specifically, he contends that although he was previously convicted of burglary in the Maruyama incident, Agent Cauchon's testimony tended to show he had also assaulted and robbed that victim. Similarly, Officer Tuosto's testimony about the robbery of Tracie George, in which he related that a firing pin indentation was found on the chambered cartridge in defendant's gun, could have supported an inference that defendant had pulled the trigger but the gun had misfired. The prosecutor later argued that this evidence demonstrated defendant's willingness to use the gun, hence lending further support to an inference of his dangerousness. We have previously rejected this argument. (See People v. Melton (1988) 44 Cal.3d 713 [244 Cal. Rptr. 867, 750 P.2d 741].) (39) A prior felony conviction that involves a crime of violence can be considered under both factors (b) and (c) of section 190.3; the only limitation is that an individual criminal act cannot be counted twice in aggravation for the same purpose.  (44 Cal.3d at pp. 764-765, italics in original.) The purpose of factor (b) is to show the defendant's propensity for violence; the purpose of factor (c) is to show the capital offense is the culmination of the defendant's habitual criminality  that it was undeterred by the community's previous criminal sanctions. ( Melton, supra, 44 Cal.3d at p. 764; People v. Malone, supra, 47 Cal.3d at p. 46; People v. Balderas (1985) 41 Cal.3d 144, 202 [222 Cal. Rptr. 184, 711 P.2d 480].) Defendant's felony convictions for the Maruyama burglary and the Tracie George robbery were admissible under section 190.3, factor (c). The evidence that he assaulted and robbed Maruyama during the burglary, and may have attempted to fire his weapon during the Tracie George robbery, was separately admissible under factor (b). ( Melton, supra, 44 Cal.3d at p. 764.)