Opinion ID: 2515770
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Penalty Phase Rebuttal

Text: In rebuttal, the prosecution presented evidence that on September 9, 1987, a sheriffs deputy at the Orange County jail read and copied a letter that defendant had written to his wife, Linda Kipp, who was then also in custody. This occurred about one week before jail authorities intercepted the September 15 letter from defendant to his wife that the prosecution introduced at the guilt phase. In this earlier letter (hereafter September 9 letter), defendant expressed a desire to rape, sodomize, and gouge the eyes out of every woman deputy serving as a guard at the jail. He said that if he escaped he would associate with a terrorist group and really go on a spree, and that he would kill every district attorney and their families. He also said that he no longer believed in God and that Satan had helped him rejuvenate his energies.