Opinion ID: 1195356
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Limitations on closing argument

Text: Defendant contends the court improperly limited his closing argument to the jury when it sustained the prosecutor's objection to his statement that the police and the district attorney had conferred and determined that they were not pleased with Tyrone Hicks's statements to the police. In sustaining the objection, the court stated I would ask you to please not characterize. Just summarize the evidence. It was proper to sustain the prosecutor's objection when defendant began commenting on matters not within the evidence, such as the motivation of the prosecutor and the police during interviews of Tyrone Hicks. Although defendant certainly was entitled to urge his interpretation of the evidence, he was not entitled to assert as fact matters as to which no evidence had been presented. In the context of defendant's argument, the court's admonition adequately conveyed this point, and it certainly did not prevent defendant from continuing to urge his interpretation of events upon the jury.
Defendant has failed to demonstrate that the circumstances under which the penalty phase was conducted violated his right under the Eighth Amendment to a fair and reliable penalty determination. As we have explained: `the required reliability is' attained when the prosecution has discharged its burden of proof at the guilt and penalty phases pursuant to the rules of evidence and within the guidelines of a constitutional death penalty statute, the death verdict has been returned under proper instructions and procedures, and the trier of penalty has duly considered the relevant mitigating evidence, if any, which the defendant has chosen to present. A judgment of death entered in conformity with these rigorous standards does not violate the Eighth Amendment reliability requirements.' ( People v. Clark, supra, 3 Cal.4th at p. 109, 10 Cal.Rptr.2d 554, 833 P.2d 561.) Our consideration of the claims reviewed above demonstrates that defendant has failed to establish any significant violations of proper procedure at the penalty phase of the trial, and the penalty verdict conforms with the standards required by the Eighth Amendment.