Opinion ID: 1277687
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Failure to Give Burden of Proof Instruction for Unadjudicated Criminal Activity

Text: The jury was instructed that before it could consider any unadjudicated violent criminal activity as an aggravating circumstance, it had to be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant did, in fact, commit such criminal activity.... Defendant contends that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury sua sponte that he was presumed innocent and that the prosecution had the burden of proof. We have held that no such instruction is required, and that the court fulfills its obligation in this regard when it instructs the jury on the reasonable doubt standard. ( People v. Rodrigues (1994) 8 Cal.4th 1060, 1090-1091, 36 Cal.Rptr;2d 235, 885 P.2d 1.) We decline to reconsider the matter, under either state or federal constitutional theories.