Opinion ID: 1199062
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant's Other Challenges to Wendy's Testimony

Text: Defendant's other challenges to Wendy's testimony do not require an extended discussion. There is no merit to defendant's assertion that he was denied his right to cross-examination: defense counsel did cross-examine Wendy. Also without merit is defendant's claim that his constitutional right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment and the requirement of the Eighth Amendment that a judgment of death be based on sufficiently reliable evidence were violated because Wendy's testimony was unreliable. Both the federal and the California Constitutions require certain procedure to ensure reliability in the fact-finding process. ( Ford v. Wainwright (1986) 477 U.S. 399, 411 [91 L.Ed.2d 335, 347-348, 106 S.Ct. 2595]; People v. Geiger (1984) 35 Cal.3d 510, 520 [199 Cal. Rptr. 45, 674 P.2d 1303, 50 A.L.R.4th 1055].) Here, defendant was fully afforded such protections. He was given an opportunity to be heard and to cross-examine in a judicial forum. ( Ford v. Wainwright, supra, 477 U.S. at pp. 413-416 [91 L.Ed.2d at pp. 348-351].)