Court Opinion

ID: 9551141
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:48:22.42501+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:23:08.718848
License: Public Domain

LUCAS, J.
I respectfully dissent.
Petitioner (defendant) Stankewitz committed his murder November 3, 1980. Jury trial commenced June 29, 1981, and the jury rendered its guilty verdict September 3, 1981. Subsequently, on September 15, the jury returned its penalty verdict sentencing defendant to death.
More than three years later, on November 2, 1984, defendant first raised the issue of possible jury misconduct occurring during the guilt phase deliberations. The majority, excusing the delay as neither presumptively unreasonable nor prejudicial to the prosecution, finds that defendant has proven that jury misconduct occurred, and that the People have failed to rebut the resulting presumption of prejudice to defendant. How, one might ask, were the People expected to rebut that presumption in light of (1) the passage of more than three years from the date of trial, and (2) the substantial evidentiary restrictions imposed by the majority?
The record indicates that defendant, through his appellate counsel, learned of the possible misconduct in March 1983, but nonetheless waited over 18 months before raising the issue. I submit that such inexcusable lack of dil*404igence should constitute a waiver of the point, absent special circumstances not apparent here. (See In re Ronald E. (1977) 19 Cal.3d 315, 322 [137 Cal.Rptr. 781, 562 P.2d 684] [lack of diligence ordinarily fatal to belated habeas corpus claim].) The prejudice to the People is obvious—after more than three years, the jurors’ memories regarding the supposed misconduct have dimmed, making it impossible for the People effectively to rebut the presumption of prejudice arising from that misconduct. As Juror Barbieri now observes, he can no longer recall Juror Knapp’s exact words on the subjects of robbery and intent; Barbieri now can only recite the “impressions” which Knapp gave to him regarding those issues. But, had defendant raised the misconduct question in a timely fashion, the jurors’ recollection of the pertinent events might have been far less “ambiguous” than the majority now finds it. (Ante, p. 400.)
Notwithstanding defendant’s delay in raising the point, the People attempted to contest the assertion of jury misconduct by submitting more recent declarations by Jurors Sparks and Barbieri. These declarations recite, among other things, that Juror Knapp merely expressed his personal opinion that defendant had formed an intent to steal from the beginning, thereby making it immaterial that at one point he returned the victims’ wallets to them. These declarations contradicted these same jurors’ original statements, relied on by the majority, which had recited that Knapp had advised the jurors that a robbery occurs upon a forcible taking of property, regardless of the robber’s intent to return that property.
The majority rules that the new declarations “implicate the reasoning processes” of Knapp and are accordingly inadmissible under Evidence Code section 1150, subdivision (a). (Ante, p. 401.) I disagree for two reasons. First, I see nothing improper in considering the jurors’ recital of the objective fact of Knapp’s statements to the other jurors. (See Evid. Code, § 1150, subd. (a) [“evidence may be received as to statements made” within the jury room].) Section 1150 only excludes evidence “of the effect of such statement” upon the other jurors. (Ibid.) Thus, if Sparks’ and Barbieri’s original declarations reciting the facts of Knapp’s supposed improper statements were admissible, why weren’t these jurors’ subsequent, clarifying declarations similarly admissible? The majority never explains this glaring inconsistency.
Second, there may exist constitutional objections to the restrictions placed upon the People in this and similar cases, especially in light of defendant’s inexcusable delay in raising the juror misconduct issue. The majority finds that juror misconduct occurred and that it created a presumption of prejudice to defendant. Further, the majority holds that the presumption cannot be rebutted by declarations from jurors such as Mrs. Sparks attesting that the *405supposed misconduct did not influence their verdict. The majority finds such declarations “plainly inadmissible” under section 1150. (Ante, p. 402.) Yet, how do we reconcile that holding with the plain language of article VI, section 13 of the state Constitution, which forbids the reversal of any judgment for any error of procedure unless the error has resulted in a “miscarriage of justice”?
In my view, if the jurors agree that supposed juror misconduct played no role in their decision, that fact should be admissible and the judgment affirmed despite the error. Indeed, how else are the People to rebut the presumption of prejudice? To the extent that section 1150 would require a different result, we should hold the section invalid.
I would deny the writ.
On January 16, 1986, the opinion was modified to read as printed above.