Supreme Court of California

On automatic appeal of convictions that led to a death sentence, the judgment and sentence are affirmed, where: 1) the defendant's jury waiver was knowing, intelligent, and voluntary; 2) the prosecutor did not commit misconduct during closing argument in the guilt phase of the trial; 3) the trial court did not erroneously admit and consider victim-impact evidence; 4) testimony that the defendant displayed hatred was not an improper opinion based on speculation; 5) the trial court did not erroneously consider mitigating evidence as aggravating in several respects; 6) the defendant received a proper hearing on his automatic application to modify the death verdict; and 7) there are no constitutional or international law infirmities in the death penalty law.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/16/2012
• Published 04/16/2012

Judges

• Chin

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Elisabeth Semel, Angela M. Borzachillo