Supreme Court of California

Death sentence for conviction of one count of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder, Pen. Code section 187(a), in which the jury also found true multiple-murder special-circumstance allegations, section 190.2(a)(3), is affirmed on an automatic appeal over: 1) guilt phase claims of error involving admission of a jailhouse letter, an Evidence Code section 402 hearing, prosecutorial misconduct, and jury instructions; and 2) penalty phase claims of error involving permitting a fourth penalty trial, limitations on testimony by defendant's family regarding penalty, CALJIC No. 8.88, lethal injection, delay between death sentence and execution, constitutional challenges to the death penalty statute, and cumulative error.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/01/2015
• Published 06/01/2015

Judges

• WERDEGAR

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel