People?v.?Price?(1991)?1?Cal.4th?324?,?3?Cal.Rptr.2d?106;?821?P.2d?610 [No.?S004719. Dec?30,?1991.] THE?PEOPLE,?Plaintiff?and?Respondent,?v.?CURTIS?FLOYD?PRICE,?Defendant?and?Appellant. (Superior?Court?of?Humboldt?County,?No.?CR9898,?John?E.?Buffington,?Judge.) (Opinion?by?Kennard,?J.,?expressing?the?unanimous?view?of?the?court.) COUNSEL Mark?E.?Cutler,?under?appointment?by?the?Supreme?Court,?for?Defendant?and?Appellant. John?K.?Van?de?Kamp?and?Daniel?E.?Lungren,?Attorneys?General,?Richard?B.?Iglehart,?Chief?Assistant?Attorney?General,?John?H.?Sugiyama,?Assistant?Attorney?General,?Ronald?E.?Niver?and?David?H.?Rose,?Deputy?Attorneys?General,?for?Plaintiff?and?Respondent.?[1?Cal.4th?376] OPINION KENNARD,?J. After?a?year-long?trial,?fn.?1?a?jury?convicted?defendant?Curtis?Floyd?Price?of?the?first?degree?murders?of?Elizabeth?Ann?Hickey?and?Richard?Barnes?(Pen.?Code,???187;?all?further?statutory?references?are?to?this?code?unless?otherwise?indicated),?and?it?made?special?circumstance?findings,?as?to?the?Hickey?murder,?of?multiple?murder?(??190.2,?subd.?(a)(3))?and?burglary-murder?(??190.2,?subd.?(a)(17)(vii)).?The?jury?also?convicted?defendant?of?one?count?each?of?robbery?(??211)?with?the?use?of?a?firearm?(???1203.06,?12022.5),?burglary?(??459),?receiving?stolen?property?(??496),?and?conspiracy?(??182).?The?jury?further?found?that?defendant?had?twice?previously?been?convicted?of?serious?felonies?(??667,?subd.?(a)),?and?had?completed?two?prior?separate?prison?terms?(??667.5,?subd.?(a)). The?jury?fixed?the?penalty?for?the?murder?of?Hickey?at?death.?The?trial?court?denied?the?automatic?motion?to?modify?the?verdict?of?death?(??190.4,?subd.?(e)),?and?it?sentenced?defendant?on?the?noncapital?counts?to?imprisonment?for?a?determinate?term?of?10?years,?consecutive?to?an?indeterminate?term?of?25?years?to?life.?Defendant’s?appeal?from?the?judgment?is?automatic.?(??1239,?subd.?(b).) The?sentence?for?the?offense?of?burglary?shall?be?stayed,?but?the?judgment?shall?otherwise?be?affirmed. Facts Summary?of?Facts?Relating?to?Guilt Defendant?was?released?from?prison?in?September?1982.?On?January?23,?1983,?the?gun?collection?of?Richard?Moore?disappeared?from?his?residence,?apparently?having?been?stolen?in?a?burglary.?On?February?13,?1983,?the?body?of?Richard?Barnes?was?found?in?his?residence.?He?had?been?shot?in?the?back?of?the?head?three?times.?On?the?morning?of?February?19,?1983,?Berlie?Petry?found?the?body?of?Elizabeth?Ann?Hickey?in?the?residence?they?shared.?Hickey,?the?stepdaughter?of?burglary?victim?Moore,?had?been?beaten?to?death?with?a?blunt?instrument;?guns?belonging?to?her?and?to?Petry?were?missing?from?their?residence.?That?same?evening,?a?gunman?robbed?employees?of?the?Triplex?Theater.?The?Barnes?killing?occurred?in?Los?Angeles?County.?The?Moore?burglary,?the?Hickey?killing,?and?the?Triplex?Theater?robbery?all?occurred?in?Humboldt?County.?[1?Cal.4th?377] The?police?arrested?defendant?for?the?Triplex?Theater?robbery.?After?a?lengthy?investigation,?he?was?also?charged?with?the?Barnes?and?Hickey?murders,?receiving?stolen?property?(the?Moore?weapons),?and?robberies?at?three?other?commercial?establishments?in?Humboldt?County?during?January?and?February?of?1983. At?trial,?the?prosecution?presented?evidence?that?defendant?belonged?to?the?Aryan?Brotherhood?(AB),?a?prison?gang,?and?had?committed?the?charged?offenses?in?furtherance?of?a?conspiracy?originating?with?the?gang?leadership.?The?principal?objective?of?the?conspiracy?was?the?murder?of?Richard?Barnes,?who?was?the?father?of?an?AB?member?who?had?testified?against?other?gang?members.?Defendant?obtained?the?stolen?Moore?weapons,?possibly?with?the?knowledge?or?assistance?of?Hickey,?to?use?in?the?killing?of?Barnes?or?for?other?AB?assignments.?Hickey?was?killed?to?obtain?the?guns?in?her?residence?and/or?because?she?could?incriminate?defendant?in?the?theft?of?the?Moore?weapons?and/or?the?murder?of?Barnes.?Defendant?committed?the?Triplex?Theater?robbery?to?obtain?funds?with?which?to?carry?out?his?AB?assignments. The?defense?denied?that?defendant?had?committed?any?of?the?offenses.?It?offered?alibi?evidence?to?show?that?defendant?was?not?in?Humboldt?County?at?the?time?of?the?Hickey?killing?and?the?Triplex?Theater?robbery.?It?attempted?to?cast?doubt?on?the?identification?testimony?of?the?robbery?victims?and?the?veracity?of?the?prosecution’s?AB?witnesses,?and?it?sought?to?cast?suspicion?on?Petry?for?Hickey’s?murder. The?jury?convicted?defendant?of?two?counts?of?first?degree?murder?(one?with?special?circumstances)?and?one?count?each?of?robbery,?possession?of?stolen?property,?burglary,?and?conspiracy.?The?jury?acquitted?defendant?of?one?count?of?robbery,?and?it?was?unable?to?reach?verdicts?as?to?the?remaining?robbery?counts.?The?description?of?the?evidence?that?follows?omits?evidence?of?the?charges?that?did?not?result?in?convictions. Prosecution?Evidence The?Conspiracy?and?Barnes?Murder Before?this?case?arose,?Steven?Barnes,?an?AB?member,?had?testified?as?a?prosecution?witness?against?other?AB?members?and?against?several?non-AB?members.?During?the?summer?of?1982,?the?AB?leadership,?which?included?Michael?Thompson?and?Clifford?Smith,?decided?to?retaliate.?The?decision?was?made?during?a?series?of?meetings?at?Palm?Hall,?an?area?inside?the?state?prison?at?Chino.?Prison?authorities?had?placed?Steven?Barnes?in?protective?custody,?so?the?AB?leaders?decided?to?kill?members?of?his?immediate?family?instead.?They?selected?defendant?to?do?the?killing.?[1?Cal.4th?378] Defendant?was?then?serving?a?sentence?in?the?Montana?state?prison,?but?he?was?scheduled?for?release?from?prison?soon?without?parole?supervision.?One?of?the?AB?leaders?brought?defendant?to?Palm?Hall?in?August?1982?by?subpoenaing?him?to?testify?at?the?leader’s?trial.?After?defendant?arrived?at?Palm?Hall,?AB?leaders?offered?him?the?”contract”?to?kill?Richard?Barnes.?Defendant?accepted.?The?AB?leaders?instructed?him?to?procure?weapons?in?Northern?California?before?returning?south?to?kill?Richard?Barnes. Janet?Myers?visited?Smith?regularly?in?prison.?She?was?an?AB?”runner,”?relaying?messages?to?and?from?other?AB?members.?Smith?instructed?Myers?to?take?care?of?defendant.?Defendant?went?to?Myers’s?house?on?the?day?he?was?released?from?prison.?Joseph?O’Rourke,?an?AB?leader?who?normally?supplied?weapons?to?AB?members?in?Southern?California,?picked?defendant?up?there.?Defendant?spent?about?one?month?working?for?O’Rourke. After?O’Rourke?was?arrested?in?October?1982,?defendant?went?to?Humboldt?County,?where?he?spent?most?of?the?next?three?months.?Defendant?returned?to?Southern?California?in?late?January?1983.?He?stayed?at?the?Santa?Ana?home?of?Michelle?Scarborough,?another?AB?runner,?for?approximately?a?week.?He?then?stayed?with?Myers?in?Claremont.?Defendant?had?a?blue?airline?bag?in?which?he?kept?a?sawed-off?shotgun?and?a?revolver.?While?staying?with?Myers,?defendant?made?a?weekend?trip?to?Auburn,?near?Folsom?Prison,?where?he?stayed?with?Rebecca?Williams. One?night?Myers?drove?defendant?to?different?addresses?he?wanted?to?see.?One?of?the?addresses?was?the?Temple?City?residence?of?Richard?Barnes.?On?February?12,?1983,?at?11?p.m.,?defendant?left?Myers’s?house?with?Tammi?Shinn,?another?AB?”runner.”?He?returned?early?the?next?morning,?collected?his?belongings,?and?left. On?February?13,?1983,?sheriff’s?deputies?discovered?the?body?of?Richard?Barnes?in?the?bedroom?of?his?residence.?The?body?was?on?the?bed.?The?cause?of?death?was?three?contact-range?gunshot?wounds?to?the?back?of?the?head?inflicted?by?a?.22-caliber?handgun. After?the?murder,?Myers?brought?Smith?a?note?signed?by?defendant.?It?stated:?”That’s?took?care?of.?Everything?went?well.?I?am?going?back?north.?I?will?be?in?touch?with?you?later.”?Myers?destroyed?the?note?after?showing?it?to?Smith. The?evidence?against?defendant?on?the?conspiracy?and?Barnes?murder?counts?consisted?primarily?of?the?testimony?of?Michael?Thompson,?Clifford?Smith,?and?Janet?Myers.?In?addition,?the?prosecution?introduced?evidence?[1?Cal.4th?379]?that?defendant?had?testified?in?an?earlier,?unrelated?trial?that?he?was?an?AB?member.?Credit?card?receipts?showed?that?defendant?had?purchased?gasoline?in?Pomona?on?February?12?and?in?Anaheim?on?February?13,?1983.?In?the?room?defendant?had?occupied?in?his?mother’s?house?in?Eureka,?police?found?a?slip?of?paper?on?which?Richard?Barnes’s?address?had?been?written,?together?with?the?name?”Nate,”?a?nickname?for?Steven?Barnes,?and?the?words?”send?subpoena?to?him.”?In?defendant’s?wallet,?which?they?obtained?from?defendant’s?mother,?police?found?another?note?with?a?reference?to?an?address?and?telephone?number?for?”Steve?Barnes’?step-father?in?Fountain?Valley.” The?Moore?Residence?Burglary?and?the?Hickey?Murder On?January?23,?1983,?William?Eaton?reported?an?apparent?burglary?at?the?Humboldt?County?residence?of?Richard?and?Dottie?Moore,?Eaton’s?stepfather?and?mother,?who?were?away?from?their?residence?for?the?weekend.?The?only?items?missing?were?the?firearms?in?Richard?Moore’s?collection,?which?included?two?rifles,?three?shotguns,?and?a?.22-caliber?handgun.?The?house?had?not?been?ransacked. On?February?18,?1983,?Berlie?Petry?had?been?living?with?Elizabeth?Hickey?and?her?two?minor?children?for?three?or?four?years.?Hickey?was?the?daughter?of?Dottie?Moore?and?the?stepdaughter?of?Richard?Moore.?Petry?worked?the?night?shift?as?a?security?guard?at?a?lumber?company.?Both?Petry?and?Hickey?owned?guns,?including?rifles,?shotguns,?and?handguns.?They?kept?the?guns?locked?in?a?bedroom?closet,?except?for?a?revolver?that?Hickey?kept?in?a?trunk.?Petry?left?for?work?as?usual?at?11:30?p.m.?As?was?his?custom,?he?called?the?residence?every?hour?on?the?hour.?He?spoke?to?Hickey?at?1?a.m.?and?at?2?a.m.,?but?he?received?no?answer?at?3?a.m.?The?line?was?busy?at?4?a.m.?and?thereafter. When?Petry?returned?home?at?8:30?a.m.,?the?telephone?receiver?was?off?the?hook.?In?the?bedroom,?he?found?Hickey’s?nude?and?lifeless?body?on?their?bed.?Both?the?bedroom?closet?and?Hickey’s?trunk?had?been?ripped?open.?The?guns?were?gone.?Also?missing?was?a?combination?radio?and?tape?player?that?Petry?had?recently?given?Hickey.?In?Hickey’s?trunk,?officers?found?a?note?in?Hickey’s?handwriting?that?said?”Call?Curt?at?[telephone?number?of?Rebecca?Williams]?about?money?for?guns.” Hickey?had?been?killed?by?blows?to?the?head?with?a?bar?like?a?tire?iron?or?crowbar.?There?were?five?or?six?depressed?skull?fractures?that?left?brain?tissue?exposed.?Bruises?on?the?upper?right?chest?and?each?shoulder?indicated?Hickey?had?been?forcibly?held?down.?There?were?defensive?wounds?on?the?[1?Cal.4th?380]?back?of?the?hands.?Two?small?knife?incisions?in?the?chest?near?the?sternum?were?apparently?inflicted?after?death.?fn.?2 A?day?or?two?after?Hickey’s?murder,?defendant?arrived?at?his?stepfather’s?residence?in?Reno,?Nevada.?fn.?3?He?had?two?bundles?wrapped?in?blankets.?Defendant?said?they?were?guns?that?might?have?been?stolen.?Defendant’s?stepfather?gave?him?permission?to?leave?the?guns?at?the?residence.?On?February?28,?1983,?defendant?returned?to?Reno?and?moved?the?bundles?to?a?ministorage?unit. A?search?of?defendant’s?automobile?yielded?a?product?manual?for?one?of?Petry’s?rifles,?a?knife?that?had?belonged?to?Hickey?and?had?the?name?”Liz”?written?on?it?in?fingernail?polish,?and?a?notebook?in?which?someone?had?written,?”Elizabeth,?weapons,?corner?of?Simpson?and?Pine?[the?location?of?Hickey’s?residence].”?Hickey’s?telephone?number?was?written?on?the?same?page.?Another?note?with?the?name?”Liz”?and?Hickey’s?telephone?number?was?found?in?defendant’s?room?at?his?mother’s?residence?in?Eureka.?A?third?note?with?Hickey’s?name,?address,?and?telephone?number?was?found?in?defendant’s?wallet.?Defendant’s?mother?gave?police?a?combination?radio?and?tape?player?that?had?been?in?defendant’s?room.?It?was?identical?to?the?one?taken?from?the?Hickey?residence.?In?a?suitcase?in?the?garage?of?defendant’s?mother’s?residence,?the?police?found?a?shotgun?like?one?taken?from?the?Moore?residence.?The?barrel?and?stock?had?been?sawed?off. On?March?31,?1983,?law?enforcement?authorities?searched?the?ministorage?unit?in?Reno,?Nevada.?They?found?all?of?the?guns?taken?from?the?Moore?residence?except?one?shotgun?(apparently?the?one?found?in?defendant’s?mother’s?garage)?and?the?handgun.?They?also?found?all?the?guns?belonging?to?Hickey?and?Petry,?and?over?1,000?rounds?of?various?kinds?of?ammunition.?Most?of?the?guns?were?loaded.?Moore’s?handgun,?which?was?one?of?only?four?makes?that?could?have?fired?the?bullets?that?killed?Richard?Barnes,?was?never?found. The?Triplex?Theater?Robbery A?man?entered?the?Triplex?Theater?on?February?19,?1983,?at?approximately?6:30?p.m.?He?had?long,?thin?blond?hair?and?was?wearing?sunglasses,?a?watch?cap,?and?gloves.?During?the?movie,?he?came?out?into?the?lobby,?pointed?a?[1?Cal.4th?381]?revolver?at?the?manager,?and?directed?him?into?the?office.?At?the?man’s?direction,?the?manager?put?$7,000?in?a?bag?and?gave?it?to?the?man,?who?ran?out?of?the?theater. A?month?earlier,?on?January?16,?1983,?an?employee?of?the?theater?had?seen?a?man?with?thin?blond?hair,?wearing?sun?glasses,?a?large?coat,?a?watch?cap,?and?gloves,?who?came?out?into?the?lobby?several?times?during?the?movie.?The?man’s?behavior?seemed?so?unusual?that?she?eventually?decided?to?report?it?to?the?police,?but?the?man?had?left?before?the?police?arrived.?This?employee?selected?defendant’s?photograph?from?a?photo?lineup,?but?she?was?unable?to?identify?defendant?at?a?live?lineup. The?theater?employees?assisted?the?police?in?preparing?a?composite?sketch?of?the?robber.?Five?of?the?employees?selected?defendant’s?photograph?from?a?photo?lineup?as?being?similar?to?the?robber,?although?none?of?them?made?a?positive?identification. Defendant?bought?an?automobile?for?$1,602?in?cash?on?February?25,?1983.?Later?that?day,?defendant?was?involved?in?an?automobile?accident.?He?paid?the?other?driver?$100?in?settlement,?taking?the?cash?from?a?box?that?contained?stacks?of?currency.?When?he?rented?the?storage?locker?in?Reno,?Nevada,?defendant?paid?$150?for?six?months’?rental?in?advance.?Although?defendant?used?credit?cards?to?purchase?gasoline?in?January?and?February?of?1983,?including?three?purchases?on?February?18,?he?did?not?use?the?credit?cards?after?that?day. In?a?suitcase?in?defendant’s?mother’s?garage,?the?police?found?a?blond?wig,?black?gloves,?a?watch?cap,?a?handgun,?and?various?items?of?theatrical?makeup?(including?spirit?gum,?liquid?latex,?derma?wax,?and?nose?putty).?In?the?room?defendant?occupied?in?his?mother’s?house,?the?police?found?a?note?that?was?apparently?a?list?of?defendant’s?expenses?and?debts.?On?it?defendant?had?written?”need?mucho?dinero”?and?”$1,000.00?I?owe?Mom?means?it’s?all?about?’movie?time.’?”?In?the?room,?the?police?also?found?$400?in?cash?in?a?plastic?container. Investigation?and?Additional?Evidence Defendant?was?arrested?in?Humboldt?County?for?the?Triplex?Theater?robbery?on?March?3,?1983.?His?mother?visited?him?in?jail?on?March?27,?1983.?Defendant?asked?her?to?move?the?guns?and?ammunition?from?the?storage?locker?in?Reno?and?to?dispose?of?them?so?they?would?never?be?found.?He?referred?to?the?guns?as?”Brand?business.”?”The?Brand”?is?another?name?for?the?AB.?[1?Cal.4th?382] In?September?1983,?Michael?Thompson?agreed?to?cooperate?with?law?enforcement?on?the?Barnes?killing.?Thompson?persuaded?Janet?Myers?to?cooperate?also.?In?October?1985,?after?testifying?as?a?defense?witness?at?defendant’s?preliminary?hearing,?Clifford?Smith?renounced?the?AB?and?agreed?to?testify?for?the?prosecution. At?trial,?Tina?Ransbottom,?one?of?Hickey’s?neighbors,?testified?she?had?seen?a?man?with?Hickey?on?two?occasions?shortly?before?Hickey?was?killed.?When?police?showed?her?a?photographic?lineup,?she?selected?a?photograph?of?defendant?as?the?man?she?had?seen?with?Hickey. Defense?Evidence The?defense?called?three?prison?inmates,?Wendall?Norris,?John?Stinson,?and?Robert?Rowland,?who?testified?that?the?AB?existed?only?as?an?outlook,?a?way?of?life,?or?a?loose?social?club?rather?than?an?organized?criminal?gang.?They?also?said?it?was?a?label?that?prison?authorities?used?to?justify?restrictive?confinement. The?defense?adduced?evidence?to?show?that?Petry?had?the?motive?and?the?opportunity?to?kill?Hickey.?As?part?of?his?job,?Petry?was?required?to?patrol?the?lumberyard?each?hour?with?a?punch?clock?and?put?special?keys?in?it?at?each?of?33?key?stations.?Petry’s?tape?for?the?morning?of?February?19,?1983,?showed?that?no?keys?were?punched?between?5:35?and?6:15?a.m.?Petry?explained,?however,?that?he?missed?some?of?his?key?stations?because?he?had?to?attend?to?a?boiler?breakdown,?and?because?he?had?gate?duty.?Also,?Petry’s?telephone?log?showed?he?had?received?telephone?calls?at?6?a.m.?from?security?guards?at?other?locations. Petry’s?relationship?with?Hickey?was?troubled.?Hickey?frequently?visited?bars?while?Petry?was?at?work?and?brought?men?home?with?her.?A?neighbor?testified?Hickey?had?brought?over?100?men?to?her?home.?Petry?once?came?home?from?work?and?found?another?man?in?bed?with?Hickey.?Hickey?infected?Petry?with?venereal?disease?at?least?twice.?Petry?testified?that?Hickey?was?the?first?and?only?woman?with?whom?he?had?been?sexually?intimate.?A?cab?driver?testified?that?Petry?began?hitting?Hickey?once?while?they?were?riding?in?his?cab.?Friends?recalled?seeing?Hickey?with?black?eyes?and?bruises?on?her?face?a?couple?of?times.?A?defense?expert,?psychiatrist?Martin?Blinder,?testified?about?domestic?homicides?and?the?kinds?of?relationships?that?are?most?often?associated?with?the?killing?of?a?spouse?or?lover.?He?said?that?mutilation?of?the?victim’s?face?indicated?a?close?personal?relationship?between?the?killer?and?the?victim. Rebecca?Williams?testified?that?defendant?arrived?at?her?home?in?Auburn?on?February?13?or?14,?1983.?He?stayed?there?until?February?17.?He?borrowed?[1?Cal.4th?383]?her?car?that?day?and?returned?the?next?day,?February?18,?with?long?bundles.?He?left?again?in?her?car?the?same?day.?Defendant’s?stepfather?testified?that?defendant?arrived?in?Reno,?Nevada,?with?two?long?bundles?on?February?18?and?remained?there?until?February?20,?1983. Defendant’s?brother?testified?that?he?had?purchased?the?radio?and?tape?player?found?in?defendant’s?mother’s?residence,?and?that?he?had?given?it?to?defendant?as?a?present. […]
