People?v.?Mickle?(1991)?54?Cal.3d?140?,?284?Cal.Rptr.?511;?814?P.2d?290 [No.?S004708. Aug?19,?1991.] THE?PEOPLE,?Plaintiff?and?Respondent,?v.?DENNY?MICKLE,?Defendant?and?Appellant. (Superior?Court?of?San?Mateo?County,?No.?C-12278,?Thomas?McGinn?Smith,?Judge.) (Opinion?by?Baxter,?J.,?with?Lucas,?C.?J.,?Panelli?and?Arabian,?JJ.,?concurring.?Separate?concurring?opinion?by?Mosk,?J.?Separate?opinion?by?Kennard,?J.,?concurring?in?the?judgment,?with?Broussard,?J.,?concurring.) COUNSEL Fern?M.?Laethem,?State?Public?Defender,?under?appointment?by?the?Supreme?Court,?Roy?M.?Dahlberg,?Musawwir?M.?Spiegel,?Thomas?L.?Carroll?and?John?Fresquez,?Deputy?State?Public?Defenders,?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?S.?Matthias,?Morris?Beatus,?Aileen?Bunney?and?Edward?P.?O'Brien,?Deputy?Attorneys?General,?for?Plaintiff?and?Respondent. OPINION BAXTER,?J. Defendant?Denny?Mickle?was?convicted?of?one?count?of?first?degree?murder?(Pen.?Code,???187)fn.?1?with?personal?use?of?a?knife?(??12022,?subd.?(b)),?and?arson?(??451,?subd.?(b)).?Under?the?1978?death?penalty?law,?the?jury?found?true?a?special?circumstance?that?the?murder?occurred?while?defendant?was?engaged?in?the?commission?of?a?lewd?and?lascivious?act?upon?a?minor.?(??190.2,?subd.?(a)(17)(v);?see???288,?subd.?(a).) In?a?separate?proceeding?held?after?the?guilt?verdict?was?rendered?but?before?the?penalty?phase?began,?the?jury?found?defendant?competent?to?stand?[54?Cal.3d?156]?trial.?(???1367,?1368.)?Defendant?purported?to?appeal?from?the?competence?determination.?While?that?appeal?was?pending?in?the?Court?of?Appeal,?a?penalty?trial?was?held.?The?jury?sentenced?defendant?to?death,?and?the?trial?court?denied?the?automatic?motion?to?modify?the?verdict.?(??190.4,?subd.?(e).)?The?death?judgment?was?automatically?appealed?to?this?court.?(??1239,?subd.?(b).)?The?interlocutory?appeal?from?the?competence?determination?was?transferred?here?(Crim.?25540)?and?consolidated?with?the?automatic?appeal?(S004708/Crim.?25377). For?reasons?which?will?be?explained,?the?interlocutory?appeal?from?the?competence?determination?will?be?dismissed?and?defendant's?challenges?to?that?determination?considered?in?the?automatic?appeal?from?the?final?judgment.?We?find?no?prejudicial?error?affecting?the?guilt,?competence,?or?penalty?verdicts.?The?judgment?will?be?affirmed?in?its?entirety. Guilt?Phase?Evidence Prosecution?Case Crime?scene?evidence.?On?February?15,?1983,?the?victim,?12-?year-old?Lashan,?and?her?parents,?Darrell?and?Sally?K.,?moved?from?Pacifica?to?Daly?City.?Their?new?home?was?the?Mission?Bell?Motel,?which?was?occupied?primarily?by?permanent?residents,?including?families.?Darrell?happened?to?see?defendant?on?the?street?during?the?move?and?asked?for?his?help.?Defendant?was?a?longtime?acquaintance?of?Darrell's?but?apparently?had?not?met?Sally?or?Lashan?before.?Because?defendant?had?no?home?and?all?three?adults?were?unemployed,?the?K.?family?agreed?to?let?defendant?stay?with?them?and?share?expenses. The?foursome?occupied?unit?10.?It?had?a?front?room?with?a?door?facing?onto?the?motel?courtyard,?a?hallway,?a?bathroom,?a?kitchen,?and?a?bedroom?with?a?door?opening?into?an?alley?behind?the?unit.?There?was?no?telephone?in?the?unit,?so?calls?had?to?be?handled?through?the?motel?office?or?at?a?public?booth?nearby.?Defendant?slept?on?a?murphy?bed?in?the?front?room,?and?Lashan?and?her?parents?slept?in?the?bedroom.?The?first?nine?days?of?joint?residence?were?uneventful. On?February?24,?the?day?of?the?crimes,?Lashan's?parents?left?the?motel?at?noon?and?drove?to?Oakland?to?visit?Darrell's?sick?grandmother.?At?some?point,?Sally?arranged?by?phone?to?have?a?woman?who?worked?at?Lashan's?school?drive?Lashan?home?in?the?afternoon.?About?3:45?p.m.,?Sally?called?the?motel?and?told?defendant?about?the?arrangement.?He?promised?to?take?care?of?Lashan?until?Darrell?and?Sally?returned.?[54?Cal.3d?157] Defendant?was?in?the?unit?at?4?p.m.?when?the?school?employee?dropped?Lashan?off?and?departed.?Lashan?was?wearing?pants?and?a?plaid?shirt.?At?5:30?p.m.,?Sally?phoned?to?say?that?she?and?Darrell?would?not?be?home?for?awhile.?Defendant?reported?that?Lashan?had?arrived?home?safely?and?was?doing?homework?and?watching?television.?This?was?the?first?time?defendant?and?Lashan?had?ever?been?alone?together.…