People?v.?Mickey?(1991)?54?Cal.3d?612?,?286?Cal.Rptr.?801;?818?P.2d?84 [No.?S004567. Oct?31,?1991.] THE?PEOPLE,?Plaintiff?aand?Respondent,?v.?DOUGLAS?SCOTT?MICKEY,?Defendant?and?Appellant. (Superior?Court?of?San?Mateo?County,?No.?C-11727,?John?F.?Cruikshank,?Jr.,?Judge.) (Opinion?by?Mosk,?J.,?expressing?the?unanimous?view?of?the?court.) COUNSEL John?B.?Oakley,?under?appointment?by?the?Supreme?Court,?for?Defendant?and?Appellant. John?K.?Van?de?Kamp?and?Daniel?E.?Lungren,?Attorneys?General,?Steve?White,?Richard?B.?Iglehart?and?George?Williamson,?Chief?Assistant?Attorneys?General,?John?H.?Sugiyama,?Assistant?Attorney?General,?Ronald?S.?Matthias,?Martin?S.?Kane,?Morris?Beatus?and?Dane?R.?Gillette,?Deputy?Attorneys?General,?for?Plaintiff?and?Respondent. OPINION MOSK,?J. This?is?an?automatic?appeal?(Pen.?Code,???1239,?subd.?(b))?from?a?judgment?of?death?under?the?1978?death?penalty?law?(id.,???190?et?seq.). On?May?29,?1981,?the?District?Attorney?of?Placer?County?filed?an?information?against?defendant?Douglas?Scott?Mickey.?Count?I?charged?that?on?or?about?September?29,?1980,?defendant?murdered?Eric?Lee?Hanson.?(Pen.?Code,???187.)?Count?II?charged?that?on?or?about?the?same?date?he?also?murdered?Catherine?Blount.?(Ibid.)?As?to?each?count,?five?special?circumstances?were?alleged:?multiple?murder?(id.,???190.2,?subd.?(a)(3));?intentional?murder?for?financial?gain?(id.,???190.2,?subd.?(a)(1));?heinous,?atrocious,?or?cruel?murder?(id.,???190.2,?subd.?(a)(14));?felony-murder-robbery?(id.,???190.2,?subd.?(a)(17)(i));?and?felony-murder-burglary?(id.,???190.2,?subd.?(a)(17)(vii)). Defendant?pleaded?not?guilty?to?the?murder?charges?and?denied?the?special?circumstance?allegations.?On?his?motion,?the?court?subsequently?changed?[54?Cal.3d?637]?venue?from?Placer?County?to?San?Mateo?County.?Also?on?his?motion,?it?set?aside?both?of?the?heinous-atrocious-cruel?special-circumstance?allegations. Trial?was?by?jury.?The?panel?returned?verdicts?finding?defendant?guilty?as?charged?on?both?counts?of?murder,?determined?each?offense?to?be?in?the?first?degree,?and?found?all?the?remaining?special-circumstance?allegations?true.?It?subsequently?returned?a?verdict?of?death.?The?court?entered?judgment?accordingly. As?we?shall?explain,?we?conclude?that?except?as?to?one?of?the?multiple-?murder?special-circumstance?findings?and?both?of?the?intentional-murder-for-?financial-gain?special-circumstance?findings,?the?judgment?must?be?affirmed. Facts Guilt?Phase At?the?guilt?phase,?the?People?introduced?substantial?evidence,?both?testimonial?and?physical,?to?prove?the?murder?charges?and?special?circumstance?allegations.?The?evidence?featured?certain?extrajudicial?statements?by?defendant?to?persons?including?family?members,?friends,?and?acquaintances,?the?police,?and?a?fellow?inmate?in?jail.?It?also?included?testimony?by?Edward?Rogers,?who?was?an?accomplice?and?took?the?stand?under?a?grant?of?immunity.?The?tale?told?is?long?and?detailed.?Its?substance?is?as?follows. In?September?1980?defendant?was?married?to?Lieutenant?Allison?W.?Mickey,?an?Air?Force?nurse,?and?resided?with?her?and?her?two?children?in?housing?at?Yokota?Air?Force?Base?in?Japan.?The?couple?was?experiencing?difficulties?in?their?financial?situation?and?consequent?distress?in?their?personal?relationship.?By?the?time?of?trial,?their?marriage?had?been?dissolved.…