Opinion
A151840
05-16-2019
THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. FREDERICK LEONARD, Defendant and Appellant.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. (Solano County Super. Ct. No. VCR224913)
This is an appeal from final judgment and sentence after a jury convicted defendant Frederick Leonard of one count of mayhem and one count of inflicting corporal injury, enhanced for personal infliction of great bodily injury. Defendant challenges this judgment on multiple grounds, including evidentiary errors relating to his prior and postincident acts of violence, wrongful denial of his motion for mistrial based on prosecutorial misconduct, due process error in requiring him to be visibly shackled at trial, and cumulative error. We affirm.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On August 24, 2016, an information was filed charging defendant with mayhem (Pen. Code, § 203) (count 1), inflicting corporal injury on the mother of his child (Pen. Code, § 273.5, subd. (a)) (count 2), battery with serious bodily injury (Pen. Code, § 243, subd. (d)) (count 3), making criminal threats (Pen. Code, § 422) (count 4), and false imprisonment by violence (Pen. Code, § 236) (count 5). An enhancement for personal infliction of great bodily injury was also alleged as to counts 1 through 3; the trial court, however, subsequently granted the People's motion to dismiss this allegation as to count 1. The following facts were revealed at trial.
Unless stated otherwise, all statutory citations are to the Penal Code.
A. The Prosecution's Case
In July 2014, defendant lived in Vallejo with S.S. (victim), their one child, and the victim's two additional children. Defendant and the victim had been in a romantic relationship for nearly 11 years but had recently decided to split up. Defendant was still living in a separate room in their home and paying some rent while coparenting with the victim. However, by mutual agreement they were no longer in a romantic relationship, and he was saving money and making arrangements to move elsewhere in the near future.
On or about July 15, 2014, defendant entered the victim's upstairs bedroom where she was nearly asleep and asked her to come downstairs. Defendant had been drinking, smoking marijuana and watching television for several hours with a friend. The victim had retired to her bedroom soon after returning from work earlier in the evening. Quite tired, the victim initially protested his request; however, eventually, she made her way downstairs. The victim lay down on a futon in defendant's room and "zoned out" as defendant began "ranting." Suddenly, defendant ran across the room and struck the victim in the face with his fist. He continued to yell and hit her in the face and chest, as the victim began bleeding significantly from her face. The victim told defendant her nose could be broken and she needed to go to the hospital, but defendant refused to take her, stating that he had no intention to go to jail and would kill her first.
According to defendant, the victim had been drinking and came downstairs to "start something" with him. Defendant stated the victim had become angry after hearing from a neighbor that he and his friend had brought women into their house. She told him to immediately leave the house, but he refused, reminding her that he paid rent to live there.
Warning the victim not to bleed on his bed, defendant instructed her to take off her clothes, and he put them with the bed linens in the washing machine. He then began cleaning blood from the floor and walls and then went with the victim upstairs so the victim could shower. Eventually, they both returned downstairs. The victim grabbed defendant's phone and ran upstairs and locked the door. Still bleeding, the victim then put on a robe, called the police "a couple of times," called her mother (Silva), gathered her children and left the house.
Silva testified that the victim called her at about 2:00 a.m. In a shaky and scared voice, she told Silva to "come over, please. I need you." Silva arrived, finding her daughter covered in blood. She told the victim she needed to go to the hospital. Silva took the children back to her house, then returned with her son to drive the victim to the hospital. Silva also called the police to advise them she would be taking the victim to the hospital.
By the time they arrived at the hospital, the victim's face was swollen and she could barely see. She was given pain medication and, shortly thereafter, the police arrived. The victim was then transferred to another hospital, where she underwent surgery to address fractures to her orbital rim. The victim's physician determined she had a hole in her eyeball socket and was concerned that her eyeball would sink, causing double vision. The medial aspect of the victim's orbital rim was also completely shattered, requiring plates, screws and mesh to repair. There was additional damage to her nose and bruises on her arms and chest. After four or five days, the victim was released from the hospital; however, as of trial, she still had double vision and no feeling in part of her face.
A friend helped the victim submit an online police report detailing the incident. This was not, however, the first time the police had been contacted regarding domestic violence by defendant against the victim. Over a defense objection, the victim and Silva testified about another incident that occurred in 2004, when the newly formed couple had been out drinking. At first, the couple were playing around. However, defendant suddenly became angry and began choking her and poking her arms very hard. The victim, nearly losing consciousness, ended up with a bruised and bleeding face, a black eye, and bruised arms.
Initially, the victim did not report the 2004 incident to the police. About a week later, however, she visited Silva, still visibly injured. When Silva asked what happened, the victim first lied and said someone other than defendant had hurt her but eventually acknowledged defendant was her attacker. Silva called the police, and two officers made contact with defendant to question him about the incident. Defendant denied being the victim's boyfriend or causing her injuries. Afterward, the couple resumed their relationship.
B. The Defense Case
At trial, defendant denied the victim's account of what occurred on or about July 15, 2014. On the contrary, he insisted that the victim had attacked him during a heated argument, taking his phone and then repeatedly shooting him with her stun gun. Earlier that day, the victim had shown defendant her new stun gun, and when he asked why she had bought it, the victim replied, "Well, it could be for you."
The victim acknowledged at trial that she had a stun gun that she had bought at a garage sale to protect herself when making late night trips to the store. At the time, she testified, defendant jokingly asked whether she intended to use it on him. However, on the night of July 15, 2014, the victim did not have the stun gun and did not know where in the house it was located.
After defendant tried to grab his phone back from the victim, she stunned him on the arm, leaving a mark. He then grabbed her arm and hit her on the side of her face to thwart her attack, but she stunned him several more times. At one point during her attack, the electric jolt from her stun gun was strong enough to cause him to urinate on himself. According to defendant, each time the victim stunned him with the gun, he would hit her, but not "to knock her out. I was just basically trying to stop her." After his fourth hit did not stop the victim's attack, defendant "hip-slammed" her to the ground. The stun gun fell out of her hand, and she tried to bite him as she struggled to get away. Defendant, however, held the victim down by the shoulders as he tried to steady himself, still feeling the electricity passing through his body. He sat on the victim until eventually the electricity left his body and the pain subsided, as she kept screaming.
Afterward, the victim tried to make defendant take her to the hospital, but he refused, telling her, "Look. Well, if you call the police, I'm standing right here, and I ain't going nowhere. Call them." Defendant did not leave the house. He eventually dozed off and vaguely recalled hearing the victim and the children leave.
On July 19, 2014, the police came to question him about the incident. Defendant denied laying a hand on the victim.
Afterward, the victim went to stay at Silva's house, although she would cross paths with defendant occasionally when she came to the house to shower or retrieve her belongings. They got along fine, but the victim warned defendant to be careful, as Silva had told the neighbors what had happened. Defendant moved out of the house about two months later, after the victim told him to leave and that she was getting a restraining order because Silva did not want him living in the house. They remained in contact, however, because they were "missing each other."
Defendant tried to tell Silva the truth about what had happened (that the victim had attacked him), but Silva called him crazy and insisted he should be locked up in an institution.
Defendant denied that the victim lost a significant amount of blood or suffered serious injuries from his efforts at self-defense on the night in question. Defendant noticed the victim had a "knot" on her eye and some blood coming from her nose, but "nothing profuse . . . ." He insisted that he never disclosed the truth of what happened to the police—even when the police came to question defendant about the victim's report—because he did not trust the investigating officer, whom he recognized as the same officer who had arrested him in 2004 based on the victim's "false" report of domestic violence. According to defendant, this officer held a personal grudge against him and could not be trusted.
When defendant was cross-examined about letters and text messages he wrote to the victim after the incident, defendant insisted the victim was regularly calling him and felt bad about his arrest and incarceration. She asked how she could help. Defendant responded by telling her she could help him by contacting his attorney. According to defendant, the victim continued to see him even after getting the restraining order. When asked about a particular letter in which he described himself to the victim as remorseful and as a "sick man," defendant explained he was on medication at the time and was remorseful about not seeing his children.
With respect to the 2004 domestic violence report, defendant insisted the victim's police report was "false" and that he had been dating another woman at the time. He claimed this other woman had told him the victim had started a fight with her and that, when he saw the victim a few days later, she looked as if she had been in a fight because she had scratches and marks on her face and arms. Defendant insisted that he never truly got over the victim's false allegations against him and that, although they were in an on-and-off relationship for over 10 years and had a child together, "I wasn't in love with her."
C. The Prosecution's Rebuttal Witness
Deputy Sheriff Jason Brackett testified on rebuttal for the prosecution that on July 12, 2016, defendant had been involved in a jailhouse altercation with another inmate. The jury was then shown a silent video of the incident, the People's exhibit 12-B, that Brackett had reviewed afterward. In this video, defendant can be seen punching the other inmate, cutting him above his eye and on his upper lip.
When questioned about this incident, defendant explained that the inmate had been yelling racial slurs and threatening to kill people, including defendant. Based on the inmate's aggressive behavior, defendant decided to punch him to protect himself. Defendant described striking the inmate multiple times. According to defendant, the inmate never fought back because defendant "was the better man." Afterward, the inmate returned to his cell while defendant cleaned up the blood on the floor because he was concerned everyone in the unit would get in trouble if there was a mess.
On October 28, 2016, the jury found defendant guilty of counts 1 and 2, and found true the allegation that, with respect to count 2, he inflicted great bodily injury. The jury acquitted defendant on the remaining counts. On June 30, 2017, the trial court sentenced defendant to a total term of seven years in prison. This timely appeal followed.
DISCUSSION
Defendant raises the following arguments on appeal: 1) the trial court prejudicially erred in admitting evidence of a prior incident of domestic violence toward the victim in 2004 and of a postcharges act of jailhouse violence toward another inmate in 2016; 2) the trial court abused its discretion in denying his motion for mistrial based on two alleged acts of prosecutorial misconduct; 3) his due process rights were violated by the court's decision to fully shackle him during trial; and 4) cumulative errors rendered his trial fundamentally unfair. We address each argument below.
I. Uncharged Acts of Violence
Defendant first challenges the trial court's admission of two separate incidents of violence that occurred independently of the charged offenses—a prior act of domestic violence toward the victim in 2004 and a postcharges act of jailhouse violence toward another inmate in 2016.
Evidence of a defendant's character or reputation for violence is generally not admissible to prove the conduct of the defendant on a particular occasion; however, this rule does not bar admission of evidence of uncharged misconduct when this evidence is relevant to establish some fact other than the defendant's character or disposition to commit crime. (Evid. Code, § 1101, subds. (a), (b); People v. Ewoldt (1994) 7 Cal.4th 380, 393.) Relevant here, a defendant's other act(s) of violence, charged or uncharged, may be admissible to prove a common plan or scheme under Evidence Code section 1101, subdivision (b), and where, as here, the act involves domestic violence, may be admissible under Evidence Code section 1109. In addition, "[n]othing in [Evidence Code section 1101] affects the admissibility of evidence offered to support or attack the credibility of a witness." (Evid. Code, § 1101, subd. (c).) However, even evidence falling within these statutory exceptions is inadmissible under Evidence Code section 352 where the trial court determines "the probative value of the evidence is substantially outweighed by the probability the evidence will consume an undue amount of time or create a substantial danger of undue prejudice, confusion of issues, or misleading the jury." (People v. Brown (2011) 192 Cal.App.4th 1222, 1233; accord, Evid. Code, § 1109, subd. (a)(1).)
On appeal, we review an evidentiary ruling for an abuse of discretion, reversing only if the challenged ruling is shown to be arbitrary, capricious or patently absurd, resulting in a manifest miscarriage of justice. (People v. Brown, supra, 192 Cal.App.4th at p. 1233.) With these legal principles in mind, we turn to defendant's specific challenges.
A. Prior Domestic Violence Incident
The trial court admitted evidence over defendant's Evidence Code section 352 objection that, in 2004, defendant grabbed the victim around the neck and strangled her during an incident that had begun as horseplay. In so doing, the court accepted the prosecution's argument that this evidence was admissible under Evidence Code section 1109 to prove prior domestic violence between defendant and the victim during their 10-year relationship, and that its probative value outweighed its prejudicial impact.
In admitting this evidence, the trial court instructed the prosecution not to get into the specific details of the prior incident and only to demonstrate there was in fact prior domestic violence between defendant and the victim.
The jury then heard testimony from the victim that in 2004, defendant became angry while they were playing around and began choking her until she almost lost consciousness and poking her in the arms "really, really hard," leaving bruises. Although the victim could not recall much about the incident (they had been drinking at the time), she did recall going to the bathroom and seeing in the mirror that her face was bleeding. A few days later, the victim also noticed that she had a "busted lip" and black eye. The victim did not call the police to report this incident; however, a few days later she visited Silva, with her injuries still visible. The victim lied and told Silva someone other than defendant had hurt her because she was "afraid." Silva called the police, angering the victim, who reluctantly spoke to the officers without telling them what happened. Afterward, the victim resumed her relationship with defendant.
Silva then testified regarding the 2004 incident, stating that when the victim arrived at her house, she had a black eye and bruises and fingerprint markings on her neck. Initially, the victim would not say defendant had caused her injuries; however, she eventually admitted as much and Silva called the police.
Defendant denied being involved in the 2004 incident. In fact, he testified he was not in a relationship with the victim at the time of this 2004 incident, although she would often call him to try to hook up. Rather, defendant was involved with P.F., who called one day to tell him the victim had showed up unexpectantly at his house. When defendant called the victim to ask whether this was true, the victim told him she had had a fight with P.F. About a week later, the police showed up at his apartment with a warrant. Defendant was pulled over about a block from his apartment and told by the officers that they would need to question him about the victim's injuries. Defendant told the officers the victim was not his girlfriend. Around this time, defendant saw the victim and noticed her injuries. While defendant noticed the victim had been in a fight, this fight was not with him.
On cross-examination, the victim acknowledged that she did not identify defendant as her attacker at the time. Rather, the victim told Silva, who then called the police to report the crime, which, at the time, angered the victim. Defendant was never charged with domestic violence during the July 30, 2004 incident; he was convicted, however, of being a felon in possession of a firearm after police searched his home in connection with the incident and found a firearm that was not used during the incident.
The conviction was later expunged.
On appeal, defendant argues admission of this evidence was an abuse of discretion due to the remoteness in time of the prior incident, the lack of evidence that the victim identified defendant as the perpetrator at the time of the incident, and the absence of any actual charges being filed against him. Defendant also argues that he suffered reversible prejudice as a result of the court's ruling given that the key issues at trial were his and the victim's credibility and his intent when harming her. (See People v. Watson (1956) 46 Cal.2d 818, 836 [reversal required where, but for the error, it was reasonably likely the defendant would have obtained a more favorable result at trial].)
We reject defendant's challenge. As to his remoteness argument, Evidence Code section 1109, on its face, permits admission of evidence of acts occurring, like the 2004 incident, 10 years or fewer before the charged offense. (Evid. Code, § 1109, subd. (e) ["Evidence of acts occurring more than 10 years before the charged offense is inadmissible under this section, unless the court determines that the admission of this evidence is in the interest of justice"].) This provision reflects the Legislature's judgment that an act of domestic violence occurring, like this one, 10 years prior to the charged offense remains relevant and, thus, potentially admissible, barring a showing under Evidence Code section 352 of undue prejudice. Defendant presents no reasoned argument why this particular prior act is so remote in time that, under Evidence Code section 352, its probative value is significantly outweighed by its prejudicial impact.
Further, admission of evidence under Evidence Code section 1109 is generally not affected by the fact that a defendant was not ultimately charged or convicted for the prior act of domestic violence: "The admission of prior acts as propensity evidence encompasses both charged and uncharged acts. [Citations.] Moreover, evidence of a prior act may be introduced as propensity evidence even if the defendant was acquitted of criminal charges based upon that act. [Citations.]" (People v. Brown, supra, 192 Cal.App.4th at p. 1233.) In this case, the jury was correctly instructed to, among other things, disregard this evidence in its entirety unless it first found that the prosecutor proved by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant committed the uncharged act of domestic violence.
We also reject defendant's argument regarding the lack of evidence that the victim immediately identified him as her attacker in 2004. First, there is evidence of that fact. Silva testified that, while the victim initially claimed someone else had hurt her, she eventually acknowledged defendant was her attacker, prompting Silva to report the incident to the police. Further, the victim explained that she declined at first to identify defendant as her attacker because she was "afraid" of him. Whatever weakness may exist with respect to this evidence, defense counsel had the full opportunity when cross-examining the victim and Silva to draw it out for the jury. We decline to substitute our view of the evidence for that of the jury. (People v. Leon (2015) 61 Cal.4th 569, 599 ["the jury was able to hear and evaluate [the testimony regarding the defendant's alleged uncharged offense] and the accuracy of [the witness's] identification of defendant. If they found that evidence lacking, they could not rely on it in determining defendant's guilt of the charged offenses"].)
Lastly, with respect to defendant's Evidence Code section 352 challenge to this evidence, the record reflects the trial court properly weighed the prejudicial impact of this evidence against its probative value when deciding to admit it. There is nothing arbitrary or capricious about this result, given the significant similarities of the prior uncharged incident and the current charged act of domestic violence. Both incidents involved seemingly out-of-the-blue attacks on the victim by defendant, who used his bare hands to inflict serious injuries to the victim's face and neck.
The trial court also took additional steps to limit the prejudice arising from this evidence by instructing the prosecutor to elicit only the basic facts underlying the 2004 incident without additional or unnecessary detail. All told, the victim's and Silva's testimony on the incident amounts to fewer than 10 pages of the reporter's transcript. Thus, even if there was prejudice based on the court's admission of this evidence, it was not undue: "The prejudice which exclusion of evidence under Evidence Code section 352 is designed to avoid is not the prejudice or damage to a defense that naturally flows from relevant, highly probative evidence. '[A]ll evidence which tends to prove guilt is prejudicial or damaging to the defendant's case. The stronger the evidence, the more it is "prejudicial." The "prejudice" referred to in Evidence Code section 352 applies to evidence which uniquely tends to evoke an emotional bias against the defendant as an individual and which has very little effect on the issues. In applying section 352, "prejudicial" is not synonymous with "damaging." ' [Citation.]" (People v. Karis (1988) 46 Cal.3d 612, 638.) We decline to disturb the trial court's ruling.
B. Jailhouse Violence Incident
Defendant also challenges the trial court's admission of evidence relating to a more recent uncharged act of violence—a jailhouse altercation he was involved in shortly before trial while incarcerated in July 2016. A silent video was shown to the jury where an inmate named Butler was walking alone down a long hallway in the cell block. Butler appears to be ranting at no one in particular; defendant is not visible. When Butler has walked about two-thirds of the hallway, defendant can be seen abruptly leaving his cell and following behind Butler. When defendant nearly reaches Butler, Butler turns around just in time to have defendant punch him repeatedly in the face before defendant returns to his cell. Butler first holds his face, appearing stunned, then eventually starts to clean up the blood with a cloth before returning to his cell. Defendant then appears to finish the cleaning.
The prosecution offered the evidence to impeach defendant's claim to have acted in self-defense after the victim attacked him with a stun gun. According to the prosecutor, the jailhouse incident showed defendant acted according to "a common plan and scheme, that the defendant, when he's angered, conducts himself in this manner." The trial court accepted the prosecutor's arguments, admitting the evidence as relevant to rebut defendant's claim of self-defense and to demonstrate he acted based on a common scheme or plan (Evid. Code, §§ 1101, subd. (b), 1105), and finding that its prejudicial impact did not outweigh its probative value (Evid. Code, § 352).
Defendant challenges the admission of this evidence on the grounds the jailhouse incident was not sufficiently similar to the charged offense to be probative of any common plan or scheme and that its admission resulted in undue prejudice and confusion. In making this challenge, defendant notes, first, that the uncharged incident involved a jail altercation with another inmate. On the other hand, the trial incident was an emotionally charged domestic violence situation occurring two years earlier. Second, defendant notes that the jail incident involved the inmate, Butler, cleaning up the resulting blood while it was defendant who allegedly cleaned up the blood in the trial incident. Third, defendant points out the silent video depicting the jailhouse altercation lacks any context leading up to his attack on Butler, whereas this incident, according to the victim, was preceded by a lengthy verbal argument with defendant.
We disagree these incidents are not sufficiently similar to warrant admission of this evidence. "The conduct admitted under Evidence Code section 1101(b) need not have been prosecuted as a crime, nor is a conviction required. [Citations.] The conduct may also have occurred after the charged events, so long as the other requirements for admissibility are met. [Citation.] Specifically, the uncharged act must be relevant to prove a fact at issue (Evid. Code, § 210), and its admission must not be unduly prejudicial, confusing, or time consuming (Evid. Code, § 352)." (People v. Leon, supra, 61 Cal.4th at pp. 597-598.) "[E]vidence that the defendant has committed uncharged criminal acts that are similar to the charged offense may be relevant if these acts demonstrate circumstantially that the defendant committed the charged offense pursuant to the same design or plan he or she used in committing the uncharged acts. Unlike evidence of uncharged acts used to prove identity, the plan need not be unusual or distinctive; it need only exist to support the inference that the defendant employed that plan in committing the charged offense." (People v. Ewoldt, supra, 7 Cal.4th at p. 403.)
Evidence of the jailhouse incident meets this standard. While there are differences between the two incidents, both involved defendant brutally lashing out at an unexpecting victim. While Butler was attacked by defendant from behind, the victim described herself as "zoned out" while seated on a futon, when attacked by defendant from across the room. Both victims sustained bloody injuries to the face (especially the eye region). No further showing was required to meet the "sufficiently similar" standard for a common plan or scheme (Evid. Code, § 1101, subd. (b)) or a habit (Evid. Code, § 1105), particularly in light of the need of the prosecution to rebut defendant's theory that he was acting in self-defense when inflicting the injuries on the victim in this case. (E.g., People v. Soper (2009) 45 Cal.4th 759, 778 ["a fact finder properly may consider [Evidence Code section 1101, subdivision (b)] evidence to prove intent, so long as (1) the evidence is sufficient to sustain a finding that the defendant committed both sets of crimes [citations], and further (2) . . . 'the factual similarities . . . tend to demonstrate that in each instance the perpetrator harbored' the requisite intent"].)
Moreover, defendant had ample opportunity when testifying to tell the jury his version of what happened during the jailhouse altercation. He explained that Butler had been yelling threats, obscenities and racial slurs, as well as urinating on the floor. According to defendant, Butler then approached him in a threatening manner, prompting defendant to punch him several times because he was concerned that if he did not take action to protect himself, Butler would harm him.
Nor did the trial court abuse its discretion in concluding the probative value of the jailhouse altercation was not outweighed by the substantial danger of undue prejudice. The video, reasonably construed, showed defendant, when angered, attacks the person who has angered him swiftly and brutally with his bare hands. In addition, it was relevant to show how defendant took steps to clean up his victim's blood upon completion of his attack. Juror confusion was unlikely given the trial court's instruction that the uncharged offense could be considered only for the limited purpose of proving "whether or not: [¶] . . . defendant had a plan or scheme to commit the offenses alleged in this case[.] [¶] . . . [¶] Do not consider this evidence for any other purpose except for the limited purpose of determining the defendant's credibility. [¶] Do not conclude from this evidence that [he] has a bad character or is disposed to commit crime. . . ." Although this evidence may have been prejudicial to defendant, it was the ordinary sort of prejudice that arises from any evidence tending to show guilt. (People v. Karis, supra, 46 Cal.3d at p. 638.)
And in any event, even if we assume the trial court erred in admitting this evidence, any error was harmless given that it was not reasonably probable defendant would have achieved a more favorable result at trial had the video been excluded. (People v. Malone (1988) 47 Cal.3d 1, 22, citing People v. Watson, supra, 46 Cal.2d at p. 836 [harmless error standard].)
We need not address defendant's argument that the trial court's admission of the jailhouse video violated his due process rights given that, one, the court's ruling was not erroneous and, two, assuming error solely for the sake of argument, the California Supreme Court has rejected this argument in the context of the sexual propensity statute, Evidence Code section 1108, for reasons equally applicable to other propensity statutes such as Evidence Code sections 1101, subdivision (b) and 1105. (See People v. Falsetta (1999) 21 Cal.4th 903, 921-922 [the possible exclusion of unduly prejudicial evidence pursuant to Evidence Code section 352 "saves" Evidence Code section 1108, the sexual propensity evidence statute, from attack on due process grounds].) We likewise rely on California Supreme Court precedent to reject defendant's argument that the elevated standard for establishing harmless error under Chapman v. California (1967) 386 U.S. 18, 24, should apply. (People v. Malone, supra, 47 Cal.3d at p. 22 [rejecting the defendant's argument that error in admitting other-crimes evidence for the purpose for which it was admitted is a denial of due process and thus subject to a Chapman standard of review].)
Defendant's theory of self-defense contained many inconsistencies and implausibilities. Undisputed medical evidence established the victim suffered horrific injuries, including multiple fractures to her eye socket and damage to her nose that required surgery and has left her with facial numbness and double vision. She consistently testified these injuries resulted from defendant's unprovoked attack on the night in question. On the other hand, defendant insists he was the victim of her unprovoked attack with a stun gun. According to defendant, the victim repeatedly shot him with her stun gun, jolting him with enough electricity to make him urinate on himself. The victim denied knowing where the stun gun was that night. Despite the undisputed medical evidence of her injuries, defendant testified that, each time the victim stunned him with the gun, he would hit her, but not "to knock her out. I was just basically trying to stop her."
Defendant also denied the victim lost a significant amount of blood or suffered serious injuries. When asked why defendant did not tell the investigating officer that she, not he, was the attacker (he instead denied laying a hand on her), defendant claimed he was not comfortable giving the officer this information because he was the same officer who had arrested him in 2004 based on the victim's "false" report of domestic violence and appeared to have a grudge against him. When asked why the victim later sought a restraining order against him, defendant claimed Silva, not the victim, wanted him out of the house. Lastly, when asked about letters and text messages he wrote to the victim after the incident, defendant insisted the victim was contacting him because she felt bad about what had happened and wanted to make amends.
Given the strength of the prosecution's case juxtaposed with the inherent weaknesses of the defense case, which was based largely on defendant's denials, we conclude defendant would not have achieved a more favorable result at trial even if the trial court had excluded the jailhouse incident video.
II. Denial of Motion for Mistrial
Defendant next challenges the trial court's denial of his motion for mistrial based on two incidents of purportedly improper questioning of him by the prosecutor. A mistrial should only be granted if the court is apprised of prejudice that it deems incurable by admonition or instruction, such that the moving party's chances of receiving a fair trial have been irreparably damaged. (People v. Panah (2005) 35 Cal.4th 395, 444; People v. Haskett (1982) 30 Cal.3d 841, 854.) Whether erroneous admission of evidence cannot be cured and warrants a mistrial is generally left to the trial court's sound discretion. (People v. Harris (1994) 22 Cal.App.4th 1575, 1581.)
Defendant's motion was based on the following two questions asked by the prosecutor during her cross-examination. The first question was, "Do you remember a date where they did a motion to increase bail, and you were remanded?" The second question asked defendant to confirm that a letter he sent to the victim after his arrest stated in part, "They're going to offer 17 years. I'm not turning my back. But I can't do that much time, paren, 17 years." According to defendant, these questions introduced improper subject matter to the jury that painted him "as a bad or potentially dangerous person" and appealed to the jury's " 'passion and prejudice . . . .' "
The trial court denied defendant's motion, while admonishing the jury to disregard all questions and answers regarding "defendant sending correspondence that talked about 17 years" and "the motion to increase bail." The court also instructed the jury "not to consider penalty or punishment in making its decision as to whether or not the defendant is guilty or not guilty of the crimes that are before you." We address each alleged incident of prosecutorial misconduct below.
A. Reference to Defendant's Increased Bail
With respect to the prosecutor's reference to the motion to increase bail, defendant refers us to the principle that "exposing a jury to a defendant's prior criminality presents the possibility of prejudicing a defendant's case and rendering suspect the outcome of the trial." (People v. Harris, supra, 22 Cal.App.4th at p. 1580.) Under California law, however, a prosecutor commits reversible misconduct only if " 'he or she makes use of "deceptive or reprehensible methods" when attempting to persuade either the trial court or the jury, and it is reasonably probable that without such misconduct, an outcome more favorable to the defendant would have resulted. [Citation.] Under the federal Constitution, conduct by a prosecutor that does not result in the denial of the defendant's specific constitutional rights—such as a comment upon the defendant's invocation of the right to remain silent—but is otherwise worthy of condemnation, is not a constitutional violation unless the challenged action " 'so infected the trial with unfairness as to make the resulting conviction a denial of due process.' " [Citation.]' [Citation.]" (People v. Fuiava (2012) 53 Cal.4th 622, 679; accord, People v. Harris (1989) 47 Cal.3d 1047, 1083-1084.) As a result, to assess the import of the prosecutor's words, we look at the record in context to determine if either of these standards for reversible misconduct exists.
The record reflects the allegedly improper reference to increased bail occurred during extensive questioning about the nature of defendant's relationship with the victim following the charged offenses. Earlier during trial, the victim had testified she did not attempt to contact him after he was arrested following this incident even though he made numerous efforts to contact her. Defendant, however, testified he and the victim were sometimes together at the house but that the victim cautioned him to " 'be careful' " because Silva " 'told the neighbors everything that happened.' " His testimony prompted the prosecutor to ask, "But didn't you say, 'So what? You attacked me, [victim]. You should be concerned for yourself'?" Defendant replied that he "told [Silva] plenty of times" that the victim had in fact attacked him but that Silva insisted "I needed to be in an insane asylum."
At this point, the prosecutor changed her focus to defendant's claim that Silva had been calling defendant (rather than him calling Silva) by asking whether defendant was in jail at the time and whether he had attempted to call Silva's house collect: "And, in fact, on July 17th you were calling [Silva] from the jail; isn't that true?" When defendant claimed again that Silva was calling him, the prosecutor asked whether he called Silva's house twice on July 19th and nine times on July 20th in order to get in touch with the victim. Defendant testified he "[p]robably" called a couple of times but added, "Let's get one thing straight. [Silva] was also calling me, too." The prosecutor responded, "You were in the jail? [¶] . . . [¶] On July 20th you weren't in jail?" Then, in response to this question, defendant volunteered, "I bailed out of jail I think on the—on the 20th or the—yeah, the 20th or the 21st. Yeah, I bailed out."
The prosecutor then changed course again, asking whether on July 28th when out of custody defendant continued to call Silva's house "despite the restraining order," referencing a voicemail message on Silva's phone stating, " 'You guys got the RO. Trying to set me up?' " Defendant denied the prosecutor's claim, insisting, "I don't even know what the RO is." To challenge defendant's denial, the prosecutor thus asked him whether he had at some point been returned to custody. Defendant responded, "Yeah. About eight months later. [¶] . . . [¶] I missed a court date." The prosecutor continued challenging the truth of his responses: "That's why you went back in custody?" Defendant answered, "Uh-huh," prompting the prosecutor to ask:, "Didn't you go back in custody because you were—went to [Silva's] house?— [¶] . . . [¶] And told her to have her daughter drop the charges?" Defendant denied the prosecutor's claim, at which point the prosecutor asked the allegedly improper question: "Do you remember a date where they did a motion to increase bail, and you were remanded?" (Italics added.)
Defense counsel objected on relevance grounds, and an off-the-record conference ensued. Following this conference, the parties stipulated before the jury that defendant was returned to custody in 2014 after initially bailing out for a reason other than missing a court date. Later, in closing argument, the prosecutor revisited defendant's testimony about his return to custody, telling the jury, "[W]e know [defendant] deliberately lied about the fact that—the reason he went back into custody was because he missed a court date, because immediately afterwards there was a stipulation that it had nothing to do with that."
Based on this record, considered in its entirety, we reject defendant's first claim of prosecutorial misconduct. Defendant may be correct that it is improper for a prosecutor to elicit testimony relating to a defendant's conditions or circumstances of parole, and that the prosecutor in this case could have impeached his testimony about being returned to custody for missing a court date without mentioning the motion to increase his bail. (See People v. Smith (1966) 63 Cal.2d 779, 790; People v. Fusaro (1971) 18 Cal.App.3d 877, 886 ["[prosecutor's] deliberate asking of questions calling for inadmissible and prejudicial answers is misconduct"]; People v. Harris, supra, 22 Cal.App.4th at p. 1581.) However, the record reflects that defendant was not forthcoming with his responses to the prosecutor's questions regarding his contacts with Silva and the victim. On the contrary, defendant repeatedly claimed Silva was calling him, even as the prosecutor was asking him to confirm he was incarcerated at the time and could not have received calls.
In addition, the victim had testified, contrary to defendant's claim, that she did not attempt to contact him after he was arrested following this incident even though he tried to contact her. Silva testified that defendant reached out to her many times after the incident and, on one occasion, violated the terms of the restraining order that Silva had helped the victim obtain by coming to Silva's house in order to talk to the victim about not filing charges against him. The prosecutor was entitled under these circumstances to explore the nature and extent of the inconsistencies in defendant's testimony. (People v. Valencia (2008) 43 Cal.4th 268, 283 [prosecutor entitled to "ask[] legitimate questions going to the witnesses' credibility"]; accord, People v. Fuiava, supra, 53 Cal.4th at p. 685.) There is no basis to conclude the prosecutor, in doing so, was employing deceptive or reprehensible methods to attempt to sway the jury against defendant, or that her questions so infected the trial with unfairness as to make his conviction a denial of due process. (People v. Fuiava, at p. 679; accord, People v. Dennis (1998) 17 Cal.4th 468, 522.) As a result, the trial court could properly reject defendant's first claim of prosecutorial misconduct as a ground for mistrial.
B. Reference to Defendant's Offer of a 17-year Sentence
Continuing to defendant's remaining ground for mistrial—the prosecutor's reference to a statement he wrote about being offered 17 years—the record reflects the following. Almost immediately after the jury heard the stipulation regarding defendant's return to custody, the prosecutor began questioning defendant about whether he reached out to the victim through cards or letters instructing her to contact his attorney. Defendant acknowledged doing so, explaining, "She was calling me and asking me, 'What can I do to stop this from going on?' And I said, 'What you can do is you can contact my lawyer. That's the best I can tell you.' " The prosecutor responded with the following: "So in a letter did you write, 'Please call me, sweetheart. If not, I understand'? [¶] [Defendant interrupts.] [¶] 'I love you. They're going to offer 17 years'—"
Defense counsel immediately objected on relevance grounds, and another off-record bench conference occurred. Afterward, the prosecutor continued: "So did you write in a letter, 'Please call me, sweetheart. If not, I understand. I love you. They're going to offer 17 years. I'm not turning my back. But I can't do that much time, paren, 17 years. I love you, and kiss the kids for me. Call my lawyer, Felicia Carrington'?"
Defense counsel again objected, both on relevance grounds and under Evidence Code section 352. The prosecutor argued the evidence was relevant to impeach defendant's testimony that the victim was contacting him when, instead, he was contacting the victim repeatedly and instructing her to call his lawyer. The court accepted the prosecutor's argument, finding "the letter does directly contradict the statements of the defendant and is substantially probative on the issue of credibility and the probative value outweighs the prejudicial effect." The court then permitted the prosecutor to show defendant this letter (the People's exhibit 13) and to ask follow-up questions regarding why he was asking the victim to call him and whether it was true she was calling him. As cross-examination continued, defendant repeatedly stated that he had loved the victim and expressed frustration with Silva for punishing him for something he claimed not to have done. Eventually, during a break in questioning, defense counsel moved for a mistrial.
As before, defendant argues the prosecutor could have cross-examined him about his letters and purported attempts to dissuade a witness without mentioning the offer of a 17-year sentence. (See People v. Harris, supra, 22 Cal.App.4th at p. 1581.) However, in light of defendant's ongoing insistence that the victim was reaching out to him and his refusal to confirm that he was, in fact, contacting her to tell her to contact his attorney, the prosecutor had valid reason to refer him to his statements in the People's exhibit 13. In doing so, there is no basis to infer the prosecutor was acting deceptively or reprehensibly or with the improper motive to inflame the jury against defendant. We conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding no reversible prosecutorial error or misconduct in this instance and, thus, denying the motion. (People v. Fuiava, supra, 53 Cal.4th at p. 679.)
C. No Prejudice
In any event, with respect to both alleged instances of prosecutorial misconduct, we see no basis for reversal because, even if we were to assume misconduct occurred, we would conclude defendant suffered no prejudice as a result. Based on the record described above, defendant cannot meet his burden of " 'show[ing] a reasonable likelihood the jury understood or applied the complained-of comments in an improper or erroneous manner.' " (People v. Dykes (2009) 46 Cal.4th 731, 771-772.) Nothing in the record suggests it is reasonably probable defendant would have received a more favorable result absent the prosecutor's references to the motion to increase bail or the 17-year offer (People v. Barnett (1998) 17 Cal.4th 1044, 1133 [state law standard]), or that these brief references rendered his trial fundamentally unfair (People v. Bordelon (2008) 162 Cal.App.4th 1311, 1323 [federal law standard]). In addition, the trial court eliminated the possibility of prejudice by reading to the jury curative instructions requiring it to disregard the references to a "motion to increase bail" or to "17 years" and to not consider matters of punishment or penalty when deciding whether he committed the charged offenses.
The trial court also permitted the parties to stipulate before the jury that defendant was returned to custody after being released for a reason other than a missed court date after defendant had falsely testified that a missed court date was the reason for his reincarceration. We presume the jurors followed the trial court's curative instructions rather than statements from counsel (People v. McNally (2015) 236 Cal.App.4th 1419, 1433), and decline to " ' "lightly infer" that the jury drew the most damaging rather than the least damaging meaning from the prosecutor's statements.' " (People v. Dykes, supra, 46 Cal.4th at p. 772.)
Since the prosecutor's conduct did not undermine defendant's chances of receiving a fair trial, we affirm the trial court's refusal to grant him a mistrial. (People v. Ayala (2000) 23 Cal.4th 225, 282 [mistrial should be granted only "when ' "a party's chances of receiving a fair trial have been irreparably damaged" ' "].)
III. Shackling Defendant During Trial
Defendant contends his federal due process rights under the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution were violated by the trial court's decision to require him to wear full-restraint shackles, visible to jurors, during trial. "Decisions to employ security measures in the courtroom are reviewed on appeal for abuse of discretion." (People v. Hernandez (2011) 51 Cal.4th 733, 741.)
"Many courtroom security procedures are routine and do not impinge on a defendant's ability to present a defense or enjoy the presumption of innocence. [Citation.] However, some security practices inordinately risk prejudice to a defendant's right to a fair trial and must be justified by a higher showing of need. For example, visible physical restraints like handcuffs or leg irons may erode the presumption of innocence because they suggest to the jury that the defendant is a dangerous person who must be separated from the rest of the community. [Citations.] Because physical restraints carry such risks, their use is considered inherently prejudicial and must be justified [under California law] by a particularized showing of manifest need. [Citations.]" (People v. Hernandez, supra, 51 Cal.4th at pp. 741-742.) " 'Similarly, the federal "Constitution forbids the use of visible shackles . . . unless that use is 'justified by an essential state interest'—such as the interest in courtroom security—specific to the defendant on trial." (Deck v. Missouri (2005) 544 U.S. 622, 624 [161 L.Ed.2d 953, 125 S.Ct. 2007], italics omitted.)]' " (People v. Covarrubias (2016) 1 Cal.5th 838, 870.)
" ' "In deciding whether restraints are justified, the trial court may 'take into account the factors that courts have traditionally relied on in gauging potential security problems and the risk of escape at trial.' (Deck v. Missouri, supra, 544 U.S. at p. 629.) These factors include evidence establishing that a defendant poses a safety risk, a flight risk, or is likely to disrupt the proceedings or otherwise engage in nonconforming behavior." [Citation.] Although the court need not hold a formal hearing before imposing restraints, "the record must show the court based its determination on facts, not rumor and innuendo." [Citation.] The imposition of physical restraints without evidence of violence, a threat of violence, or other nonconforming conduct is an abuse of discretion.' [Citation.]" (People v. Covarrubias, supra, 1 Cal.5th at pp. 870-871.) Ultimately, we are concerned with whether the record demonstrates the trial court's decision to physically restrain the defendant was based on a thoughtful, case-specific consideration of the need for heightened security, or of the potential prejudice that might result. (People v. Hernandez, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 743.)
Here, the record supporting the trial court's decision to shackle defendant is as follows. The prosecutor offered evidence of defendant's involvement in the jailhouse altercation on July 12, 2016, during which he brutally attacked another inmate with his fists, bloodying the inmate's face. Based on this report, the charges, and defendant's background, including the trial court's knowledge of prior instances in court where defendant had behaved in an unruly manner ("want[ing] to share his thoughts regarding this case" directly with the court rather than through counsel), the trial court decided security concerns warranted shackling defendant at trial. In doing so, the court acknowledged defendant was "entitled to a jury trial where he is unshackled, or at least the shackles can not be seen by the jury, because that would prejudice him in the eyes of the jury."
The next day, October 25, 2016, the trial court bailiff, Deputy Sheriff Rogers, testified to personally observing a conversation between defendant and his trial counsel the previous day, during which defendant stated he intended to testify at trial and had a "surprise" for defense counsel. When defense counsel queried him about this surprise, defendant remained vague. In light of the bailiff's report, the trial court revised its earlier ruling, finding "a manifest need for full restraints" on defendant based on "the statements the defendant made yesterday in the presence of my bailiff about this surprise, my observations about defendant's tendency to speak out without permission[, and] [¶] [an ex parte letter sent to the court by defendant that] show[ed] [he] was taking action independent of his attorney," as well as the report of jailhouse violence on July 12, 2016.
Thus, defendant appeared shackled and, at the conclusion of trial, the jury was instructed in accordance with CALCRIM No. 204: "The fact that physical restraints have been placed on the defendant is not evidence. Do not speculate about the reason. You must completely disregard this circumstance in deciding the issues in this case. Do not consider it for any reason or even discuss it during deliberations."
According to defendant, the trial court's decision to fully shackle him was an abuse of discretion that requires reversal. We disagree. The record reflects the trial court's consideration of the manifest need, in this particular case, to fully restrain defendant with shackles. Among the individualized facts relied upon by the trial court are the conversation overheard by the bailiff between defendant and his attorney during which defendant warned that he "had a surprise" planned for his attorney, but refused his attorney's request to disclose it; the recent jailhouse altercation during which defendant brutally attacked another inmate with his fists, bloodying the inmate's face; the violent nature of the current charges; and the trial court's concern that defendant was acting independently of his attorney, as reflected by a lengthy letter defendant had written to the court independently of his counsel a few months before.
As stated above, the trial court initially did not deem full restraints to be necessary, but then changed its mind after the bailiff's report of the "surprise." These facts adequately demonstrate that the trial court's decision was not an abuse of discretion. (People v. Williams (2015) 61 Cal.4th 1244, 1259 [manifest need for physically restraining a defendant is established with " 'evidence that the defendant has threatened jail deputies, possessed weapons in custody, threatened or assaulted other inmates, and/or engaged in violent outbursts in court' "]; cf. People v. McDaniel (2008) 159 Cal.App.4th 736, 745 [abuse of discretion to shackle defendant where "the trial court did not initiate any procedure to determine whether shacking was necessary or make any findings on the record to justify shackling"].) As the California Supreme Court has made clear: "The court need not [wait] until such violence occur[s] before ordering restraints" for the defendant. (People v. Pride (1992) 3 Cal.4th 195, 233.)
Even assuming for the sake of argument the trial court's ruling was erroneous, we would find any such error to be harmless. (See People v. Hernandez, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 746 [notwithstanding that "the trial court abused its discretion in stationing an officer at the witness stand based on a routine policy, it [wa]s not reasonably probable that defendant would have obtained a more favorable result absent the error"].) Putting aside the wealth of evidence of defendant's guilt that we have already discussed, defendant, given the option to wear civilian clothes at trial, refused, insisting he wanted the jury to know he was incarcerated. Moreover, to lessen any potential prejudice, the jury was instructed to "completely disregard" the fact defendant was shackled in deciding the issues in this case—an instruction we presume was followed. (People v. McNally, supra, 236 Cal.App.4th at p. 1433.) Based on this record, we conclude there is no basis for reversal.
IV. No Cumulative Error
Finally, defendant raises the broader claim that due to multiple errors committed by the trial court, he was deprived of his constitutional right to due process and a fair trial. We disagree. For all the reasons provided above, we have identified few, if any, errors during trial with respect to the challenged rulings, and no error prejudicial to him. As a result, his cumulative-effect argument fails. (People v. Gamache (2010) 48 Cal.4th 347, 408.)
DISPOSITION
The judgment is affirmed.
/s/_________
Wiseman, J. WE CONCUR: /s/_________
Siggins, P. J. /s/_________
Petrou, J.
Retired Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District, assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to article VI, section 6 of the California Constitution.