People v. Rogers (57 Cal. 4th 296, 2013)

Opinion

BAXTER, J.

A jury convicted defendant Glen Rogers of the first degree murder of Sandra Gallagher (Pen. Code, § 187, subd. (a)), and arson of property (§451, subd. (d)). One special circumstance was found tme: that defendant was previously convicted of first degree murder. (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(2) [prior-murder-conviction special circumstance].) Following a penalty trial, the jury returned a verdict of death. The trial court denied the automatic motion to modify the penalty verdict (§ 190.4, subd. (e)) and imposed the death sentence for the murder and a determinate term of two years for the arson conviction. This appeal is automatic. (§ 1239, subd. (b).) We affirm the judgment in its entirety.

I. Facts

Guilt Phase

A. Introduction

On September 29, 1995, defendant Glen Rogers, a drifter from Ohio who had frequented McRed’s bar in Van Nuys for several weeks, picked up Sandra Gallagher at the bar and strangled her to death several hours later, burning her body in the passenger compartment of her pickup truck. Defendant fled from California to Mississippi, then to Bossier City, Louisiana, where, on November 2, 1995, he picked up Andy Lou Sutton at the It’ll Do Lounge. Defendant spent the night with Sutton in her apartment and left the following day, telling her he had to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to retrieve a truck, but would return. Instead, defendant traveled to Tampa, Florida, where, on November 5, he picked up Tina Cribbs at the Showtown bar in Gibsonton, on the outskirts of Tampa. Defendant took Cribbs to his Tampa motel room where he stabbed her to death that same day. The following day defendant, driving Cribbs’s car, returned to Sutton’s apartment in Bossier City, Louisiana. The next night, on or about November 7, defendant stabbed Sutton to death in the bedroom of her apartment.

Defendant fled in Cribbs’s car from Louisiana through Tennessee to Kentucky, where he was ultimately apprehended by Kentucky state police after a high-speed pursuit through several towns.

B. Prosecution Evidence.

1. Defendant murders Sandra Gallagher in Van Nuys.

On September 28, 1995, Sandra Gallagher, age 33, had lunch with her husband Stephen at a restaurant in West Los Angeles. Gallagher was happy, as she had won approximately $1,200 in the state lottery. She showed her husband the lottery ticket claim form, indicating she was going to the lottery office to submit the form. Gallagher was driving a black and silver Ford F-150 pickup truck with Colorado license plates she had obtained from her recently deceased father, who had lived in Colorado. Her husband testified she was wearing a pair of distinctive earrings she had purchased from a Ross department store. An employee at the California State Lottery office in Van Nuys testified Gallagher came into the office that afternoon to claim her $1,279 in prize winnings.

In September 1995, Mamdouh Saliman owned McRed’s bar on Victory Boulevard in Van Nuys. McRed’s was á full-service bar that served all varieties of drinks. Saliman also owned CJ’s, another bar on Victory Boulevard, one block west of McRed’s, that only served beer and wine. Saliman went to McRed’s on the afternoon of September 28. When he parked his car, he noticed a truck with Colorado license plates in the parking lot. Around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m., Gallagher walked into McRed’s and said hello to Saliman, asking, “Don’t you remember me?” Saliman, who remembered Gallagher because she had previously been a hostess at one of his other bars, replied, “I remember your face, but I don’t recall your name.” Gallagher told Saliman her nickname, “Sam,” and he gave her a hug. Gallagher told Saliman she had won a lottery prize. When he asked where she had been, she replied that she had moved to Colorado after she left her employment with him.

Rein Keener worked as a bartender at McRed’s in September 1995. Keener arrived at work at between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. on September 28 and noticed a truck with Colorado license plates parked in the lot. Upon entering the bar, Keener saw Gallagher standing with Saliman, who called her over and introduced her to Gallagher. Saliman told Keener that Gallagher used to live in the neighborhood and that she was a “really nice gal.” He asked Keener to look after Gallagher and “steer [her] away from the loser leeches” at the bar. After Saliman left the bar, Keener ate dinner and Gallagher played pool. At one point the two began conversing and Gallagher told Keener her father had passed away and that she had just gotten back from Colorado. Gallagher also told Keener she had just won the lottery and was planning to go to Sacramento the following day to see her three sons.

At approximately 7:00 p.m. that evening, defendant arrived at McRed’s. He had recently become a frequent customer of the bar, showing up two or three times a week during the latter part of September 1995. The first time defendant patronized McRed’s, he approached Keener and asked for her phone number. Keener told defendant she did not go out with men she did not know. Defendant showed up at McRed’s during each of Keener’s shifts for the next three weeks, repeatedly asking for her phone number. During one conversation with defendant, Keener told him she was in law school and wanted to be a prosecutor. Defendant responded that he thought women made “lousy prosecutors.” He produced a laminated badge and claimed he worked for the government and traveled from state to state “looking for people.” Keener did not believe defendant and felt he was just trying to impress her. Defendant began buying roses for Keener from a flower lady who frequented the bar. He also tried to impress her by pulling out what appeared to be “wads of hundred dollar bills” and buying drinks for everyone in the bar.

When defendant entered McRed’s on the evening in question he was wearing cowboy boots, blue jeans, and a brown leather belt with “a fancy cowboy-style buckle.” His bleached-blond hair was long and feathered, and he had a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He approached Gallagher, who “brushed him off” and continued to play pool. Defendant then left the bar. Gallagher’s husband testified she called him at around 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. to tell him she was at McRed’s and was thinking of staying and singing with the band.

On September 28, 1995, Cristina Walker and her boyfriend, Michael Flynn, were staying at defendant’s apartment at 6645 Woodman Avenue. Walker and Flynn had moved into defendant’s apartment a few days earlier after he had offered to rent them his spare bedroom. September 28 was Flynn’s birthday, and he, Walker and defendant had made plans to meet that evening to celebrate. Walker and Flynn drove to CJ’s bar and subsequently met defendant in front of the bar. Walker was driving her car and had her two dogs with •her. Defendant, Walker and Flynn stayed at CJ’s for approximately one and one-half to two hours. While there, Walker had two beers and defendant and Flynn each had approximately four beers. When Walker indicated she liked “mixed drinks,” defendant told her he knew a bar up the street that served cocktails. Walker told defendant she was not yet 21 years of age. Defendant told her not to worry, stating he would tell.the bartender (Keener), whom he knew “real well,” that she was his sister. Defendant told Walker he had spent prior weekends with Keener and was planning on spending the upcoming weekend with her. Walker drove the short distance to McRed’s, where the three arrived at approximately 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. When they arrived the bar was crowded. When Keener saw defendant arrive she gave him an “irritated look.” Defendant told Keener that Walker was his sister and the three ordered drinks.

At some point in the evening defendant asked Keener for a ride home, stating that because he worked for the government he “couldn’t get caught with a DUI.” Keener declined. Shortly afterwards, defendant approached her again, “pinned” her up against the door to the storage room, and put his arm around her back, “trying to be kissy and huggy.” Defendant told Keener, “I always get what I want.” Keener ducked out of defendant’s reach and went back to work.

Later in the evening defendant pointed to Gallagher, commenting to Walker and Flynn that he thought she was “cool” and “pretty.” Defendant announced that he was going to buy Gallagher a drink and approached her table. Walker saw Gallagher look up at defendant with a “big smile” on her face. Gallagher then turned toward Walker and Flynn and invited them to join her and defendant at her table in front of the band. Gallagher introduced herself and defendant began ordering drinks for everyone at the table. Thereafter, Gallagher joined the group “off and on,” playing pool and then returning to the table whenever defendant ordered more drinks.

Sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m., Gallagher sat down with defendant, Walker, and Flynn, and remained with the group for the rest of the evening. Defendant had had approximately six to eight beers; Flynn had had approximately three to four beers. Walker was served approximately three to four mixed drinks, and Gallagher was drinking vodka and grapefruit juice. Keener testified that after three rounds, she began diluting Gallagher’s drinks because she was watching out for her. Between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m., Keener “cut [Gallagher] off.” Defendant and Gallagher were observed talking, dancing together, and “being playful.” Keener testified that defendant tried to pull Gallagher onto his lap and tried to kiss the back of her neck, with Gallagher “playfully” resisting. Keener later saw Gallagher kiss defendant on the cheek and sit on his lap. Keener put Gallagher’s large black purse behind the bar for safekeeping.

Towards the end of the evening, Gallagher and Walker went to the ladies room where Gallagher told Walker, “I really like your brother,” indicating defendant had asked her to go home with them. She asked Walker if that would be all right; Walker said it would be okay. At approximately 1:20 a.m., defendant, Gallagher, Walker, and Flynn left McRed’s. Their plan was to return to CJ’s, then go to the 7-Eleven to buy some beer, and then go to defendant’s apartment.

Defendant and Gallagher left together in Gallagher’s truck; Walker and Flynn drove in Walker’s car. They went to CJ’s, stayed a short while, then went to the 7-Eleven store. Walker pulled alongside Gallagher’s truck while defendant and Flynn went inside and returned with cigarettes and beer. Walker and Flynn then drove back to defendant’s apartment in Walker’s car; Gallagher followed with defendant in her truck. Upon arriving, Walker was unable to find a parking space and double-parked on Woodman Avenue. Walker was not feeling well; Flynn told her he would park her car and clean it out because the dogs had made a mess, and meet her up at defendant’s apartment.

Defendant and Gallagher, who were also double-parked on Woodman Avenue, stayed inside Gallagher’s truck while Flynn, who saw an empty parking space across the street, attempted to make a U-tum to park Walker’s car. At that point, approximately 2:00 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Officer David Hovey saw Flynn make an illegal U-tum and detained him. The officer testified Flynn was “extremely drunk.” He was arrested for driving under the influence and placed in the back of the patrol car. Flynn testified that as the police car drove off with him, he looked back towards Gallagher’s truck and saw silhouettes that looked like defendant and Gallagher were arguing or fighting, with one of them holding his or her arms high over the other’s head or neck. Flynn testified he told the arresting officer that “something weird” was going on and pointed at Gallagher’s tmck. Officer Hovey did not recall Flynn trying to draw his attention to anything as they pulled away.

Sometime during the night, Walker awoke in her room inside defendant’s apartment. She saw defendant lying on the carpet next to her, with no shirt on and his pants unbuttoned. Defendant was awake and staring at Walker. She asked defendant, “What the hell are you doing?” Defendant replied, “Where is your boyfriend?” Walker jumped up and said, “What do you mean, where js my boyfriend? What time is it?” Defendant told Walker it was 5:00 a.m. Walker ran to the window and looked for her car, which had been impounded upon Flynn’s arrest.

Walker asked defendant what he was doing in her room. Defendant told her he went into her room to “check” on her, and asked again, “Where is your boyfriend?” Walker, believing Flynn had taken her car, began to shout profanities. Defendant responded, “Oh, don’t worry, honey, he went to jail.” Walker asked defendant what he was talking about and began to cry. Defendant told her Flynn was “a real idiot” and had made an illegal U-turn in front of a cop. He related that Flynn had been handcuffed and arrested, and her car impounded. Walker then asked defendant, “Where is that girl?,” meaning Gallagher. Defendant had a “blank look on his face,” and responded, “I got bigger problems than you, honey, I got bigger problems.” When Walker asked what he meant, defendant repeated two or three more times, “I got bigger problems;” and stated, “I am just going to have t.o call some people in, I am going to have to do it.” Walker again asked, “What do you mean? Where is Sam? Where is that girl at?” Defendant looked at Walker and stated, “She’s dead.”

Walker stopped crying because defendant “had this look in his eye.” Walker asked defendant, “What did she [(Gallagher)] do to you, what is going on?,” trying to make it seem like she was “on [defendant’s] side.” Defendant just stared back at her. Walker tried to act normally by changing the subject and stating she was unsure how to get Flynn out of jail. Defendant put his arm around her and leaned forward to kiss her. Walker told defendant “no,” saying she loved Flynn. Defendant apologized and told Walker that he loved her like a “sister.” Defendant then stated he was going to try to get Flynn out of jail and left the room.

Walker dozed off to sleep; when she awoke it was light outside. She dressed “as fast as [she] could,” put leashes on her dogs, and opened the door into the living room where defendant was lying on the living room floor in his underwear, appearing to be “out cold.” Walker saw Gallagher’s purse, a distinctive yellow pack of cigarettes she had been smoking, and her Ford truck keys on the kitchen bar or counter. Walker took her dogs, left the apartment at approximately 8:00 a.m., ran to the 7-Eleven store and called her grandmother’s house. Her mother’s boyfriend, Stewart, came to the phone and Walker told him to come get her right away. He arrived within 15 minutes and Walker got into his track with her dogs. She asked him to help get her “stuff” out of defendant’s apartment, explaining that Flynn was in jail and that, “I think this guy I am staying with, he killed this girl last night.”

Walker and Stewart went back to defendant’s apartment. Stewart waited in the hallway while she entered the apartment. Defendant was still sleeping on the floor. Walker stated, “Glen, Glen, wake up,” and touched his shoulder. Defendant “came to his feet quickly,” seemed embarrassed his pants were off, and put his blue jeans on. Walker told him her grandmother was sick in the hospital and that she needed to go home immediately to babysit her sisters. She told defendant that her mother’s boyfriend was outside and that she needed to get her stuff out of the apartment. Defendant told Walker she did not need to leave, as he was going to Las Vegas and she could have the apartment to herself. She declined the invitation.

Stewart assisted Walker in collecting most of Flynn’s and her belongings from the apartment and loading them into his truck. Because the truck was full and Walker wanted to remove all of Flynn’s and her belongings from the apartment as soon as possible, she went down the street to the residence of her friend Cindy Keller, who also had a truck. Walker explained the situation to Keller and asked her to help her move the rest of her things out of defendant’s apartment right away. Walker and Keller went back to defendant’s apartment and got the remainder of Walker’s belongings as defendant stood in the hallway near the door watching them. At one point, when Keller was in the hallway and defendant was in the kitchen, Walker asked defendant, “What happened to that girl last night?” Defendant told Walker, “You know what, she ran off with some Mexican last night. . . some Mexican walked up and she walked away with him.”

Defendant then began going through Gallagher’s large black purse, removing numerous items and nonchalantly tossing them over his shoulders with both hands, which conduct made Walker even more nervous. Walker observed defendant remove a wallet and checkbook from the purse. Defendant left the room briefly; during that time Walker looked inside Gallagher’s purse and also noticed Gallagher’s earring on the floor.

On September 29," 1995, at approximately 6:30 a.m., Hoora Kushan, a nurse at the Laurel Wood Convalescent Hospital located at 13000 Victory Boulevard, arrived at work and drove into the hospital’s rear parking lot. She observed a pickup truck parked near some trash cans in an area of the lot where no other cars were parked. The driver’s side door was partially open, and she could see the arm, elbow, and part of a leg of a man who was leaning into the truck towards the passenger side, as if he was reaching for something from the dashboard. He had shoulder-length “blondish” hair and was wearing blue jeans and a shirt with rolled-up or short sleeves. Kushan testified the man’s hair resembled defendant’s hair. Kushan parked, got out of her car, and again looked toward the pickup truck and saw the same man with long blond hair leaning towards the passenger side, but slumped over. As she looked more closely, Kushan saw smoke coming from the dashboard on the passenger side. She observed that the pickup had Colorado license plates.

Kushan went inside the hospital and asked the nurses if they knew who owned the truck. One of the nurses suggested they go back outside and get the license plate number so they could announce it on the hospital’s public address system. When Kushan went back outside, she saw flames coming from the hood of the pickup. Another hospital employee tried to put out the fire using a fire extinguisher. Kushan ran back inside the hospital and asked someone to call 911.

At. approximately 6:40 a.m., fire department personnel arrived and extinguished the fire. Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator Tim Hamson arrived at the scene of the fire at approximately 7:20 a.m. Hamson was informed by firefighters at that time that there was a body in the cab of the pickup, which he confirmed. Hamson noted the truck was a 1977 Ford half-ton extended cab pickup with Colorado license plates.

Hamson smelled gasoline in the passenger compartment of the pickup. The lower extremities of the female body inside the truck were charred to the bones, but the floor carpet underneath the body was mainly intact, indicating gasoline had been poured over the body and surrounding areas of the passenger compartment and ignited. In Hamson’s opinion, the fire had been intentionally set to conceal a homicide. About 7:10 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department Detective Michael Coblentz arrived at the scene. A purse containing documents and photographs, as well as a marriage certificate, was found inside a locked metal compartment in the bed of the pickup. Detective Coblentz discovered that the victim in the truck was Sandra Gallagher.

On October 1, 1995, Dr. Frisby, a forensic pathologist with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, performed an autopsy on Gallagher’s body. Dr. Frisby was supervised by Dr. James Ribe. Dr. Ribe performed most of the dissection of the neck and Dr. Frisby dissected most of the other parts of the body. Dr. Frisby prepared the autopsy report and Dr. Ribe reviewed the report. Gallagher’s back was “severely charred” down to the muscle. The front portion of her body was “less charred.” Gallagher’s right lower leg was severely burned, down to the muscle and bone.

Drs. Frisby and Ribe concluded Gallagher died from asphyxia due to manual strangulation. This conclusion was based on the presence of red bruising or bleeding on the right and left sternohyoid muscles, a hemorrhage on the right-hand side of the lower part of the voice box and on the left side of the voice box, bruising to the thyroid gland, broken cartilage on the left side of the throat, and multiple hemorrhages inside Gallagher’s tongue. Drs. Frisby and Ribe also concluded that Gallagher was already dead at the time her body was burned, 'as determined from the lack of carbon monoxide in her bloodstream and the absence of black material in her windpipe. The absence of any petechiae (bloodspots) in Gallagher’s eyes suggested there was no shifting or loosening of the position of the hand at the time of the strangulation. Dr. Ribe opined it would have taken at least one minute of “continuous compression” for the victim to die of strangulation, and that the victim would likely lose consciousness within six to 10 seconds of complete neck compression. Gallagher’s killer would therefore have needed to continue to strangle her after he saw her lose consciousness in order to ensure her death. Gallagher was found to have 0.10 percent by volume of alcohol in her bloodstream.

On October 5, 1995, at 10:30 a.m., Detective Coblentz served a search warrant at defendant’s apartment on Woodman Avenue. Nobody was inside the apartment, which had little furniture. A yellow metal hoop earring belonging to Gallagher was recovered from the kitchen floor. The earring was identified by Gallagher’s husband as one of a set she had purchased at a Ross department store and which she was wearing when they had met for lunch the day before her murder. A yellow pack of cigarettes was also found on the kitchen counter. Both Walker and Flynn testified the pack of cigarettes looked like the type Gallagher had been smoking when they were together with her and defendant on the night of her murder.

2. Defendant travels to Louisiana and meets Andy Lou Sutton.

In early November 1995, Andy Lou Sutton was living in a one-bedroom apartment with her roommate, Theresa Whiteside, at the Port Au Prince apartment complex in Bossier City, Louisiana. Whiteside testified Sutton was a “very beautiful girl” who had red hair and an “outgoing personality.”

On November 2, 1995, Whiteside and Sutton went to the It’ll Do Lounge in Bossier City. While they were sitting at the bar defendant walked in. He was dressed in blue jeans, a striped dress shirt, and had long blond hair. Sutton commented to Whiteside, “I like that.” Whiteside then left to go to Mr. Bill’s Lounge, where she worked as a bartender. Later that evening, Sutton called Whiteside and told her she would have “someone staying over that night,” and that Whiteside’s pillow and blanket would be on the couch. Whiteside returned to their apartment at approximately 3:00 a.m. on November 3, 1995. At that time, Sutton introduced defendant to Whiteside.

At approximately 10:00 a.m., Whiteside, Sutton and defendant woke up, “sat around,” and talked. Defendant told Whiteside and Sutton he was a truckdriver and drove “18 wheelers.” Later that day, Sutton told Whiteside that defendant had to go to Jackson, Mississippi, to retrieve his “18 wheeler,” and asked if the red pickup defendant was driving would be all right if left in the apartment complex parking lot. Whiteside told Sutton “yes.” Sutton had no car; she and Whiteside subsequently drove defendant in Whiteside’s car to the Greyhound bus terminal in Shreveport, Louisiana. Defendant told them he would return in several days and gave Sutton a kiss upon exiting Whiteside’s car. Sutton gave defendant her telephone number and defendant asked Whiteside to “take care” of Sutton.

3. Defendant travels to Florida and murders Tina Cribbs.

On the afternoon of November 4, 1995, defendant arrived by taxi and checked into the Tampa 8 Inn on East Columbus Drive in Tampa, Florida. He rented a room for two days, indicating his name was Glen Rogers and giving a home address in Jackson, Mississippi. The clerk on duty testified defendant had long blond hair and “gorgeous blue eyes.” Defendant claimed his truck had broken down and stated he was very tired and would “probably sleep the first day.”

On the morning of November 5, taxi driver Donald Daughtry picked up defendant from the motel and drove him to the Showtown bar in Gibsonton, Florida, a small town on the outskirts of Tampa where a community of carnival workers spent their winter break. Defendant asked Daughtry to let him off a short distance away from the bar. Defendant entered the bar a little before 1:00 p.m. At that time Lynn Jones was working as the bartender. She testified defendant appeared tall and “good looking,” with long blond hair and “beautiful blue eyes.” When Jones asked defendant in local parlance if he was “with it,” meaning with the carnival, defendant did not understand her question. When she explained what she meant, he told Jones he “drove trucks for the carnival,” and began acting “flirtatious” with her. Defendant stayed at the bar nearly five hours.

Late in the afternoon, Tina Cribbs and three female friends entered the bar. Cribbs was 34 years old, had “reddish” hair, and was driving a white Ford Festiva her mother had purchased for her earlier that year. Cribbs and her friends sat at a table together. Defendant sent over a round of drinks to the women. Although defendant had told bartender Jones his name was Glen, she overheard him tell the women that his name was “Randy.” At one point defendant approached one of Cribbs’s friends, Jeanie Fuller, and asked if she was married or single. When Fuller replied that she had a boyfriend, defendant stated he did not date married women or girls with boyfriends. Cribbs’s three friends left the Showtown bar late in the afternoon; Cribbs remained at the bar with defendant where they talked for another hour. Cribbs was expecting her mother to meet her at the bar that evening. At approximately 6:30 p.m., Cribbs told Jones she was going to give defendant a ride and asked Jones to tell her mother she would return in 20 minutes. Cribbs and defendant were then seen leaving the bar together.

Cribbs’s mother, Mary Dicke, arrived at the bar approximately 20 to 30 minutes after Cribbs had left. Jones told Dicke that her daughter had given someone a ride and would “be right back.” Dicke waited another 30 to 45 minutes, then began calling Cribbs’s pager at between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. Dicke received no response and became worried. Dicke and Cribbs had a system whereby if there was an emergency she would input the number 69. Over the course of the evening, Dicke paged Cribbs with their emergency code over 30 times, getting no response. Dicke eventually returned home and called the police because she instinctively knew her daughter was “in trouble.”

At approximately 9:00 p.m. that same evening, Chenden Patel, the owner of the Tampa 8 Inn, noticed defendant leaning into a small white car in front of his room. Patel walked past the room and saw defendant standing at the door with two suitcases. A short while later, defendant came into the office and paid Patel for two additional days, extending his rent to Tuesday morning, November 7. He asked Patel for a “Do Not Disturb” sign; she told him she did not have one. Defendant then told Patel he did not want any maid service or anyone going into his room. The next morning, Monday, November 6, at approximately 9:00 a.m., Patel observed defendant drive away in the white car. Later that morning she noticed a handwritten note on the door of his room that read, “Do Not Disturb.”

Later that same morning, Monday, November 6, Cribbs’s purse was found by an attendant on top of a trash can at a rest stop on Interstate 10, just east of Tallahassee. At that time, unsuccessful attempts were made to call the telephone number listed on the identification in the purse.

On Tuesday, November 7, at approximately 10:00 a.m., a housekeeper found Cribbs’s body in the bathtub of the motel room defendant had rented. Responding Tampa police officers found the handwritten “Do Not Disturb” sign still on the front door. The bed was unmade and the television was on. Blood-soaked shoes, pants, and towels were piled on the bathroom floor next to the toilet. The officers observed blood smeared on a counter and the floor of the foyer, as well as on the bathroom shower stall. Blood had also dripped down from the sink counter and bathtub and toilet fixtures. Cribbs’s body was found faceup in the bathtub with articles of clothing in between her legs. Several cigarette butts and a small gold bracelet were found in the sink drain.

Tampa Police Homicide Detective Julie Massuchi examined Cribbs’s body and rioted numerous stab wounds, including a “very significant stab wound to the right buttocks area,” a “large stab wound under the left breast,” and smaller nicks on the chest area. There was also a long “defensive” scratch wound on the wrist area, as well as numerous bruises to the arms and back. A pair of black jeans and a shirt with tears in them were found in the pile of blood-soaked clothing on the bathroom floor. The stab wounds on the body corresponded to the tears in the jeans and shirt. Based on this finding, Detective Massuchi believed the victim was clothed at the time she was stabbed to death. It appeared the homicide happened “some time” prior to the discovery of the body, as the body showed lividity, indicating it had been in the bathtub for some time.

On that same day, Cribbs’s mother, Mary Dicke, was watching the news on television and learned that a “Jane Doe” had been found murdered in a motel. Dicke knew from the description of the victim that it was her daughter, and notified the police. Ernest Bruton, who had possession of Cribbs’s purse found at the freeway rest stop, was also alerted to the newscast of the homicide and turned the purse over to authorities.

Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of the first degree murder of Tina Cribbs in Florida on May 7, 1997.

4. Defendant returns to Louisiana and murders Andy Lou Sutton.

On Wednesday morning, November 8, 1995, Theresa Whiteside woke up and Andy Lou Sutton told her defendant had returned to Bossier City and was outside in the parking lot cleaning up a car he had purchased for her. A neighbor, Sterling Fontenont, testified he saw defendant walking back and forth between a white Ford Festiva and a red truck that morning. Defendant entered the women’s apartment and when Whiteside asked what kind of car he had purchased for Sutton, he replied “some kind of Ford,” “some ’90 model,” stating he had paid a friend $8,400 for it. Whiteside made arrangements to meet defendant and Sutton later that day at the It’ll Do Lounge, and left the apartment.

At approximately 3:00 p.m., the three met up at the It’ll Do Lounge. When Whiteside arrived, she saw defendant’s red truck outside the bar. Defendant approached Whiteside, put his arm around her, and told the bartender to get her “whatever [she] wanted.” Whiteside, who felt uncomfortable with defendant’s arm around her, extricated herself and sat down with Sutton, while defendant remained at the end of the bar. Whiteside told Sutton she did not want defendant staying at the apartment anymore and that he “needed to go.” Sutton responded she would “take care of that.” The three then decided to go to the Touch of Class bar.

Defendant and Sutton stopped for cigarettes, and then met Whiteside at the second bar at approximately 4:00 p.m. They ordered beers. Defendant began playing with the back of Whiteside’s hair. Whiteside motioned that she did not want defendant to touch her, and told him, “If you can’t hang, you don’t need to be hanging around us,” by which she meant he should leave if he could not handle his alcohol. • By then, defendant appeared drunk. Sutton asked if she could take defendant back to the apartment and let him “sleep it off.” Whiteside told Sutton that would be okay, indicating she would call Sutton later. At approximately 4:30 p.m., defendant and Sutton left the bar together and Whiteside went to work.

Between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m. that night, neighbor Sterling Fontenont arrived at the apartment complex and observed defendant and Sutton park their vehicle in the lot, get out of the car, and walk together towards Sutton’s apartment.

Despite defendant’s earlier representation that he and Sutton would meet Whiteside at the bar where she worked later that night, they never showed up. At approximately 11:00 p.m., Whiteside called Sutton, but the phone rang unanswered 10 to 12 times and the answering machine did not pick up the call. Whiteside arrived home at between 3:00 and 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning and noticed defendant’s red truck still parked in the lot. She had to unlock the deadbolt to gain entry into her apartment; Sutton was not in the habit of using the deadbolt. As Whiteside entered the apartment, she heard another door shut. The lights were on in all the rooms, but it appeared to Whiteside that no one was in the apartment. Whiteside hollered for Sutton, who did not answer. The bedroom door was shut, but the blanket and pillow had not been left out on the couch for Whiteside. She turned on the television, lay down on the couch in the living room and fell asleep.

Around 8:00 or 9:00 a.m., Whiteside awoke because the television volume had been turned up to “maximum capacity.” She grabbed the remote control from the coffee table, turned off the television, and fell back to sleep. At approximately 10:00 a.m. she heard a knock on the door, got up, and let Sutton’s ex-boyfriend, Thomas Bryant, into the apartment. Bryant related that he had repeatedly attempted to call the apartment, only to receive a recording that the phone was out of service. Whiteside went to the bedroom, knocked on the door and, receiving no answer, entered the room.

Sutton’s bedding was “all wrapped up tightly like a present.” Whiteside called out “Andy,” then pulled off the bedding and found a body with a pillow over the head and so much blood around the chest area that Whiteside was unable to tell if it was a man or a woman. She pulled the pillow off the head and saw “the most horrible agonizing facial features that she had ever seen.” Sutton’s arm was back behind her head and there were cut marks on her right wrist. Bryant entered the bedroom and attempted to turn on the light, but found it inoperable. The telephone was on the floor with the receiver uncradled. When Whiteside tried to call 911 from the telephone in the living room, she was unable to get a dial tone.

Whiteside and Bryant ran out to the parking lot and called 911 from Bryant’s cell phone. While outside, Whiteside noticed defendant’s red truck was still parked in the lot. Bossier City police officers arrived and found a knife in the bedroom under a pile of clothing. The knife had been removed from a butcher block knife set in the kitchen.

An autopsy performed on Sutton’s body revealed 14 stab wounds, including defensive wounds on her fingers and wrist, one of which had penetrated the muscles. There were stab wounds to Sutton’s abdomen, upper body, back, shoulders, and torso. The cause of death was determined to be multiple stab wounds, some of which were more than six inches deep.

5. Defendant’s flight to Kentucky, where he is apprehended.

A registration check on the red pickup left in Sutton’s apartment complex parking lot revealed it was registered to defendant in Mississippi. A warrant was obtained for defendant’s arrest and an all points bulletin broadcast for his apprehension.

On November 13, 1995, Kentucky State Police set up surveillance on State Highway 52 in Ravenna, Kentucky, near where defendant was visiting a relative. Defendant was observed in Cribbs’s white Ford Festiva with a Tennessee license plate and the officers gave chase. Defendant, who was drinking while driving, began throwing half-full beer cans at the pursuing officers’ vehicles. The high-speed pursuit continued for 50 miles, through four towns, with defendant running red lights and driving on the wrong side of the highway, until his vehicle was rammed and he was taken into custody. Numerous items recovered from Cribbs’s Ford Festiva were identified as belonging to her. Florida and Mississippi license plates were recovered from the vehicle. Additional items in the car, including a cooler packed with food, a comforter, and Social Security cards belonging to Whiteside’s two sons, were identified by Whiteside as having been stolen from the apartment she shared with victim Sutton.

C. Defense Evidence.

Defendant took the stand in his own defense. On September 28, 1995, he had been living at 6645 Woodman Avenue in Los Angeles for a period of several weeks. His girlfriend was the apartment building manager and he was the maintenance man; when they broke up, he lost the job and sold his furniture. He confirmed that on September 28 he began drinking beer at CJ’s at 11:00 a.m. Christina Walker and Michael Flynn were staying in his apartment. Defendant called his friend Steve Kele, met him at a bank, and received $1,000 from Kele. Defendant returned to CJ’s, then went to his apartment to change clothes, then went back to CJ’s and drank more beer. Walker and Flynn met him at CJ’s at approximately 5:30 p.m., where they stayed and drank beer for several hours. They then drove in Walker’s car the one block to McRed’s, arriving at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Inside McRed’s, defendant approached Gallagher, who introduced herself as “Sam,” and invited the three to join her. The four sat together at a table, defendant purchasing approximately six to eight rounds of drinks for the group. Defendant and Gallagher danced, and Gallagher kissed him and sat on his lap. Defendant claimed he had been intimately involved with bartender Rein Keener during the prior few weeks, and that if she appeared irritated with him it was because she did not want to reveal her personal life while at work. He denied Keener resisted his advances at one point in the evening and denied telling her, “I always get what I want.”

Gallagher agreed to leave McRed’s with defendant, Walker and Flynn, and the four left shortly before closing, at approximately 1:20 a.m. They went back to CJ’s, where defendant intended to meet Steve Kele. Defendant rode in Gallagher’s truck; Flynn was with Walker in her car. After having a round of drinks at CJ’s, they went in both vehicles to a nearby 7-Eleven, where Flynn and defendant purchased .beer. Flynn and Walker then sped off in Walker’s car toward the apartment. According to defendant, Kele pulled up in his Lincoln, and he told Kele, “Follow us. We’re going to the apartment.” Kele agreed. As Gallagher and defendant approached defendant’s apartment building in Gallagher’s truck, defendant saw police lights and heard sirens in front of the building. Defendant testified Gallagher told him there was a warrant out for her arrest for failing to appear in court and she did not want to be arrested or have her truck impounded. Gallagher and defendant pulled into a nearby strip mall parking lot, with Kele pulling in behind them. Defendant and Gallagher got out of the truck and spoke to Kele, then they both got into Kele’s car and the three drove to defendant’s building, parking in the underground garage.

According to defendant, Kele and Gallagher went up to the apartment with him. Walker was lying on her bed with her door open, so he closed the door, and Kele and Gallagher entered the apartment. The three talked, and at one point Gallagher stated she wanted to go back down to her truck to change her clothes. Kele took Gallagher back to her truck. Defendant stayed in the apartment, drank a few more beers, then passed out. After Kele left with Gallagher, defendant never, saw Gallagher again.

Defendant woke up at approximately 6:00 a.m. When he awoke, neither Kele nor Gallagher was in the apartment. At approximately 6:30 a.m., he spoke with Walker. Defendant admitted telling Walker he had “bigger problems” than her problem of Flynn being arrested for drunk driving, and admitted telling her Gallagher was dead. He did not call the police because he did not know “for sure” if Gallagher was dead. Walker then “passed right back out” or fell asleep. Defendant denied that Gallagher’s purse or keys were in the apartment, or that he searched her purse. Defendant left the apartment, walked to a pay phone, and called Kele. At approximately 11:00 a.m., Kele went to defendant’s building and picked him up. The two then spent the day together.

Two days after the murder, defendant left on a bus for Jackson, Mississippi, where he planned to renew his truckdriver’s license, and then head back to his hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. He had no plans to return to California. He stopped to gamble in Las Vegas, then took a bus to Jackson, Mississippi. Two weeks after arriving in Jackson, he drove his red truck to Ohio, staying in Ohio for “a week or two” and then returning to Mississippi. Defendant insisted he did not kill Gallagher. He confirmed he had been convicted of first degree murder in Florida in 1997, and of forgery in Ohio in 1987.

Penalty Phase

A. Prosecution Evidence.

1. The Murder of Linda Price in Jackson, Mississippi.

On October 9, 1995 [(10 days after Gallagher’s murder but prior to the murders of Cribbs in Florida and Sutton in Louisiana)], Kathy Carroll, her husband, her son, and her younger sister, Linda Price, went to the Mississippi State Fair in Jackson, Mississippi. Price was 34 years old, and Carroll testified she “had long red hair, and she was slim. She was real pretty. She smiled all the time.” They arrived between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m., went to the beer tent and sat at a table drinking and listening to the band. An hour or two after arriving, Carroll noticed defendant standing nearby. Defendant had long blond hair and blue eyes. Carroll and her husband got up from their table and danced. When they returned, defendant was sitting at the table with Price. Price introduced defendant to Carroll and her husband. Price asked Carroll “over and over,” “Ain’t he real good looking?” Carroll observed defendant and Price drinking beer and dancing before she and her husband left.

Three days later, on October 12, Price called her mother, Carolyn Wingate, and asked her to come to the Sun-N-Sand Motel in downtown Jackson. When Wingate arrived, Price ran down the stairs and stated, “Mother, I have someone I want you to meet,” adding, “You will just love him to death. He is precious. I found the love of my life.” Defendant came down the stairs and Price introduced him to Wingate as Glen Rogers. Defendant indicated his truck had been stolen at the state fair and asked Wingate if she could give them a ride to “the place where they take the stolen vehicles.” Wingate, Price and defendant drove in Wingate’s car to the impound lot. Defendant and Price looked around the lot and located defendant’s red truck. The three went to the police station where defendant obtained a receipt to retrieve his vehicle, then returned to the impound lot and recovered the truck.

On October 16, 1995, defendant and Price rented a two-bedroom apartment in Jackson, Mississippi. Carroll visited her sister at the apartment five to six times and on each occasion Carroll saw defendant’s truck parked in the lot. Price drove defendant’s truck while defendant did some work for a construction company. Price and defendant went to Wingate’s house “quite often” during the following two weeks.

Wingate went to Price’s apartment early on the morning of October 30. She told Price she had been contacted regarding a job Price had applied for and that Price was to start work the next morning. Price told her mother she would stop by her house early the next morning before heading to the job. Carroll also went to Price’s apartment on October 30, to tell her an appliance store had called her as a reference for Linda Price and Glen Rogers in connection with a stereo they had rented. At that time defendant stated to Carroll in “a mean way,” “I’m Glen Rogers.” Carroll made plans to bring her children over to Price’s apartment the following evening, which was Halloween.

That same day, October 30, Price called her second older sister, Marilyn Reel, who came over with her family and “sat with her all day.” At one point defendant appeared and stated to Price, “I know that was you talking because I could hear your big mouth everywhere.” Price was upset by the comment and cried. Later that evening, Reel’s husband asked Price if she wanted to go out with them for a few beers. Price asked defendant if he would come and he stated, “It don’t matter,” “[w]e can go with him.” The group went to the Sportsmen’s Lounge on Highway 80 in Jackson. When defendant overheard Price tell her sister that she loved her, he commented to Price, “Don’t be telling her that.” Price replied, “Glen, I’m always telling my sister that.” Price and her sister then went to the ladies room, where Price started crying. Price asked Reel to bring her children to the apartment the next evening for Halloween.

On the morning of October 31, Price did not go to her mother’s house as expected. Wingate went to her daughter’s apartment at approximately 9:00 a.m. At that time, Wingate did not see defendant’s truck in front and no one answered when she knocked on the door. Wingate waited for Price, but Price never showed up. As it was out of character for Price not to keep an appointment, Wingate began looking for her. Later in the evening, at approximately 6:30 p.m., Carroll brought her children to Price’s apartment. At that time, Carroll did not see defendant’s truck. She knocked on the door but there was no answer. Carroll left the apartment and called her mother, telling Wingate she could not find Price.

The next day, November 1, Wingate returned to the apartment and looked into a window. The apartment was “dimly lit,” but Wingate could see that the shower curtain in the bathroom was drawn closed around the bathtub. Wingate became more concerned, as Price was an “immaculate housekeeper” who never kept the shower curtain drawn around the tub. Wingate called the police and filed a missing person’s report the following morning.

On November 3, Wingate and the police went to the apartment, were admitted by a maintenance man, and found Price dead in the bathtub. Jackson Police Detective Chuck Lee arrived and found the living room in “disarray,” with cassette tapes, beer cans, and ashtrays full of cigarette butts scattered on the floor. There were blood smears on the kitchen floor and a garbage can that contained bloody paper towels. A mop on the kitchen counter had blood on the mophead.

Written on the bathroom mirror in red lipstick were the words, “Glen, we found you.” The shower curtain was drawn closed around the bathtub. Detective Lee pulled the curtain aside and found Price in the bathtub completely nude, on her back, with a washcloth covering her face. Her body had several stab wounds, including a cut to her neck “from ear to ear” that was “completely slashed open,” two stab wounds under her right breast, one stab wound above her right breast, one stab wound on her right side just below the armpit, and one stab wound to her right shoulder blade area.

When Wingate returned to her house following the funeral several days later, she received a phone call from a man who asked, “Is this Linda’s mother?” When she replied, “Yes it is,” the caller stated, “I’m Glen’s brother. I am looking for Glen Rogers.” Wingate told the caller, “We are looking for him, too.” When the caller responded, “Why?,” Wingate stated, “My daughter has ended up dead. I want to know where he is.” The caller then commented, “I am not surprised that your daughter is dead because anybody that has been around Glen for the last seven years has ended up dead.” When Wingate replied, “What? What are you doing? Why are you calling me?,” the caller responded, “Your f—ing daughter is dead, isn’t she?” Wingate, who had spoken with defendant “a lot of times” since meeting him several weeks earlier, then recognized the voice as his.

2. Other Prior Violent Crimes Evidence.

The People presented evidence that in March 1991, in his hometown of Hamilton, Ohio, police were summoned to defendant’s house twice in one day on reports that he was “inside tearing up the house,” and later, that he had a gun, had threatened a live-in girlfriend, and planned to “blow away anybody that came near his house.” During the initial call, police found the interior walls of the house broken up from blows with a hammer, with defendant passed out on his bed. During the second call later that day, defendant was found to be in an “uncontrollable rage” and threatened to “blow away anyone that came to the door.” Residents from surrounding houses were evacuated. At one point defendant put the nozzle of a lit acetylene blowtorch through a hole in the front door, within two feet of the face of an officer who was attempting to negotiate his surrender. When the door caught fire, officers entered the house and arrested defendant. He was charged with aggravated menacing inducing panic and attempted arson as a result of the incident.

In 1994, defendant and Maria Gyore were living together in Hollywood, California. On one occasion that year, when defendant learned of Gyore’s former boyfriend, he beat her up, giving her a black eye and “all kinds of bruises.” Defendant was arrested as a result of the incident. On another occasion, while still living with Gyore in Hollywood, defendant again beat up Gyore with his hands and fists. There was also a fire reported in the apartment that year. In 1995, defendant and Gyore moved to the Woodman Avenue apartment in Van Nuys, where Gyore became the apartment manager and defendant the “maintenance guy.” In August 1995, defendant told Gyore to move out of the apartment, threatening to kill her, her brother, and her two young sons. Family members became fearful for Gyore’s safety and encouraged her to leave the country. Gyore traveled to Hungary two days later.

3. Victim Impact Evidence.

Gallagher’s mother, Jan Baxter, and a younger sister, Jeri Vallicella, testified how her murder “totally destroyed” the whole family. Gallagher was 33 years old at the time of her death. She had three sons who were seven, eight, and 15 at that time. When she was 23 years old, Gallagher had joined the Navy, scoring the highest score in Butte County oh the Navy’s intelligence test. She worked for the Navy as an aviation electronics technician, and after four years, left the Navy with an honorable discharge. She met her husband Stephen while both were in the Navy, and they were married in 1985. Gallagher then worked at a submarine base for a military contractor, where she was in charge of all the electronics at the base. The couple then moved to San Diego, where she worked for another military contractor, Ford Aerospace, for two to three years, and then for Southern Illinois University’s contracting facility at the San Diego Navy base. Gallagher’s sister Jeri, who was five years younger than she, testified Gallagher had been like a “second mother” to her. Gallagher’s oldest son, Dustin, was “devastated” by the loss of his mother and “closed up” emotionally after her death.

B. Defense Evidence.

1. Family Background.

Defendant was one of seven children bom to Edna and Claude Rogers. They lived in Hamilton, Ohio, a working-class town north of Cincinnati. The father, who worked at a paper mill for 16 years, was an alcoholic who drank every day and was “rarely sober.” He routinely beat his wife and children. He once threatened to kill his wife if she left him; during one beating he broke her nose and rendered her unconscious. He kept several guns in the home. He was fired from the mill for “drinking on the job.”

Defendant was bom shortly after his father lost his job. The family lost their home and moved to the worst part of Hamilton. The house they moved into was “rundown,” with only two bedrooms and one bathroom, with peeling paint and frozen pipes in the winter. Defendant and his siblings were beaten up by other neighborhood children; their father encouraged them to fight back. There was testimony that defendant, as a young child, ate paint chips and dirt, wet his bed, and banged his head on the edge of his bed. Defendant was held back in third grade and placed in several learning disability classes.

Defendant’s oldest brother, Clay, introduced him to alcohol and drags at the age of 12. Defendant was beaten by his father more frequently than his siblings because he was “a little more rebellious.” When defendant was 16 years old, his father became disabled from a heart attack. The defense presented testimony from several of defendant’s siblings to establish that he, like several of them, eventually grew up to become alcoholics.

2. Mental Health Expert Testimony.

The defense also presented the testimony of several mental health professionals. Dr. Roger Light, a neuropsychologist, performed a number of tests on defendant, and reviewed various educational, hospital and police reports. He concluded defendant exhibited certain areas of cortical dysfunction in his right frontal and temporal lobe areas that could account for impulsive behavior. Dr. Light, however, acknowledged that defendant’s IQ test results were “pretty average,” and that “for the most part” he performed in the average to “high average” range of functioning on the administered tests. Dr. Light also reviewed a CAT scan taken in 1991 when defendant was hospitalized after having been struck on the head with a pool cue. He concluded the scan revealed a “closed head [brain] injury” that would have made it more difficult for defendant to control his behavior, make the “right” decisions, or stop using alcohol. Dr. Michael Gold, a neurologist, performed a PET scan on defendant’s brain that revealed diminished metabolic activity in areas of his frontal lobes corresponding to the injury he suffered when struck with a pool cue. Psychologist Stuart Hart, who specialized in the maltreatment and emotional abuse and neglect of children, interviewed defendant’s mother and several of his siblings, but not defendant, and reviewed some of defendant’s school and criminal history records. Hart concluded defendant grew up in a “toxic” or “poisonous” social environment which, combined with poverty and the lack of family values, was likely to produce a negative outcome for a child. Dr. Jeffrey Wilkins, a psychiatrist, testified that defendant’s “chronic alcoholism” would affect brain function over the years and correlate with an inability to control rage.

3. Seeking Clergy During Flight.

Last, there was testimony that defendant, while fleeing through Kentucky immediately following the Sutton murder, briefly stopped at the Kentucky Mountain Mission, a youth haven Bible camp. He entered the mission, asked for a chaplain, was told there was none there, and returned to his car looking “really troubled.” A worker who went outside to talk to defendant reported that when she approached him he “just sort of grunted and shook his shoulders” and “gave her the creeps.”

II. Discussion

A. Pretrial/Jury Selection Issue

Excusal for cause of Prospective Juror No. 3156.

Defendant argues that the trial court erred in granting the prosecution’s challenge for cause against Prospective Juror No. 3156. He asserts the prospective juror’s responses to the written jury questionnaire, and his followup responses during oral voir dire by the court, at most showed he was uninformed about the death penalty, and not that he was categorically opposed to voting for a death sentence. Defendant urges there was insufficient evidence to establish that his ability to serve as an impartial juror was substantially impaired.

“Although ‘a criminal defendant has the right to an impartial jury drawn from a venire that has not been tilted in favor of capital punishment by selective prosecutorial challenges for cause,’ ‘the State has a strong interest in having jurors who are able to apply capital punishment within the framework state law prescribes.’ (Uttecht v. Brown (2007) 551 U.S. 1, 9 [167 L.Ed.2d 1014, 127 S.Ct. 2218].) ‘[T]o balance these interests, a juror who is substantially impaired in his or her ability to impose the death penalty under the state-law framework can be excused for cause; but if the juror is not substantially impaired, removal for cause is impermissible.’ (Ibid.; see Wainwright v. Witt (1985) 469 U.S. 412, 424 [83 L.Ed.2d 841, 105 S.Ct. 844].)” (People v. McKinzie (2012) 54 Cal.4th 1302, 1328 [144 Cal.Rptr.3d 427, 281 P.3d 412] (McKinzie).) “ ‘[T]he law permits a prospective juror to be challenged for cause only if his or her views in favor of or against capital punishment “would ‘prevent or substantially impair the performance of his [or her] duties as a juror’ ” in accordance with the court’s instructions and the juror’s oath. [Citations.]’ (People v. Blair (2005) 36 Cal.4th 686, 741 [31 Cal.Rptr.3d 485, 115 P.3d 1145].)” (People v. Duenas (2012) 55 Cal.4th 1, 10 [144 Cal.Rptr.3d 820, 281 P.3d 887] (Duenas).)

“ ‘The trial court is in the best position to determine the potential juror’s true state of mind because it has observed firsthand the prospective juror’s demeanor and verbal responses.’ (People v. Clark (2011) 52 Cal.4th 856, 895 [131 Cal.Rptr.3d 225, 261 P.3d 243] (Clark); see People v. Garcia (2011) 52 Cal.4th 706, 743 [129 Cal.Rptr.3d 617, 258 P.3d 751] (Garcia); see also Uttecht, supra, 551 U.S. at p. 9 [‘Deference to the trial court is appropriate because it is in a position to assess the demeanor of the venire, and of the individuals who compose it, a factor of critical importance in assessing the attitude and qualifications of potential jurors.’].)” (McKinzie, supra, 54 Cal.4th at pp. 1328-1329.) Accordingly, “[w]hen the prospective juror’s answers on voir dire are conflicting or equivocal, the trial court’s findings as to the prospective juror’s state of mind are binding on appellate courts if supported by substantial evidence. (People v. Wilson (2008) 44 Cal.4th 758, 779 [80 Cal.Rptr.3d 211, 187 P.3d 1041] (Wilson); see Wainwright v. Witt[, supra,] 469 U.S. 412, 424 . . . (Witt); accord, People v. Lewis (2008) 43 Cal.4th 415, 483 [75 Cal.Rptr.3d 588, 181 P.3d 947] (Lewis) [trial court’s determination as to prospective juror’s true state of mind is binding].)” (Duenas, supra, 55 Cal.4th at p. 10.)

Prospective Juror No. 3156 completed the juror questionnaire distributed to potential jurors prior to oral voir dire. His written responses reflect he was 27 years old, single, resided in Los Angeles, and was employed as a concierge for the Regal Biltmore Hotel. In the section of the questionnaire entitled, “Attitudes Toward Capital Punishment,” he indicated, “I don’t know what to think about capital punishment, if it is good or bad, right or wrong.” He indicated he felt that way “because there has been a lot of people who received capital punishment who did not deserve [it,] and then there were others who did.” He characterized the strength of his views as “like many people whom I talk with.” In response to the question asking about his views on life without the possibility of parole, he stated, “Well if you do the crime you must do the time and if you are not capable to be in city life anymore I am all for it.” In response to the question asking which penalty, death or life in prison without parole, was “more severe,” he responded, “you lose your life either way,” and then indicated he would no