People v. Romero (62 Cal. 4th 1, 2015)

Opinion

WERDEGAR, J.

Defendants Orlando Gene Romero and Christopher Self were convicted of the first degree murders of Joey Mans, Timothy Jones, and Jose Aragon, the willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murders of Kenneth Mills, Paulita Williams, and Randolph Rankins, the attempted robbery of Kenneth Mills and Vicky Ewy, shooting at the vehicle occupied by Kenneth Mills and Ewy, the mayhem of Kenneth Mills, the second degree robberies of William Meredith, Jerry Mills, Sr., Jerry Mills, Jr., and Albert Knoefler, the second degree burglary and vandalism of Magnolia Center Interiors, and receiving stolen property. (Pen. Code, §§ 187, subd. (a), 189, 205, 211, 459, 496, 594, subd. (b)(2), 664.) The juries also found true robbery-murder special-circumstance allegations as to all three murders, two multiple-murder special-circumstance allegations for each murder, and arming enhancement allegations. (§§ 190.2, subd. (a)(3), (17)(A), 12022, subd. (a)(1).) Self was also convicted of the willful, deliberate, and premeditated attempted murder and second degree robbery of John Feltenberger and the kidnapping for robbery and second degree robbery of Alfred Steenblock, and the jury found true great bodily injury enhancement allegations as to the crimes against Feltenberger and Kenneth Mills and arming enhancement allegations. (§§ 187, subd. (a), 209, subd. (b), 211, 664, 12022, subd. (a)(1), 12022.7.) Romero was also convicted of the kidnapping for robbery and second degree robbery of Robert Greer, the second degree robbery of Roger Beliveau, and receiving stolen property (Feltenberger’s ammunition pouch), and the jury found true arming enhancement allegations. (§§ 209, subd. (b), 211, 496, 12022, subd. (a)(1).) The juries returned death verdicts, and the trial court entered judgments of death. This appeal is automatic. (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 11, subd. (a); § 1239, subd. (b).) For the reasons that follow we reverse Selfs conviction and sentence for Knoefler’s robbery, vacate five multiple-murder special-circumstance findings for each defendant, and otherwise affirm the judgments.

I. Facts

A. Guilt Phase

1. Prosecution case

In 1992, defendants and brothers Romero and Self engaged in a two-month crime spree. They were joined at times by Jose Munoz, who pled guilty and testified against defendants at trial, and Daniel Chavez, whose case was severed before trial. Defendants were also implicated by their recorded statements to police, which were played for the jury, and by witness identification and physical evidence.

a. Meredith robbery

On October 8, 1992, about 10:30 p.m., defendants and Munoz robbed William Meredith and stole his 1991 Nissan Pathfinder. They subsequently made a withdrawal and a charge on Meredith’s Visa card.

b. Mans and Jones murders

In the early hours of October 12, 1992, defendants, Munoz, and Chavez noticed Timothy Jones and his best friend Joey Mans in a car at a hilltop area near Lake Mathews. Romero and Munoz ordered the men out of the car at gunpoint. Romero told Mans to relax and everything would be all right, and had Mans lie down on the ground next to Jones. Romero told Chavez to “[sjhoot,” adding, “[sjomething like this.” Romero shot Mans in the back, killing him. He attempted to shoot Jones, but the gun malfunctioned. Jones got up and ran down the hill, and defendants ran after him. Self beat Jones with his fists and a pipe and shot him four times, killing him. Defendants stole the victims’ car keys and a box containing boots, shoes, magazines, and toiletries.

c. Kenneth Mills and Ewy assault

On October 22, 1992, between 11:30 p.m. and midnight, Kenneth Mills and his girlfriend, Vicky Ewy, took a drive to look at the lightning. Defendants and Munoz pulled up beside them and Self shot Mills, who was driving, in the face. Defendants continued to chase them until Mills turned onto a golf cart path. Mills permanently lost vision in his right eye.

d. Williams and Rankins attempted murders

In the early morning hours of October 26, 1992, Randolph Rankins was unsuccessful in purchasing methamphetamine for defendants and Munoz. Romero said he would “be seeing” Rankins later; defendants and Munoz then left. Romero told Self and Munoz that if Rankins did not refund their money, they should “take him out,” and Self agreed. About an hour later, Rankins was with acquaintance Paulita Williams in her car at the intersection of Alexander Street and Myron Street in Riverside County. Williams was trying to back up to make a turn she had missed. Defendants’ car appeared and blocked Williams’s car, and Munoz and Self got out. As Munoz began shooting, Rankins escaped from the car. The bullets struck Williams in her left side and shattered the driver and passenger windows. Self, who appeared to be smiling, began stabbing Williams in the arm. Munoz pushed Self away and shot Williams. Williams suffered a punctured lung and three cuts on her hand and arm, including a nine-inch-long gash on her arm that required about 80 stitches. One of the bullets left a deep gash on her back about six inches long and an inch and a half wide, and pellets were embedded in her spine, shoulder bone, and muscle. Williams still felt the pellets constantly and could not bear weight on her shoulders.

e. Magnolia Center Interiors burglary and vandalism

On the night of November 13, 1992, defendants broke into Magnolia Center Interiors in Riverside. File drawers were emptied, fire extinguishers were sprayed on fabric samples, and glue was sprayed into computers, telephones, fax machines, and calculators. Words similar to “You’re going to die” were written on a sonogram picture of the shop owner’s unborn son and the picture was stabbed with a sharp object. The words “Just when you thought” and the number “666” were written on the wall and the words “Now you die” were written in the bathroom. The store safe was closed but its combination lock was missing and its hinges had been tampered with. A pair of bolt cutters was found by the safe and several screwdrivers and chisels had been “beaten flat,” as though “somebody was pounding” on the hinges “trying to pull the hinge pins out.” A set of unlabeled master keys to offices around the city and a set of keys to the shop van were taken, along with personal objects.

f. Steenblock kidnapping and robbery

On November 18, 1992, about 1:15 p.m., Alfred Steenblock was eating lunch in his 1992 Pontiac Grand Prix parked at the Mission Grove Plaza shopping center in Riverside. Self approached Steenblock, pointed a gun at his face, and told him to move over. Self drove Steenblock to an empty field. Another car followed and parked behind them, and two men, including Chavez, got out. Self demanded Steenblock’s wallet, took out his automated teller machine (ATM) card, and asked for his personal identification number (PIN). He also took about $80 in cash and Steenblock’s watch. The men instructed Steenblock to get out of the car, walk into the field, and stay there for an hour, and then left, taking Steenblock’s car. Steenblock’s partially stripped car was later recovered in a rural area of Mead Valley.

g.Knoefler robbery

On November 20, 1992, about 3:30 p.m., Albert Knoefler was tending beehives at Markham Street and Washington Street in Riverside County. Parked nearby was his 1987 pickup truck. Romero approached Knoefler, struck up a conversation about the bees, and walked around the bee yard. Romero then brandished what appeared to be a sawed-off shotgun and demanded the keys to Knoefler’s truck. Munoz appeared wearing a ski mask. Romero said he needed money for gas, and Knoefler handed him about $50. The men left in the truck. The truck was shipped and found several weeks later.

h. Robbery of Jerry Mitts, Sr, and Jerry Mills, Jr.

On November 21, 1992, about 12:45 p.m., Jerry Mills, Sr., and his 15-year-old son, Jerry Mills, Jr., were engaged in target practice shooting about two miles south of the Perris Airport in Riverside County. A gray hatchback pulled up and Self pointed a shotgun at the elder Mills. Defendants and Chavez got out of the hatchback and took from Mills his pickup truck, along with a Colt Gold Cup .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a Ruger .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol, a Ruger .22-caliber convertible Western-style single-action revolver, a Ruger 10/22 semiautomatic rifle with a dark mahogany stock and a scope, a “banana clip” or curved 25-round magazine, a 10-round magazine for the rifle, an ammunition box, toolbox, and about $150. Mills’s abandoned truck was found a half-hour later.

i. Aragon murder

On November 25, 1992, 22-year-old Jose Aragon was practicing motorcycle stunts in San Timoteo Canyon in Riverside County. Defendants and Munoz engaged Aragon in friendly conversation and, after Aragon showed them some stunts, Self shot him. Romero picked Aragon up and asked: “How does it feel to get shot? Does it burn?” Romero placed Aragon in the bed of his (Aragon’s) pickup truck. Munoz asked him for his keys and wallet, and Self told Aragon to tell him his ATM access code or he would kill him. After Aragon gave Self the code, Self put his gun to Aragon’s ribs and fired repeatedly. Aragon was shot 11 times; all wounds were inflicted before and contributed to his death.

Defendants and Munoz stole Aragon’s wallet, toolbox, and Craftsman socket set. As they drove off, Self laughed and said, “Oh, wow, you should have seen the hole it made.” Self made a circle with his fingers about two and a half inches in diameter. Defendants and Munoz withdrew $300 from Aragon’s bank account at two different ATM’s and ate lunch at Coco’s restaurant.

Aragon’s body was discovered later that afternoon by a 10-year-old boy. Two red plastic fragments consistent with a 20-gauge sabot shotgun round manufactured by BRI were found in his body. Jose Munoz was videotaped making one of the ATM withdrawals, later arrested, and gave a statement to police that led to defendants’ arrest.

j. Feltenberger attempted murder and robbery

On November 30, 1992, about 4:00 a.m., off-duty Ontario Police Sergeant John Feltenberger was driving his 1991 red Geo Metro coupe in Moreno Valley near his home. He was not armed or in uniform. A white car appeared and drove parallel to Feltenberger, matching his speed each time he slowed down or accelerated. Feltenberger thought it might be his newspaper carrier, and pulled to the side of the road; the white car stopped beside him. Self got out of the passenger side of the white car carrying a silver or chrome sawed-off shotgun. He opened the driver’s door and demanded Feltenberger get out of the car and give Self his wallet. The wallet was in Feltenberger’s back pocket, but he said it was in the back of his car. The men switched positions so Feltenberger was outside facing the car. Feltenberger ignored Self’s demands for the wallet and, with his hands raised, started to back away from Self. When Feltenberger was about 10 feet away, he heard a voice from the white car in which Munoz was sitting say, “Kill him.” Feltenberger said, “Nobody has to get hurt,” and threw the wallet to Self. The voice inside the car again said, “Kill him.” Self said, “I ought to shoot you,” and shot Feltenberger in the chest. Feltenberger collapsed and Self drove off in the Geo Metro. Feltenberger was bleeding and his lung had collapsed, but he managed to reach a neighbor’s house and obtain aid. At the hospital Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy David Green saw medical personnel remove a small piece of red plastic measuring about two inches by one inch from Feltenberger’s right arm. In his “thousands” of times firing a shotgun, Green had never seen a similar object in a round. A different deputy sheriff saw a red plastic object under Feltenberger’s shirt in his chest area. Feltenberger was in intensive care for three days and hospitalized for about 10 days.

Both the red material observed by the deputies and the red sabot material found in Aragon’s body were identified at trial as consistent with a BRI 20-gauge sabot shotgun round. The pathologist who performed Aragon’s autopsy testified that injuries from sabot rounds are uncommon.

In his statement to police, Self admitted shooting Feltenberger with a 20-gauge sawed-off shotgun and taking his car. Feltenberger testified that when his car was returned to him in January 1993, it was missing his flashlight, ammunition pouch, and axe. In Romero’s statement to police he admitted that the “pouch” he had had come from the Feltenberger incident. Munoz testified he and Self found the ammunition pouch in Feltenberger’s car, and that Romero later “took it” because it fit the magazines for his .45-caliber weapon.

k. Greer kidnapping and robbery

On December 5, 1992, about 8:00 p.m., Robert Greer withdrew cash from an ATM at the corner of Alessandro Boulevard and Trautwein Road in Riverside. As he returned to his 1992 Honda Accord EX, Romero, wearing a ski mask, brandished a gun and told Greer to throw him his car keys. Romero ordered Greer to sit on the passenger side of the car. As Romero drove, he kept the gun pointed at Greer. The gun was a dull gray or silver and appeared to be a semiautomatic, “like a .45” caliber. They drove about nine miles to a remote area in Mead Valley. Romero took Greer’s car, about $40, and Greer’s driver’s license and ATM card. He asked for Greer’s PIN, and $800 was later withdrawn from Greer’s bank account. Greer walked about two miles to a house where he contacted police.

l. Beliveau robbery

On December 7, 1992, about 12:45 a.m., Roger Beliveau was in an unlit restroom at Hunt Park in Riverside. Romero approached him and Beliveau heard the sound of a round being chambered in a semiautomatic pistol. Romero told Beliveau to give him his car keys and he would not get hurt. He then told Beliveau to wait in the restroom for five minutes and drove off in Beliveau’s maroon 1978 Ford LTD. Romero stopped at the end of the parking lot, where another man threw trash bags into the back of the car; the two men then left. Police later found Beliveau’s ransacked car in a shopping center at Alessandro Boulevard and Trautwein Road in Riverside.

m. Romero’s escape attempt

In April 1994 Arthur Dicken was housed in a Riverside jail cell next to a cell housing Romero and Michael Aragon (who was no relation to murder victim Jose Aragon). During the nighttime between April 1 and April 14, 1994, Dicken observed Romero and Aragon cutting the two bottom bars of their cell door with a hacksaw blade. Romero told Dicken he was planning to escape by taking the nighttime deputy hostage, threatening him with a shank, and leaving the jail. Dicken observed Romero with a four- to six-inch-long sharpened metal piece or shank and Aragon with a makeshift spear. Romero and Aragon hid the damage to the bars by taping and painting them. Jail personnel learned of the planned escape and Romero and Aragon were moved to a different cell. Inspection of the two bars revealed they were completely cut through and could be removed by hand to create a space large enough for an inmate to leave the cell. A weapon was found in the cell.

n. Self’s escape attempt

On December 16, 1994, about 1:00 a.m., Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Scott Collins noticed a car parked near the jail in a lot reserved for authorized vehicles. The window for the ground floor cell in which Self was incarcerated was visible from the car’s location. When the driver, Romero’s girlfriend, Sonia Alvarez, was asked what she was doing there she gave several different explanations and was arrested. Sheriff’s deputies inspected Self’s cell and found gouges in and around the rear window and concrete chips on his bed below. A welded bracket from a cage around Self’s television set had been removed and was found under the television. Self had an inch-long cut on one finger and redness on both hands.

2. Defense case

Defendants rested without presenting evidence.

B. Penalty Phase

1. Prosecution case

a. Victim impact evidence

(1) Jose Aragon

Lydia Roybal-Aragon, Jose Aragon’s stepmother, married Jose’s father when Jose was about 13. The family lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1985, they moved to Redlands, California.

Lydia described Jose as a “kind,” “gentle soul” who “never hurt anybody.” At the time of his death, Jose was a 22-year-old senior engineering student at California State Polytechnic University. He was a dedicated student and studied constantly. Jose’s favorite activity was motorcycle riding, and he had received numerous competition trophies. Jose was close to his siblings.

Lydia described how the family learned of Jose’s murder and its effect on them. After Jose’s death, his father and brothers Steven and Carlos isolated themselves and rarely interacted with the family. His father lost interest in his job, about which he had previously been passionate, and Steven suffered from insomnia. Jose’s younger sister Laura started to misbehave and had difficulty completing her schoolwork.

Leighette Hopkins, Jose’s friend since high school, described Jose as a calm and friendly person who made people laugh. He was a bright and hard-working student who took time to help Leighette study for a chemistry test the night before he died.

Stephanie Aragon, Jose’s younger sister, testified that when their parents divorced Jose and Steven moved to California with their father. Stephanie, who was then seven years old, stayed in New Mexico with her mother. Stephanie saw Jose about four times a year. Jose was quiet and shy and protected her.

(2) Joey Mans

Catherine Mans, Joey Mans’s mother, testified he was her only son and he had five sisters. He was 26 years old when he died. Joey was generous, polite, smart, and protective of his family. He was mechanically inclined and could fix anything. Catherine did not attend Joey’s funeral because she did not “want to see [her] son in a box,” and had never visited his grave. She “almost died [her]self,” felt angry all the time, quit her job, and had been prescribed tranquilizers.

Angela Mans, younger than Joey by six years, testified her brother was kind and gullible. He loved to draw and play guitar and work on cars. When Angela saw Joey in his casket, he “looked so scared,” so she knew he was afraid when he died. Because of fear she would be similarly attacked, for two months she did not leave her home except to go to work, and four years later at the time of her testimony she still did not go out at night. Their father had not celebrated Christmas in three years because the family was not “complete.” Every year on Joey’s birthday, Angela and other family members brought to his grave and released a number of balloons corresponding to what his age would have been.

(3) Timothy Jones

James Jones, Timothy Jones’s father, testified that “Timmy” had a brother, a sister, and two stepbrothers. He was 22 years old when he died. Timmy was the “[m]ost wonderful kid in the world,” who was kind and generous and “would do anything for you” and “didn’t hate anyone.” James could not understand “how they could take his life.” James had visited Timmy the night before he died. “[L]ike always,” Timmy told James, “I love you, Pop,” and hugged him goodbye. James next saw Timmy in the funeral parlor and wished he could have died instead of him.

Timmy’s parents divorced when Timmy was about seven years old and the children lived with their father. Shortly after Timmy’s death, his mother had a stroke and died about two years later.

b. Unacljuclicated criminal activity

(1) Romero

On September 22, 1993, Rodney Medeiros, who was incarcerated with Romero, received food from the commissary. Romero and other inmates demanded Medeiros give them his food and beat him when he refused. He was treated for a week in the medical ward.

On October 6, 1993, about 9:20 p.m., inmate Walter Jutras was sleeping in his cell. He awoke when Romero put his knee on the back of his neck. Romero and another inmate repeatedly struck him.

On October 27, 1993, Riverside County Sheriffs Deputy George Munoz removed Romero from his jail cell and told him to empty his pockets. Romero removed a sharpened toothbrush that could be used as a weapon. In a box of his belongings Munoz found a broken hairbrush handle that appeared to have been sharpened.

On September 3, 1994, and October 29, 1994, shanks were found in Romero’s one-man cell.

On June 12, 1994, Romero lured fellow Riverside jail inmate Olen Thibedeau to his cell and stabbed him in the stomach with a spear more than four feet long. Thibedeau was facing charges of child molestation and was later convicted of those crimes.

On February 8, 1995, Romero visited with Stephanie Stinson, the mother of his son, and their conversation was recorded and a portion played for the jury. Romero said: “I don’t like violence. I try to avoid it. But when they stick a child molester next door to me [and] expect me not to do something, I’ll be his friend, talk to him real nice, bring him close to the door, and then make him a little spear about this long, about this skinny, that’s real hard and won’t bend. You put a pencil at the end of it and strips of wood. [¶] . . . [¶] Stick him in his neck.”

Between October 1994 and March 1995, Romero squirted urine from a bottle on inmate Tyreid Hodges, who had been charged with child molestation, stepped on a carton of feces splattering them on Hodges, and ‘“squished” a shampoo bottle containing urine, causing it to hit Hodges. He also threw a hairbrush at Hodges.

(2) Self

Milton Solorzano attended high school with Self. On May 22, 1992, while Solorzano was standing in the lunch line, Self charged toward him. Solorzano moved out of the way and Self hit his head on the wall. Solorzano grabbed Self and held him in a headlock for about two minutes until a teacher came. Self repeatedly tried to hit Solorzano with his fist and said: “I’m going to get you. Let me go.”

On June 24, 1993, Self and another inmate approached inmate Oswaldo Vazquez and asked him to massage their backs. Vazquez refused. Self threatened Vazquez with a pencil and said he would stab Vazquez in the neck if he did not give Self a massage. Vazquez massaged Selfs back. Self then told Vazquez to suck his penis. Vazquez declined, and Self and another inmate beat him while a third inmate stood guard. Vazquez had a scar near his eye as a result of the attack.

On September 19, 1993, a shank was found in Selfs box of personal belongings. On November 25, 1994, three shanks were found in Selfs one-man cell.

On May 30, 1994, Self punched inmate Mario Garcia Pescador in the mouth and left eye. One or two other inmates joined Self. The victim received six stitches above his eye.

On June 5, 1994, about 1:00 a.m., Riverside County Sheriffs Deputy Manuel Correa responded to inmate Jacob Aramburo’s screams for help. Aramburo was sobbing on the floor of his cell in a fetal position. He had a cut on the back of his head, scrapes on his back and chest, and pain in his left shoulder and lower back, and the right side of his face was swollen. Aramburo shared the cell with other inmates including Self. Self’s knuckles were red and he had a fresh cut on one knuckle.

On July 22, 1994, Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Alfonso Campa responded to calls for help from inmate Richard Reyes. Reyes was missing several teeth and bleeding from his lip and gum, had red marks on his face, and looked scared. Campa examined the other inmates in Reyes’s cell. Self was bleeding from a puncture wound on one of his knuckles and his other knuckles were red. None of the other inmates had marks on their hands. On July 24, 1994, Self told his mother in a recorded conversation that was played for the jury that he had ‘“busted out” an inmate’s ‘“two teeth.”

2. Defense case

a. Both defendants

Maria Self, defendants’ mother, testified that defendants’ biological father was Orlando Romero, and she was married to their stepfather, Phillip Self. Maria was 17 in 1968 when she married 22-year-old Orlando. They were married for six years and had four sons; she was pregnant with Self when she filed for divorce.

Maria never smoked, drank alcohol, or used drugs when she was pregnant with defendants. Orlando never worked. He was physically abusive to Maria, and once put a gun to her face and said he should kill her. On another occasion he threatened the entire family by filling the house with thick smoke and refusing to let them leave. Both Orlando and Maria had frequent affairs. At one point Maria called 911 and told the dispatcher she was “going to kill them all because [she] couldn’t handle them.” On cross-examination she said that although she spoke to the dispatcher for over two minutes, and cried hysterically that she was going to kill all of her children, no police officer ever came to her house to investigate.

After Maria left Orlando, she and her sons moved to Modesto for about four years. Maria did not work, and she abused alcohol and drugs, including methamphetamine, in front of the children. She was also physically and verbally abusive to the boys, and never hugged them or told them she loved them. When Self was about two years old, she slashed his face and the children were removed from her custody. About a year later, the children were returned to her. On cross-examination, Maria said she had struck Self with a broken fly swatter, he had one cut, and she did not seek medical attention for him. Maria agreed with the prosecutor that she had been distraught and told a counselor at the department of mental health she was “in a bad way” and “needed somebody to help [her] with the children.” The following day her children were placed with relatives.

At some point the family left Modesto and moved to Turlock for about a year. Maria continued to drink and she also used methamphetamine and LSD. The family then moved to Stockton, where they lived with a heroin addict and dealer. Romero was in school, but she never visited the school or asked about his homework. Romero closely resembled his biological father, and Maria frequently reminded him of this circumstance and said that she hated his father.

The family then returned to Riverside. Maria continued to use drugs and did not monitor the children’s schoolwork. Between the time Maria married Orlando and when she married Phillip Self, she had been in about 10 relationships. After her divorce from Orlando the family moved frequently, living in 10 or 11 different places.

On cross-examination Maria agreed with the prosecutor that shortly after returning to Riverside she met and moved in with her current husband, Phillip Self. Romero was about eight years old and Self about five years old. Phillip was very good to the boys. He took them fishing, showed them how to change a tire, and treated them as his own children. Maria agreed with the prosecutor that Phillip was “the best thing that ever happened to [her],” and said that when she would try to abuse alcohol or drugs, “he wouldn’t let [her].” Maria and Phillip had two girls together, and Maria had tried to be a good parent to them.

When Romero was 14, he asked to live with his father. Maria allowed him to go, but believed her “baby [was] gone . . . into somebody’s hands who really doesn’t care about him.” When Romero became involved with drugs, Maria told him she would help him in any way she could to get off drugs. She tried to arrange for him to go to the treatment program Teen Challenge, but there was a long waiting list.

When Self was about 14 or 15 years old he lived with Maria’s niece for about four months and then came home; at some point he also lived with his father. Self began using drugs and alcohol. Maria sent him to a Chino drug rehabilitation center for two weeks. Afterward, Self did “much better.” He was homeschooled and received good grades. Self relapsed, however. Maria had two small girls in the house and did not want them to see their brothers abusing these substances, so she told Self he had to leave and sent him to live with her friend Charlene. Self later lived with Maria’s mother. Maria testified that Self “does beautiful artwork.”

Maria loved defendants. Since their arrest three and a half years earlier, Maria had spent much of her time crying and praying.

Anthony Self, defendants’ older brother, testified he had enlisted in the Army at the age of 18 and reenlisted for another four years when he was 22 years old. He was a combat engineer and paratrooper in the 27th Engineer Battalion at Fort Bragg, cleared mine fields during Desert Storm, and supervised other soldiers.

When Anthony was about eight years old, he and his family lived with Bobby Guzman. Guzman once disciplined Self by making him stand in a corner for two hours with soiled underwear on his head. At some point Maria married Phillip Self, whom the boys liked, and whom Anthony considered his father.

Anthony and his brothers would frequently send Self to fight the next-door neighbor to “see what he could take.” Anthony experimented with drugs in high school and once gave Self heroin when he was in elementary school. Maria and Phillip were unaware of his drug use. On cross-examination Anthony agreed he had never mentioned giving Self heroin to any of the investigators he had spoken to before trial. Maria told the boys to avoid drugs and both she and Phillip would have been very upset if they had learned Anthony had been drinking alcohol in high school.

When the boys upset Maria she would “lash out at us with whatever she had in her hand,” such as a fly swatter or broom. She once threw a knife at Anthony, hitting him with the handle. On cross-examination Anthony testified it was important to Maria that the boys did well in school and she wanted them to attend school and complete their homework.

Anthony used the last name Self because his biological father was “really never any part of our lives” and did not provide any financial support. He said, “We lived pretty much in poverty with my mother raising us.” When Phillip Self joined the family he was very good to the boys, taking them fishing and supporting them and showing Anthony how to work on cars.

b. Romero

Carmen Burrola, Maria Selfs sister and Romero’s aunt, testified that when Romero was in about the second grade, he and his brother Anthony stayed with her and her husband and daughters for about two years because Maria had a “nervous breakdown.” Romero was kind and polite. Burrola and her husband took the boys to Disneyland and other amusement parks and to the mountains. Burrola gave the boys chores to do, tried to teach them right from wrong, and gave them advice on how to navigate life’s problems.

Burrola had never seen Maria abuse the boys. Burrola knew Orlando, Romero’s biological father, and characterized home life with him and Maria as “[ajwful.” She recalled Orlando “drunk, . . . just lying there, not doing nothing.” Phillip Self was a good man who was “[vjery patient” with the boys and very good to Maria. Burrola was very sad and surprised when she heard Romero was charged with murder because he “was always a good boy” and “very respectful.”

Mona Suzette Quezada, Romero’s cousin, had worked for the Riverside Transit Agency for eight years. She was 10 years older than Romero and grew up with him. She described him as a quiet child. Their grandparents lived in the area on a small farm. At times when she was 10 to 12 years old, she and her grandparents would pick up Romero and his siblings either because they were not being taken care of or because Maria was upset with Romero’s father. On those occasions Romero and his siblings often did not have “decent food to eat,” and sometimes were without electricity. Her grandmother was very good to Romero and his siblings when they were at her house. Quezada was very surprised when she heard Romero was charged with murder because it “was totally out of character.”

Margaret Lopez, Romero’s aunt and godmother, took care of Romero for two months when he was about a year and a half old. She did not have a lot of contact with Romero when he was a child. When he was a teenager Romero visited her whenever he could and was respectful. She was shocked when she heard he was charged with murder because he was a “good kid” and “wouldn’t do what they are saying.”

Corinna Leon, Romero’s cousin, took care of him frequently when he was young. As a teenager Romero was quiet and kind and interacted well with her children. At some point as a teenager he had a girlfriend and a baby of his own and Corinna saw him less frequently. When Romero’s mother, Maria, returned from “up north,” she was not “taking care of the boys,” although Corinna could not recall any particular incident when they were not fed or clothed.

Catherine Mejia, Romero’s cousin, lived with Romero for about three months in 1990. Romero was quiet, happy, and nice.

Christine Arrabito testified that she had attended school with Romero from elementary through high school. After high school Romero lived with Arrabito and her family in Perris for about a month. Later that same year he lived with her and her family in Pacifica for about five months, saying he “really wanted to . . . change” and wanted a “fresh start.” Although he held various jobs, he did not pay his share of the rent or phone bill and was asked to leave. On cross-examination Arrabito did not recall telling an investigator that Romero said he and his friends would beat up people who “piss[ed] him off.” She relayed Romero’s description in high school of watching the drivers of expensive cars for a long period of time before stealing their cars. She believed her family had given Romero a chance in Pacifica and he had misused it and taken advantage of them. After that she did not want anything to do with him.

Janice Babish, Arrabito’s mother, testified that Romero came to live with them in Pacifica because he “felt like he needed to turn his life around” and thought it would help to leave the Riverside area. On cross-examination Babish said Romero would claim to be still working at a job after he had been fired so Babish would think he was still earning money. When he left their home he said he would pay the family back for his phone bill but never did.

Sheila Torres, Romero’s cousin and a California deputy labor commissioner, was two years older than Romero’s mother. Once when she and her grandparents took groceries over to Romero’s house, his father Orlando was passed out in the house. Her cousins were toddlers and were outside playing in a field.

Torres said at one point Romero’s mother, Maria Self, came to live with her while Romero lived with another family. For about a year Maria occasionally dated a heroin dealer, Henry Alvarado. Torres was upset and spoke to Maria because Alvarado “had no redeeming qualities.” Torres also witnessed Maria throw objects at her sons. She commented, “it seemed like [Maria] was either riding them for something or not paying any attention to them at all.” Maria “was always comparing [Romero] to his father” and “telling him that he wouldn’t amount to anything.”

Torres also said she had a brother who committed suicide, a niece who was beaten to death, and a great-uncle, whom neither she nor defendants had met, who was convicted of murder.

c. Self

Sheriff’s Deputy John Bianco worked at the Robert Presley Detention Center, where Self was housed in a cell by himself. For two hours a day he could leave the cell and use art supplies. The jury was shown several pieces of Self’s artwork.

Margaret Louie, Self’s high school art teacher, testified that Self had voluntarily participated in creating a mural to honor an art teacher who had died, and had drawn a cover for a school literary magazine. She described Self as “[v]ery talented, very motivated,” and someone who always volunteered.

3. Rebuttal

a. Both defendants

Robin Levinson, a defense private investigator, conducted a taped interview of Maria Self on June 8, 1993, and had a transcript prepared. When Maria was asked if she used drugs around her children, she said she had never used drugs or been drunk in front of them but rather always tried to shield them.

Levinson had also interviewed Christine Arrabito. Arrabito said Romero told her he and his friends would beat up individuals who made them angry, but she never saw this quality in him and thought it was “all talk.”

b. Romero

Maria Self, defendants’ mother, testified she did not recall telling an investigator during a taped interview that Romero’s “attitude was very bad,” “he never wanted to take responsibility for anything that he did,” and he did poorly in school. When asked if it was true Romero never wanted to take responsibility for his actions, Maria replied, “Well, he may have not liked to, no, but sometimes he did.” On cross-examination she agreed with defense counsel that if something had been Romero’s fault, she would “just beat him.”

Robin Levinson testified Maria Self had said during her taped interview: “His attitude was very bad. It was like he never wanted to take responsibility for anything that he did. It was always somebody else’s fault. He denied things that would be in front of somebody’s face and he would still deny it. He didn’t want to get up in the morning. He didn’t do well in school. He did very poorly.” On cross-examination, Levinson noted Maria had also said Romero “had very low self-esteem, even though he was the best looking kid on the block.”

II. Discussion

A. Pretrial Issues

1. Challenges to juror questionnaire

Self contends that asking each prospective juror to identify on the juror questionnaire his or her race and ethnic background led to the improper discharge of prospective jurors based on race and ethnicity and resulted in the selection of a biased jury that violated Self’s right to a representative cross-section of the community. Before jury selection defendants unsuccessfully objected to the use of a juror questionnaire because in their view it would be used by the prosecutor to strike any prospective juror expressing “even a minimal reservation about imposing the death penalty.” Once the questionnaire was drafted, Self objected to a question regarding the then recent O.J. Simpson trial. Self did not object to the question regarding the prospective juror’s race and ethnic background, and the claim is therefore forfeited.

Self further contends use of the jury questionnaire to dismiss 56 prospective jurors was unconstitutional. Several of these prospective jurors were questioned on voir dire and, in any event, Self stipulated to the dismissal of all of them and the claim is therefore forfeited. Although the trial court at times commented on the prospective jurors who had been stipulated for excusal, these statements were not findings. As we have explained: “A court may allow counsel to prescreen juror questionnaires and stipulate to juror dismissals. [Citations.] When prospective jurors are formally dismissed pursuant to stipulation rather than cause, the trial court makes no findings, and we have nothing we can review. [Citation.] Consequently, a stipulation to the excusal of jurors forfeits any subsequent objection to their omission from the jury pool.” (People v. Duff (2014) 58 Cal.4th 527, 540 [167 Cal.Rptr.3d 615, 317 P.3d 1148]; see People v. Booker (2011) 51 Cal.4th 141, 159 [119 Cal.Rptr.3d 722, 245 P.3d 366] [“We previously have barred belated challenges to stipulated excusáis of prospective jurors.”].) Unlike in People v. Stewart (2004) 33 Cal.4th 425, 444-445 , 448 [15 Cal.Rptr.3d 656, 93 P.3d 271], on which Self relies, the prospective jurors here were not excused over Selfs objection but rather with his consent.

2. Asserted prosecutorial misconduct

a. Assertedly racially biased voir dire

Self contends during voir dire the prosecutor improperly and repeatedly asked Hispanic prospective jurors more “probing and detailed questions” than he asked Caucasian prospective jurors in a successful effort to eliminate “all eligible, qualified Hispanic prospective jurors from the final jury pool.” As Self concedes, he did not object below on the ground the prosecutor’s voir dire was racially biased and the claim is therefore forfeited. Such a failure “deprives the trial court of the opportunity” to create a record and to “correct potential error in the first instance.” (People v. Lewis (2008) 43 Cal.4th 415, 481 [75 Cal.Rptr.3d 588, 181 P.3d 947]; id. at pp. 481-82 [failure to press for a ruling on a Wheeler motion forfeits the issue on appeal]; see People v. Richardson (2008) 43 Cal.4th 959, 984 [77 Cal.Rptr.3d 163, 183 P.3d 1146] [failure to make a Wheeler motion at trial “forfeits the issue on appeal”]; People v. Gallego (1990) 52 Cal.3d 115, 166 [276 Cal.Rptr. 679, 802 P.2d 169] [no error appears when the defendant “failed even to raise a Wheeler claim, let alone establish a prima facie case of misuse of peremptory challenges”].) Contrary to Selfs assertion, nothing in Catchpole v. Brannon (1995) 36 Cal.App.4th 237, 244 [42 Cal.Rptr.2d 440], disapproved in People v. Freeman (2010) 47 Cal.4th 993, 1006, footnote 4 [103 Cal.Rptr.3d 723, 222 P.3d 177], which concerned a litigant’s claim of judicial partiality for the first time on appeal, compels a different result.

Self further contends in his reply brief that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the asserted misconduct. “Obvious reasons of fairness militate against consideration of an issue raised initially in [a] reply brief. . . .” (Varjabedian v. City of Madera (1977) 20 Cal.3d 285, 295, fn. 11 [142 Cal.Rptr. 429, 572 P.2d 43].) Moreover, “deciding whether to object is inherently tactical, and the failure to object will rarely establish ineffective assistance.” (People v. Hillhouse (2002) 27 Cal.4th 469, 502 [117 Cal.Rptr.2d 45, 40 P.3d 754] (Hillhouse).) Here, because no prosecutorial misconduct claim was raised below, we have no record—such as the prosecutor’s reasons for the manner in which any particular prospective juror was questioned—on which we can assess Self’s claim. (People v. Mendoza Tello (1997) 15 Cal.4th 264, 266-267 [62 Cal.Rptr.2d 437, 933 P.2d 1134] [ineffective assistance of counsel claims are generally properly decided in a habeas corpus proceeding rather than on appeal].)

b. Assertedly misleading comments about mitigation

Self contends the prosecutor misrepresented the nature of mitigating evidence during voir dire. We disagree.

The prosecutor said to one group of prospective jurors: “You may hear evidence in mitigation, things, perhaps the defendant was a war hero. Perhaps he saved his platoon in the Persian Gulf and received a Silver Star. Perhaps he once pulled a family from a burning car. Perhaps he once gave bone marrow in a transplant so that a child could survive. Perhaps you may hear evidence that would make you have sympathy for him, all of which you can consider in making your [penalty] decision. And there is only one decision to make when you are in the penalty phase, that is between life without parole or death. There is no other option in the penalty phase.” He made similar comments on other occasions, at times using hypothetical examples of Self being a scout leader or soccer or Little League coach and having a positive effect on young people.

Defense counsel said to one group of prospective jurors: “[W]e would present mitigating factors, things that we would want you to consider in terms of making this decision, and those mitigating factors can be anything. There ha[ve] been previous examples given by [the prosecutor] of . . . doing a heroic act, for example, or saving somebody from a burning car, a burning building, providing a bone marrow transplant. What I am telling you is, I don’t want you to have any preconceived notion as to what mitigating factors might be present. If the only people that deserve life without parole would be heroes, nobody would probably receive it. Do you follow me?” He informed a different group of prospective jurors ’'[inlitigating factors . . . can be anything positive” about Self and another ‘“[m]itigating factors are anything that may tend to mitigate against what took place” including ‘“[p]ositive things about” Self.

At the end of the penalty phase the trial court instructed the jury that a ‘“mitigating circumstance is any fact, condition, or event which, as such, does not constitute a justification or excuse for the crime in question, but may be considered as an extenuating circumstance in determining the appropriateness of the death penalty.” It further instructed the jury a mitigating circumstance did not have to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt; the jury need not unanimously agree on the presence of a mitigating factor before a juror could consider it; the mitigating circumstances read were merely examples and a juror could ‘“also consider any other circumstances relating to the case or to the defendant as shown by the evidence as reasons for not imposing the death penalty”; a juror could find a mitigating circumstance existed if there was any evidence, however weak, to support it; any mitigating circumstance could outweigh all the aggravating factors; the jury could reject death as a penalty based solely on sympathy or compassion resulting from the mitigating evidence; and the jury could decide even in the absence of any mitigating evidence that the ‘“aggravating evidence is not comparatively substantial enough to warrant death.”

Self did not object to the prosecutor’s statements or seek an admonition, and no exception to the general rule requiring an objection and request for admonition is applicable. The claim is therefore forfeited. (People v. Samayoa (1997) 15 Cal.4th 795, 841 [64 Cal.Rptr.2d 400, 938 P.2d 2] (Samayoa).)

It is also meritless. Self contends that the prosecutor’s comments were improper because they ‘“permitted the jury to infer that only highly or strongly mitigating evidence would be worthy of consideration in deciding penalty and that [Self] was required to introduce” such evidence ‘“to counter any evidence in aggravation [and] to establish that he did not warrant death.” There is no reasonable likelihood the jury so construed the prosecutor’s comments. (People v. Centeno (2014) 60 Cal.4th 659, 667 [180 Cal.Rptr.3d 649, 338 P.3d 938] [‘“When attacking the prosecutor’s remarks to the jury, the defendant must show” in the context of the whole argument and the instructions there was “ ‘a reasonable likelihood the jury understood or applied the complained-of comments in an improper or erroneous manner.’ ”].) Here, defense counsel on at least one occasion corrected and clarified the prosecutor’s remarks through his own voir dire comments. (People v. Seaton (2001) 26 Cal.4th 598, 636 [110 Cal.Rptr.2d 441, 28 P.3d 175].) More critically, the trial court’s instructions at the end of trial fully informed the jury that it could consider in mitigation any circumstance—no matter how weak the evidence of that circumstance—relating to the case or to Self, and could find life imprisonment without the possibility of parole the appropriate penalty even in the absence of any mitigating evidence.

Self further contends that the prosecutor improperly insinuated that Self “bore a heavy burden of proof in order to obtain a sentence less than death.” Nothing in the prosecutor’s remarks referred to a burden of proof and, once again, the trial court exhaustively instructed the jury on the proper definition and use of mitigating evidence.

In his reply brief Self asserts trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the prosecutor’s challenged comments. There was no misconduct and therefore no deficiency on counsel’s part in failing to object.

3. Evidence of Feltenberger’s attempted murder

Defendant Romero contends the trial court erred in admitting “gruesome” evidence of Feltenberger’s attempted murder to prove Romero received the victim’s stolen ammunition pouch. (§ 496; see ante, at pp. 12-13.) He asserts his “guilt of the uncontested receiving charge was clear without the attempted-murder testimony, so the error could not have affected that determination,” but the testimony was prejudicial at the penalty phase. We disagree.

Before opening statements, the prosecutor moved to have the juries for both defendants hear Feltenberger testily. The trial court admitted Feltenberger’s testimony, but directed defense counsel to prepare a limiting instruction, and admonished the prosecutor not to in any way suggest Romero was involved in Feltenberger’s shooting. Before Feltenberger testified, the trial court instructed the Romero jury: “You are about to hear evidence in the form of testimony from John Feltenberger. This evidence is not being offered to show that the defendant Orlando Romero is involved in the alleged robbery and attempted murder of Mr. Feltenberger. On the contrary, there will be no evidence provided that Mr. Romero was . . . involved in this incident. Instead, this evidence is being offered as it relates to Count XX, receiving stolen property. You are to consider it solely as it relates [to], one, whether the property was in fact stolen, and, two, whether Mr. Romero had knowledge that the property was stolen.” After Feltenberger’s testimony, Romero unsuccessfully moved to preclude testimony by other witnesses describing the investigation into the Feltenberger shooting, including the discovery of the red sabot material found in Feltenberger. At the close of the guilt phase the trial court gave Romero’s jury a limiting instruction similar to that given before Feltenberger’s testimony.

Here Romero asserts only that the evidence was prejudicial at the penalty phase, and we therefore need not consider whether it was properly admitted at the guilt phase. Assuming, therefore, without deciding, that evidence of the details of the attack on Feltenberger was improperly admitted, there is no reasonable possibility a different penalty verdict would have resulted absent admission of this evidence. (See People v. Brown (1988) 46 Cal.3d 432, 448 [250 Cal.Rptr. 604, 758 P.2d 1135].) Both before Feltenberger’s testimony and at the close of the guilt phase the trial court instructed the jury the evidence was not being offered to show Romero was involved in the robbery or attempted murder of Feltenberger and there was no evidence Romero was involved in this incident. We presume the jury understood and followed this instruction. (People v. Hajek and Vo (2014) 58 Cal.4th 1144, 1178 [171 Cal.Rptr.3d 234, 324 P.3d 88].) Moreover, other evidence demonstrated Romero’s role in the brutal and unprovoked murders of Aragon, Jones, and Mans, and the attempted murders of Kenneth Mills, Williams, and Rankins, as well as his in-custody violence against Medeiros, Jutras, Thibedeau, and Hodges. In addition, the jury acquitted Romero of the Steenblock robbery and kidnapping charges, showing it carefully evaluated the evidence.

4. Joinder and severance

Romero contends that joinder of the Magnolia Center Interiors (Magnolia Center) burglary (predicated on entry with intent to steal and vandalize) and vandalism charges and the receiving stolen property (Feltenberger’s ammunition pouch) charge with the remaining counts was “statutorily unauthorized” under section 954. Defendants further contend the trial court abused its discretion in denying the motion to sever the Magnolia Center charges from the remaining charges, and Romero asserts the trial court abused its discretion in failing to sever the charge of receiving stolen property from the remaining charges against him. We disagree.

Before trial, Self, joined by Romero, moved to sever the murder counts from the remaining charges. Defendants focused particularly on severing the murder counts from the counts involving the attempted murders of Feltenberger and Williams. The motion to sever did not contest that the statutory requirements for joinder had been met. The trial court denied the motion.

Because it generally promotes efficiency, joinder of charges is “ ‘preferred by the law.’ ” (People v. Hartsch (2010) 49 Cal.4th 472, 493 [110 Cal.Rptr.3d 673, 232 P.3d 663] (Hartsch).) When the statutory joinder requirements are met, a defendant can demonstrate error in a “ ‘ruling allowing joint trial . . . only by making a “clear showing of prejudice (Ibid.) As can be seen, defendants did not claim joinder of any of the counts was statutorily unauthorized. Under section 954, this claim is therefore forfeited.

Even had the claims of improper joinder not been forfeited, they would have lacked merit. The charges were properly joined because they were “connected ... in their commission” within the meaning of section 954. Charges are so connected if “ ‘ “there is a common element of substantial importance in their commission.” ’ ” (Alcala v. Superior Court (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1205, 1218 [78 Cal.Rptr.3d 272, 185 P.3d 708], italics omitted.) Here, the crimes all occurred within a two-month time period and, as the trial court observed, each involved a felonious intent to obtain property. (People v. Koontz (2002) 27 Cal.4th 1041, 1054-1058, 1074-1075 [119 Cal.Rptr.2d 859, 46 P.3d 335] [petty theft charge was properly joined with unrelated murder, robbery, and vehicle-taking charges because the petty theft, robbery, and vehicle-taking charges involved “the common characteristic of the wrongful taking of another’s property”]; People v. Mendoza (2000) 24 Cal.4th 130, 160 [99 Cal.Rptr.2d 485, 6 P.3d 150] [crimes were connected in their commission when committed in close timeframe of three days and many of the crimes involved the felonious intent to obtain property].) Contrary to Romero’s contention that the “tenor” of the Magnolia Center burglary was vandalism, not theft, defendants were charged with burglary premised in part on entry with an intent to steal. Moreover, the evidence demonstrated defendants made a concerted but unsuccessful effort to break into the Magnolia Center store safe and stole other items from the store. Neither the circumstance that defendants also committed vandalism nor the minimal worth of the objects taken obviated their intent to steal.

Nor did defendants move to sever the Magnolia Center burglary and vandalism charges from the remaining counts, or Romero move to sever the charge of receiving stolen property from the remaining charges against him. The trial court has “no statutory duty to order severance on its own motion.” (People v. Rogers (2006) 39 Cal.4th 826, 851 [48 Cal.Rptr.3d 1, 141 P.3d 135].) Defendants’ claims that the trial court abused its discretion in denying severance are therefore also forfeited. (People v. Ramirez (2006) 39 Cal.4th 398, 439 [46 Cal.Rptr.3d 677, 139 P.3d 64] [“defendant is limited on appeal to arguing that the trial court erred in failing to sever the charges” in the manner “requested at trial”]; see People v. Tafoya (2007) 42 Cal.4th 147, 163 [64 Cal.Rptr.3d 163, 164 P.3d 590] [“defendant has forfeited this issue on appeal because he failed to assert this ground at the time his severance motion was heard by the trial court”].)

Even assuming the claim is preserved, no abuse of discretion is demonstrated. “The party seeking severance has the burden to establish a substantial danger of prejudice requiring the charges to be separately tried. [Citation.] Refusal to sever may be an abuse of discretion where (1) evidence of the crimes to be jointly tried would not be cross-admissible in separate trials; (2) certain of the charges are unusually likely to inflame the jury against the defendant; (3) a ‘weak’ case has been joined with a ‘strong’ case or with another ‘weak’ case, so that the ‘spillover’ effect of aggregate evidence on several charges might well alter the outcome of some or all of the charges; and (4) any one of the charges carries the death penalty or joinder of them turns the matter into a capital case. [Citation.] If evidence on each of the joined crimes would have been admissible in a separate trial of the other crimes, then such cross-admissibility ordinarily dispels any inference of prejudice.” (People v. Gonzales and Soliz (2011) 52 Cal.4th 254, 281-282 [128 Cal.Rptr.3d 417, 256 P.3d 543].)

Here, Self’s counsel conceded at the hearing on the motion to sever the murder counts from the remaining counts that the evidence in “these cases” was “cross-admissible,” and Romero’s counsel “[j]oin[ed]” those remarks. On appeal, however, defendants claim the evidence was not cross-admissible. “We need not affirmatively decide, however, whether the evidence would have been cross-admissible in separate trials because, as defendant[s] acknowledge[], lack of cross-admissibility is not dispositive of whether the court abused its discretion in denying severance.” (People v. Myles (2012) 53 Cal.4th 1181, 1201 [139 Cal.Rptr.3d 786, 274 P.3d 413], citing §954.1.) Considering the remaining three factors, we conclude no prejudice is demonstrated. Evidence of the murders, the burglary and vandalism of Magnolia Center, and Romero’s receipt of stolen property was strong. Nor was evidence of the Magnolia Center crimes or Romero’s receipt of stolen property more inflammatory than evidence defendants had callously murdered three young men, and attempted to murder three other individuals. Moreover, “[e]ven where the People present capital charges, joinder is proper so long as evidence of each charge is so strong that consolidation is unlikely to affect the verdict.” (People v. Ochoa (2001) 26 Cal.4th 398, 423 [110 Cal.Rptr.2d 324, 28 P.3d 78].)

Self further contends joinder of the Magnolia Center crimes, in hindsight, produced gross unfairness amounting to deprivation of a fair trial or a denial of due process at the guilt phase because evidence of the details of the vandalism “rais[ed] the possibility the jury [would] be swayed by the evidence of defendant’s bad character.” The evidence Self murdered three individuals was strong and indeed is not challenged on appeal. There is therefore no reasonable probability Self would not have been found guilty of these murders had the jury not heard the evidence regarding the Magnolia Center crimes.

Likewise, and contrary to defendants’ contention, joinder of the Magnolia Center crimes, in hindsight, did not produce gross unfairness amounting to deprivation of a fair trial or a denial of due process at the penalty phase. Given the brutal circumstances underlying their three murder and three attempted murder convictions, and Selfs additional conviction for the attempted murder of Feltenberger, there is no reasonable possibility that a different verdict would have resulted had the jury not heard evidence of threatening graffiti and the stabbing of a sonogram photograph during the Magnolia Center burglary and vandalism. To the extent Romero asserts a similar claim regarding joinder of the receipt of stolen property charge, we have already concluded that even assuming evidence of the details of the attack on Feltenberger were improperly admitted, there is no reasonable possibility a different penalty verdict would have resulted absent admission of this evidence. (See ante, at pp. 27-28.)

B. Guilt Phase Issues

1. Accomplice corroboration

The trial court instructed the jury that Jose Munoz was an accomplice as a matter of law as to certain crimes, including the crimes against Kenneth Mills and Vicky Ewy (counts V-VIII), and Knoefler (count XV), and “his testimony [was] subject to the rule requiring corroboration.” (See § 1111; see also ante, at pp. 9, 11.) Self contends Munoz’s testimony was not corroborated and therefore his convictions for the crimes against Kenneth Mills, Ewy, and Knoefler must be reversed. He further contends the evidence was insufficient to establish his guilt as an aider and abettor of the crimes against Knoefler. We conclude Munoz’s testimony was corroborated as to the crimes against Kenneth Mills and Ewy, but not as to the robbery of Knoefler. We therefore reverse Selfs conviction and s