People v. Suff
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial in 1995, Defendant was convicted of twelve counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Defendant’s victims abused drugs and worked as prostitutes. The trial court sentenced Defendant to death with respect to each of the twelve murder convictions. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court’s denial of Defendant’s motion for a change of venue based on the public’s knowledge of his case did not deprive Defendant of due process of law or a fair trial; (2) the trial court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion to suppress evidence obtained as a result of a traffic stop; (3) the trial court did not err in denying discovery concerning murders of prostitutes with which Defendant was not charged; (4) the trial court did not err in failing to exclude evidence obtained during police questioning of Defendant and in making its other evidentiary rulings; (5) the extent and nature of the victim impact evidence did not deprive Defendant of his rights to due process, a fair trial, and a reliable penalty determination; and (6) California’s death penalty scheme, jury instructions, and procedures are constitutional.
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