California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Herrera, B231774 (Cal. App. 2012):
Herrera contends that the inclusion of the phrase, "[t]he identity of the person who committed the crimes" was tantamount to directing a verdict "on the sole basis that appellant's membership in a gang established his identity in the offenses." There is no reasonable likelihood that the jury improperly applied the instruction as Herrera suggests. (People v. Smithey (1999) 20 Cal.4th 936, 963 ["If a jury instruction is ambiguous, we inquire whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the jury misunderstood and misapplied the instruction"].) This limiting instruction informed the jury that it could consider the gang evidence when it determined the question of identity; it did not compel a conclusion of identity if the jury found Herrera to be a gang member. Particularly when read in conjunction with CALCRIM No. 315, which instructed the jury on all the
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