People v. Allen

Opinion

GRODIN, J.

This is an automatic appeal from a judgment imposing death under the 1978 death penalty legislation. (Pen. Code, §§ 190-190.5.)1 We *1236affirm the verdict of guilt, the finding of special circumstances, and the judgment of death.

I. Facts and Procedure

The sordid events leading to the charges that underlie this appeal go back to 1974 and include a large cast of characters: Numerous victims and third party witnesses, various prison witnesses, and at least 10 members of defendant’s “crime family.” For reasons that will appear below, it is necessary to outline the sequence of events…