The People, Plaintiff and Respondent v. Edward Charles Iii, Defendant and Appellant

Summary

The court affirmed defendant's convictions for one first degree murder and two second degree murders and his death sentence. It held that the jailhouse letter was properly admitted because defendant implicitly adopted its authorship and the document was independently authenticated, and it rejected the remaining guilt- and penalty-phase challenges. The court also held that granting a fourth penalty trial was within the trial court's discretion and that any error concerning excluded family testimony was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.