Page:United States Reports 502 OCT. TERM 1991.pdf/224

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ESTELLE v. McGUIRE Opinion of the Court

asked, “What really happened?” McGuire replied that he “didn’t know,” and that he “guessed” the baby fell off the couch. His wife continued to press for an answer, stating, “I am very patient. I can wait a long time. I want to know what really happened.” Finally, she told McGuire that “the baby was alright when I left. You are responsible.” App. 44; Brief for United States as Amicus Curiae 3–4. McGuire’s wife was called by the prosecution to testify at trial, after having been granted transactional immunity from future prosecution. In contrast to her prior statement to the police and her declarations at the hospital, she stated that she had beaten Tori on the day of her death before her husband arrived home. The jury convicted McGuire of seconddegree murder. The California Court of Appeal affirmed McGuire’s conviction. The court observed that the evidence of prior rib and rectal injuries was introduced to prove “battered child syndrome.” That syndrome exists when a child has sustained repeated and/or serious injuries by nonaccidental means. People v. Bledsoe, 36 Cal. 3d 236, 249, 681 P. 2d 291, 299 (1984). After reviewing California authority on the subject, the court concluded that “proof of Tori’s ‘prior injuries’ tending to establish the ‘battered child syndrome’ was patently proper.” App. 47. The California Supreme Court denied review. McGuire then filed a petition for habeas corpus relief in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. That court denied relief. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and granted McGuire’s habeas petition. The court ruled that the prior injury evidence was erroneously admitted to establish battered child syndrome, because no evidence linked McGuire to the prior injuries and no claim had been made at trial that the baby died accidentally. In addition, the court believed that the trial court’s instruction on the use of prior act evidence allowed a finding of guilt based simply on a judgment that