People V. Gray

We agreed to review People v. Gray, 899 P.2d 290 (Colo. App. 1994), in which the court of appeals reversed the judgment of conviction and remanded for a new trial, concluding that respondent Marvin Gray (defendant) received an inadequate advisement under People v. Curtis, 681 P.2d 504 (Colo. 1984). The trial court informed the defendant that his prior felony convictions "would be admissible with respect to credibility." The court of appeals held the trial court failed to inform the defendant that his testimony during the substantive phase of the trial with respect to "prior felony convictions would be admissible only for purposes of impeachment" and that the People "would still have the burden of proving the prior felony convictions at the habitual offender phase of the trial." Gray, 899 P.2d at 291. We granted certiorari to decide: