In Williams v. New York (1949) 337 U.S. 241, the defendant appealed after receiving a death sentence in light of additional information from a probation report. The Supreme Court held that at sentencing a judge can "exercise wide discretion in the sources and types of evidence used to assist him in determining the kind and extent of punishment to be imposed," and "highly relevant . . . is the possession of the fullest information possible concerning the defendant's life and characteristics." ( Williams v. New York, supra, at pp. 246, 247.)