Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_16-cv-02447/USCOURTS-cand-4_16-cv-02447-1/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 530
Nature of Suit: Prisoner Petitions - Habeas Corpus
Cause of Action: 28:2254 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (State)

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United States District Court

Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

SIDONIO CRUZ-SANTOS,

Petitioner,

v.

ROBERT W. FOX, Warden,

Respondent.

Case No. 16-cv-02447-HSG (PR)

ORDER DENYING AS MOOT 

RESPONDENT'S MOTION TO 

DISMISS; SECOND ORDER TO SHOW 

CAUSE

Re: Dkt. No. 22

This is a federal habeas corpus action filed by a pro se state prisoner pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 

§ 2254. Petitioner seeks to challenge his 2013 convictions for second degree murder, assault with 

a firearm, unlawful cultivation of marijuana, and dissuading a witness, for all of which he was 

sentenced to an aggregate term of 42 years and 8 months to life in state prison. 

Petitioner raises the following six claims: (1) the trial court erred when instructing the jury 

on the natural and probable consequences theory of murder; (2) the accomplice testimony was not 

sufficiently corroborated to sustain Petitioner’s conviction; (3) the trial court erred when 

instructing the jury on the crime of intimidating a witness; (4) the trial court prohibited Petitioner 

from presenting evidence that someone other than Petitioner was the killer; (5) the trial court erred 

in sentencing Petitioner to both the conspiracy to cultivate marijuana and the substantive crime of 

cultivating marijuana; and (6) the cumulative prejudice from the aforementioned claims violated 

Petitioner’s due process rights. On August 3, 2016, the Court ordered Respondent to show cause 

why the petition should not be granted. 

On September 27, 2016, Respondent filed a motion to dismiss the petition for failure to

exhaust state remedies. Dkt. No. 22. Respondent argues that Claim Five is unexhausted because 

it was not properly presented to the California Supreme Court. Petitioner concedes that Claim 

Case 4:16-cv-02447-HSG Document 25 Filed 11/08/16 Page 1 of 2
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United States District Court

Northern District of California

Five is not exhausted and requests that the Court “delete the unexhausted claim and proceed only 

on the remaining exhausted claims.” See Dkt. No. 23 at 2.

The Court construes Petitioner’s request as one to amend the petition to dismiss Claim 

Five, and GRANTS his request. Accordingly, Respondent’s motion to dismiss is DENIED as 

moot.

In light of the dismissal of the unexhausted claim, the petition now contains five exhausted 

claims (Claims 1-4 and Claim 6), which should be addressed on the merits. The Court now sets 

the following new schedule for the parties to file their briefs pursuant to the prior Order To Show 

Cause:

Respondent shall file with this Court and serve upon Petitioner, within sixty (60) days of 

the issuance of this Order, an Answer conforming in all respects to Rule 5 of the Rules Governing 

Section 2254 Cases, showing cause why a writ of habeas corpus should not be issued as to the 

exhausted claims. Respondent shall file with the Answer a copy of all portions of the relevant 

state records that have been transcribed previously and that are relevant to a determination of the 

issues presented.

If Petitioner wishes to respond to the Answer, he shall do so by filing a Traverse with the 

Court and serving it on Respondent within thirty (30) days of his receipt of the Answer. 

Upon a showing of good cause, requests for a reasonable extension of time will be granted 

provided they are filed on or before the deadline they seek to extend.

This order terminates Docket No. 22.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated:

HAYWOOD S. GILLIAM, JR.

United States District Judge

Case 4:16-cv-02447-HSG Document 25 Filed 11/08/16 Page 2 of 2