T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on a nd i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by 9th C i r . R . 36- 3.

T h e H o n o r ab le D a v id M . E b e l, S e n io rC ir c u it J u d g e f o rth e T e n th ** C i r c ui t , s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON * UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T P E T E R J OS E P H R E E D, P e titio n e r- A p p e lla n t, v. M I CHAEL C ATE, R es po nd ent- A pp el l ee . N o. 10- 55749 D. C. No . 2 : 0 9 - c v - 0 3 1 5 2 - PA- DTB ME MOR AN DU M *

A pp ea l fr om the U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ctC ou rt f o rth e C e n tr a l D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia P e r c y A nde r s on, D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d O c t obe r11, 2012

P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia Be f o r e : EB EL , W A R D L A W , an d N G U Y E N , C i rcu i tJu d g es.

** P e t e rJ os e ph R e e d appe a l s the di s tr i c tc our t ’ s de ni a l of hi s pe t i t i on f

or h ab e a s r e lie f

f r o m h is C a lif

o rn ias ta te c o u r t c o n v ic tio n o f v o lu n ta ry m a n s la u g h te r . W e i ss ued a cert i fi ca t e of app ea l abi l i ty w i th res pectt o “ w hether the st at e vi ol at ed 

# FI LED NO V 08 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALSP age 2 of 4

[ R e e d’ s ] r i ghtt o due pr oc e s s by s uppr e s s i ng orf a i l i ng t o pr e s e rve f

i r e a rm a nd/ or am m un i t i on evi dence. ” See 2 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 3 ( c ) ( 3 ) ; A r i z ona v . Y oungblood , 488 U .S . 5 1 ( 1 9 8 8 ) ; B r ady v . M ar y land , 373 U . S . 83 ( 1963) . W e ha ve j ur i s di c t i on u n d e r2 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 3 ( a ) , a n d w e a f f irm . B e f or e tr i a l , R e e d m ove d t o di s m i s s the c ha r ge s a ga i ns thi m on the gr ound thatthe st at e vi ol at ed hi s r i gh tt o d ue proces s w hen an i nv es t i gat i ng offi ce r pu rc hase d am m un i t i on evi dence fr om the decedent ’ s w i fe and then l ostor di sposed of i t . R e e d a r gue d tha tthe m a t e r i a l w a s pot e nt i a l l y e xc ul pa t ory be c a us e t e s t i ng c oul d ha ve s how n tha tthe vi c t i m ’ s bul l e t s m a t c he d thos e us e d i n the s hoot i ng, bo l st er i ng R ee d’ s s el f- defe nse theory. T he st at e tri al courthel d an evi dent i ary h e a r in g a n d f

o u n d th a t a lth o u g h th e o f f ic e rf a ile d to p r e s e rv e th e m a te r ia l, h e d id n o td o so i n b ad fai th as req u i red t o su cceed o n a fai l u re-t o -p reserv e d u e p ro cess cl ai m un derY

oungblood . See 488 U . S . a t58. H ow e ve r , a s a c ur a t i ve s a nc t i on, the tri al courtal l ow ed the defense t o p re se ntevi dence thatthe vi ct i m ow ned a m m uni t i on of

the s a m e c a l i be rus e d i n the s hoot i ng a nd ba rr e d the of f i c e rf r om t e s t i f y i ng tha tthe l os ta m m uni t i on w a s of a di f f e r e ntbr a nd tha n the s pe nt a m m u n itio n f

o u n d a t th e s c e n e . I n a f f irm in g th e tr ia l c o u r t, th e C a lif o rn iaC o u r t o f

A p p e a l d id n o t ap p ly Y oungblood in a n o b

je c tiv e ly u n r e a s o n ab le m a n n e r . See 2 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 4 ( d ) ( 1 ) .P age 3 of 4

I t ap p r o p r ia te ly in q u ir e d w h e th e rth e r e c o r d d e m o n s tr a te d th a t th e o f f ic e ra c te d in b a d f a ith . N o rw a s th e C o u r t o f A p p e a l’s d e c is io n b a s e d o n a n u n r e a s o n ab le d e te rm in a tio n o f

f a c t. See 2 8 U .S .C . § 2 2 5 4 (d )( 2 ). T h e C o u rt o f A p p ea l’ s co n cl u si o n th atw h i l e th e o ffi cer “exercised b ad j u d g m en t , . . . [th ere w as] s u f f ic ie n t e v id e n c e to s u p p o r t th e tr ia l c o u r t’s c o n c lu s io n th a t [ h e ] d id n o t a c t in b a d f a ith ” w a s r e a s o n ab ly b a s e d o n th e e v id e n tia ry r e c o r d . Se e T ay lorv . M

addox , 366 F . 3d 992, 1000 ( 9th C i r . 2004) . T he a s pe c t s of the r e c or d tha tthe C our tof A ppe a l r e l i e d on— the f a c ttha tthe of

f i c e rdi d noti ni t i a t e the tr a ns a c t i on; tha the w a s m ot i va t e d by a de s i r e t o he l p the w i dow f i na nc i a l l y ; tha tthe m one y w a s not c ondi t i one d on a n e xpe c t a t i on tha ts he w oul d t e s t i f y i n ac e r t a i n w a y ; a nd tha the g a v e h e ra r e c e ip t, b e ly in g a n in te n t to c o n c e a l th e tr a n s a c tio n — s u f f ic ie n tly s uppor tthe s t a t e c our t ’ s de t e rm i na t i on tha tthe of f i c e rdi d nota c ti n ba d f

a i th. T he C a l i f

orni a C our tof

A ppe a l a l s o r e a s onabl y c onc l ude d tha tthe m i s s i ng e vi de nc e w oul d notha ve e xone r a t e d R e e d a nd tha tthe e vi de nt i a ry s a nc t i on the tri al co u rti m p o sed en su red R eed a fai r tri al . A l th o u g h R eed w as ch arg ed w i th fi rst a nd s e c ond de gr e e m ur de r , he w a s a c qui tt e d of thos e c ha r ge s a nd c onvi c t e d of the l e s s e ri nc l ude d of

f e ns e of vol unt a ry m a ns l a ught e r , de s pi t e e vi de nc e tha the s hotthe de c e de ntm ul t i pl e t i m e s . T hus , R e e d ha s notpr e s e nt e d s uf f i c i e nte vi de nc e ofP age 4 of 4

p r e ju d ic e to w a rr a n t r e lie f

. See Fryv. P l i l er , 5 5 1 U .S . 1 1 2 ( 2 0 0 7 ) ; B re cht v. A br aham s on , 50 7 U . S . 61 9 (19 93 ). W e a c know l e dge tha tthe of f i c e ri n que s t i on de pa r t e d f r om de pa r tm e nt procedure i n o bt ai ni ng the evi dence, and thathi s c on du ctand exp l anat ory s t a t e m e nt s w e r e que s t i onabl e . H ow e ve r , w e c a nnots a y tha tthe C a l i f orni aC our tof A pp ea l w as obj ec t i vel y unrea sonabl e i n d et erm i ni ng thatthe evi dence d e m o n s tr a te d th e o f

f ic e ra c te d w ith b a d ju d g m e n t a n d n o t in b a d f a ith . See R i ce v. C ol l i ns , 54 6 U . S . 33 3, 34 1-42 (200 6) (“ R ea sonabl e m i nd s r evi ew i ng the re cord m i ghtdi s a gr e e . . . , buton habe a s r e vi e w tha tdoe s nots uf f i c e t o s upe r s e de ” the s ta te c o u r t’s d e c is io n .) . AF F I RME D.