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 he H on orabl e E dw ar d R
. K orm an, S eni or U ni t ed S t at es D i stri ct ** J udge f orthe E a s t e rn D i s tr i c tof N e w Y or k, 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
M I CH A EL D ELO N G I S, P e titio n e r- A p p e lla n t,
v. D E R R I C K L . O L L I S O N , W a r de n, I r onw ood S t a t e P r i s on, R es po nd ent- A pp el l ee . N o. 08- 17143 D . C
. N o . 3 : 0 6 -cv -0 4 2 3 6 -P JH
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 N o r th e rn D is tr ic t o f C a lif o rn ia P hy l l i s J . H a m i l t 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 A ugus t6, 2012 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o rn ia B e f or e : K O Z I N S K I , C hi e f J udge , C A L L A H A N , C i r c ui tJ udge , a nd K O R M A N , S eni or D i stri ctJudg e. ** M i c ha e l D e L ongi s ( “ D e L ongi s ” ) w a s s e nt e nc e d t o 23 y e a r s t o l i f e f ors e c onddegree mu rderand corpo ra l i nj ury t o a spou se . H e ap p ea ls the deni al of hi s habea s 

# FI LED NO V 23 2012 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

c orpu s pe t i t i on . D e Long i s a l l e ge s tha t hi s du e pr oc e s s a nd f a i r tr i a l r i gh t s w er e vi ol at ed by the st at e tri al court ’ s fa i l ure t o p rovi de vo l un t ary i nt ox i ca t i on and m ent al di sorderi nstruct i on s. H e a rgues that , abse ntthese al l eged err ors, he w ou l d h ave been
conv i ct ed of m ansl augh t er , no tse cond degree mu rder
. U nde rC a l i f

orni a l a w , D e L ongi s c oul d be c onvi c t e d of m ur de r i f the j ury f

ound he ki l l ed hi s w i fe w i th i m pl i ed m al i ce . C al
. P enal C od e §§ 187 -88. M al i ce i s i m pl i ed

“ w he n no c ons i de r abl e pr ovoc a t i on appe a r s , or w he n the c i r c um s t a nc e s a tt e ndi ng the ki l l i ng show an ab ando ned and m al i gn anthear t . ” C al
. P enal C od e § 18 8. Im pl i ed
m a lic e a ls o e x is ts if

th e d e f e n d a n t “a c tu a lly ap p r e c ia te d th e r is k o f h is a c tio n s .” P eo p l e v. Su p eri o r C o u rt , 1 8 3 C a l. A p p . 4 6 9 0 , 6 9 7 ( C a l. C t. A p p . 2 0 1 0 ) ; a c c o r d Ho th
v. C arey , 33 2 F
. 3d 58 7, 59 2 (9t h C i r. 20 03 ). E ven i f D eL on gi s w as ent i t l ed t o the j ury i nstruct i on s, w e a gree w i th the di stri ct courtthatthe al l eged err ors di dn ’ thave a “ subst ant i al and i nj uri ou s e ff ec tor i nfl uence i n d et erm i ni ng the j ury’ s ver di ct . ” B r e c ht v . A br aham s on , 507 U
. S
. 619, 638 ( 1993) ( i nt e rna l quot a t i on m a r ks om i tt e d)
. D e L o n gi s ’ s a c t i ons a nd t e s t i m ony s how tha the
a c te d w ith im p lie d m a lic e . T h e a tta c k w a s p r o v o k e d o n ly b y h is w if e i n s u l t i n g h im and t hrea t eni ng di vo rc e dur in g an argum ent . D eL on gi s t es t i fi ed thathe fe l thatre d
w he n he ki c ke d he rdow n the s t a i r s . H i s i l l -w i l l pe r s i s t e d a s s he tum bl e d, a nd he fo l l o w ed t o sm ash h er h ead i n t o a w al l an d th en rep eat ed l y o n th e fl o o r. F i n al l y,3

D e L o n g is k ille d h is w if e b y s tr a n g lin g h e r , u n d e r s ta n d in g th a t d o in g s o w o u ld , in h is
w or ds , “ s t o p h e rb r e a th i n g . ” U n d e rCa l i f o rn i a l a w , “ ‘ h o mi c i d e b y s tr a n g u l a t i on i nd i ca t es m alic e. ’ ” Sh a ckl ef o rd v. H u b b a rd , 234 F
. 3d 1072, 1079 ( 9th C i r . 2000) ( a l t e r a t i ons om i tt e d) ( quot i ng P e opl e v . L a V e r gne , 41 1 P
. 2d 30 9, 31 3 (C al
. 19 66 ))
. B e c a u s e t h e a lle g e d in s tru c tio n a l e rr o r s d id n ’t s u b s ta n tia lly a n d in ju r io u s ly in f lu e n c e th e ju ry ’s v e r d ic t, D e L o n g is is n ’t e n title d to h ab e a s r e lie f
. B r e c ht , 5 0 7 U . S.
a t638. AF F I RME D.