Opinion ID: 2590211
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Sufficiency of Evidence of MurderБ─■Crisel, Inderbieten, Klingbeil, Keith, Young, Wiebe, John Doe Huntington Beach, Moore

Text: Defendant contends that eight of his murder convictions, relating to the victims enumerated above, must be reversed for insufficiency of evidence. He argues that, apart from what he terms speculative inferences drawn from the list found in his car, modus operandi was the only evidence or theory of his guilt and, as such, could not support the verdicts. In addressing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence supporting a conviction, the reviewing court must examine the whole record in the light most favorable to the judgment to determine whether it discloses substantial evidenceБ─■ evidence that is reasonable, credible and of solid valueБ─■such that a reasonable trier of fact could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. ( People v. Johnson (1980) 26 Cal.3d 557, 578, 162 Cal.Rptr. 431, 606 P.2d 738.) The appellate court presumes in support of the judgment the existence of every fact the trier could reasonably deduce from the evidence. ( People v. Reilly (1970) 3 Cal.3d 421, 425, 90 Cal.Rptr. 417, 475 P.2d 649; accord, People v. Pensinger (1991) 52 Cal.3d 1210, 1237, 278 Cal.Rptr. 640, 805 P.2d 899.) The same standard applies when the conviction rests primarily on circumstantial evidence. ( People v. Perez (1992) 2 Cal.4th 1117, 1124, 9 Cal.Rptr.2d 577, 831 P.2d 1159.) Although it is the jury's duty to acquit a defendant if it finds the circumstantial evidence susceptible of two reasonable interpretations, one of which suggests guilt and the other innocence, it is the jury, not the appellate court that must be convinced of the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. ( Ibid. ) `If the circumstances reasonably justify the trier of fact's findings, the opinion of the reviewing court that the circumstances might also reasonably be reconciled with a contrary finding does not warrant a reversal of the judgment. [Citation.]' ( People v. Thomas (1992) 2 Cal.4th 489, 514, 7 Cal. Rptr.2d 199, 828 P.2d 101.) Applying this standard, we explain why defendant's argument fails to persuade us reversal of any of the convictions is warranted.
In the context of this case, the jury could reasonably find defendant guilty of murdering Crisel based on such features of the crime as the similarity of the drugs found in Crisel's bodyБ─■high levels of antihistamines, among other drugsБ─■to those found in the body of Loggins, to whom strong evidence linked defendant, and the presence of a burn on Crisel's left nipple made by a car cigarette lighter, a feature also shared by the Hall murder, to which defendant was linked by fingerprint evidence, as well as the Inderbieten murder. A tablet containing some of the drugs found in Crisel was found in defendant's car, which he had owned at the time of Crisel's death. The prosecutor argued that Crisel was represented on defendant's list by the entry MARINE DRUNK OVERNIGHT SHORTS, referring to the fact that Crisel, a Marine, was clothed only in shorts when found and to the length of time it was thought defendant had kept Crisel before disposing of his body. Crisel, moreover, fit the physical profile of most of defendant's victims, being a White male of average size, and, also like most of them, Crisel's body was dumped near a freeway.
In the context of this case, the jury could reasonably find defendant guilty of Inderbieten's murder based on the method by which the offense was committed and the way in which the killer disposed of the body. Alcohol and diazepam, as well as the barbiturate secobarbital, were found in Inderbieten's body. The cause of death was anoxia due to suffocation. A car cigarette lighter had burned Inderbieten's eyes and nipples (a feature shared by the Hall murder, to which defendant was connected by fingerprint evidence, and the Crisel murder). Ligature marks were found on Inderbieten's wrists. Inderbieten, like Hall, had been emasculated and, as in the DeVaul and John Doe Huntington Beach cases, anal swabs revealed the presence of semen. When found, Inderbieten's body was clad only in a pair of pants, partially pulled down, and his body bore road burns from being dumped from a moving vehicle near a freeway not far from where several of defendant's other victims were found.
Based on the cause of death (acetaminophen overdose, with ligature strangulation as a contributing factor), the burning of a nipple by a cigarette lighter, the absence of one of Klingbeil's bootlaces, the ejection of the body from a moving vehicle onto Interstate 5, and the presence on defendant's list of an entry assertedly corresponding to Klingbeil (HIKE OUT LB BOOTS, referring to the fact the victim was wearing boots and apparently had recently been in Long Beach), in the context of this case the jury reasonably could find defendant guilty of Klingbeil's murder. Klingbeil, moreover, fit the physical profile of defendant's typical victim, being a young White male of average size.
Based on the cause of death (ligature strangulation), the presence of alcohol and benzodiazepine drugs (diazepam and flurazepam) in Keith's system at death, the presence of ligature marks on his wrists, the ejection of the body from a moving vehicle, and the presence on defendant's list of an entry apparently corresponding to Keith (MARINE CARSON, referring to the victim's status as a United States Marine and the fact defendant apparently met him in Carson), in the context of this case the jury reasonably could find defendant guilty of Keith's murder.
Although the cause of Young's death (a stab wound to the heart) differed from that of defendant's other victims, in the context of this case the jury reasonably could find defendant guilty of Young's murder in light of certain details of the offense: Young's belt and one of his shoelaces were missing when his body was found, alcohol and diazepam were in his system at the time of death, he had a ligature mark on his right wrist, he had been partially emasculated, and his body had been ejected from a moving vehicle. Additionally, a hair consistent with defendant's was found on Young's pants, and an entry on defendant's list (JAIL OUT, assertedly referring to the fact Young had been released from the Orange County jail hours before he was killed) corresponded to Young. Young, moreover, fit the physical profile of defendant's typical victim.
Based on the method of killing and certain other details of the offense, in the context of this case the jury reasonably could find defendant guilty of the murder of Wiebe. Specifically, the cause of Wiebe's death was ligature strangulation; his belt and shoes were missing when the body was found; a sock had been inserted in his rectum; his pants were undone at the top, and his penis was partially exposed; and his body was dumped at the Seventh Street on-ramp to the San Diego Freeway, near the spots where the bodies of Moore, Inderbieten and Church were found. (The evidence that defendant murdered Church was particularly strong, as a photograph of Church was found in defendant's car and Church's electric shaver was found in defendant's house after his arrest. The jury could consider the proximity of the location of the victims' bodies as evidence the same person killed all four men.) Additionally, although Wiebe had a low blood-alcohol level and no drugs in his system at the time of his death, unlike most of defendant's other victims, Wiebe was smaller and lighter than the others. Further, an entry on defendant's list (7TH ST.) could reasonably be thought to correspond to Wiebe.
This unidentified victim fit the physical profile of defendant's typical victim, being a young White male of about average size, the cause of death was suffocation, his wrists bore ligature marks, he had been emasculated and dumped from a moving vehicle, his shoes were missing, and there was no belt in his pants. This victim had a blood-alcohol level of 0.07 percent and assertedly was represented on defendant's list by the entry AIRPLANE HILL; the prosecutor presented evidence that the location where this victim's body was found had been known as Airplane Hill when defendant was growing up in the vicinity. Based on the foregoing evidence in the context of this case, the jury reasonably could conclude defendant murdered this victim.
Based on the cause of death and certain other details of the offense in the context of this case, the jury reasonably could conclude defendant had murdered Moore. Specifically, Moore died as a result of ligature strangulation; his body had been dumped from a moving vehicle in the area of the Seventh Street off-ramp from the 405 and 605 Freeways, near where the bodies of Wiebe, Inderbieten and Church would later be found; a sock had been inserted into his rectum and one foot was bare, as with victim Wiebe and somewhat similar to victim Loggins, to whom defendant was linked by photographic evidence; and Moore assertedly was represented on defendant's list by the entry EDM. (The victim's name was stenciled on his shorts.) Additionally, Moore fit the profile of defendant's typical victim, and he was a Marine. We have no difficulty concluding that, despite variations among these offenses, which spanned almost seven years, the jury reasonably could find defendant guilty of the murder of Crisel, Inderbieten, Klingbeil, Keith, Young, Wiebe, John Doe Huntington Beach, and Moore.