Opinion ID: 763759
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Evidence of Morales' Aiding and Abetting the Murder of White

Text: 117 Morales also asserts that the evidence was insufficient under the Pinkerton theory of conspiratorial liability to support his VICAR conviction that he aided and abetted his co-conspirators, Antuna and Cruz, in the White murder. According to Morales, the fatal shots that killed White while he sat in the front passenger seat of the car were fired at close to medium range and were not actual contact shots which might indicate intentional action. Thus, he argues that there was insufficient evidence to establish his intent to murder White. We disagree. 118 First, there was sufficient evidence that Cruz, as he sat in the back seat of the car, fired two shots into White's head as he sat in the front seat. Second, Morales can be found guilty for a substantive crime committed by his co-conspirators without specific evidence that he committed the act charged if it is clear that the offense had been committed in furtherance of an unlawful conspiracy and that Morales was a member of that conspiracy. See United States v. Miley, 513 F.2d 1191, 1208 (2d Cir.1975) (citing Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640, 645, 66 S.Ct. 1180, 90 L.Ed. 1489 (1946)). Here, the goal of the ongoing conspiracy was narcotics trafficking. The evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the government, showed that Morales was a member of the Latin Kings' drug conspiracy and that White was murdered in furtherance of it, that is, he was murdered to eliminate a potential witness to the conspiracy to murder and the murder of A. Diaz, a suspected informant who threatened the Latin Kings' drug operations. In view of the foregoing, we find that there was sufficient evidence to support Morales' conviction. 119