Opinion ID: 2551919
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Sufficiency of Evidence of First Degree Murder of Martha Kitzler

Text: Defendant contends his conviction for the first degree murder of Martha Kitzler must be reversed because this count was submitted to the jury on alternative theories of felony murder and premeditated murder, the evidence was legally insufficient to support the felony-murder theory, and there is a reasonable possibility the jury relied on the unsupported felony-murder theory. This count was not submitted to the jury on alternative theories of premeditated murder and felony murder, but only on the theory of premeditation. Although some of the trial court's instructions to the jury on first degree murder applied to all three murder counts alike, the trial court gave a special instruction, applicable only to the count charging the murder of Monique Hilton, requiring jury unanimity as to the theory of first degree murder. (But see People v. Pride, supra, 3 Cal.4th 195, 249, 10 Cal.Rptr.2d 636, 833 P.2d 643 [jury unanimity on first degree murder theory not required].) In argument to the jury, the prosecutor argued only the theory of premeditation and deliberation in urging a verdict of first degree murder in the slaying of Martha Kitzler. The prosecutor argued a theory of felony murder in the commission of robbery only as to the killing of Monique Hilton, and not as to the killing of Martha Kitzler. Viewing the jury instructions and the arguments of counsel together, a reasonable juror would have understood that the felony-murder theory applied only to the killing of Monique Hilton, and not to the killing of Martha Kitzler. Assuming for argument's sake only that the killing of Martha Kitzler was submitted to the jury under alternative theories, and assuming also that the evidence was insufficient to support the felony-murder theory, we conclude that defendant was not prejudiced because it is not reasonably probable that the jury relied on a factually unsupported theory. If a count is submitted to a jury on alternative theories, and the evidence is insufficient as to one theory, we assume that the jury rested its verdict on the theory adequately supported by the evidence, particularly when that was the only theory mentioned by counsel during argument. ( People v. Guiton (1993) 4 Cal.4th 1116, 1127-1130, 17 Cal.Rptr.2d 365, 847 P.2d 45.) The evidence here is more than adequate to support the verdict of first degree murder in the killing of Martha Kitzler on the theory of premeditation and deliberation. In his tape-recorded statement, defendant admitted that he had already formed the intent to kill Kitzler when he went to his car to get his knife. Although he did not immediately proceed to carry out his plan, but instead put the knife down inside the house before Kitzler saw it, this only emphasizes that defendant had ample time to reflect before he strangled Kitzler.