Opinion ID: 1399129
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Amendments to Section 190.2, Subdivision (b)

Text: Former subdivision (b) of section 190.2 provided as follows: Every person whether or not the actual killer found guilty of intentionally aiding, abetting, counseling, commanding, inducing, soliciting, requesting, or assisting, any actor in the commission of murder in the first degree shall suffer death or confinement in state prison for a term of life without the possibility of parole, in any case in which one or more of the special circumstances enumerated in paragraphs (1), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), or (19) of subdivision (a) of this section has been charged and specially found under Section 190.4 to be true.[ [3] ] [¶] The penalty shall be determined as provided in Sections 190.1, 190.2, 190.3, 190.4, and 190.5. Proposition 115 made these changes: (i) It deleted the first sentence of former subdivision (b) (quoted above), and replaced it with the following: Unless an intent to kill is specifically required under subdivision (a) for a special circumstance enumerated therein, an actual killer as to whom such special circumstance has been found to be true under Section 190.4 need not have had any intent to kill at the time of the commission of the offense which is the basis of the special circumstance in order to suffer death or confinement in state prison for a term of life without the possibility of parole. (ii) It added subdivision (c), as follows: Every person not the actual killer who, with the intent to kill, aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, solicits, requests, or assists any actor in the commission of murder in the first degree shall suffer death or confinement in state prison for a term of life without the possibility of parole, in any case in which one or more of the special circumstances enumerated in subdivision (a) of this section has been found true under Section 190.4. (iii) Finally, it added subdivision (d), as follows: Notwithstanding subdivision (c), every person not the actual killer, who, with reckless indifference to human life and as a major participant, aids, abets, counsels, commands, induces, solicits, requests, or assists in the commission of a felony enumerated in paragraph (17) of subdivision (a), which felony results in the death of some person or persons, who is found guilty of murder in the first degree therefor, shall suffer death or confinement in state prison for life without the possibility of parole, in any case in which a special circumstance enumerated in paragraph (17) of subdivision (a) of this section has been found to be true under Section 190.4. [4] The arguments of the proposition's proponents and opponents followed. The proponents asserted the constitutional and statutory changes were appropriate and necessary to protect crime victims and to prevent undue delay in the prosecution of crimes. The opponents responded that the sweeping changes proposed might unintentionally restrict the civil rights of law-abiding citizens. Neither the proponents nor the opponents focused expressly on the proposed changes to section 190.2, and neither drew the attention of the voters to the fact that another measure on the same ballot proposed to amend section 190.2.