Opinion ID: 2369367
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Defendant contends there was insufficient evidence to support the convictions of first degree murder, attempted murder, and arson, as well as the special circumstances of murder during the commission or attempted commission of rape or a lewd act, or multiple murders. During closing argument for the guilt phase, defense counsel argued there was a possibility that Maddox committed someor allof these acts. Defense counsel also urged that, if the jury believed defendant had murdered the victims, he should be found guilty only of second degree murder. `When considering a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, we review the entire record in the light most favorable to the judgment to determine whether it contains substantial evidencethat is, evidence that is reasonable, credible, and of solid valuefrom which a reasonable trier of fact could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. [Citation.] ... We presume in support of the judgment the existence of every fact the trier of fact reasonably could infer from the evidence. [Citation.] If the circumstances reasonably justify the trier of fact's findings, reversal of the judgment is not warranted simply because the circumstances might also reasonably be reconciled with a contrary finding. [Citation.] A reviewing court neither reweighs evidence nor reevaluates a witness's credibility. [Citation.]' [Citation.] ( D'Arcy, supra, 48 Cal.4th at p. 293.) The same standard of review applies in evaluating the sufficiency of the evidence to support special circumstance findings. (E.g., People v. Lindberg (2008) 45 Cal.4th 1, 27 [82 Cal.Rptr.3d 323, 190 P.3d 664] ( Lindberg ).)
Defendant contends the evidence at trial demonstrated that he killed the victims as a result of an unconsidered or rash impulse rather than with the premeditation and deliberation required for first degree murder. (9) A murder that is willful, deliberate, and premeditated is murder in the first degree. (§ 189.) `A verdict of deliberate and premeditated first degree murder requires more than a showing of intent to kill. [Citation.] Deliberation refers to careful weighing of considerations in forming a course of action; premeditation means thought over in advance. [Citations.] The process of premeditation and deliberation does not require any extended period of time. `The true test is not the duration of time as much as it is the extent of the reflection. Thoughts may follow each other with great rapidity and cold, calculated judgment may be arrived at quickly....' [Citations.]' [Citation.] ( People v. Harris (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1269, 1286-1287 [78 Cal.Rptr.3d 295, 185 P.3d 727].) `Generally, there are three categories of evidence that are sufficient to sustain a premeditated and deliberate murder: evidence of planning, motive, and method. [Citations.] ... But these categories of evidence, borrowed from People v. Anderson (1968) 70 Cal.2d 15, 26-27 [73 Cal.Rptr. 550, 447 P.2d 942], are descriptive, not normative. [Citation.] They are simply an aid [for] reviewing courts in assessing whether the evidence is supportive of an inference that the killing was the result of preexisting reflection and weighing of considerations rather than mere unconsidered or rash impulse. [Citation.]' [Citation.] ( People v. Elliot (2005) 37 Cal.4th 453, 470-471 [35 Cal.Rptr.3d 759, 122 P.3d 968] ( Elliot ).) These three categories are merely a framework for appellate review; they need not be present in some special combination or afforded special weight, nor are they exhaustive. (See, e.g., People v. Brady (2010) 50 Cal.4th 547, 562 [113 Cal.Rptr.3d 458, 236 P.3d 312] ( Brady ).) Defendant contends the evidence at trial indicated that he accidentally nicked Corina, who then overreacted and accused him of trying to stab her. Then, as Corina fled to the bathroom, defendant contends, Powalka threatened to shoot him with the gun, so he disarmed her. Amanda then charged defendant, he claims, and in the ensuing melee he stabbed the two young women (and eventually shot Amanda in the head). From this, defendant concludes, he is guilty of manslaughter (on a theory of imperfect self-defense) or, at worst, three counts of second degree murder spurred by an unconsidered and rash impulse. While such a scenario might have been possible (although not entirely consistent with what defendant told the police), on review we do not reevaluate the credibility of witnesses or resolve factual conflicts; rather, we presume the existence of every fact in support of the verdict that could reasonably be inferred from the evidence. (See Lindberg, supra, 45 Cal.4th at p. 27.) Under this standard, the prosecution's evidence supported the verdict. (10) With respect to Powalka and Amanda, the evidence supports these first degree murder convictions: a trier of fact reasonably could have concluded that after defendant's initial incident with Corina, he murdered these two victims because they could identify him. (See, e.g., Elliot, supra, 37 Cal.4th at pp. 470-472 [the jury could have concluded a victim was killed to eliminate her as a witness].) Although the decision to kill Powalka and Amanda may have been formed quickly, a trier of fact reasonably could have concluded that defendant killed them in a cold and calculated attempt to silence them. With respect to Corina, the evidence also similarly supports a conviction of first degree murder. Although defendant claims he only nicked Corina, the wounds on her throat indicate she, too, was killed deliberately. Even under defendant's version of the events that night, Corina either retreated to the bathroom or he threw her in there. Defendant told the police that he then locked the bathroom. Defendant denied barricading the bathroom door with the chest of drawers, but a trier of fact reasonably could have concluded otherwise, as that certainly was a reasonable explanation (if not the most reasonable one) as to who placed the furniture there and for what purpose. Regardless, defendant told the police that Corina was alive when she went into the bathroom and he trapped her in there. From this, a trier of fact reasonably could have concluded that prior to returning to the bathroom to eventually kill Corina, defendant rapidly and coolly concluded he needed to eliminate her, too, as a witness. Defendant contends it would have been illogical for him to kill the young women yet let Maddox live. The evidence at trial, however, supports the reasonable conclusion that the two men were friends, and that defendant believed Maddox would not tell the police about the crimes. Maddox in fact did not report the killings and initially lied to the police when he was questioned. To the extent defendant argues the young women had just met him and thus would not have been able to identify him, which would have obviated the need to kill them (to eliminate them as witnesses), this rationale also fails: the young women all knew Maddox, and also knew Maddox knew defendant. Had any of the young women survived, they would have readily identified their assailant as a friend of Maddox's, which, as the evidence at trial demonstrated, would have led the police to defendant. In addition, the young women had spent much of the night with defendant, making it more likely they would be able to identify him, contrary to defendant's arguments.
Notwithstanding the sufficiency of the evidence to support his first degree murder conviction for murdering Corina on a theory of premeditation and deliberation, defendant contends the evidence at trial did not prove that he raped Corina, committed a lewd act on her by force, or attempted to do either for purposes of a felony-murder theory. As noted, in addition to the first degree murder convictions, the jury further found true that Corina's murder was committed during the commission or attempted commission of a rape [16] (§ 190.2, former subd. (a)(17)(iii), now (a)(17)(C)) or a lewd act by force on a child under 14 [17] (§ 190.2, former subd. (a)(17)(v), now (a)(17)(E)). Corina was 12 years old when defendant committed these crimes. In addition to instructing the jury that a verdict of first degree murder required the jury find that defendant acted with premeditation and deliberation, the trial court instructed it in the alternative that a murder is committed in the first degree if the killing occurred during the commission or attempted commission of the crime of rape or lewd act by force with a child. (See § 189.) (11) For felony murder, the required mental state is the specific intent to commit the underlying felony. ( People v. Friend (2009) 47 Cal.4th 1, 49 [97 Cal.Rptr.3d 1, 211 P.3d 520] ( Friend ).) The killing is considered to be committed in the perpetration of the underlying felony if the acts were part of a continuous transaction. (E.g., People v. Prince (2007) 40 Cal.4th 1179, 1259 [57 Cal.Rptr.3d 543, 156 P.3d 1015] ( Prince ).) No strict causal or temporal relationship between the murder and underlying felony is required. (E.g., ibid. ) The jury found true the special circumstance that Corina's murder was committed while defendant was engaged in ... the commission of, attempted commission of, or the immediate flight after committing, or attempted to commit rape or a lewd act by force. (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(17).) As with felony murder, there need not be a strict temporal relationship between the murder and the target felony for purposes of the special circumstance finding. (E.g., People v. Rowland (1992) 4 Cal.4th 238, 271-272 [14 Cal.Rptr.2d 377, 841 P.2d 897].) (12) An attempt to commit a crime requires the specific intent to commit the target crime (in this case, rape or a lewd act by force) and a direct but ineffectual act, beyond mere preparation, done towards its commission. ( People v. Rundle (2008) 43 Cal.4th 76, 138 [74 Cal.Rptr.3d 454, 180 P.3d 224], disapproved on another ground in People v. Doolin (2009) 45 Cal.4th 390, 421, fn. 22 [87 Cal.Rptr.3d 209, 198 P.3d 11].) (13) Intercourse after death does not necessarily negate the felony-murder rule or the rape-murder special-circumstance finding, as postmortem intercourse could constitute an attempt to commit rape, provided it was part of a continuous transaction and the intent to commit rape was formed prior to the murder. (See, e.g., People v. Lewis (2009) 46 Cal.4th 1255, 1299-1301 [96 Cal.Rptr.3d 512, 210 P.3d 1119] ( Lewis ).) The same is true for a postmortem lewd act. (See, e.g., People v. San Nicolas (2004) 34 Cal.4th 614, 660-661 [21 Cal.Rptr.3d 612, 101 P.3d 509] ( San Nicolas ).) Defendant contends there was insufficient evidence to support the inference that he intended to commit a sexual act on Corina. Defendant correctly notes Corina did not exhibit any signs of genital trauma, and no semen was found on her body or clothing. As noted, however, Corina was discovered with her shorts and panties around her left knee, her legs spread open, and with bloodstains on her thighs that were consistent with handprints. Citing People v. Anderson, supra, 70 Cal.2d 15, People v. Granados (1957) 49 Cal.2d 490 [319 P.2d 346], and People v. Craig (1957) 49 Cal.2d 313 [316 P.2d 947], defendant contends the physical evidence was insufficient to support a finding that he intended to commit a sexual act. Anderson, Granados, and Craig are dependent on their particular facts. Defendant, notably unlike the defendants in those three cases, at one point admitted to the police that he kind of helped Corina take off her shorts and might of touched her down there; he also admitted that he touched her during the course of removing her shorts and the bloodstains on her thighs were consistent with handprints. Thus, the case against defendant rested on more than simply Corina's nudity. (See, e.g., Lewis, supra, 46 Cal.4th at pp. 1290-1291, fn. 24.) Thus, a reasonable trier of fact could have relied upon the physical evidence, coupled with defendant's (albeit somewhat equivocal) admission, and concluded that he took direct action toward the commission of a lewd act. Moreover, Powalka, like Corina, had her shorts and panties rolled around her left knee; this similarity supports the inference that he harbored the lustful intent required by section 288. In People v. Holloway (2004) 33 Cal.4th 96, 138-139 [14 Cal.Rptr.3d 212, 91 P.3d 164], we affirmed a burglary conviction (and related special circumstance finding) where a conclusion that the defendant possessed the requisite felonious intent to commit rape reasonably could have been drawn from the fact that he entered the victim's residence after attempting to sexually assault another victim outside the residence. In this case, Corina's and Powalka's nearly identical states of undress similarly support the inference that Corina's murder occurred during an attempt to commit a lewd act with her. [18] Defendant finally contends there was insufficient evidence Corina was alive when he sexually assaulted her, or at least attempted to do so. A trier of fact, however, reasonably could have concluded Corina was alive during the sexual assault (or attempt), as defendant specifically told the police he instructed her to remove her shorts and then kind of helped her in doing so. For defendant to have so instructed Corina and then assisted in removing her shorts, she necessarily still must have been alive at the time. Regardless, even if Corina's death preceded defendant's sexual assault on her, a trier of fact reasonably could have found the assault and murder to be a continuous course of conduct, and that defendant formed the intent to sexually assault Corina while she was still alive. (See Lewis, supra, 46 Cal.4th at pp. 1299-1301; San Nicolas, supra, 34 Cal.4th at pp. 660-661.)
Defendant contends there was insufficient evidence he started the fire in the apartment with the intent to destroy the crime scene, and thus did not commit arson. [19] Defendant told the detectives he might have placed the bag of clothing on the kitchen stove and then turned on the burner. (14) Arson, as a general intent crime, requires only that a person possess the intent to burn (or cause to be burned) a structure (or forest land or property); it does not require an intent to do a further act or achieve a future consequence. (See People v. Atkins (2001) 25 Cal.4th 76, 87-89 [104 Cal.Rptr.2d 738, 18 P.3d 660].) Defendant, cursorily citing several cases, contends the prosecutor failed to prove the typical indicia of arson, such as multiple distinct fires in the dwelling, the presence of inflammatory materials or accelerants, a motive such as indebtedness, or a history of pyromania. Defendant here, however, admitted he starting the fire by placing flammable materials on a stove and then turning it on; in other words, this fire was not accidental. Consequently, a trier of fact reasonably could have concluded that he intended to set the apartment on fire. That his methodology was not the most efficient way to start a fire does not undermine the jury's finding that he intended to burn the structure. Moreover, given that defendant had committed three murders, his possible motive for arson was readily apparent: to spoliate the crime scene and create a distraction while he made his escape.
Defendant contends there was insufficient evidence he attempted to murder Powalka's infant son, Eric. Defendant denied knowing Eric was in the apartment, but recalled hearing a baby cry during the evening. (15) Attempted murder requires the specific intent to kill and the commission of a direct but ineffectual act toward accomplishing the intended killing. ( People v. Ervine (2009) 47 Cal.4th 745, 785 [102 Cal.Rptr.3d 786, 220 P.3d 820] ( Ervine ).) Attempted murder requires express malice, that is, the assailant either desires the victim's death, or knows to a substantial certainty that the victim's death will occur. (See People v. Smith (2005) 37 Cal.4th 733, 739 [37 Cal.Rptr.3d 163, 124 P.3d 730].) Defendant contends the evidence does not support the finding that he intended to kill Eric. Defendant claims he did not know Eric was in the apartment, as he told the police only that he had heard a baby, somewhere, crying that night. Eric's playpen, however, was next to Powalka's bloodstained bed. Given his acknowledgment of the presence of a baby and the location of the playpen, a trier of fact reasonably could have concluded defendant was aware Eric was in the apartment when defendant attempted to set it on fire. Furthermore, defendant placed flammable materials on a stove and turned it on, which generated a lethal amount of smoke and caused moderate damage to the kitchen. Thus, a trier of fact reasonably could have found that defendant, by starting a fire and then leaving the apartment, was substantially certain that the remaining inhabitanta helpless infantwould be killed. That the fire did not spread to other rooms, or that Eric was rescued before dying from smoke inhalation, does not undermine the jury's finding regarding defendant's intent.
Defendant contends there was insufficient evidence to support the multiple-murder special-circumstance findings, because for this special circumstance to apply at least one of the murders must have been in the first degree, and he disputes the sufficiency of the evidence to establish that any of the murders were of the first degree. (See § 190.2, subd. (a)(3); People v. Cooper (1991) 53 Cal.3d 771, 828 [281 Cal.Rptr. 90, 809 P.2d 865].) As we have explained, however, the evidence supports the jury's verdict that all three murders were of the first degree. As noted, the jury found true the multiple-murder special-circumstance allegation with respect to each victim. Defendant contends, and we agree, that two of the three multiple-murder special-circumstance findings are superfluous. (E.g., People v. Zamudio (2008) 43 Cal.4th 327, 363 [75 Cal.Rptr.3d 289, 181 P.3d 105].) Prior to the start of the penalty phase, however, the trial court explained to the jury that its three separate findings were to be considered as a single special circumstance. Moreover, the judgment reflects only one multiple-murder special-circumstance finding. Although defendant is correct two of the jury's three multiple-murder special-circumstance findings were superfluous, the trial court's instructions removed any potential error, and the judgment correctly reflects a single finding.