Court Opinion

ID: 9723098
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:02:24.604469+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:44.788020
License: Public Domain

ANDREEN, J.,* Concurring.
The majority opinion correctly notes that the holding in People v. Taylor (1974) 12 Cal.3d 686 [117 Cal.Rptr. 70, 527 P.2d 622] was expressly limited to cases in which “an accused’s guilt must be predicated on his vicarious liability for the acts of a previously acquitted confederate.” (Id, at p. 698.) The application of Taylor beyond its express language may be appropriate.
It is unnecessary to resolve this issue, however, because of a crucial distinction between the present case and Taylor. In Taylor, the court had before it the record of the trial in which the accomplice was acquitted. (See People v. Taylor, supra, at p. 692, fn. 6, and p. 697, fn. 13.) The court was able to determine from this record that the only theory upon which Taylor’s murder conviction could be predicated had been litigated and resolved adversely to the People in the previous trial.
We are unable to make a similar finding in this case. While we know that Guerrero was initially charged with first degree murder, we cannot *240determine in the absence of the complete record under what theories the jury was instructed to resolve the issue.
I would conclude that the doctrine of collateral estoppel is inapplicable to prevent appellant from being convicted of first degree murder because it has not been established that “the issue necessarily decided at the previous trial is identical to the one which is sought to be relitigated.” (Taylor, at p. 691.)
Appellant’s petition for a hearing by the Supreme Court was denied November 24, 1978.

Assigned by the Chairperson of the Judicial Council.