Supreme Court of California

A finding of the special circumstance set forth in Penal Code section 190.2(a)(22) may be upheld when a defendant, while an active participant in a criminal street gang and in furtherance of that gang-s activities, has performed an act with an intent to kill that resulted in the killing of any individual; and, the sentence enhancement of 25 years to life in Penal Code section 12022.53(d) may be imposed notwithstanding the circumstance that defendant-s sentence for the underlying felony is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Appellate Information

• Decided 03/27/2006
• Published 03/27/2006

Judges

• GEORGE, C.J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellees:
  
• Christine Vento, under appointment by the Supreme Court, Los Angeles, for Defendant and Appellant., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Robert R. Anderson, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Pamela C. Hamanaka, Assistant Attorney General, William T. Harter, Donald E. De Nicola, Jaime L. Fuster, Kristofer Jorsad and Linda C. Johnson, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent., David R. LaBahn;  Bonnie M. Dumanis, District Attorney (San Diego), Charles E. Nickel and James E. Atkins, Deputy District Attorneys, for California District Attorneys Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Plaintiff and Respondent.