Supreme Court of California

Defendant's conviction for first degree murder is affirmed where: 1) defendant has not established a due process violation in the jury instruction that defendant was conclusively presumed to have been sane at the time of the offense; and 2) although the instruction was erroneous under state law because the question of a defendant's sanity is entirely irrelevant at the guilt phase of bifurcated trial under section 1026, the error was harmless.

Appellate Information

• Decided 10/18/2012
• Published 10/18/2012

Judges

• Corrigan

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel