Supreme Court of California
People v. Smith, S112442
In an automatic appeal of conviction and death sentence for first degree murder with the special circumstance of torture, false imprisonment and conspiracy to commit murder, the findings of guilt are affirmed, however the penalty judgment is reversed where during penalty phase, the court improperly excluded expert testimony about prison security measures for those sentenced to life without possibility of parole, and the exclusion of such evidence may have influenced the jury's penalty determination.
Appellate Information
- Decided 04/27/2015
- Published 04/27/2015
Judges
- CORRIGAN
Court
- Supreme Court of California