People v. Sanchez
Annotate this CaseAfter a member of the El Hoyo Palmas gang was killed by a member of a rival Sureño gang, there were several shootings, allegedly carried out in retaliation for the killing, by Sanchez, Rojas, Espana, and Castro. After a months-long trial, the four were convicted on 13 counts, including conspiracy to commit murder, murder, and attempted murder. The jury also found true all of the special allegations, which included gang allegations, firearm allegations, multiple-murder allegations, and a robbery special circumstance allegation. On appeal, each defendant raised or joined in numerous claims of error, including violations of the constitutional right to confrontation, erroneous evidentiary rulings, insufficient evidence to support the verdicts, and instructional error. They also asserted cumulative prejudice rendering the trial unfair. The court of appeal affirmed Sanchez’s conviction; reversed Rojas’s conviction for resentencing; affirmed Espana’s conviction; and reversed Castro’s conviction on one count, with directions and for resentencing.
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