People v. Bell
Annotate this Case
Defendant was convicted of one count of attempted robbery, one count of second degree murder, and one count of hit and run driving. The jury found not true the allegation that a principal was armed in the commission of the attempted robbery. The trial court found true the allegations that defendant had served four prior prison terms within the meaning of Penal Code section 667.5, subdivision (b). Defendant raised 13 claims of error on appeal.
The Court of Appeal held that the section 667.5, subdivision (b) enhancement terms must be stricken and the matter remanded to the trial court for resentencing. The court also held that defendant forfeited some of his substantive claims and other lack merit. Finally, the court held that, if there is instructional error, the errors are harmless under any standard of review. Accordingly, the court affirmed the judgment of conviction.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.