California v. Powell
Annotate this CaseIn the early morning hours of January 5, 2013, J.D., defendants Jeffery Powell and Christopher Langlois, and a fourth person, J.P., forcibly entered the victim’s home and found him sleeping on a couch. Powell and Langlois and possibly J.D. beat the victim and the group then fled within 15 to 90 seconds after their entry. The victim died soon after the attack from a stab wound to the heart. The prosecution contended that Powell inflicted that wound. A jury found Powell and Langlois guilty of second degree murder, and first degree residential burglary. The jury found true the allegation that, during the commission of the crimes, Powell personally used a deadly weapon. The trial court sentenced Powell to 16 years to life and Langlois to 15 years to life. Defendants raised a number of contentions alleging instructional and evidentiary error, and also asserted that the trial court abused its discretion in denying a request to discharge a juror. Finding no reversible error, the Court of Appeal affirmed judgment.
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