California v. Harden
Annotate this CaseInvoking California Penal Code section 1170.95, defendant Yolanda Harden sought to vacate her conviction of first degree murder. She claimed some 20 years later (and after recent amendments to the statute) that she was not the actual killer. The Court of Appeal found that the jury instructions and verdicts conclusively established, with no factfinding, weighing of evidence, or credibility determinations, that in 2001 Harden was convicted as the actual killer. That made her ineligible for relief as a matter of law, despite her contrary factual claim. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the order summarily denying her section 1170.95 petition.
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