People v. Tran
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The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of first-degree murder and sentence of death but struck the enhancement that Defendant committed the murder for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang, holding that there was no basis for reversing Defendant's convictions or sentence.
After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder. The jury found true the gang enhancement and the special circumstances of robbery murder and torture murder. The jury returned a verdict of death, and the trial court denied Defendant's motions for a new trial, for reduced punishment, and to modify the verdict. The Supreme Court struck the gang enhancement and otherwise affirmed, holding (1) there was assumed or either found error regarding certain jury instructions, the failure to bifurcate, and the admission of hearsay and certain evidence, but each assumed or found error was harmless; (2) Defendant's gang enhancement was incorrectly imposed, but this error did not require reversal of the guilty verdicts or death judgment; and (3) there was no other basis for reversing Defendant's convictions or sentence.
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