14.06.2013 Views

Appellant, William Satele, Reply Brief - California Courts - State of ...

Appellant, William Satele, Reply Brief - California Courts - State of ...

Appellant, William Satele, Reply Brief - California Courts - State of ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

not compelled as a matter <strong>of</strong> state or federal law. "Each juror need only have<br />

found defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt <strong>of</strong> the single <strong>of</strong>fense <strong>of</strong> first<br />

degree murder as defined by statute and charged in the information." (People v.<br />

Milwee, supra, 18 Ca1.4th at p. 160.)<br />

However, that cannot be the case here, as appellant has shown above,<br />

because the very language <strong>of</strong> subdivisions (d) and (e)(I) and Garcia's explication<br />

<strong>of</strong> the statute's requirements establish that the statutes authorize a sequential<br />

imposition <strong>of</strong> liability. The statutory language specifically provides that the<br />

prosecution is required to first prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a principal<br />

intentionally and personally discharged a firearm under subdivision (d) before<br />

vicarious liability for the aider and abettor under subdivision (e)(1) applies.<br />

(People v. Garcia, supra, 28 Ca1.4th at pp. 1173-1174.)<br />

Respondent's contention that subdivision (e) imposes liability for gun use<br />

on both appellants regardless <strong>of</strong>who did the actual shooting (RB at p. 190) is not<br />

supported by the law. The Attorney General's reading <strong>of</strong> subdivisions (d) and<br />

(e)(1) would make subdivision (d)'s requirement that the jury find that a particular<br />

principal intentionally and personally discharge a firearm meaningless. "<strong>Courts</strong><br />

should give meaning to every word <strong>of</strong> a statute if possible, and should avoid a<br />

construction making any word surplusage. [Citation.]" (Arnett v. Dal Cielo<br />

(1996) 14 Ca1.4th 4, 22; see also People v. Flores (2005) 129 Cal.AppAth 174<br />

(trial court's erroneous omission <strong>of</strong> accomplice limitation in Pen. Code, §<br />

12022.53(d) instruction in accomplice killing case required reversal <strong>of</strong>subdivision<br />

(d) enhancement).)<br />

Similarly, respondent's assertion that the jury need not decide which <strong>of</strong>the<br />

defendants was the actual killer in proving the enhancement because the jury<br />

convicted both <strong>of</strong>the substantive crime <strong>of</strong>murder is also not supportable. There is<br />

an obvious difference between the substantive <strong>of</strong>fense <strong>of</strong> murder and the gun use<br />

enhancement in that the substantive <strong>of</strong>fense punishes for the crime and the<br />

enhancement punishes for a particular manner <strong>of</strong> killing. In the case <strong>of</strong> the gun<br />

68

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!