People v. Kovacich

201 Cal. App. 4th 863, 133 Cal. Rptr. 3d 924 (2011)

From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

People v. Kovacich

California Court of Appeal
201 Cal. App. 4th 863, 133 Cal. Rptr. 3d 924 (2011)

Facts

Paul Ralph Kovacich, Jr. (defendant) was a violent and abusive husband to his wife, Janet. On one occasion, Kovacich’s abuse was directed at the family dog, Fuzz. After discovering that Fuzz had gotten into the trash, Kovacich repeatedly kicked the dog as an act of discipline. Janet witnessed the beating. The dog eventually died due to the injuries, and thereafter Janet decided to leave Kovacich. A short time later, Janet went missing. Over a decade later, Janet’s skull was discovered near a local lake. Upon testing, it was determined that Janet was shot with a handgun in the back of the head. The People of California (the People) (plaintiff) charged Kovacich with first-degree murder of his wife. At trial, Kovavich’s beating of Fuzz was brought up multiple times in front of the jury. The jury convicted Kovacich. On appeal, Kovacich argued that the trial court committed reversible error by allowing the admission of evidence that he kicked the family dog to death as such constituted impermissible character evidence.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Hoch, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 816,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership