People v. Kovacich
California Court of Appeal
201 Cal. App. 4th 863, 133 Cal. Rptr. 3d 924 (2011)
- Written by Kyli Cotten, JD
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.)
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