People v. Merriman
Supreme Court of California
60 Cal.4th 1, 177 Cal.Rptr.3d 1, 332 P.3d 1187 (2014)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Merriman (defendant) was indicted for the following crimes: the murder of Katrina Montgomery during the commission of a rape, the sexual assaults of Robyn G. and Billie B., and attempting to evade arrest. After his arrest, Merriman made statements indicating that he had fled from the police, because he thought he was being arrested for Katrina’s murder. Approximately four months after this first indictment, Merriman was indicted for using force or threat to attempt to dissuade witnesses who had testified at the initial grand jury proceeding from continued cooperation. The prosecution filed a motion to consolidate the two indictments. Merriman filed a motion to sever the murder trial from the other trials. The trial court granted the prosecution’s motion and denied Merriman’s. The jury convicted Merriman. Merriman appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cantil-Sakauye, C.J.)
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