[DOWNLOAD] "People V. Mendoza" by California Supreme Court * eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: People V. Mendoza
- Author : California Supreme Court
- Release Date : January 13, 1998
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 75 KB
Description
Defendant Juan Manuel Valdez was convicted of criminal offenses as an aider and abettor of the person who directly perpetrated the crimes. The mental state necessary for conviction as an aider and abettor is knowledge of the perpetrator's criminal purpose and the intent or purpose of committing, encouraging, or facilitating the commission of the target offense. (See generally People v. Prettyman (1996) 14 Cal.4th 248, 259.) We must decide whether the finder of fact, here a jury, may consider evidence of defendant's voluntary intoxication in deciding whether he had this necessary mental state. We conclude that the jury may consider voluntary intoxication as to both knowledge and intent in deciding guilt as to all the charged offenses. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeal and remand the matter for that court to decide whether the trial court prejudicially misinstructed the jury in this regard.