People V. Richardson

Defendant Charles Keith Richardson was convicted by a jury of the murder of April Holley (Pen. Code, § 187, subd. (a)), as to which the jury found true felony-murder special circumstances for burglary, rape, sodomy and lewd and lascivious acts on a child under the age of 14. (Pen. Code, § 190.2, subd. (a)(17).) The jury also convicted defendant of residential burglary (Pen. Code, § 459), forcible rape (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. (a)), lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (b)), and sodomy (Pen. Code, § 286, subd. (c)), all of these counts also involving the murder victim, April Holley.*fn1 In a bifurcated proceeding, the trial court found true additional allegations that defendant had suffered prior convictions for a serious felony and a sex offense. (Pen. Code, §§ 667, 667.6, subd. (b).) The jury returned a death verdict for the murder. The trial court declined to modify the verdict (Pen. Code, § 190.4, subd. (e)), and sentenced defendant to death.*fn2 This appeal is automatic. (Cal. Const., art. VI, § 11, subd. (a); § 1239, subd. (b).)