California v. Vela

Sixteen-year-old defendant Adrian Vela and one of his fellow gang members confronted two suspected rival gang members. Vela’s accomplice pulled out a gun and shot the two victims, killing one of them. Charged as an adult, a jury found Vela guilty of murder, attempted murder, and found true the related firearm and gang allegations. Vela made several interrelated claims of instructional error concerning accomplice liability, and Vela raised two constitutional challenges to his 72 years to life sentence. In the unpublished parts of its opinion, the Court of Appeal found no reversible error with respect to the trial court’s jury instructions. Furthermore, the Court found Vela’s sentence did not violate either the equal protection clause or the Eighth Amendment. In the published portion of its opinion, the Court of Appeal conditionally reversed the judgment because of Proposition 57. “Vela is retroactively entitled to a transfer hearing because his case is not yet final on appeal. If, after conducting the hearing, the juvenile court judge determines that Vela’s case should be transferred to a court of criminal jurisdiction, then his convictions will be reinstated. . . . But if the juvenile court determines that Vela is amenable to rehabilitation, and should remain within the juvenile justice system, then his convictions will be deemed juvenile adjudications. The juvenile court is then to impose an appropriate disposition within its discretion under juvenile court law.” View "California v. Vela" on Justia Law