California, United States of America
The following excerpt is from People v. Alvarez, B210418 (Cal. App. 2012):
To resolve this issue, we review the whole record in the light most favorable to the judgment to decide whether substantial evidence supports the convictions, so that a reasonable jury could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. (People v. Ceja (1993) 4 Cal.4th 1134, 1138.)
All murders committed "in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, arson . . . [are] murder[s] of the first degree." ( 189.) The mental state required for felony murder is the specific intent to commit the underlying felony. (People v. Cavitt (2004) 33 Cal.4th 187, 197 (Cavitt).) "The purpose of the felony-murder rule is to deter felons from killing
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