Conviction Reversed in Deaths of 3 Passengers
A state appellate court reversed the conviction of a suspected immigrant smuggler tried for murder in the deaths of three passengers in a crash while fleeing authorities.
The 4th District Court of Appeal, citing a California Supreme Court decision, ruled that juries cannot base a murder conviction solely on the fact that someone was killed while a defendant fled police, it was announced Thursday.
The justices ordered a new trial for Antonio Sanchez, who was convicted of three counts of second-degree murder in March 2004.
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