What is sufficient to prove intent to kill in the context of attempted murder?

A statement of a defendant's intention to kill "has been found sufficient to prove intent to kill in the context of attempted murder." (People v. Morales (1992) 5 Cal.App.4th 917, 925-926.) But such a statement can be equivocal if the defendant has only taken acts to prepare to kill, and has not committed a direct but ineffectual act toward accomplishing the killing. (Id. at p. 926.) Slight acts done in furtherance of the crime will be sufficient; it is not necessary that the defendant take the last possible step prior to actual murder. (Ibid.) Obtaining a gun, loading it, driving to the victim's home, and hiding in a position from where the defendant could shoot the victim constitutes sufficient action in furtherance of the crime, even if a shot was never fired. (Id. at p. 927.)