What is the test for a jury to convict a defendant of second-degree murder?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Potts, S072161 (Cal. 2019):

rule. Defendant now complains, however, that the rule creates an intolerable risk that a juror may acquiesce to a first degree murder conviction. The hypothesized juror may believe that a defendant is guilty of second degree murder. But, the hypothesis continues, a juror may perceive that fellow jurors will be unwilling to acquit of first degree murder, and thus feel pressured to convict of that offense rather than causing a mistrial. (Cf. United States v. Tsanas (2d Cir. 1978) 572 F.2d 346 ["If the jury is heavily for conviction on the greater offense, dissenters favoring the lesser may throw in the sponge rather than cause a mistrial that would leave the defendant with no conviction at all, although the jury might have reached sincere and unanimous agreement with respect to the lesser charge"].) A guilty verdict on second degree murder, with a mistrial on first degree murder, is not an option; "the court cannot accept a guilty verdict on a lesser crime" unless the jury has "unanimously found the defendant not guilty of the [charged] [greater] crime." (CALJIC No. 17.10.)7

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