People v. Diaz

Opinion

KENNARD, J.

This is an automatic appeal from a judgment of death. (Pen. Code, § 1239, subd. (b).)1 After defendant Robert Rubane Diaz waived his right to a jury trial, the trial court convicted him of 12 counts of first degree murder (§ 187), and found to be true 12 multiple-murder special-circumstance allegations (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(3)). We shall order 11 of the 12 special-circumstance allegations stricken as duplicative, but otherwise affirm the judgment.

I. Facts

On March 29, 1981, defendant, a registered nurse, began work on the night shift in the cardiac care/intensive care unit…