People v. Mendoza

Opinion

CHIN, J.

Defendant Juan Manuel Valdez was convicted of criminal offenses as an aider and abettor of the person who directly perpetrated the crimes. The mental state necessary for conviction as an aider and abettor is knowledge of the perpetrator’s criminal purpose and the intent or purpose of committing, encouraging, or facilitating the commission of the target offense. (See generally, People v. Prettyman (1996) 14 Cal.4th 248, 259 [58 Cal.Rptr.2d 827, 926 P.2d 1013].) We must decide whether the finder of fact, here a jury, may consider evidence of defendant’s voluntary intoxication in…