People v. Castillo

An information charged defendant with the murder of Guadalupe R. Rios. Defendant entered pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity and admitted a charged prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon. A jury found him guilty of murder in the first degree. Defendant withdrew his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and waived a jury trial on the issue of penalty. The trial court fixed the punishment at life imprisonment and entered judgment accordingly. This appeal followed.

Defendant contends that the trial court erroneously instructed the jury on the issue of voluntary…