People v. Coleman

A jury found defendant guilty of the first degree murder of Vincent Sulezieh and fixed the penalty at death. The trial court denied a motion for. a new trial or to reduce the penalty to life imprisonment and entered judgment on the verdict. This appeal is automatic. (Pen. Code, § 1239, subd. (b).) We also have before us a petition for habeas corpus challenging the judgment.

Vincent Sulezieh operated a cocktail bar in Newark, California. He borrowed money every week from a bank to cash paychecks of his customers, and it was “common gossip” that he carried large amounts of money on his person.…