People v. Superior Court (Du)

Opinion

ASHBY, Acting P. J.

Introduction

Defendant Soon Ja Du was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Latasha Harlins, a customer in defendant’s store. Defendant was sentenced to 10 years in state prison. The sentence was suspended and defendant was placed on probation under certain terms and conditions. Petitioner (District Attorney) contends the court abused its discretion in granting probation and seeks a writ of mandate directing the court to “impose a legal sentence of an appropriate term in state prison.”

In an indirect way, the District Attorney has correctly framed the…