People v. Rivera

After a jury trial, defendant and a codefendant were convicted of burning personal property over the value of $50, MCL 750.74; MSA 28.269. Defendant appeals as of right.

On July 11, 1980, in the presence of a number of people, someone ignited the back seat of a 1969 Chevrolet Impala. This unfortunate attempt to ameliorate the Detroit traffic problem, the energy crunch, and the boredom of a summer evening was frowned upon by the owner of the car, who later testified that the car was worth over $50. She also testified that if she had chosen to sell the car, $200 would have been a fair price.

Defen…