People v. Williams

Opinion

MORENO, J.

Defendant Bob Russell Williams, Jr., pleaded guilty to one count of murder. (Pen. Code, § 187.)1 He admitted the special circumstances of committing the murder in the course of a rape (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(17)(C)) and of a burglary (id., subd. (a)(17)(G)), but did not admit to the charged sodomy special circumstance. He also pleaded guilty to five counts of burglary and one count of attempted escape. At the penalty phase, the jury fixed the penalty for the murder at death. The trial court denied defendant’s motion to modify the death verdict (§ 190.4, subd. (e)) and sentenced…