People v. Davis

The appeals in this case are from judgments imposing the death penalty and from orders denying motions for a new trial.

Lynn V. Peaster, night clerk in a Long Beach liquor store, was killed on the morning of December 23, 1953. He had been shot in the mouth, apparently about midnight. His body was lying near the open cash register drawer and his revolver, still fully loaded, was found near his head. He had a habit of reaching for his gun during a holdup, and in prior holdups had killed three men and captured others. The lethal weapon was never found. No one witnessed the shooting. Nothing was…