People v. Jones

Opinion

KENNARD, J.

In this murder case, the trial court removed defendant’s appointed attorney because the attorney’s previous representation of a man whom the defense suspected of committing the murder created a potential conflict of interest; the removal occurred notwithstanding defendant’s offer to waive the potential conflict. Defendant contends the removal violated his right to counsel under the federal and the state Constitutions. We disagree.

I

In February 1992, Boyd Wagner, a 92-year-old man, was found dead in his home in Cottonwood, a small community in Shasta County. Two years later,…