P. v. Real CA4/2
Defendant Francisco Humberto Real was convicted of first degree murder for killing Michael Cheatham in an apartment in Corona. Defendant worked for Cheatham’s medical marijuana business, and Cheatham owed defendant money. The prosecutor put on strong evidence that defendant beat Cheatham savagely on the back of the head with a skateboard. As Cheatham lie facedown on the floor bleeding, defendant removed his belt, wrapped it around Cheatham’s neck, and strangled him. The evidence also showed that defendant manufactured a makeshift suppressor for a handgun he probably stole from his brother-in-law and, at some point during the assault on Cheatham, defendant fired the gun but missed Cheatham. The primary cause of Cheatham’s death was blunt force trauma, and ligature strangulation was a contributing cause.
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