P. v. Cochran CA1/4
Brandon Darville Cochran appeals after a jury convicted him of voluntary manslaughter and found he personally used a firearm in the fatal shooting of Reginald J. Cochran has also filed a habeas corpus petition alleging ineffective assistance of counsel at his trial. Because the appeal and habeas petition involve related issues, we ordered that we would consider them together. Cochran argues (1) the trial court erred by excluding some evidence of Reginald J.’s violent character and his counsel provided ineffective assistance by not presenting the evidence of Reginald J.’s violent character the trial court did allow; (2) the prosecutor committed misconduct by arguing in closing that Cochran had not submitted any evidence beyond his own testimony that Reginald J. had a violent character and Cochran’s counsel was ineffective for failing to object to this argument; (3) the trial court abused its discretion by imposing the upper term for the gun use enhancement;
Comments on P. v. Cochran CA1/4