P. v. Harrison CA4/2
Defendant Marquise Elliott Harrison was tried for murder during the early stages of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. After the first full day of evidence, during which the People had presented testimony from five of its witness, the presiding judge of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County and the Chief Justice of California issued a series of emergency orders that closed the courthouse for jury trials. When the trial was resumed over 60 days later, the trial judge found there had been good cause for the continuances and denied defendant’s motion for a mistrial. After the jury convicted defendant of second degree murder and found true certain firearm enhancement allegations, the trial court denied defendant’s motion for a new trial based on the same grounds as his mistrial motion and sentenced him to an indeterminate state prison term of 40 years to life.
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