P. v. Quintero CA4/1
A jury convicted Daniel Rodriguez Quintero of first degree murder with the special circumstances of torture and kidnapping for ransom. Early in the case, Quintero asked to represent himself. The trial court granted his Faretta motion and appointed the Office of Assigned Counsel (OAC) “to provide a legal runner and reasonable ancillary services.” Quintero later raised concerns about the efficiency of OAC and, on two separate occasions, requested the appointment of “co-counsel” other than OAC or the public defender. The trial court denied both requests and, approximately three weeks later, Quintero relinquished his pro per status. He was represented by a public defender at trial.
On appeal, Quintero contends the trial court failed to exercise its discretion to appoint “advisory counsel” and, instead, summarily denied his request as a matter of practice.
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