P. v. Reynolds CA4/3
Appellant was convicted of first degree murder for fatally shooting her 96-year-old mother Gretchen. The shooting was preceded by many years of strife between appellant and her mother, but on the day it occurred, there was no arguing or friction between them. Appellant simply retrieved a gun from her car, calmly walked up to Gretchen, and shot her in the forehead while she was talking on the phone. Although appellant had been drinking before the shooting, the jury rejected her claim she accidentally killed Gretchen while trying to commit suicide.
At the time of the shooting, appellant was 71 years old. The trial court sentenced her to 25 years to life for the murder, plus a 25-year-to-life enhancement for causing death with a firearm pursuant to section 12022.53(d). The court did not impose sentence on a second enhancement allegation the jury found true, namely, that appellant personally used a firearm within the meaning of section 12022.5, subdivision (a).
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