Photo: pamela_d_mcadams / iStock / Getty Images
In California, a recent legal case has tested the state's revised felony murder law, which raises the standard for convicting accomplices in killings. The California Supreme Court ruled that Louis Emanuel, involved in a 2012 robbery that led to a murder in San Jose, should be resentenced under the 2018 law, which requires a higher standard of proof for accomplice murder convictions.
Previously, California allowed prosecutors to charge accomplices with first-degree felony murder, even if they did not directly commit the murder. The law changed in 2018, requiring that accomplices must have "aided, abetted, counseled, commanded, induced, solicited, requested, or assisted the actual killer" or acted with "reckless indifference to human life" to be convicted of murder.
Emanuel was initially convicted of first-degree felony murder for his role in the robbery, despite not pulling the trigger. The Supreme Court found that Emanuel's actions did not meet the new standard of "reckless indifference to human life" and ordered his case to be resentenced. The decision overturns previous rulings by a trial judge and an appeals court.
The case highlights ongoing debates about the felony murder rule, which has been criticized for its disproportionate impact on minorities and women. Supporters of the 2018 law argue that it ensures only those with significant culpability are punished for murder. Critics, however, believe it could allow dangerous criminals to avoid appropriate punishment.
The ruling may lead to more resentencing cases as other inmates convicted under the old felony murder rule seek to have their sentences reviewed.