LAKEPORT – The California Supreme Court has issued a stay for the beginning of the trial of Renato Hughes, a 22-year-old San Francisco man charged with the deaths of two of his companions during an alleged robbery attempt in Clearlake Park on Dec. 7, 2005.
The stay was issued to allow the court time to study a petition for review of an appellate court decision late last month that denied, by a vote of 2-1, a writ by Stuart Hanlon, Hughes' attorney, seeking a change of venue.
Hughes' trial was due to start in Lake County Superior Court Division 3 on Tuesday with the impaneling of a jury, according to the District Attorney's Office.
The case against him centers on whether he is responsible for the deaths of Rashad Williams and Christian Foster, the two men who were fatally shot by homeowner Shannon Edmonds as they ran from his house after an alleged home invasion to steal Edmonds' stash of medical marijuana.
Although it was Edmonds who shot Williams and Foster, Hughes could be found culpable for their deaths under a law that holds the perpetrator of a felony responsible if the felony is apt to elicit a fatal response.
How the Supreme Court's stay will impact the case, says prosecuting Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins, is anybody's guess.
"There is no way to know whether it has any meaning at all other than we are delayed," he said.
Hanlon has been attempting to move the trial out of Lake County because his client, who is black, would be tried in a community that is overwhelmingly white, a situation Hanlon believes will make it difficult for Hughes to get a fair trial.
On Wednesday, Hanlon said, "The Supreme Court is going to look at it and that's a good sign as far as I'm concerned. Hopefully, they'll agree with us."
Hanlon took his petition for review to the state's highest court after California's First Appellate Court ruled against him on April 26.
That judgment, in turn, followed a March 2 ruling by Lake County Superior Court Judge Arthur H. Mann against a change of venue.
The one dissenting vote at the appellate-court level was case by Judge Anthony Kline, who said he would have moved the trial out of Lake County.
The Lake County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People have been outspoken in their concerns about Hughes' ability to get a fair trial locally.
In a written statement e-mailed to Lake County News on Wednesday, chapter President Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit said, “With regard to the Hughes matter, the California State Supreme Court has made the right decision to review this case before the trial commences.”
She continued, “Whether or not the Hughes trial is held in Lake County, a fair, and impartial jury of Hughes' peers should make their decision based on the law, the evidence presented, credibility of the witnesses and instructions from the judge. The Lake County Branch, NAACP, ultimately expects the fair dispensation of justice in this matter.”
As a reason for the stay, Hopkins offered that the Supreme Court really hadn't had time to review the case. The court received the case on May 4 – eight days after the appellate court's denial.
"It's part of how a case moves through the system," he said. "The timing on this case was such that the Supreme Court didn't have time to review the defendant's request for a petition. I know from experience that these things take time. It plays havoc with our attempts to schedule a smooth trial.
"Our supposition is they (Supreme Court) need time to review and make a determination on the venue change. But that has already been turned down by two judges," Hopkins added.
No one is sure when the Supreme Court will return its ruling for either granting a venue hearing or upholding the earlier decision.
In the meantime, both sides met with Judge William A. McKinstry, appointed to preside over the case by Mann until a determination is made. They are due to meet in court again on June 1.
E-mail John Lindblom at
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