People v. Vines CA4/2

I. BACKGROUND

Over two weeks in 1997, Vines and others committed a series of armed robberies

at six convenience stores. At the fifth robbery, an accomplice shot and killed a store

clerk.

A. First Robbery (Hesperia)

On September 21, 1997, Vines and three others—Robert Mansfield, Brandon Hill,

and Tomas Lechuga—drove to a Hesperia convenience store. Hill and Lechuga went

inside and returned to the car. Lechuga went back inside, then Vines and Mansfield

entered with guns. They demanded money from the clerk. Before the clerk could put

money into a bag, Vines fired four bullets at him, hitting his finger. The group then fled.

Vines told the others afterward that he “didn’t really know if” the clerk had been hit.

During a later police interrogation, Vines admitted to shooting the clerk.

B. Second Robbery (Highland 1)

Three days later, on September 24, Vines, Mansfield, and Lechuga drove to a

Highland convenience store. Mansfield told Lechuga to go inside and see how many

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

2 people there were. Lechuga saw only one person, a clerk, but told Mansfield there were

two clerks. Vines said he did not want to go in…