In Re Michael T.

A juvenile Michael T. was declared to be a ward of the court pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code section 602, based on the finding that he had committed the crimes of murder and attempting to intimidate a witness. He appeals contending that the evidence is insufficient to support the order.

Early in the evening of February 10, 1977, one of the two clerks at Dee’s Liquor Store in Los Angeles shot a boy named Glenn Hester. Later that evening in retaliation Kenneth Ray Washington fatally shot one of the clerks in the back while the latter was standing at the rear of the store.

Shortly before the shooting two persons who were standing near the liquor store were warned by Michael to get out of the way because there was going to be a shooting at the liquor store. Both of these persons gave pretrial statements to this effect.

However, at trial one denied that Michael was the person who had spoken to him and the other stated that he could not be positive as to the identity of the minor because he was drunk at the time.

Later in the evening, Anthony Hemphill was at a dice game near the liquor store along with Kenneth Washington and others. At trial, Hemphill testified…