People v. Pearson CA3

FACTS

Marie Oliver lived alone on Ellen Street in North Sacramento. She practiced her creed, providing small employment opportunities for young people in the neighborhood, like Russell. By Russell’s own admission, Oliver was nice to him and paid him to do yard work for her, even going so far as to invite him into her home. He knew the layout of the house and the fact that she was partially blind and deaf. Russell began his criminal career at the age of 10. By 16, he was a veteran thief and had served time in juvenile hall with another young thief, Pearson. There they plotted to rob Mrs. Oliver. They were released in approximately February or March of 2006. Conveniently, they were dating sisters, and although they lived in different parts of Sacramento, they spent time together on the weekends with their girlfriends. On Tuesday, April 11, 2006, Russell and Pearson planned to break into Mrs. Oliver’s house and rob her. They knocked on her front door, announced they were the police, and, when she did not open the door, they ran around to the back yard, looking for an open window. They used a ladder to climb onto the roof to look for a skylight entry. Russell was wearing his “Jordan”…