People v. Oudin and Gibbs CA4/3

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Trial Evidence Judy Munson, the 69-year-old victim, was Oudin’s sister. Munson owned a successful janitorial cleaning service and lived alone in a gated community in La Quinta. Oudin and his wife, Madelyn Oudin (Madelyn), lived in the Lakewood home of Constance Norrington, Madelyn’s mother. On June 11, 2011, around 1:00 p.m., Munson’s housekeeper, Blanca Pina, found Munson lying on the living room floor, her head in a pool of blood. Pina screamed and told her daughter to call 911. Several of Munson’s neighbors, including Vera Chernick, ran over and attempted to render aid, but it was too late. Police and emergency personnel arrived at Munson’s home around 1:40 p.m. They found Munson’s body on the floor. There was blood splatter on her face, and on the door to her home office. Her bedroom had been ransacked—dresser drawers were open and clothing and jewelry were strewn about. There was $2,500 cash in an envelope on her bed next to her passport. A purse lying on the kitchen counter also contained a large amount of cash.

2 A deputy coroner conducted an examination of Munson’s body at the scene, and initially ruled Munson’s death an accident. There was a…