People v. Lee CA3

FACTS

Defendant’s Various Relationships Defendant has been married to Cynthia Lee since 1995; they have a teenage daughter named Deaja.1 They lived in an apartment at 2390 Oakmont. Defendant also had a girlfriend, Tanyia Harris. Cynthia knew of this relationship and had no problems with it. At times, all four of them--defendant, Cynthia, Deaja, and Harris--lived together. Cynthia’s friend, John Anderson, lived in the apartment upstairs. (RT 296, 552) Anderson lived with his daughter Regine; Regine’s friend, Iesha Fisher; and Fisher’s young daughter. Fisher was Cynthia’s sister. Anderson’s son Christopher was the father of Fisher’s child; he was defendant’s neighbor as well as Anderson’s, living in a duplex behind the apartments. Christopher looked to defendant as an uncle.

1 Because many of the people we discuss share the same last name, we will at times refer to them by first name.

2 Defendant’s Behavior Preceding the Crimes In the days before the shooting, defendant was not sleeping or eating and smelled bad. He was very talkative, made little sense, and appeared to be “foaming at the mouth.” He was watching “stress movies” and kept saying they (his family) were immortal,…