People v. Crawford CA3

FACTS

The relevant facts are largely undisputed and may be stated briefly. On December 8, 2019, about 3:00 a.m., defendant entered a forested area of Modoc County with a friend, Rex Kunert, seeking to cut down a tree for firewood. Defendant smoked methamphetamine a few hours before he and Kunert headed out to the woods in separate trucks. Defendant brought a shotgun in case they encountered a mountain lion. Kunert’s girlfriend, L., accompanied them, but remained in Kunert’s truck with their dog, Aurora. L. was asleep in the truck when defendant and Kunert walked into the woods together. Fifteen to twenty minutes later, about 30 feet from where they parked, defendant heard what sounded like a limb breaking. Kunert called out for L. to see if the sound came from her, but she did not respond. Defendant then saw a tail emerge from behind a

3 tree and fired the shotgun believing he was firing at a mountain lion. The tail belonged to Aurora. Unbeknownst to either defendant or Kunert, L. and the dog had left the truck at some point and also went into the woods. L. was hit in both legs with shotgun pellets. Aurora’s tail was also hit. Realizing his mistake, defendant took off his belt,…