People v. Hickman CA3

I. BACKGROUND

Susan went missing in May 2019. A concerned coworker called police. Stockton Police Officer James Farthing went to Susan’s residence to conduct a welfare check. There, Farthing encountered defendant, who agreed to let him look around. Farthing found Susan’s phone on a porch or patio outside the house. He went inside and found a revolver on a ledge in the hallway. The revolver was fully loaded, except for two spent shell casings in the cylinder. Farthing took possession of the revolver and led defendant outside to wait for backup. As they walked, defendant admitted that he had used the revolver to kill Susan. Officer Farthing was soon joined by other members of the Stockton Police Department and the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, which would eventually take over the investigation. Defendant was detained in a patrol car. Farthing went back inside the house and found Susan dead on the floor in a front room. Defendant was transported to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department. Detectives Antonio Cortez and Robert Cleary conducted an interview, which was recorded and would later be played for the jury. Cortez and Cleary began the interview by asking why…