People v. Hill CA1/2

BACKGROUND

A. The Murder Conviction In January 2008, Abel Martinez Mejia was shot and killed while waiting in line at a food truck parked on an intersection in Oakland. The cashier in the truck testified at trial that when she asked Mejia for the money for his food, a black man with his hair in little braids stepped between Mejia and the truck, grabbed Mejia, pushed him, and took out a gun. She testified that there was another black man standing by the front of the truck who also took out a gun. When she dropped to the floor of the truck, she heard shots close by. The cook in the truck testified that he saw the two men driving in their own cars, parking, and then approaching the truck. He heard one of the men say something to Mejia like, “Give me everything you have. Everything you have.” The man grabbed Mejia by his shirt, and Mejia stepped backward with his hands up. The cook heard shots, but could not tell who the shooter was. He saw both cars speed off, one behind the other. Hill and his brother Darryl were driving their respective cars on the day of the shooting. Hill’s girlfriend Nikole Meadows was in his car, and Darryl’s girlfriend Salah Davis was in his brother’s car.…