People v. Berry CA3

BACKGROUND FACTS AND PROCEDURE

A. Discovery of the victim’s body On Wednesday, August 15, 2018, Brandon Tatlow, an engine captain with the United States Forest Service, was responding to reports of a fire in the LaTour area of Lassen National Forest when he encountered defendant standing near a firepit in a cul-de- sac at the end of a service road. Tatlow saw a fire burning in the pit, with flames reaching about five to six feet high, which he attributed to the presence of accelerants or burning of foreign objects. Tatlow watched as defendant repeatedly walked back and forth between the fire and a vehicle (a Nissan Sentra), which was parked nearby with all four doors and its trunk open. Later that day, fire officials and investigators searched the firepit and found items of personal property, including a curling iron, hair dryer, cell phone, and laptop, as well as a perfume bottle, studded belt, clothing, jewelry, and other items that appeared to belong to a woman. The next morning, Tatlow and fire captain Devin Magee returned to the area and continued investigating. In a crevice in a rock outcropping, they found the charred remains of Anna Coker. Coker’s feet were covered…