People v. Lloyd CA2/3

BACKGROUND

I. The murder and Lloyd’s conviction3

On May 3, 1992, 16-year-old M.H. spent the afternoon with friends at the Mendoza residence on West 98th Street in Los Angeles. In the early evening, she went to the nearby residence of codefendant Ramon Lopez. Lloyd, Lopez, and codefendant Joel Cortez, as well as other persons, were present. The group began playing “spin the bottle.” As part of the game, M.H. removed her pants, but refused to remove her pantyhose or underwear. When Cortez and another person went into a bedroom, M.H. went to the bedroom door to see what was going on inside. Cortez—armed with a .380 firearm—pulled her into the room; Lloyd and Lopez followed. All three defendants then “socked” M.H. in the face repeatedly and tried to remove her underwear. Cortez hit her in the mouth with his gun. Screaming, M.H. begged the men not to rape her. Cortez retrieved a radio from the living room, returned to the bedroom, and played music loudly. Ten to 15 minutes later, Lloyd and Lopez emerged from the bedroom. Lopez armed himself with a nine-millimeter firearm. Lloyd retrieved a .45 handgun from under a sofa. Both men loaded the guns. Cortez then exited the bedroom with…