Richard Loughmiller v. Kathleen Dickinson

MEMORANDUM

Richard Loughmiller appeals the district court’s order denying his petition for habe-as corpus, which challenges Loughmiller’s California convictions for attempted murder, first degree burglary, and discharging a firearm with gross negligence. We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 2253(a). We affirm.

Assuming, without deciding, that Loughmiller received ineffective assistance of counsel when his lawyer objected to a proposed jury instruction on the lesser-included offense of attempted voluntary manslaughter, Loughmiller did not suffer prejudice and is not entitled to relief. By convicting Loughmiller of attempted murder, the jury necessarily concluded that he intended to kill Arthur Weber. Thus, it is clear that the jury rejected Loughmiller’s claim that he merely fired a “warning shot” to scare Weber. Moreover, as Loughmiller acknowledges, attempted voluntary manslaughter also requires proof of intent to kill. See, e.g., People v. Montes, 112 Cal.App.4th 1543 , 5 Cal.Rptr.3d 800, 802-03 (2003). But Lough-miller disclaimed any intent to kill Weber. Thus, had the jury accepted Loughmiller’s theory that he fired a warning shot after Weber attacked him, it…