People v. Portillo CA2/3

BACKGROUND

I. The murders, trial, and conviction3

Portillo’s convictions arose out of his and his accomplices’ attempt to steal drugs. In 1996, Portillo asked his girlfriend if a friend of hers, Curtis Reilly, had security cameras and guns at his house, because Portillo wanted to steal things from Reilly. Portillo told his girlfriend that he was going to do something that might be the “ ‘last thing he did,’ ” that he didn’t know if he was going to “ ‘make it out alive or not,’ ” and that “ ‘somebody may die.’ ” Over the course of several days, Portillo bought drugs from Reilly. Then, on the day of the murders, Portillo asked his girlfriend and another woman if they knew where he could get guns. That evening, Reilly was home with Donnie Aiken, Charlie Johnson, and three others. Hearing a knock on the door, Aiken opened the door to Isaac Pereira, Portillo’s accomplice. Pereira had bought drugs from Reilly previously, and he said he was there to return something to Reilly. A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Pereira let in Portillo, Ronald Cory, and Kevin Watkins. Cory pulled out a shotgun. Watkins had a knife. Reilly called out to Johnson, who then…