People v. Sula CA4/1

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Prosecution Evidence In early 2021, 39-year-old Sula was living in a three-bedroom house with his 57-year-old mother, B.S., and his 24-year old nephew, S.K. The home had security cameras in the front yard and outside S.K.’s bedroom, which provided video footage to S.K.’s phone. The front yard camera notified S.K. when somebody was entering or leaving the home. Sula often carried a switchblade, butterfly knife, or another sharp object on his person. Sometimes he would carry other weapons, such as a hatchet, machete, hammer, drill or a kitchen butcher knife, and would “taunt[ ] [B.S. and S.K.] everywhere [they would] go, swinging it around.” B.S. and S.K. would lock themselves in their rooms and sometimes avoid

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 leaving to eat or shower when Sula was home. Sula’s demeanor toward B.S. and S.K. was angry and violent, with his treatment of B.S. being even “more evil” than his treatment of S.K. B.S. was afraid of Sula. In the months leading up to the incident, Sula had threatened to burn down the house three or four times. Sula also had pushed S.K. against a mirror, requiring S.K. to go to…