Pallares

I. BACKGROUND/PRIOR PROCEEDINGS

On July 16, 2013, Fong, along with co-defendants Robert Haven and Andrew Jeffries, were charged with various crimes, including the first-degree murder of Tony Ortega. According to the prosecution’s theory of the case, Jeffries and/or Haven shot Ortega in the back and head after they lured him to a secluded location under the pretense that they were going to steal a car together. Trial evidence and testimony also implicated Fong, who was Jeffries’ wife, in the plot to kill Ortega. On direct appeal of her conviction, the California Court of Appeals recounted the following facts underlying the charges against Fong and the evidence presented at trial: The People’s Case Amy Quillen and Jeffries had two children together. Quillen testified that, shortly after her oldest child was born, she and Jeffries began selling methamphetamine.FN3 A supplier named Bianca would drop off one to two ounces of methamphetamine every week or two. FN3. Quillen testified under a grant of immunity. According to Quillen, her relationship with Jeffries “had its ups and downs,” and there were times when he was abusive. In 2007, Jeffries beat Quillen, punched her legs and…