People v. Blinston CA3

FACTS AND HISTORY OF THE PROCEEDINGS

A. Prosecution’s case

1. May 23, 2020 – Homer and Loreen S.

Ninety-One-year-old Homer S. and his 88-year old wife, Loreen S., lived in Los Molinos next door to their nephew, Frank S. Homer hired North Valley Tree Service to remove two large trees on his property. The company sent two crews to the property on May 18, 2020, to perform the work. Defendant was a member of one of the crews. North Valley had employed him for approximately four months. Defendant’s crew included Luis N., the crew leader, and John H. At Homer and Loreen’s house on May 18, defendant and John H. spent most of the day “running ropes,” bringing down wood and dragging brush to the driveway. At one point, defendant spoke with Homer. The crew was on site from approximately 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Five days later, on May 23, 2020, at approximately 7:15 a.m., Loreen stopped by a neighbor’s house about half a block away to drop off a bag of oranges. She stayed at the neighbor’s house for about 10 minutes and left for home. That morning, Frank was playing with his dog after waking up when the animal growled and looked at the back door. Frank looked out of the door…