P. v. Bonner
Arthur Dvonne Bonner killed Angel Dews in the bedroom of their apartment by manual strangulation. His defense, which was supported by expert testimony, was that he had suffered a particular form of epileptic seizure that rendered him unconscious of what he was doing. The jury convicted Bonner of murder in the second degree, and he was sentenced to 15 years to life for the murder, plus a five year enhancement for a prior serious felony conviction.
On appeal, Bonner contends that his several motions for a mistrial should have been granted, based on a discovery violation by the prosecutor and improper admission of hearsay evidence resulting in incurable prejudice. He contends that the trial court committed prejudicial error by failing to instruct the jury on the unreasonable self-defense form of voluntary manslaughter. He also contends that his admission that he suffered a prior conviction was constitutionally insufficient to support the imposition of a five-year enhancement for a serious felony under Penal Code section 667, subdivision (a)(1).
Court find no error in the judgment of conviction and accordingly, we affirm.
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