People v. Ireland
Seal of the Supreme Court of California
Decided February 28, 1969
Full case nameThe People v. Patrick Ireland
Citation(s)70 Cal.2d 522
450 P.2d 580
75 Cal.Rptr. 188
40 A.L.R.3d 1323
Case history
Prior history70 Cal. Rptr. 381 (reversed)
Holding
An assault cannot serve as the predicate felony for a murder conviction under the felony murder rule.
Court membership
Chief JusticeRoger J. Traynor
Associate JusticesMathew Tobriner, Raymond E. Peters, Stanley Mosk, Raymond L. Sullivan, Louis H. Burke, Marshal F. McComb
Case opinions
MajoritySullivan, joined by Traynor, Peters, Tobriner, Mosk, Burke
DissentMcComb

People v. Ireland, 70 Cal.2d 522 (1969), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of California that first introduced the merger doctrine in that state.[1]

Decision

The defendant shot his wife with two .38 caliber bullets and killed her. The defendant was convicted of second degree murder after jury instructions were given that included an instruction on the felony murder rule. The California Supreme Court reversed the conviction based on the merger doctrine. The court reasoned that the underlying assault merged with the resulting homicide in the sense that the homicide did not require a felonious purpose independent of that that required for the assault.[2]

References

  1. Bonnie, R.J. et al. Criminal Law, Second Edition. Foundation Press, New York, NY: 2004, p. 869
  2. Bonnie, p. 866
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