First degree murder verdict overturned by First Appellate District in Ryan Salas case, defense counsel "ineffective", court "erred"

Ryan Salas was arrested in 2010 and found guilty of Jack Sovereign's murder in 2012.

http://appellatecases.courtinfo.ca.gov/search/case/mainCaseScreen.cfm?dist=1&doc_id=2044903&doc_no=A138588&search=party&start=1&query_partyLastNameOrOrg=Salas&query_partyFirstName=Ryan

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT, DIVISION TWO

Excerpt from decision:

"We conclude defense counsel was ineffective for requesting that the court not instruct the jury on the lesser-included offense of second degree murder and the court erred in failing to instruct on attempt in connection with the predicate felonies for felony murder. We shall therefore reverse the first degree murder conviction and felony-murder special-circumstance true finding. As we shall explain (see pt. II, post), we need not address the merits of the other issues raised on appeal or in appellant’s habeas petition, which we shall deny in a separate order."

Trial Judge: Christopher Wilson

Prosecutor: Paul Gallegos

Defense Counsel: Russ Clanton