What is the burden of proving a defendant has been convicted of a serious or violent felony for purposes of section 667 of the California Criminal Code?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Warren, A149707 (Cal. App. 2018):

Where, as here, a criminal information or complaint alleges the defendant was previously convicted of a serious or violent felony for purposes of section 667, the prosecution is required to prove each element of an alleged sentence enhancement beyond a reasonable doubt. (People v. Delgado (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1059, 1065.) "[I]f the prosecutor presents, by [certified criminal] records, prima facie evidence of a prior conviction that satisfies the elements of the recidivist enhancement at issue, and if there is no contrary evidence, the fact finder, utilizing the official duty presumption, may determine that a qualifying conviction occurred. [Citations.] [] However, if the prior conviction was for an offense that can be committed in multiple ways, and the record of the conviction does not disclose how the offense was committed, a court must presume the conviction was for the least serious form of the offense. [Citations.] In such a case, if the statute under which the prior conviction occurred could be violated in a way that does not qualify for the alleged enhancement, the evidence is thus insufficient, and the People have failed in their burden. [Citations.]" (Id. at p. 1066.)

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