People v. Anderson
California Supreme Court
447 P.2d 942 (1968)
Relevant factsFree
Anderson was convicted of the first-degree murder of his housemate's 10-year-old daughter after evidence showed a brutal, sexually-motivated attack with dozens of wounds spread across multiple rooms of the house, but the prosecution presented no evidence that Anderson had planned the killing beforehand, harbored a prior motive, or executed it according to any preconceived plan.
IssueFree
Whether, in order to establish the crime of first-degree murder, the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was the result of premeditation and deliberation.