People v. Billa
Supreme Court of California
79 P.3d 542 (2003)
Relevant factsFree
Billa and co-conspirators set his truck on fire as part of an insurance fraud scheme, and one co-conspirator's clothes were unknowingly saturated with the accelerant fuel, causing him to catch fire and later die from his burns; Billa was present at and actively participating in the arson itself, distinguishing his case from precedent involving a co-conspirator who merely hired an arsonist and supplied fuel without being present at the scene of the arsonist's own accidental death.
IssueFree
Whether the felony-murder rule is applicable when an act of arson results in the unintentional death of a co-perpetrator.