People v. Merriman
Supreme Court of California
332 P.3d 1187 (Cal. 2014)
Relevant factsFree
Merriman was indicted for murdering a victim during a rape, separately sexually assaulting two other women, evading arrest (stating he fled because he thought he was being arrested for the murder), and later dissuading witnesses who had testified against him at the initial grand jury proceeding; the trial court granted the prosecution's motion to consolidate all charges and denied Merriman's motion to sever the murder trial from the others.
IssueFree
Whether, if the evidence underlying joined charges would have been cross-admissible at hypothetical separate trials, a trial court may refuse a defendant's request to sever the charges.