Ramon Flores's Case Summary

On May 24, 1992, Ramon Flores was working at a gas station that was getting robbed and was shot and killed. The man charged with his murder was Michael R. Pulido. He was charged with first degree murder along the felony murder law. That law states that killing during the act of a felony, in this case a robbery, is automatically first degree murder. The way I have interpreted the facts of this case, the defendant was the one who pulled the trigger and point toward him as the killer. To come to this decision, the jury had to conclude that the defendant had intent to commit a felony, killed during the act of a dangerous felony, and that the victims death was a foreseeable outcome of the felony. Ramon Flores was working the night shift, as cashier, at the shell gas station on May 24, 1992, in San Mateo, CA. Between the time of 1 a.m. and 5:30 am. Michael Pulido entered the gas station where Ramon worked and bought a can of coke, then shot him in the face with a 45 caliber colt handgun, killing him instantly. He then took the cash register. A witness told police detectives that around 3:45 a.m., he heard a loud bang, and yelling coming from the gas station. The witness could not make out what the yelling was about. The stolen cash register was found in bushes, along a roadside the next morning in San Mateo. Michael
In this case it was obvious that armed robbery is a dangerous felony. However, the fact that Pulido killed the victim before the money was taken could give the defense the argument that, maybe Pulido had beef with his victim. The killing could have been due to some long standing grudge or other issue. The only problem is the testimony of Pulidos Uncle that showed the defendants intent to rob the gas station first. The court could then come to the conclusion that the killing occurred during the armed robbery of the gas