June 24, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

State Appeals Court Reverses Local Man’s Murder Charge

A state appeals court panel Wednesday reversed a man’s conviction for fatally stabbing a longtime friend at a Santa Monica apartment, finding that a judge should have conducted a more detailed inquiry into what a juror told his fellow panelists during deliberations about his outside research into the difference between murder and manslaughter before he was excused from the jury.

The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ordered the case against Ryan Taylor Bright to be sent back for retrial.

Bright was convicted in December 2014 of second-degree murder for the July 11, 2012 death of Jensen Gray.

In its 12-page ruling, the appellate court panel agreed that the trial court “acted properly in immediately conducting a hearing to determine whether there was a substantial likelihood the misconduct had tainted the jury,” but found that the scope of the inquiry was “too limited.”

During the trial court’s investigation, one juror stated that the dismissed juror had not only looked up the differences between murder and manslaughter in the state’s penal code but also shared, albeit “in general terms,” the differences in sentencing for both crimes, according to the appellate court panel’s opinion.

Another juror appeared to confirm the account, the justices noted.

The appellate court panel found that the judge should then have tried to learn exactly what the juror had said to his fellow jurors during deliberations, but that “no such inquiry was made.”

The justices noted that the jury that heard the case against Bright was sharply divided as to which type of homicide Bright had committed and sent several notes to the court stating that it was deadlocked before eventually reaching its verdict.

Without a more complete inquiry into what the juror shared with the rest of the panel, “we cannot say with confidence his discharge and the court’s general admonition to the jury not to consider sentencing were sufficient to cure the taint caused by the misconduct. Under the circumstances, without confidence in the impartiality of the jury, we have no choice but to reverse the judgment,” Presiding Justice Dennis M. Perluss wrote on behalf of the panel.

Bright was sentenced last year to 16 years to life in state prison.

The motive for the attack was unclear, but the two had been drinking and arguments between them had been escalating throughout the night, Deputy District Attorney Heather Steggell said after the verdict.

Bright — who claimed the stabbing was in self-defense — was arrested near the scene of the crime.

The two had known each other since middle school and attended Laguna Beach High School together, Gray’s mother told the OC Register shortly after her son’s death.

 

465988507

Related Posts

(Video) Food Fight: Chefs Join Forces to Raise Money to Protect Immigrant Families in Venice

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Estrano, Little Dynamite, Sunday Gravy, Kabob Senpai Answer the Call From Turk’s Pizza Party. Dave Turkel Put This Food Resistance...

Squatter-Plagued Beverly Grove Buildings Could Be Razed After Hazard Cleanup

June 24, 2025

June 24, 2025

Demolition of Three Abandoned Apartments May Begin in Two Weeks Three abandoned apartment buildings in Beverly Grove may soon be...

From Westwood to DTLA, Angelenos March Against Military Escalation in Iran

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Protestors Rally at the Westwood Federal Building This Weekend Following President Donald Trump’s authorization of airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear-related...

LAPD Sergeant Killed Assisting Crash Victims on 405 Freeway in Brentwood

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Tragic Early-Morning Collision Claims Two Lives, Including Veteran Sergeant Two people, including an LAPD sergeant, were killed early Monday in...

Recent Homebuyer Down Payments Slip for First Time in Nearly Two Years

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

April’s Median Down Payment Fell as Buyers Lean Toward Lower-Cost Homes The median down payment made by U.S. homebuyers dropped...

Del Rey Affordable Housing Project to Rise on Former Charter School Site

June 23, 2025

June 23, 2025

Community Corp., Local Faith Group Team Up to Build 122 New Apartments Plans are moving forward for a new residential...

Paris Hilton Buys Mark Wahlberg’s Beverly Park Mansion for $63.1M

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

The Heiress and Media Mogul Joins a Star-Studded Neighborhood Paris Hilton and husband Carter Reum have purchased a high-profile estate...

A.O.C. Brentwood to Close After 16 Years on San Vicente Boulevard

June 22, 2025

June 22, 2025

Chef Goin and Styne Cite Unsustainably High Rent in Decision to Close  A.O.C. Brentwood, the acclaimed Westside outpost from James...

Weekend Lane Closures on PCH in Malibu Could Snarl Summer Beach Traffic

June 21, 2025

June 21, 2025

Army Corps Work Triggers Weekend Closure on Pacific Coast Highway Motorists traveling along Pacific Coast Highway this weekend should prepare...

LA City Councilwomen Yaroslavsky and Jurado Call for Legal Action Against Federal Immigration Raids

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

City Motion Targets Alleged Unconstitutional Tactics, End Qualified Immunity for Fed Officers  City Councilmembers Katy Yaroslavsky and Ysabel Jurado introduced...

All Aboard to LAX: Metro Opens Game-Changing Transit Hub Ahead of Global Events

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

 New LAX/Metro Transit Center Comes Closer to Connecting Metro Directly to LAX The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro)...

Princess Diana’s Largest Wardrobe Auction Set for Beverly Hills

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Over 200 Royal Garments to Hit the Auction Block for Charity More than 200 garments and royal artifacts, including the...

Queer Beauty Through the Ages: Getty Hosts Lecture on Greek Art’s Influence on LGBTQ Aesthetics

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Art Historian to Trace Homoerotic Imagery From Ancient Greece to Modern Queer Identity As part of its ongoing Pride Month...

Food Fight on the Venice Boardwalk: Chefs Stand Up for Immigrants with Food

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

Turk’s Pizza Party Rallies Top Local Eateries for an Immigrant Rights Fundraiser In a bold display of culinary activism, Turk’s...

Navy Vietnam Vet Finally Gets His UCLA Commencement Moment

June 20, 2025

June 20, 2025

John Fong, 80, Missed His Graduation in 1968 While in Vietnam  Nearly six decades after completing his studies, U.S. Navy...