A two-page criminal complaint against the fourth suspect in the slaying of Monte Sereno businesman Raveesh "Ravi" Kumra accuses Alameda resident Raven Chanel Dixon as being an accessory to his murder.
Dixon, 22, is charged with one count of harboring, concealing and aiding in the Nov. 30 home-invasion killing where
The criminal complaint, filed Dec. 20, alleges Dixon committed the offence "at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further, and assist in criminal conduct by gang members ... "
Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Kevin Smith is trying the case. Police authorities and prosecutors involved in the investigation are remaining silent as to motive in the killing saying releasing information too soon could compromise the ongoing inquiry.
Steven Clark, a legal analyst and criminal defense attorney, explained while the men are eligible for the death penalty, Dixon would not be. "Accessory after the fact means that after a crime has been committed you helped someone escape ... or you impede the investigation ...," he said.
Clark also said the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office appears to be using what's called the "felony murder rule," which means that if the men went to the Monte Sereno mansion to commit the robbery only, but Kumra died during the commission of the felony, the DA can use that against the men.
"Even if you're in the other room and one of the defendants ... killed him and you only went there to rob, not to kill anybody, you can still be guilty of murder under the felony murder rule, a prosecutor's best friend," Clark explained. "It's used as a deterrent to criminal behavior. Certain crimes are so inherently dangerous, like a robbery, that if you engage in that crime, you can be charged with murder, even if you didn't commit murder."
To read the entire criminal complaint for Dixon, see the attached PDF.
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