People v. Felix
Annotate this Case
This case involved Jason Felix, who was arrested for a traffic violation in Utah where a consensual search of his car led to the discovery of a handgun, ammunition, and over five kilograms of methamphetamine. Felix became a suspect in two murders in Southern California while in custody in Utah on drug charges. Upon his return to California, Felix invoked his right to counsel during an interview about one of the murders. He was then placed in a cell with an undercover detective, to whom he made incriminating statements about both murders. The trial court denied Felix's motion to suppress the evidence from the Utah traffic stop and admitted his incriminating statements made to the undercover agent. He was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder.
On appeal, Felix contended that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the evidence from the warrantless search of his car and in admitting his statements to the undercover agent as he had previously invoked his right to counsel. The Court of Appeal of the State of California Second Appellate District disagreed and affirmed the judgment of conviction in its entirety. The court held that the traffic stop was lawful and not unduly prolonged, and Felix's consent to the car search was voluntary and free from coercion. It also held that Felix's incriminating statements to the undercover detective were properly admitted, as they were made freely to someone he believed to be a fellow inmate. However, the court agreed that Felix should be awarded an additional day of presentence custody credits and remanded the case to the superior court for correction.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.