People v. Reyes Martinez

In People v. Reyes Martinez (1993) 14 Cal.App.4th 1412, the defendant was charged with kidnapping. The jury was correctly instructed that an element of the crime was the victim was moved a substantial distance. The jury was then instructed, however, that if the jury found the victim was forcibly moved a distance of 500 feet or more, the movement was sufficiently substantial to allow a conviction for kidnapping. The court concluded such instruction an unconstitutional conclusive presumption. ( Id. at pp. 1417-1418.)