He Thought It Was His Cousin’s House. Was It Burglary? | People v. Hendrix (2022)

Can an honest—but unreasonable—mistake erase criminal intent?
In People v. Hendrix (2022), the California Supreme Court tackled this exact question after a man was convicted of burglary for walking into a home he thought belonged to his cousin.

⚖️ This video breaks down the Supreme Court’s ruling that a mistake of fact doesn’t have to be reasonable to negate specific intent crimes like burglary.
The justices reversed the conviction because the jury was incorrectly told that Hendrix’s mistake had to be “reasonable” — a legal misstep that could have statewide consequences.

Read the full case here: People v. Hendrix, 13 Cal. 5th 933 (2022), https://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/documents/S265668.PDF