Michael E. Porcella, a 36-year-old attorney from Oakland, was shot and killed outside his home on Laguna Avenue in the Dimond district on the night of April 10, 2009, at about 11:30 p.m. Born August 22, 1972, in Santa Fe, he moved to Oakland in 1978, attended local schools and St. Mary’s College, and earned his law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in 2005. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2006 and practiced criminal defense in Oakland.

Police had been called previously to the couple’s home for domestic disputes, though no arrests followed. His girlfriend, Rennie Pratt, was arrested and charged in his death. At trial Pratt testified the shooting was accidental while she attempted to unload Porcella’s .45-caliber handgun; the prosecution argued it was premeditated. A jury convicted Pratt of voluntary manslaughter and found a firearm enhancement, concluding the shooting was not accidental but not premeditated.

Did anyone in the Dimond district at the time notice anything unusual around Laguna Avenue that night or in the days before April 10, 2009?