(HC) Kyle S. Cooper v. D. Baughman

District Court, E.D. California·Decided July 23, 2020·No. 2:16-cv-03039·Unknown

Opinion

KYLE S. COOPER, No. 2:16-cv-3039 DB Petitioner, v. ORDER Respondent. Petitioner is a state prisoner proceeding pro se with a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Both parties have consented to proceed before the undersigned for all purposes pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(c). (ECF Nos 7, 13). Presently before the court is the petition (ECF No. 1) and respondent’s answer for merits review (ECF No. 17). For the reasons set forth below the court will deny habeas relief. I. Procedural History On December 17, 2013, a jury found petitioner guilty of three counts of robbery and determined that he personally used a firearm in the commission of each robbery. (ECF No. 17 at 21.) On June 5, 2015, the trial court sentenced defendant to a total of thirty-seven years in prison for the robberies, use of a firearm, possession of an SKS assault rifle, and for incurring a prior strike. (Id.) The sentences for being a felon in possession of a firearm were stayed. (Id.) Petitioner appealed the conviction. Appellate counsel filed a brief pursuant to People v. Wende, 25 Cal.3d 436 (1979), indicating counsel could not find any arguable error that would result in a more favorable disposition. The California Court of Appeal for the Third District affirmed the conviction. People v. Cooper, No. C079747, 2016 WL 12222756, at *1-2 (Cal. Ct. App. Mar. 29, 2016). Petitioner did not appeal the California Court of Appeal’s decision. Thereafter, he filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the California Supreme Court on November 16, 2016. (LD1 8.) The California Supreme Court denied the petition without comment or citation. (LD 9.) II. Facts Developed at Trial The California Court of Appeal for the Third District provided the following factual summary: On November 27, 2012, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Jag Singh was working alone at an AM/PM on Madison Avenue in Fair Oaks when defendant came into the store wearing a brown jacket and hat. Defendant told Singh he wanted Newport 100 cigarettes. Singh got the cigarettes and placed them on the counter. Defendant pulled out some bills and then reached into his pocket, pulled out a small black gun, pointed it at Singh and told him to “get back.” Defendant then reached over the counter and took money from the open cash register. Defendant left with about $400. Singh was able to identify defendant as the man who robbed him. Also on November 27, 2012, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Ramon Orozco was working alone at an AM/PM on Florin Road in Sacramento, when defendant came into the store and robbed him at gunpoint with a small black short-barreled revolver. Defendant asked for Newport cigarettes and, as soon as the cash register opened, he lunged over the counter, took approximately $230 to $250 in cash from the register and left. The robbery was captured on the store surveillance camera. Orozco was also able to identify defendant as the man who robbed him. On November 30, 2012, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Davinder Kumar was working alone at a Shell gas station on East Stockton Boulevard in Elk Grove, when defendant came into the store and asked him for some “GPC Red” cigarettes. When Kumar opened the register, defendant pulled out a revolver, told him to “step back,” took cash from the register, and walked out. Defendant was wearing a black jacket and a black San Francisco Giants baseball hat with

1 Respondent lodges the state court record here. (See ECF No. 18.) Documents are identified by their Lodged Document number, “LD,” assigned to them by respondent. blue accents. The robbery was captured by the store surveillance camera. Defendant was arrested on December 4, 2012. In his car, police found a Smith & Wesson snub-nose revolver containing two live .38 cartridges and three expended casings. Police then went to defendant’s home address and inside another of defendant’s cars, found a loaded Norinco SKS assault rife with an extended magazine containing 7.62 cartridges. The car also contained clothing matching that which defendant wore during the Shell gas station robbery. Defendant was charged with three counts of robbery (Pen. Code, § 211; counts one, three and five), [FN 2: Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.] four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm (§ 29800, subd. (a)(1); counts two, four, six, and eight), and one count of possession of an SKS assault rifle (§ 30605, subd. (a); count seven). It was further alleged that defendant personally used a firearm in the commission of each robbery. (§ 12022.53, subd. (b).) It was also alleged that defendant had a prior strike conviction in 2000 for assault with a firearm. (§§ 667, subds. (b)-(i), 1170.12.) On December 17, 2013, a jury found defendant guilty of all counts and found true that he personally used a firearm in the commission of each robbery. At a subsequent bench trial, the trial court found the prior felony strike conviction true. People v. Cooper, C079747, 2016 WL 1222756 at **1-2 (Ca. Ct. App. March 29, 2016). STANDARDS OF REVIEW APPLICABLE TO HABEAS CORPUS CLAIMS To state a claim for relief cognizable in habeas a petitioner must allege a violation of the Constitution or federal law. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(a) (A prisoner in custody pursuant to the judgment of a state court may seek federal habeas relief “only on the ground that he is in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.”). Title 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) sets forth the following standards for granting federal habeas corpus relief: An application for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court shall not be granted with respect to any claim that was adjudicated on the merits in State court proceedings unless the adjudication of the claim – (1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States; or (2) resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

(HC) Kyle S. Cooper v. D. Baughman, (E.D. Cal. 2020).

(HC) Kyle S. Cooper v. D. Baughman ((HC) Kyle S. Cooper v. D. Baughman) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Bank of the United States v. Halstead
23 U.S. 51 (Supreme Court, 1825)
Mapp v. Ohio
367 U.S. 643 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Oyler v. Boles
368 U.S. 448 (Supreme Court, 1962)
Stone v. Powell
428 U.S. 465 (Supreme Court, 1976)
Bordenkircher v. Hayes
434 U.S. 357 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Jones v. Barnes
463 U.S. 745 (Supreme Court, 1983)
Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Kimmelman v. Morrison
477 U.S. 365 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Ylst v. Nunnemaker
501 U.S. 797 (Supreme Court, 1991)
Heck v. Humphrey
512 U.S. 477 (Supreme Court, 1994)
United States v. Armstrong
517 U.S. 456 (Supreme Court, 1996)
Smith v. Robbins
528 U.S. 259 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Slack v. McDaniel
529 U.S. 473 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Yarborough v. Alvarado
541 U.S. 652 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Williams v. Taylor
529 U.S. 362 (Supreme Court, 2000)
Schriro v. Landrigan
550 U.S. 465 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Maxwell v. Roe
606 F.3d 561 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Millender v. County of Los Angeles
620 F.3d 1016 (Ninth Circuit, 2010)
Harrington v. Richter
131 S. Ct. 770 (Supreme Court, 2011)
Stanley v. Cullen
633 F.3d 852 (Ninth Circuit, 2011)