In re J.M. CA6

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 21, 2022
DocketH048921
StatusUnpublished

This text of In re J.M. CA6 (In re J.M. CA6) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re J.M. CA6, (Cal. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed 9/21/22 In re J.M. CA6 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

In re J.M., a Person Coming Under the H048921 Juvenile Court Law. (Santa Clara County Super. Ct. No. 17JV42313T)

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v.

J.M.,

Defendant and Appellant.

After J.M. admitted that he committed a carjacking (Pen. Code, § 215, subd. (a)) and a robbery (Pen. Code, § 212.5, subd. (c)) and further admitted criminal street gang and firearm allegations, the juvenile court continued him as a ward of the court and committed him to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations, Division of Juvenile Justice Facilities (DJJ) for a maximum term of confinement of nine years. On appeal, J.M. argues the juvenile court improperly imposed the upper term on the principal count of carjacking, rather than the middle term as required by Welfare and Institutions Code section 731, former subdivision (c).1 The Attorney General argues the nine year maximum term of confinement is lawful because it resulted from the juvenile court aggregating terms from multiple prior sustained petitions. The Attorney General also points out that the juvenile court incorrectly calculated the maximum term of

1 Unspecified statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code. imprisonment on count 1 as 29 years, instead of the correct term of 25 years to life, plus five years. We requested supplemental briefing to address the lack of advisement of this indeterminate term on J.M.’s waiver and to address whether the matter should be remanded for the juvenile court to exercise its discretion regarding the firearm enhancement (Pen. Code, § 12022.53, subds. (d), (e)(1)) as discussed in People v. Tirado (2022) 12 Cal.5th 688, 699 (Tirado). As discussed below, we conclude the juvenile court did not err in imposing a nine year term of confinement. We also conclude that the failure to advise J.M. of the indeterminate term set forth in Penal Code section 12022.53, subdivisions (d) and (e)(1) does not invalidate his waiver, but the matter must be remanded for the juvenile court to exercise its discretion regarding that enhancement. Accordingly, we will reverse the commitment order for the juvenile court to do so and prepare a new commitment order reflecting the maximum term of commitment and maximum period of imprisonment. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND A. Procedural history On September 21, 2020, the Santa Clara County District Attorney filed a juvenile wardship petition (Petition T) alleging J.M. committed one count of carjacking (Pen. Code, § 215, subd. (a); count 1) and four counts of robbery (Pen. Code, § 212.5, subd. (c); counts 2-5). The petition made the following special allegations: (1) J.M. committed each of the offenses for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang (Pen. Code, § 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(C)); (2) J.M. personally used a firearm in committing each of the offenses (Pen. Code, § 12022.53, subd. (b)); and (3) in connection with counts 1 and 2, J.M. personally discharged a firearm, causing great bodily injury (Pen. Code, § 12022.53, subds. (d), (e)(1)). Petition T also expressly notified J.M. that the district attorney intended “to move for an increase of the maximum term of confinement by aggregating the terms of all previously sustained petitions.”

2 On January 22, 2021, the juvenile court granted the prosecution’s motion to amend the petition to dismiss three of the robbery charges (counts 2, 4 & 5), and to amend count 3 to include the victims from dismissed counts 4 and 5. J.M. admitted counts 1 and 3 of the petition as amended. He further admitted the criminal street gang and personal use of a firearm allegations in connection with both counts (Pen. Code, §§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(C), 12022.53, subd. (b)). In connection with count 1, J.M. admitted he was a principal in the offense and that another principal discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury (Pen. Code, § 12022.53, subds. (d), (e)(1)). At the February 23, 2021 dispositional hearing, the juvenile court continued J.M. as a ward of the court and committed him to the DJJ. The court set J.M.’s maximum time of confinement at the DJJ at nine years because “public safety requires that the Court be able to supervise [him] up until the age of 25.” J.M. timely appealed. B. Facts2 On September 10, 2020, San Jose Police received a report of an armed robbery, carjacking, and shooting which took place at approximately 9:30 p.m. The four victims told police they were standing next to their car when another car with three people approached them. Two suspects got out of their car and approached the victims. Suspect No. 1, later identified as J.M., asked the victims if they were “from the brothers” and if they “bang” before brandishing a gun and demanding they empty their pockets. When one victim refused to hand over the keys to his car, J.M. tried to take them away. The two struggled over the keys and the victim fell to the ground. J.M. handed his gun to suspect No. 2 and told him to shoot the victim. Suspect No. 2 said that he would shoot the victim in the leg and proceeded to fire the gun two or three times, hitting the victim “in the shin areas of his leg.” Suspect No. 3 drove off in the suspects’ car after the

2 Because J.M. admitted the offenses and special allegations set forth in the petition, we derive the facts from the probation report.

3 shooting. J.M. took the keys from the victim’s hand, and he and suspect No. 2 drove away in the victim’s car. The victims reported that J.M. and his accomplices made off with a cell phone and “some cash.” The following day, police discovered a social media account belonging to J.M. and saw he had posted a photo of himself, with a gun in his lap, sitting in a car like the one stolen the day before. The weapon “had a clear extended magazine” similar to the one used during the offense and J.M. was wearing clothing that matched the victims’ descriptions. One of the victims positively identified J.M. in a photo line-up as “the suspect who brandished the weapon, took the victim’s car keys, and drove away in the victim’s vehicle.” Police arrested J.M. on September 17, 2020. After being advised of his Miranda3 rights, J.M. admitted that he: (1) committed the robbery and carjacking; (2) drove the victim’s car away from the scene; and (3) possessed the gun used during the offense. II. DISCUSSION J.M. contends that the juvenile court improperly imposed the upper term of nine years for his carjacking offense rather than the middle term of five years as required by recently enacted Senate Bill No. 823, specifically its amendment of section 731. The Attorney General concedes that retroactive application of the amendment to section 731 is appropriate but argues that the nine-year maximum time of confinement was the result of aggregation of J.M.’s other adjudicated offenses, not because the juvenile court imposed the upper term on the principal offense. As discussed below, we agree that the juvenile court was aware of the amendments to section 731 and imposed the middle term as required.

3 Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436.

4 A. Applicable legal authority Sections 726 and 731 govern the physical confinement of minors committed to DJJ and “[b]oth statutes limit how long in total a minor may be physically confined.” (In re Ernesto L.

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In re J.M. CA6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-jm-ca6-calctapp-2022.