P. v. Ortega CA2/7

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 17, 2013
DocketB235552
StatusUnpublished

This text of P. v. Ortega CA2/7 (P. v. Ortega CA2/7) 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
P. v. Ortega CA2/7, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 4/17/13 P. v. Ortega CA2/7 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION SEVEN

THE PEOPLE, B235552

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. NA084059) v.

ALBERT ORTEGA,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Tomson T. Ong, Judge. Affirmed as modified.

Derek K. Kowata, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Steven D. Matthews and David E. Madeo, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

___________________________________

INTRODUCTION A jury found Albert Ortega guilty of first degree murder, with special circumstance and firearm allegations found true. The trial court sentenced him to a state prison term of life without the possibility of parole, plus a consecutive 25-year-to-life term for the firearm enhancement. He appeals, claiming error in the trial court’s admission of his confession among other errors. We agree that a penalty assessment and parole revocation fine should be stricken but otherwise affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL SUMMARY At about 11:30 a.m. on November 22, 2009, Patrick McIntyre was working on his motorcycle on his front porch on the corner of 18th Street and Cabrillo in San Pedro when he heard a gunshot in an alley nearby. About 15 to 20 seconds later, he saw three young men running from the alley. Albert Ortega and his brother Joaquin were chasing a man later identified as 17-year-old Michael Alfaro. As he ran, Alfaro yelled, “No, please, no.” McIntyre was approaching to intervene until he saw Ortega holding a shotgun. Alfaro ran to the middle of the street and stopped, looking like he was about to collapse. Joaquin stopped, but Ortega followed Alfaro into the street. Alfaro was unarmed and pleaded with Ortega as he approached: “No, please, dog, don’t shoot me.” Ortega held the shotgun within six inches of Alfaro and shot him. McIntyre got on his motorcycle and followed Ortega as he ran but lost him in the alley. Lindsey Harper heard two gunshots and ran to her balcony where she saw Ortega. Eve Lorentzen and Anthony Dobay were also witnesses to these events and identified Ortega as well. A 9-1-1 operator received a call about the shooting at 11:30 a.m. Alfaro was found dead at the corner of 18th Street and Cabrillo, lying in a pool of blood. He died

from gunshot wounds to the back and shoulder.1 Multiple shotgun pellets were recovered, and there was little “spread” which meant Alfaro was shot at very close range. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers responded, and at about 3:00 p.m., Margaret Perez approached LAPD Officer Joseph Sellner. Based on information from Perez, a canine officer (Jeff Miller) and his dog Lana searched the area for gunpowder. Lana alerted Miller to a trashcan behind Ortega’s building. When Miller opened the trashcan and pulled out a black bag, his dog alerted to the bag as well. The bag contained a 12-gauge shotgun containing one live round, three live shells inside a sock and two expended shell casings. There was a bloodstain on the sawed-off barrel of the shotgun. Altering a shotgun in such a manner makes it difficult to load and easy for a shooter to catch the web of his hand in the mechanism. The black bag also contained a box cutter, several pairs of gloves, a red devil hooded Halloween mask, a bandana and black knit head covering. One right hand glove had bloodstains and a hole at the web. Officers also noted blood at the scene, with a blood trial leading from the alley to 18th Street, blood at the corner of 18th Street and Cabrillo and a trail leading to 17th Street and Ortega’s residence. Inside the building, there was blood on the stairway handrail leading up to Ortega’s apartment. There was blood on the inner doorknob and bloodstains on the floor leading to the bathroom. Based on witness statements and the blood trail, police officers went to Ortega’s apartment. Ortega opened the door; Joaquin was in a bedroom. The two were detained outside while officers searched the apartment pursuant to a warrant. Officers recovered

1 The first shotgun wound was a gaping but nonfatal shoulder wound. A person receiving such a wound could remain ambulatory for a time afterward. The second wound was a fatal shotgun wound to the midback. It completely severed Alfaro’s spinal cord, with pellets also perforating his aorta and lung. The second wound caused Alfaro to bleed out very quickly and was rapidly fatal.

Ortega’s cell phone, a black cap covered in Ajax and a jersey with a hole consistent with shooting a shotgun through it. Ortega had a cut on the web of his right hand covered by a bandage.2 Detective David Cortez interviewed Ortega’s sister Erica that night. While she and her mother were out, she said, Ortega called and told them to come home. He said he did “something bad.” She said Ortega was angry because he had been stabbed and almost died two years earlier. She said Ortega “kept wanting to get the guy who did it but my mom kept saying no. . . . He said that the guy that they killed supposedly or whatever I guess called my brothers to get something from them.” She said “some Black guy” called “Dodge” had stabbed Ortega, and Ortega said the guy he shot was Dodge’s cousin. A few months earlier, she said, Ortega and Joaquin told their mother about seeing this guy at a bus stop, and she said “you guys are crazy.” “We said that [Ortega] was being crazy and that you think everyone is that person—that person cannot be him.” Ortega told Erica that Alfaro had “randomly” called and wanted to buy “weed or something” from Ortega and Joaquin. They had been waiting this whole time to pay someone back. When they met up with Alfaro, Ortega and Joaquin “didn’t wait” and shot him. Ortega was charged with one count of murder in violation of Penal Code section 187, subdivision (a), with the special allegation he killed Alfaro by means of lying in wait within the meaning of section 190.2, subdivision (a)(15).3 It was further alleged Ortega personally discharged a firearm within the meaning of section 12022.53, subdivisions (b), (c) and (d).

2 It was stipulated that the blood evidence from the shotgun and bathroom matched Ortega’s DNA.

3 All undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

At trial, the People presented evidence of the facts summarized above. The jury heard Erica’s recorded interview as well as evidence of the cell phone exchanges between Ortega and his family. Within minutes of the 11:30 a.m. shooting, Ortega, Joaquin, Erica and Angelina (their mother) exchanged multiple text messages and phone calls. At 11:33 a.m., a call was made from Ortega’s cell phone to Erica’s phone. At 11:45 a.m., she texted Ortega: “Don’t get extra clothes. Just change outfits.” At 11:47 a.m., she texted: “Don’t say nothing to anyone.” At 12:17 and 12:25 p.m., Ortega texted his mother: “Change Wakka’s cell.”4 He sent the same text message to Erica at 12:19 p.m. At 12:25 p.m., Joaquin’s cell phone number stopped receiving calls and text messages; at 12:29 p.m., calls and texts resumed on Joaquin’s other cell phone number. At 12:27 p.m., Erica texted Ortega: “We did.” At 12:29 p.m., Erica texted: “By Jrs.

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P. v. Ortega CA2/7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/p-v-ortega-ca27-calctapp-2013.