P. v. Williams CA2/5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 9, 2013
DocketB240657
StatusUnpublished

This text of P. v. Williams CA2/5 (P. v. Williams CA2/5) 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. Williams CA2/5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 8/9/13 P. v. Williams CA2/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FIVE

THE PEOPLE, B240657

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. SA073548) v.

GARY WAYNE WILLIAMS,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Cynthia Rayvis, Judge. Modified in part, affirmed in part and remanded with directions. Linda Acaldo, 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, Assistant Attorney General, Margaret E. Mazwell, Yun K. Lee and Thomas C. Hsieh, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. I. INTRODUCTION

A jury convicted defendant, Gary Wayne Williams, of two counts of first degree burglary (Pen. Code,1 § 459) and three counts of first degree home invasion robbery (§ 211). The jury further found there was another person present at the time of the burglaries and a principal was armed with a handgun in the commission of each offense. (§§ 460, subd. (a), 667.5, subd. (c)(21), 12022, subd. (a)(1).). The trial court found defendant had two prior serious or violent felony convictions (§§ 667, subds. (a)(1), (b)-(i), 1170.12) and had served prior separate prison terms (§ 667.5, subd. (b)). Defendant was sentenced to 24 years in state prison. We modify the judgment with respect to assessments and custody credit. We remand for an ability to pay hearing with respect to the local crime prevention programs fine (§ 1202.5, subd. (a)) and applicable penalties. We affirm the judgment in all other respects.

II. THE EVIDENCE

On January 29, 2010, near midnight, Jeffrey Glassberg and Jason Zelazny were at home in their living room in Santa Monica. A friend, Zachary Rittner, was visiting. Three men broke into the residence by kicking in the front door. They ordered the victims to keep their heads down. One of the intruders, later identified as Kenneth Kashey, was armed with a handgun. A second robber was subsequently identified as Richard Muse. None of the victims visually identified defendant as one of the three robbers. However, at trial, Mr. Zelazny identified defendant. The identification was based upon defendant‘s distinct voice. The robbers took marijuana and cash belonging to Mr. Zelazny, some video games, and the victims‘ wallets and cellular telephones.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code except where otherwise noted.

2 There was circumstantial evidence—cellular telephone records—that at times corresponding to the robbery, repeated calls were made between: defendant‘s telephone; Mr. Kashey‘s telephone; and a third number listed as a contact in defendant‘s telephone. In addition, evidence from a cellular telephone tower was introduced. The evidence indicated defendant‘s cellular telephone traveled to Santa Monica and back at times also corresponding to the robbery.

III. DISCUSSION

A. The Standard of Review

On appeal, defendant argues it was error to deny his new trial motion in which he asserted federal constitutional error. In his new trial motion, defendant argued: his alleged co-perpetrators should not have testified before the jury; the trial court should not have required defendant to speak in front of the jury; and it was error to give an aiding and abetting instruction. On appeal, our review is for an abuse of discretion. (People v. Homick (2012) 55 Cal.4th 816, 894; People v. Hoyos (2007) 41 Cal.4th 872, 917, fn. 27, abrogated on another point in People v. McKinnon (2011) 52 Cal.4th 610, 636-643.) The abuse of discretion standard of review extends to cases in which constitutional claims are raised on appeal from a new trial denial. (People v. Hoyos, supra, 41 Cal.4th at p. 917, fn. 27.)

B. The In-Court Voice Identification

At trial, Mr. Zelazny testified that during the robbery one of the perpetrators asked, ―Who is the kingpin around here?‖ Mr. Zelazny further testified, ―I know for sure [the speaker] was not the gunman based on the voice.‖ The prosecutor subsequently asked Mr. Zelazny whether any of the intruders were in the courtroom. Mr. Zelazny responded: ―I don‘t recognize anybody in this courtroom today. But if I heard the same

3 voice, I might be able to recognize that.‖ The prosecutor then requested a voice demonstration, ―Your Honor, at this time I‘d ask that the defendant give a voice demonstration of a phrase that the witness has testified about during the course of the events.‖ Over defendant‘s objection, the trial court subsequently ordered defendant to stand and say ―Who is the kingpin around here?‖ before the jury. After defendant complied, Mr. Zelazny testified, ―That voice sounds familiar.‖ He was asked, ―Are you able to say whether or not it is one of the voices of one of the robbers?‖ Mr. Zelazny responded, ―It sounds like the same, yeah, person.‖ The prosecutor inquired, ―Now, are you sure about that?‖ Mr. Zelazny responded, ―Yes.‖ In his defense, defendant presented opinion-based testimony as to the reliability of voice identifications. On appeal, defendant suggests the prosecution withheld the information that Mr. Zelazny could identify defendant‘s voice. Defendant further argues, as he did in his new trial motion, that the prosecution had a duty to conduct a pretrial voice identification lineup prior to the in-court voice identification. We find no abuse of discretion. We first consider defendant‘s suggestion he was ―ambushed‖ by the evidence concerning his voice. Defendant concedes his voice was ―extremely‖ distinctive. There was no indication prior to trial, in the police reports or the victims‘ statements, that one of the robbers had spoken in a distinctive voice. As the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District observed in People v. Bell (1998) 61 Cal.App.4th 282, 291: ―While we prohibit trial by ambush, surprises may still sometimes happen at trial. Here, there is no evidence in the record from which we could reasonably infer the prosecutor knew [the witness] would be able to identify [the defendant] at trial. Thus, there is nothing patently erroneous about the trial court‘s ruling [refusing to exclude the testimony].‖ Here, there is no showing the prosecutor had advance knowledge Mr. Zelazny could identify defendant‘s voice. The trial court could reasonably conclude the prosecution had not expected, contemplated nor intended to ambush the defense. We turn to the pretrial voice identification lineup claim. As a matter of due process, a trial court has broad discretion to require the prosecution to conduct a pretrial voice identification lineup when: eyewitness identification is a material issue; there is a

4 reasonable likelihood of mistaken identity which a voice lineup would tend to resolve; and the defendant has made a timely motion to compel a lineup. (People v. Mena (2012) 54 Cal.4th 146, 148, 151-152; People v. Baines (1981) 30 Cal.3d 143, 147-148; Evans v. Superior Court (1974) 11 Cal.3d 617, 625; Garcia v. Superior Court (1991) 1 Cal.App.4th 979, 988; People v. Vallez (1978) 80 Cal.App.3d 46, 56.) The source of this due process right is the California not the United States Constitution. (People v. Mena, supra, 54 Cal.4th at pp.

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P. v. Williams CA2/5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/p-v-williams-ca25-calctapp-2013.