People v. Acosta

95 Cal. Rptr. 2d 614, 80 Cal. App. 4th 714
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 23, 2000
DocketB132967
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 95 Cal. Rptr. 2d 614 (People v. Acosta) 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
People v. Acosta, 95 Cal. Rptr. 2d 614, 80 Cal. App. 4th 714 (Cal. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

95 Cal.Rptr.2d 614 (2000)
80 Cal.App.4th 714

The PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
Greg ACOSTA, Defendant and Appellant.

No. B132967.

Court of Appeal, Second District, Division One.

May 5, 2000.
Review Granted August 23, 2000.

*615 David H. Goodwin, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, David P. Druliner, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Carol Wendelin Pollack, Assistant Attorney General, Michael C. Keller and Rama R. Maline, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

Certified for Partial Publication.[*]

ORTEGA, Acting P.J.

Greg Acosta appeals from the judgment entered following his jury conviction of forcible oral copulation of 15-year-old Cynthia P. and true findings by the court of prior convictions of rape and rape in concert. (Pen.Code, §§ 288a, subd. (c)(2), 261, subd. (a)(2), 264.1, 667.5, subd. (b), 667, subd. (a)-(i), 667.61, subds. (a), (d), 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d).)

Defendant was sentenced to a prison term of 25 years to life pursuant to Penal Code section 667.61 subdivision (a), which was tripled to 75 years to life pursuant to the three strikes law, plus 10 years on the two section 667, subdivision (a)(1) enhancements. The court imposed and stayed the sentences for the two 1-year section 667.5, subdivision (b) enhancements.

Defendant claims the trial court erred in (I) admitting evidence of defendant's prior, uncharged forcible oral copulation of Maria R., and (II) tripling the sentence imposed, and imposing sentence enhancements for his prior convictions.

In the published portion of this opinion, we hold that defendant should have been sentenced to a prison term of 25 years to life pursuant to Penal Code section 667.61, subdivision (a), doubled to 50 years to life pursuant to the three strikes law. We also hold that only a single 5-year enhancement (Pen.Code, § 667, subdivision (a)(1)) should have been imposed.

In the unpublished portion of this opinion, we hold the trial court did not err in admitting evidence of an uncharged prior sexual assault.

BACKGROUND

Having just terminated her pregnancy at an abortion clinic, Cynthia waited for her ride. Defendant, a stranger, approached her and began a conversation. In response to his questions, she told him her name, where she lived, and her age. About 15 minutes later, Cynthia left with defendant and his three friends, two males and one female, to get something to eat. After the meal, defendant drove Cynthia home. They exchanged pager numbers.

Later the same day defendant asked if he could come to her home. Cynthia consented. Around 11:30 p.m., defendant called from a bar. Cynthia told him he *616 could not visit then because it was too late and a school night. Defendant said he would only stay 10 minutes, and Cynthia relented.

When defendant arrived in front of the house next door, Cynthia got in his car. Defendant said he was 27 years old and sold drugs. After a few minutes, defendant tried to kiss her. Cynthia pushed him away, saying she did not want to kiss him, but he persisted, pulling her toward him. Upset, she left the car. She returned when defendant said he would not try to kiss her.

About five minutes later, defendant pulled down her blouse. When she pulled up the blouse, he pulled it down again. She opened the door and tried to leave, but defendant grabbed her and pulled her back into the car, shutting the door. The door frame hit Cynthia's right eye. Defendant put his arm around her neck and held her against the seat. He leaned over her and reclined her seat. She was frightened. In a loud, harsh voice, he told her to take off her blouse. She complied. Defendant removed her bra. He was on top of her, caressing and licking her breasts. He rubbed her vagina through her pants. She told him to stop. He began to unbutton her pants. She told him she had had an abortion that day. He stopped, and told her "to go down on him" or he would go into her pants. As she resisted, he forced her to orally copulate him, repeatedly telling her to "suck it." Cynthia opened the car door and vomited, while defendant held her by the waist. He released her and she ran. Defendant said, "`This was a mistake,'" and left.

DISCUSSION

I[**]

II

We shall here deal with the "one strike law" (Pen.Code, § 667.61)[2] and the "three strikes law" (§ 667, subds. (b)-(i)). As explained in more detail below, the one strike law provides for enhanced penalties of 15 years to life or 25 years to life for certain sexual offenses where additional circumstances are present. One of those circumstances is a prior sex crime conviction. As relevant here, if a defendant commits a certain sexual crime and has a prior conviction for a specified sexual crime, he receives 25 years to life under the one strike law. Under the three strikes law, generally, a second strike calls for a doubled sentence and a third strike can result in a tripled sentence under certain circumstances.

The trial court sentenced defendant to a one strike law term of 25 years to life and, pursuant to the three strikes law, tripled the sentence to 75 years to life. The court also imposed 10 years for the two section 667, subdivision (a)(1) enhancements, and imposed and stayed the two 1-year section 667.5, subdivision (b) enhancements.

Defendant claims the court erred in tripling the sentence and in imposing both five-year enhancements. He argues, only a single 25-year-to-life sentence should have been imposed. His argument necessarily presumes the one strike law trumps the three strikes law and becomes the exclusive penalty. We conclude the two schemes operate jointly. One of defendant's prior convictions brought him within the one strike law and could not additionally be used under the three strikes law. The remaining prior conviction operated to make the current conviction a second strike. Having first imposed a minimum one strike term of 25 years to life, the trial court should then have doubled, not tripled, defendant's term under the three strikes law. The court should have imposed one, but not both, 5-year enhancements. The court correctly stayed the two 1-year enhancements.

*617 "About six months after the Legislature enacted the three strikes law as urgency legislation [citation], it adopted section 667.61 (Stats.1994, ch. 447, § 1), the `one strike law.' [Citation.]" (People v. Ervin (1996) 50 Cal.App.4th 259, 264, 57 Cal. Rptr.2d 728, fn. omitted, disapproved on other grounds in People v. Fuhrman (1997) 16 Cal.4th 930, 947, fn. 11, 67 Cal. Rptr.2d 1, 941 P.2d 1189.) Section 667.61, subdivision (a) provides in relevant part: "A person who is convicted of an offense specified in subdivision (c) under one or more of the circumstances specified in subdivision (d) ... shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life and shall not be eligible for release on parole for 25 years...."

The offenses listed in subdivision (c) include forcible oral copulation (§ 288a, subd. (c)), the offense of which defendant currently was convicted. (§ 667.61, subd. (c)(6).) He does not contend his 25-year to life sentence under the one strike law was improper.

Defendant also was previously convicted of violating sections 261, subdivision (a)(2) and 264.1, offenses listed in section 667.61, subdivisions (c)(1) and (c)(3).

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

Related

People v. Johnson
96 Cal. App. 4th 188 (California Court of Appeal, 2002)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
95 Cal. Rptr. 2d 614, 80 Cal. App. 4th 714, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-acosta-calctapp-2000.