People v. Alaniz CA2/5

California Court of Appeal·Decided August 12, 2014·No. B252549·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 8/12/14 P. v. Alaniz CA2/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, B252549

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. MA054322) v.

JOSE REFUGIO ALANIZ,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, David Walgren, Judge. Affirmed and remanded with directions. Linn Davis, 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, Paul M. Roadarmel, Jr. and Stephanie A. Miyoshi, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. Appellant Jose Refugio Alaniz was convicted, following a jury trial, of nine counts of committing lewd acts on a child under the age of 14 in violation of Penal Code1 section 288, subdivision (a), and three counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 and more than 10 years younger than appellant in violation of section 288, subdivision (c)(1). The jury found true the allegations that the section 288, subdivision (a), offenses were committed against more than one victim within the meaning of section 667.61, subdivisions (b) and (e). The victims were Patricia K., Jasmine U. and Milly H. The trial court sentenced appellant to a total term of 139 years, 4 months to life in state prison. The court ordered appellant to pay a $10,000 restitution fine pursuant to section 1202.4, subdivision (b), twelve $40 court operations assessments pursuant to section 1465.8, subdivision (a)(1), twelve $30 criminal conviction assessments pursuant to Government Code section 70373 and a $300 sex offender fine pursuant to section 290.3, subdivision (a). The court also imposed but stayed a $10,000 parole revocation fine pursuant to section 1202.45. The court awarded appellant a total of 830 days of presentence custody credit. Appellant appeals from the judgment of conviction, contending the trial court erred in excluding evidence of Patricia’s prior complaints of sexual abuse and of a sexual relationship between Patricia and Milly. Appellant also contends there is insufficient evidence to support his convictions for lewd acts on Jasmine. Respondent contends there are several corrections which must be made to the record. We order two corrections to the record, as set forth in the disposition. We order the section 290.3 fine stricken, and the matter remanded for a determination of appellant’s ability to pay this fine together with other omitted penalties and assessments as set forth in section 4 of this opinion. We affirm the judgment of conviction in all other respects.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified. 2 Facts In October, 2011, fourteen-year-old Patricia lived with her mother Amber P. and appellant, who was her mother’s boyfriend. Patricia was in therapy. During a therapy session, she told the therapist that appellant had sexually abused her.2 The abuse was reported to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Patricia told the investigating officer that appellant had also molested two of her friends, Jasmine and Milly. Neither had reported the abuse. Patricia was examined by Bridgett Amis, a registered nurse and sexual assault examiner. She opined that the findings from the examination were consistent with the history she had received from Patricia. At trial, Patricia testified that when she was about six years old, Amber and appellant began dating, then appellant moved into their home in Westchester. This was sometime around 2003 to 2004, as Patricia turned six in September 2003. The molestation began shortly after appellant moved in. Appellant came into Patricia’s room while her mother was in the shower and told Patricia to put her mouth on his penis. When she refused, he left, but returned with whipped cream, which he put on his penis. Patricia put her mouth on appellant’s penis. The incident lasted about one minute. Appellant continued to molest Patricia every day. He told her to put her mouth on his penis and testicles and to stroke his penis. She complied. Appellant put his fingers inside her vagina “to stretch her.” He also licked her vagina and her chest and grabbed her chest and buttocks. He also put his penis in her vagina and anus. It hurt. Her anus bled. While living in Westchester, Patricia became friends with Jasmine. Jasmine was born in March 1995, and was about a year and a half older than Patricia. According to Jasmine, she and Patricia became friends when Jasmine was in fifth grade. At some point, appellant, Patricia and Jasmine walked to the liquor store. Appellant asked Jasmine if she would like to have sex, and if she had ever had a

2 Patricia also told her therapist that she had been abused by a neighbor when she was about seven years old and by Amber’s former boyfriend Marcos. This evidence was not admitted at trial. 3 “threesome.” Jasmine said she did not know what a threesome was. She also said she would not like to have sex. When they got back to the house, they all went in to the backyard. Appellant forcibly inserted his penis in Patricia’s vagina. Appellant then told Patricia to leave. He touched Jasmine’s breasts and vagina through her clothes. She told him to stop, and he did. According to Patricia, not long after the backyard incident, appellant put his penis in Jasmine’s vagina while the two girls were in the living room. He grabbed onto Patricia’s body parts at the same time. According to Jasmine, the next incident occurred in Patricia’s bedroom. Appellant touched both Patricia and Jasmine, and put his penis in Jasmine’s vagina. According to both girls, appellant also had sexual intercourse with the two of them on several occasions in the bathroom. Appellant would began by washing the family’s two dogs with Jasmine and Patricia in the bathroom. He would lock the door and touch the girls on their breasts and vaginas. Sometimes, he had sexual intercourse with only Jasmine, other times with both girls. Jasmine also testified that appellant had intercourse with her on other occasions when Patricia’s mom was not home. According to both girls, appellant also had sexual intercourse with them at Jasmine’s house on at least one occasion when all three went to Jasmine’s house to pick up some movies. Appellant told the girls to touch each other. He had sexual intercourse with both of them. At some point, most likely in 2009, Patricia, Amber and appellant moved from Westchester to Palmdale. Appellant continued to molest Patricia.3 On two or three occasions, appellant inserted a glass object into Patricia’s vagina. At trial, Amber testified that she recognized the glass object and had seen it in different locations around the house, including underneath Patricia’s bed. On at least one occasion, appellant put cherry-flavored gel on his penis and told Patricia to put her mouth on it. Amber testified

3 Appellant also continued to molest Jasmine when she came to visit Patricia in Palmdale, but these molestations likely occurred after Jasmine’s 14th birthday and did not form the basis of any of the charges against appellant involving Jasmine. 4 that she and appellant had used a strawberry-flavored gel for sex. At some point, Amber noticed that there was not much gel left in the container, and was confused by the decrease because she and appellant had only used the gel a few times. In Palmdale, Patricia became friends with Milly H.

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