People v. Arauz

210 Cal. App. 4th 1394, 149 Cal. Rptr. 3d 211, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 1165
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 8, 2012
DocketNo. B230053
StatusPublished
Cited by82 cases

This text of 210 Cal. App. 4th 1394 (People v. Arauz) 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. Arauz, 210 Cal. App. 4th 1394, 149 Cal. Rptr. 3d 211, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 1165 (Cal. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

Opinion

YEGAN, J.

Where, as here, an accomplice inculpates himself and his codefendant to a fellow inmate/informant, his statements, if trustworthy, are admissible in the codefendant’s trial. Such statements are declarations against penal interest, are not “testimonial,” and their admission does not violate the confrontation clause as explained in Crawford v. Washington (2004) 541 U.S. 36 [158 L.Ed.2d 177, 124 S.Ct. 1354] (Crawford).

Brandon Ray Arauz and Ulises Kline appeal their convictions by jury for criminal street gang activity (Pen. Code, § 186.22, subd. (a))1 and two counts of attempted premeditated murder (§§ 664, 187, subd. (a)) with gang, firearm, and great bodily injury enhancements (§§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(C), 12022.53, subd. (e)(1), 12022.7). The trial court sentenced Arauz to 64 years to life in state prison and Kline to 32 years to life in state prison.

Appellants contend that the trial court erred in admitting an accomplice’s jailhouse statements to an informant and gang telephone wiretap recordings. We modify the sentence to (1) stay the concurrent two-year sentences on the criminal street gang counts (§ 654; People v. Mesa (2012) 54 Cal.4th 191, 197-198 [142 Cal.Rptr.3d 2, 277 P.3d 743]) and (2) strike the 10-year gang enhancements (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(C)) and impose in their place 15-year minimum parole eligibility terms pursuant to section 186.22, subdivision (b)(5). (See People v. Lopez (2005) 34 Cal.4th 1002,1004 [22 Cal.Rptr.3d 869, 103 P.3d 270].) The judgments, as modified, are affirmed.

The Stroube Street Shootings

On the evening of February 15, 2008, Aaron A. and Andrew R. were walking home on Stroube Street in El Rio. When they approached Alvarado Street, R. saw a grey-primered Blazer pass by. Then they saw two Hispanic males. The shorter Hispanic man “whipped out” a handgun like “a cowboy” [1398]*1398and shot at them. R. was shot in the wrist. The other Hispanic man fired multiple shots. A. was shot in the nose.

Lydia R, who lived at the comer of Stroube and Alvarado Streets, heard the screech of car brakes and saw the Blazer stop. Two males exited the Blazer and ran towards Alvarado Street shooting semiautomatic weapons.

Glenda M., who lived on Stroube Street, heard six or seven gunshots fired in rapid succession. She found a .45-caliber bullet next to her driveway fence. Other bullets were found near the intersection. Officers responding to the 911 call recovered a live nine-millimeter round, three .45-caliber shell casings, and four live .45-caliber rounds. Forensic investigators found shoe prints and made cast impressions.

Traffic Stop

The police believed the Stroube Street shootings were gang related. Two days later, the police lawfully intercepted a telephone conversation in which Kline and other Colonia Chiques gang members said they were getting guns and a car to do another shooting in El Rio. Thereafter, Deputy Sheriff Dean Worthy observed a black Honda occupied by two Hispanic males on Stroube Street. As the Honda drove by, two heads popped up in the backseat, looked in his direction, and ducked back down out of view.

Deputy Worthy stopped the Honda. Kline was one of the occupants in the car. Deputy Worthy found a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun, a sawed-off 12-gauge shotgun, and a nine-millimeter semiautomatic handgun. All the weapons were loaded. The nine-millimeter handgun was on the rear floorboard next to Kline, who was wearing Nike shoes. A forensics expert determined that the shell casings and live rounds at the Stroube Street shootings were either fired or chambered/extracted from the handguns found in the Honda.

Shoes

Officers executed a warrant to search appellant Arauz’s bedroom and found a pair of size-1 IK Swiss shoes that closely resembled a shoe print at the Stroube Street shootings. The sole of the Nike shoes that Kline was wearing at the February 17, 2008 traffic stop resembled a shoe print at the shooting scene. But there were not enough identifying characteristics to make a positive identification.

Telephone Wiretaps

In February 2008, the Ventura County Sheriff obtained a warrant in an unrelated case to monitor phone calls by Colonia Chiques gang members. [1399]*1399Thousands of telephone calls were monitored over a 30-day period. In 33 intercepted telephone calls, appellants and fellow gang members, including Jose Velasquez, talked about robberies and getting handguns to retaliate and shoot rival gang members.

Accomplice’s Jailhouse Statements

On March 3, 2008, Jose Velasquez was booked on drug charges at Ventura County Jail and placed in a cell next to G.B., a paid confidential informant. Velasquez and G.B.’s conversation was surreptitiously recorded. G.B. said that he was associated with the Mexican Mafia and that Velasquez had been “greenlighted” because he and his “homies” committed a driveby shooting in violation of Mexican Mafia rules.2 G.B. asked Velasquez about the shootings and said he would “run court” on him and advise other gang associates of his findings.

Velasquez was deceived by this ruse. He told G.B. that he drove “Thief’ (Arauz) and “Little Terco” (Kline) to Alvarado Street in his Blazer. Thief had a nine-millimeter semiautomatic pistol and Little Terco had a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol. Velasquez said that Thief and Little Terco exited the Blazer and shot two “homies from El Rio.”3

Gang Expert Testimony

Oxnard Police Department Sergeant Christopher Williams, a gang expert, testified that the Colonia Chiques is an Hispanic criminal street gang with more than 1,000 members and is associated with, and is subordinate to, the Mexican Mafia. The Chiques’ primary activities include street robberies, drug sales, violent assaults, and homicides. The El Rio street gang is a rival gang and its gang members are called “River Rats.”

Sergeant Williams testified that Arauz and Kline were active members of the Colonia Chiques gang. Arauz was known as “Thief’ and Kline was known as “Little Terco.” In response to a hypothetical question, Sergeant Williams opined that the act of driving into El Rio gang territory and shooting rival gang members benefited the Colonia Chiques gang.

[1400]*1400 Jailhouse Statements—Declaration Against Penal Interest

Appellants contend that the trial court erred in admitting Velasquez’s jailhouse statements as a declaration against penal interest. (Evid. Code, § 1230.) They argue that such statements were not “trustworthy” or “reliable” and that naming his codefendants was not “specifically disserving.”

We review the trial court’s ruling for abuse of discretion. (People v. Lawley (2002) 27 Cal.4th 102, 153 [115 Cal.Rptr.2d 614, 38 P.3d 461].) To be admissible, the out-of-court statement must be trustworthy and against the declarant’s penal interest. (People v. Leach (1975) 15 Cal.3d 419, 441-442 [124 Cal.Rptr. 752, 541 P.2d 296

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
210 Cal. App. 4th 1394, 149 Cal. Rptr. 3d 211, 2012 Cal. App. LEXIS 1165, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-arauz-calctapp-2012.