People v. Betts

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 1, 2020
DocketB301147
StatusPublished

This text of People v. Betts (People v. Betts) 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. Betts, (Cal. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Filed 10/1/20 CERTIFIED FOR PARTIAL PUBLICATION*

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION SIX

THE PEOPLE, 2d Crim. No. B301147 (Super. Ct. No. 16F-06179) Plaintiff and Respondent, (San Luis Obispo County)

v.

MATTHEW ROLAND BETTS,

Defendant and Appellant.

The “One Strike” law (Pen. Code,1 § 667.61) mandates indeterminate sentences for defendants who commit certain sexual offenses under specified circumstances. (People v. Carbajal (2013) 56 Cal.4th 521, 534.) The Legislature amended the law in 2010 by adopting Assembly Bill No. 1844 (A.B. 1844), which added subdivision (j)(2) to section 667.61. (See Stats. 2010,

* Pursuantto rules 8.1105(b) and 8.1110 of the California Rules of Court, this opinion is certified for partial publication. The portions of this opinion to be deleted from publication are Factual and Procedural History and Parts 1, 3, 4, and 5 of the Discussion. 1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code. ch. 219, § 16; Legis. Counsel’s Dig., Assem. Bill No. 1844 (2009- 2010 Reg. Sess.).) This subdivision increased the penalties imposed on defendants who commit certain sexual offenses against minors. (Ibid.) The issue presented here is whether convictions for committing lewd acts on a child are exempt from the sentencing provisions of subdivision (j)(2). We conclude “that the Legislature meant what it said” (People v. Gray (2014) 58 Cal.4th 901, 906 (Gray)), and that such convictions are subject to the subdivision’s sentencing provisions. A jury convicted Matthew Roland Betts of multiple counts of sexual abuse against two children: three counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child under age 11 (§ 288.7, subd. (b); counts 1, 3, & 7) and six counts of lewd acts on a child under age 14 (§ 288, subd. (a); counts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, & 9). The jury also found true allegations that Betts committed his lewd acts against more than one victim (§ 667.61, subd. (e)(4)) and that he engaged in substantial sexual conduct when he committed the crimes charged in counts 1 through 8 (§ 1203.066, subd. (a)(8)). The trial court sentenced him to concurrent terms of 25 years to life in state prison on counts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 (§ 667.61, subd. (j)(2)) and concurrent terms of 15 years to life on counts 1, 3, and 7 (§ 288.7, subd. (b)), for a total indeterminate term of 25 years to life. Betts contends: (1) the trial court prejudicially erred when it admitted evidence on child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome (CSAAS); (2) the sentences imposed on counts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 were not authorized by section 667.61, subdivision (j)(2); (3) the sentences imposed on counts 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8 violate the prohibition against ex post facto laws; (4) the true findings on the substantial sexual conduct allegations in counts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and

2 7 must be vacated; and (5) the abstract of judgment requires correction. In the published portion of our opinion, we conclude that the trial court properly sentenced Betts pursuant to section 667.61, subdivision (j)(2), for his convictions on counts 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9. In the unpublished portion, we vacate the true findings on six of the substantial sexual conduct allegations, order correction of the abstract of judgment, and otherwise affirm. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY Counts 1 – 8 Elly was born in September 2002. When she was three or four years old, her mother, Victoria, began dating Betts. Victoria and Betts dated until the end of 2012. Betts frequently stayed at Victoria’s home. For a few years, beginning when Elly was six or seven years old, Victoria attended weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Betts would watch Elly while Victoria went to the meetings. According to Elly, on some of those evenings Betts pulled down her pants and touched her vagina and buttocks. He also digitally penetrated her. He put her hand on his penis. Elly did not disclose what Betts had done to her until an eighth-grade friend said that something similar had happened to her. Victoria and Elly eventually moved to Hawaii, but returned to California in 2016 to visit. During the visit, they had dinner with Betts. Betts also gave Elly rides and exchanged messages with her about her boyfriend. Around this time, Victoria noticed that Elly was having behavioral problems, and took her to see a counselor. Elly told the counselor what Betts had done to her, and the counselor told Victoria, who notified the police. Elly initially told police that the incidents with Betts had happened when she was nine or

3 10 years old. She later remembered that, when she was seven years old, she had oral surgery and was afraid the anesthesia would make her say something about what Betts had done to her. This led her to believe that Betts may have started abusing her earlier than she originally thought. Count 9 Keely was born in July 2007. Betts was friends with Keely’s father, Robert. In March 2016, Betts went to Robert’s home to watch a presidential debate. At one point during the debate Betts touched Keely’s thigh. Keely moved his hand away. As the debate continued Betts touched the area around Keely’s vagina. She again moved his hand away. Robert saw what Betts had done and told him to leave. After he left, Keely told Robert what had happened. They reported the incident to police. Police interviewed Betts the following month. He denied Keely’s allegations. He said he may have accidentally touched her shoulder or knee, but did not touch her inappropriately. Charges and allegations Prosecutors charged Betts with eight counts related to his abuse of Elly between September 2012 and September 2013: three counts of oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child under age 11 (counts 1, 3, & 7), and five counts of lewd acts on a child under age 14 (counts 2, 4, 5, 6, & 8). They charged him with a single count of lewd acts on a child for touching Keely (count 9). They also alleged that Betts committed lewd acts against multiple victims, and that he engaged in substantial sexual conduct when committing counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8.

4 CSAAS evidence Prior to trial, prosecutors moved to admit expert testimony about CSAAS and the common behaviors of child sexual abuse victims. The trial court ruled that prosecutors could present testimony about CSAAS, but testimony regarding percentages was not admissible. Betts moved to exclude any prosecution witnesses from opining about witness credibility. The court granted Betts’s motion, but said that it would entertain specific objections on a question-by-question basis. At trial, Dr. Anthony Urquiza explained that CSAAS evidence is not intended to determine whether a sexual abuse allegation is true. Rather, such evidence helps to explain many of the common behaviors of child victims. He said that “most [abused] children are sexually abused by someone . . . they know and [with whom] they have some type of ongoing relationship . . . . And . . . that person . . . is usually somebody who is bigger, older, stronger, more knowledgeable, in a position of power or control or authority.” Victims thus tend to keep quiet about the abuse for a long time, especially “if the people who are assigned to keep the kids safe . . . are in some way impaired [sic] in that activity.” Dr. Urquiza said that “most kids have difficulty remembering details about what happened” to them. But “[d]oes that mean they can’t remember? No, absolutely not.” He also testified that “[i]t’s sometimes puzzling to people that they may want to be around somebody who’s sexually abusing them. . . . [¶] But if you understand that sometimes kids have a relationship that they enjoy or that they like, and in a family- base[d] situation maybe even love that person, even though they

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People v. Betts, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-betts-calctapp-2020.