People v. Camacho CA2/3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 17, 2022
DocketB312190
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Camacho CA2/3 (People v. Camacho CA2/3) 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. Camacho CA2/3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed 5/17/22 P. v. Camacho CA2/3 (see concurring & dissenting opinion) NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 THREE

THE PEOPLE, B312190

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. v. No. BA027667)

FRANCISCO JAVIER CAMACHO,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, James R. Dabney, Judge. Affirmed. Sandra Gillies, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Daniel C. Chang and John Yang, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. —————————— In 2019, Francisco Javier Camacho petitioned for resentencing pursuant to Penal Code1 section 1170.95. The trial court summarily denied the petition at the prima facie stage of review, on the basis that the record of conviction showed a jury found true the robbery-murder special circumstance allegation pursuant to section 190.2, subdivision (a)(17) and the personal use of a firearm allegation pursuant to section 12022.5, subdivision (a). Camacho did not timely appeal. In 2021, Camacho again sought relief under section 1170.95 by filing a supplemental request to the 2019 petition. As relevant here, the trial court denied the request stating Camacho was ineligible for relief as a matter of law due to the true findings by the jury and that the appropriate remedy was to appeal the original denial. Camacho appeals from the denial of his supplemental request. We find that there was no procedural bar to Camacho’s supplemental request. Camacho is nonetheless ineligible for relief as a matter of law because a jury found true the robbery- murder special circumstance allegation. Therefore, we do not reach the question of whether the court properly relied on the true finding on the personal use of a firearm allegation. We affirm.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code, unless otherwise indicated.

2 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND2 I. Camacho’s underlying convictions In 1992, a jury convicted Camacho of first degree murder, attempted murder, second degree robbery, and two counts of attempted second degree robbery. The jury found true the robbery-murder special circumstance allegation pursuant to section 190.2, subdivision (a)(17) and found true that Camacho personally used a firearm pursuant to section 12022.5, subdivision (a) in the commission of all the offenses. The convictions resulted from two separate armed robberies involving multiple victims on one September night in 1990. The incidents involved Camacho and two other suspects, Petayah Little3 and Eldridge Richardson. During the first robbery, around 10:00 p.m., both Camacho and Little went into an occupied residence, both fired shots, and a victim, Allen Watkins, was shot and injured. About one hour later, at a location nearby, victim Linden4 Glave was sitting in a car, when held at gunpoint by Camacho and Little. After a struggle, Glave was shot and killed. Camacho and Little ran to a waiting car. A police officer in the area heard tires screeching, and a car chase

2 Some of the facts and procedural background are summarized from our prior unpublished opinion (People v. Camacho (Dec. 1, 1995, B071909) [nonpub. opn.]), of which we have taken judicial notice at respondent’s request. (Evid. Code, §§ 451, 459.) 3Little was under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court during the pendency of Camacho’s case. 4The record contains two different spellings: Linden and Lindon.

3 ensued. During the car chase, one suspect jumped out of the car and ran off. The pursuit continued until Richardson and Little were arrested. Camacho was apprehended two weeks later. At trial, Camacho offered an alibi and the testimony of Little. Little testified that he committed the crimes, not with Camacho, but with “ ‘G.’ ” Regarding the murder, Little testified that G placed Glave in a chokehold and then Little shot Glave. In rebuttal, a police officer testified that Little made a statement on the night of the offense admitting that he committed the crimes with Camacho and that Camacho shot Glave. Relevant here, the jury was instructed with CALJIC No. 8.80.1 for the robbery-murder special circumstance. The jury was not instructed on the theory of natural and probable consequences. The trial court sentenced Camacho to life without the possibility of parole (LWOP), plus a consecutive five years for the section 12022.5, subdivision (a) enhancement and ordered the determinate terms for the other convictions to run concurrently. A different panel of this Division affirmed Camacho’s convictions. (People v. Camacho, supra, B071909, at p. 17.) Among other things, our court rejected the contention that the trial court committed instructional error regarding CALJIC No. 8.80.1.5 Further, the court rejected the contention that the

5 The prior opinion indicated that there was a factual dispute over what was orally read to the jury. Without deciding the factual dispute, the panel held, even if the trial court did make omissions during its oral reading of CALJIC No. 8.80.1, such oversight was harmless, because the record showed that the trial court provided the jury with the accurate, written version of CALJIC No. 8.80.1 to review during its deliberations, and

4 trial court committed instructional error when it failed to define “reckless indifference to human life” because there was no sua sponte duty to define “reckless indifference to human life.” The court further found that the evidence established as a matter of law that Camacho acted with reckless indifference to human life.6

because the trial court also admonished the jury to be governed by the instructions in its final wording. 6 The appellate court reasoned: “Turning to Camacho’s participation in the murder of Glave, the evidence here establishes as a matter of law, at the very least, Camacho acted with reckless indifference to human life. . . . Little and Camacho were out to commit robbery that night and had only netted $2.00 by the time Camacho spied the Jaguar. Both suspects carried guns. Camacho knew Little was willing to shoot at a victim as they had both already fired on victims that night on Cahuenga Boulevard. Little testified he pistol whipped Glave and struggled with the victim who finally grabbed Little’s gun. Just as Little was losing ground in his fight with Glave, Camacho came around to the passenger side of the Jaguar and put Glave in a choke hold, thereby enabling Little to disarm and shoot Glave in the chest. The jury could easily infer the purpose of the choke hold was to control Glave to enable Little to kill him. Little testified as much. There was no testimony Camacho was surprised at the shooting or that he tried to prevent Little from taking aim. Finally, Camacho fled with Little, as the latter testified, leaving Glave to die. No jury would have concluded Camacho was unaware of the extreme likelihood his actions would result in Glave’s death. Stated otherwise, a reasonable jury would have concluded the homicide was a natural and probable consequence of this violence [citation], and that Camacho acted with reckless

5 II. The section 1170.95 petitions In 2019, after the passage of Senate Bill No. 1437 (2017– 2018 Reg. Sess.) (Senate Bill 1437), Camacho petitioned for resentencing pursuant to section 1170.95 (the 2019 petition). The People filed an opposition to the petition.

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People v. Camacho CA2/3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-camacho-ca23-calctapp-2022.