People v. Carranza

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 30, 2019
DocketA152211
StatusPublished

This text of People v. Carranza (People v. Carranza) 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. Carranza, (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Filed 9/30/19 CERTIFIED FOR PARTIAL PUBLICATION *

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION FIVE

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, A152211 v. DANIEL CARRANZA, (Solano County Super. Ct. No. FCR311578) Defendant and Appellant.

Defendant and appellant Daniel Carranza (appellant) appeals following his conviction of attempted murder. In the unpublished portion of this decision, we reject appellant’s contention that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting gang evidence at trial. In the published portion, we remand for the limited purpose of affording both parties the opportunity to make a record of information relevant to appellant’s future youth offender parole hearing. We conclude appellant’s claim pursuant to People v. Franklin (2016) 63 Cal.4th 261 (Franklin) is not subject to the forfeiture doctrine; while the claim may be waived, no such waiver occurred in the present case. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In October 2015, the Solano County District Attorney filed an information charging appellant with attempted premeditated murder (Pen. Code, §§ 187, subd. (a) & 664, subd. (a)) 1 and assault with a deadly weapon (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)). As to the attempted murder charge, the information alleged appellant had used a knife (§ 12022,

* Pursuant to California Rules of Court, rules 8.1105(b) and 8.1110, this opinion is certified for publication with the exception of part I. 1 All undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

1 subd. (b)(1)). As to both counts, the information alleged that appellant personally inflicted great bodily injury (§ 12022.7, subd. (a)) and that appellant committed the crimes for the benefit of a criminal street gang (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)). In October 2016, a jury convicted appellant of assault with a deadly weapon and found true the great bodily injury enhancement. The jury found the gang enhancement not true. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on the attempted murder charge, and the court declared a mistrial as to that count. Appellant was retried on the attempted murder charge. In June 2017, a jury convicted appellant of the charge and found true allegations that the attempt was willful, deliberate, and premeditated; appellant personally used a knife; and appellant personally inflicted great bodily injury. In August 2017, the trial court sentenced appellant to a total of 11 years to life in prison. This appeal followed. FACTUAL BACKGROUND In November 2014, the victim, Ivan Fraire, worked at a factory in Vacaville. On the night of November 26, as Fraire worked at a machine press, he was stabbed from behind. He turned and saw the assailant, who was wearing a red shirt; he had previously seen the man two or three times at the factory. Indeed, Fraire had greeted his assailant while coming back from break about 30 minutes before the attack. Fraire was stabbed in the abdomen, chest, and arm before the attacker ran away. Fraire appeared to have lost at least 40 percent of his blood by the time he reached the hospital. His wounds were consistent with being stabbed by a large knife, and he would have died without medical attention. Before being taken to the hospital, Fraire told his supervisor, his father (who also worked at the factory), and a police officer that his attacker was wearing a red shirt. He also told the officer the attacker was a Hispanic male co-worker. He told another officer at the hospital that the assailant was a Hispanic male with a shaved head wearing a red shirt. At trial, Fraire identified appellant as his attacker, although he had been unable to

2 identify appellant in a photographic lineup while he was in the hospital. Fraire did on that occasion identify a photograph of appellant taken from Facebook as his attacker, but the photograph was one Fraire’s mother showed him, not one of the photographs in the lineup. On the night of the stabbing, other employees reported seeing appellant at work wearing a red or maroon 49er’s sweatshirt or sweater, a red shirt or hoodie, and a red belt. On the night of the stabbing, appellant’s supervisor saw appellant with a 12- to 15-inch knife—he described it as a machete. Appellant’s job required him to cut cardboard, but he previously had done so with a folding knife with a three-inch blade. The supervisor had never seen the sort of long knife appellant had at the factory, and he told appellant to put the knife in his car. On the evening of November 26, 2014, shortly after a meal break, appellant left his work station and walked towards the bathroom. At around 10:30 p.m., after appellant had been gone for between five and 20 minutes, his co-workers heard a commotion in the factory that turned out to be due to the stabbing. Appellant never returned to work and never punched out of work; he was the only employee unaccounted for. 2 On December 3, 2014, appellant received a text message from someone named “Jaky,” who commented that she was “on the run.” Appellant responded, “Yeah. Am on the run too. That’s crazy.” Jaky asked appellant why and appellant responded, “Some hot shit, feel me. I can’t tok [sic] about, feel?” Appellant was arrested on December 10 during a traffic stop. Gang Evidence Gang expert Detective Erik Watts testified generally about Norteño and Sureño gangs, explaining their historical origins as prison gangs and their areas of geographic predominance. Members display gang pride through clothing and tattoos. Norteños wear red clothing, while Sureños wear blue.

2 During trial, appellant presented testimony from a factory employee who testified he saw a nervous-looking man who he did not recognize in the bathroom shortly before the stabbing. The man was wearing a blue jacket.

3 The victim, Fraire, admitted he had been a member of a Vacaville Sureño street gang (the “Brown Pride Sureños”), but he said he left the gang two years before the stabbing. The gang’s color was blue, and the gang’s enemies were the Norteños, who claimed the color red. Fraire had several gang tattoos, including the words “Brown” and “Pride,” one on each hand. He also on his right hand had the tattoo “BPS,” for Brown Pride Sureños, a tattoo of one dot next to three dots, which is also associated with the Sureños. Those tattoos were covered by gloves while he was operating machines in the factory, but not when he entered or left the factory, clocked in or out, during breaks, or when he went to the bathroom. On the night of the stabbing, Fraire was wearing a blue jumpsuit, a blue tank top, and blue shorts. Detective Watts opined appellant was a member of a Vacaville Norteño criminal street gang called the Brown Street Locos. The testimony was based on appellant’s admission to being a Norteño member during a traffic stop in 2011, appellant’s red clothing and various tattoos, photographs on appellant’s phone, and appellant’s association with a person with a “Brown Street Locs” tattoo. Detective Watts also testified about gang culture with respect to attacks between members of different gangs. Committing crimes is considered “putting in work” for the gang, and the more work a gang member puts in, the higher his status within the gang becomes. Attacking a rival gang member would be considered high status “work;” Watts commented, “you’ll be more respected because you’re fighting the enemy.” Among other tattoos, appellant had the word “active” tattooed on his right hand; gang members used that word to indicate they were actively committing crimes to “climb the ranks” in the gang. Watts had investigated violent attacks between Norteño and Sureño gang members and just being a member of a rival gang was enough to provoke a violent attack. Brown Street Locos members regard all Sureños as their enemies. DISCUSSION I.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Carranza, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-carranza-calctapp-2019.