People v. Castaneda CA4/2

California Court of Appeal·Decided October 14, 2015·No. E061589·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 10/14/15 P. v. Castaneda CA4/2

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION TWO

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, E061589

v. (Super.Ct.No. FSB1300953)

ART JUAN CASTANEDA, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Harold T. Wilson,

Jr., Judge. Affirmed as modified with directions.

Gideon Margolis, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and

Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney

General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, and Eric A. Swenson and Felicity

Senoski, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

Following a jury trial, defendant and appellant Art Juan Castaneda was convicted

of assault with intent to commit a felony (oral copulation) (count 1—Pen. Code, § 220,

1 subd. (a)(1)1), and oral copulation accomplished against the victim’s will by force,

violence, duress, menace, and fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury (count 2—

§ 288a, subd. (c)(2)(A)). At a bifurcated proceeding, the trial court found true the

allegations that defendant had suffered two prison term priors (§ 667.5, subd. (b)), a

serious felony prior (§ 667, subd. (a)), and a “strike” prior (§§ 1170.12, subds. (a)-(d),

667, subds. (b)-(i)). The court sentenced defendant to a total term of 18 years in state

prison, with the sentence on count 1 (assault with intent to commit oral copulation)

stayed pursuant to section 654. On appeal, defendant contends that he was improperly

convicted of both assault with intent to commit a felony and forcible oral copulation, and

that the abstract of judgment does not correctly reflect his presentence custody credits.

We direct the superior court clerk to correct the abstract of judgment, and otherwise

affirm.

I. FACTS

On the evening of February 27, 2013, defendant sexually assaulted Jane Doe. Doe

testified they met at a bus stop and walked from Colton to Grand Terrace. En route, they

stopped for a “smoke break.” During the stop, defendant showed Doe his Swiss army

knife and his sex video with his girlfriend on his cell phone. Doe became uncomfortable

and attempted to leave; however, defendant stopped her. He asked her for a kiss, but she

declined, and so he asked her for a hug and she complied. Defendant would not let go of

Doe, who began fighting and screaming for help. He covered her mouth and punched her

until she became quiet. He hit her on both sides of her mouth and began to suffocate her,

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

2 telling her to “‘Shut the fuck up’” and “‘You’re going to get fucked. All right?’” Doe

stopped fighting and said, “‘Okay. Okay.’” Defendant made Doe cup his genital area

while he kissed her. She felt blood in her mouth. Shortly thereafter, defendant pulled

down his pants he told Doe to “‘Give him head.’” Doe orally copulated him until he

climaxed. She complied with his demands so she could live.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Assault with Intent to Commit Forcible Oral Copulation as a Necessarily

Included Offense of Forcible Oral Copulation.

Contending that assault with intent to commit oral copulation (§ 220, subd. (a)(1),

count 1) is a necessarily included offense of forcible oral copulation (§ 288a, subd.

(c)(2)(A), count 2), defendant argues that he was improperly convicted of both offenses

which stem from the same act. We reject his contention.

“In general, a person may be convicted of, although not punished for, more than

one crime arising out of the same act or course of conduct.” (People v. Reed (2006) 38

Cal.4th 1224, 1226; see also § 954.) However, “[a] judicially created exception to the

general rule permitting multiple conviction ‘prohibits multiple convictions based on

necessarily included offenses.’ [Citation.]” (Reed, supra, at p. 1227.) Where the validity

of multiple convictions is at issue, the statutory elements test is used to determine

whether an offense is necessarily included in another. (Id. at pp. 1230-1231.) “Under the

elements test, if the statutory elements of the greater offense include all of the statutory

elements of the lesser offense, the latter is necessarily included in the former.” (Id. at p.

1227.) In People v. Medina (2007) 41 Cal.4th 685, our Supreme Court reaffirmed a

3 longstanding rule requiring dismissal of a lesser included offense when the defendant is

convicted of both the greater and the lesser offenses. (Id. at pp. 701-702.)

A violation of section 220, subdivision (a)(1), occurs when a person “assaults

another with intent to commit . . . oral copulation . . . .” “An assault is an unlawful

attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of

another.” (§ 240.) In contrast, a violation of section 288a, subdivision (c)(2)(A), occurs

when a person commits an act of oral copulation “against the victim’s will by means of

force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the

victim or another person . . . .” (§ 288a, subd. (c)(2)(A), italics added.)

In People v. Espinoza (2002) 95 Cal.App.4th 1287, the court observed: “‘Physical

control can create “duress” without constituting “force.” “Duress” would be redundant in

the cited statutes if its meaning were no different than “force,” “violence,” “menace,” or

“fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury.” . . . “Duress” has been defined as “a

direct or implied threat of force, violence, danger, hardship or retribution sufficient to

coerce a reasonable person of ordinary susceptibilities to (1) perform an act which

otherwise would not have been performed or, (2) acquiesce in an act to which one

otherwise would not have submitted.” . . . [D]uress involves psychological coercion.’”

(Id. at pp. 1320-1321.) Section 261, subdivision (c) defines “menace” as “any threat,

declaration, or act which shows an intention to inflict an injury upon another.” The

common dictionary meaning of “menace” is “a show of intention to inflict harm”; “a

threatening gesture, statement, or act.” (Webster’s 3d New Internat. Dict. (1993) p. 1409,

col. 3.) The common meaning of “menace” does not differ significantly from the

statutory definition. 4 Contrary to defendant’s assertion, under the statutory elements test, assault with

intent to commit oral copulation (§ 220, subd. (a)(1)) is not a necessarily included lesser

offense to forcible oral copulation (§ 288a, subd. (c)(2)(A)) because it is possible to

accomplish oral copulation against the victim’s will without committing an assault, a

necessary element of a violation of section 220, subdivision (a)(1).2 The facts of this

case demonstrate that possibility. Here, defendant committed a violent injury with intent

to commit oral copulation. The subsequent forcible oral copulation, however, was

accomplished by means of duress or menace, not force or violence; the victim complied

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