People v. Corona CA2/3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 5, 2014
DocketB245598
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Corona CA2/3 (People v. Corona 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. Corona CA2/3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Filed 3/5/14 P. v. Corona CA2/3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, B245598

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. VA124334) v.

ROBERT ALFONSO CORONA,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Philip H. Hickok, Judge. Modified and, as modified, affirmed with directions. Richard D. Miggins, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Linda C. Johnson and Toni R. Johns Estaville, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

_________________________ Appellant Robert Alfonso Corona appeals from the judgment entered following his convictions by jury on 11 counts of forcible lewd act upon a child (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (b)(1)) with multiple victims (Pen. Code, § 667.61, subds. (b) & (e)(5)). The court sentenced appellant to prison for 165 years to life. We affirm. FACTUAL SUMMARY Viewed in accordance with the usual rules on appeal (People v. Ochoa (1993) 6 Cal.4th 1199, 1206 (Ochoa)), the evidence established L. C. (L.) had three sons, Matthew, Timothy, and James. Matthew and Timothy were twins. The boys’ father died in 2001. Appellant moved into the family home in Whittier in about February 2004 and married L. in March 2008. After appellant moved into the home, he helped raise the boys and disciplined them, and the discipline included use of a belt. Appellant was the primary disciplinarian. Appellant would be at home with the boys after school until L. came home from work, but in 2007, she ended her employment. During jury argument, the prosecutor argued each count was based on one kind of sex act on one occasion, and there were multiple sex acts of the same kind.1 We correlate below the multiple sex acts of the same kind and their pertinent counts.2 1. Offenses Against Matthew (counts 1 - 3). During jury argument, the prosecutor indicated count 1 was based on appellant’s touching Matthew’s penis (i.e., appellant masturbating Matthew), count 2 on appellant’s orally copulating him, and count 3 on appellant’s sodomizing him. Matthew was born in March 1995 and testified as follows. During the third grade, appellant called Matthew into appellant’s room. Matthew entered and appellant closed and locked the door. Appellant lowered his pants, and appellant had Matthew masturbate 1 The prosecutor did not elect offenses, i.e., indicate a count was based upon a particular one of the multiple sex acts of the same kind. Instead, the court gave a unanimity instruction. 2 We hasten to add we have not set forth the facts of each and every one of the numerous lewd acts appellant committed upon a victim or had the victim commit upon appellant, or those lewd acts appellant had victims commit on each other.

2 him. Matthew complied because appellant caught him off guard. Appellant also masturbated Matthew (count 1). Appellant told Matthew to orally copulate him. Matthew replied he did not think he could, but appellant kept telling him to try and Matthew orally copulated him. After orally copulating appellant, Matthew would go into Matthew’s room. Matthew orally copulated appellant on more than one occasion. Matthew told him no when it went too far. It went too far when appellant sodomized him (count 3). On that occasion, appellant told Matthew to get on the bed and relax. Appellant lowered Matthew’s pants and sodomized him. Matthew testified, “It sucked.” Appellant sodomized Matthew on three occasions (count 3) and it hurt. The abuse ended when Matthew was in the sixth grade.3 Matthew testified he did the acts because appellant asked him to do them and Matthew felt he should because appellant was his stepfather. Matthew thought appellant would probably be upset if Matthew did not do what appellant asked. Matthew did not tell L. when the abuse was occurring or tell anyone at school what was happening because he did not want to get appellant into trouble. Matthew knew what was happening was wrong. Appellant was Matthew’s stepfather and the only father figure Matthew had. 2. Offenses Against Timothy (counts 4 – 8). During jury argument, the prosecutor indicated count 4 was based on appellant’s orally copulating Timothy, count 5 on Timothy orally copulating appellant, and count 6 on appellant sodomizing Timothy. The prosecutor also indicated count 7 was based on Timothy masturbating appellant, and count 8 on appellant masturbating Timothy.

3 Neither party cites any evidence appellant orally copulated Matthew (count 2). In any event, as mentioned, the trial court gave a unanimity instruction and there is no dispute appellant committed on Matthew multiple sex acts, any one of which could suffice as a lewd act upon a child (e.g., Matthew’s oral copulations of appellant).

3 Timothy testified as follows. When Timothy was about 11 or 12 years old, and in the third, fourth, or fifth grade, appellant called Timothy into appellant’s room and asked him to lock the door. Appellant asked Timothy to lower his pants, lie down, put his arms up, and close his eyes. Timothy complied. Appellant masturbated Timothy (count 8). Appellant also orally copulated him (count 4). Timothy also testified as follows. On Mondays through Fridays, the following would occur. Appellant would sit and watch computer pornography, call Timothy into the room, and have him lock the door. Appellant would have Timothy lower Timothy’s pants, and appellant would lower appellant’s pants. Appellant would masturbate Timothy (count 8) and have Timothy masturbate appellant (count 7). Appellant would also orally copulate Timothy (count 4) and have Timothy orally copulate appellant (count 5). Timothy did not think it was okay but he did it because appellant asked him to do it. Timothy was afraid of what would happen if he did not listen to appellant. When appellant would have him do these things, or appellant would do these things to Timothy, Timothy did not say no because he was afraid. Once appellant had Timothy orally copulate him, appellant would have Timothy leave. On these occasions, L. would be at work. One morning when appellant was going to work, he entered Timothy’s room, awakened him, and carried him into his sister’s room where appellant and Timothy were alone. Appellant orally copulated Timothy (count 4) and had him orally copulate appellant (count 5). The door was open and L. entered the room. She left, returned with a knife, put Timothy behind her, and pointed the knife at appellant. Timothy falsely told L. that he had asked appellant to show him how to masturbate. Timothy said this because L. would have called the police if Timothy had told her what really had happened. When Timothy later came home from school, Timothy told L. what really had happened but appellant denied it.

4 On a later occasion, appellant had Timothy orally copulate him (count 5) in L.’s room. L. was knocking on the door, appellant and Timothy opened it, but L. said nothing. Appellant and L. later went out that night. L. called Timothy and asked him what was going on, but Timothy replied nothing. Timothy protected appellant because he did not want L. to call the police and Timothy did not want to lose appellant. Timothy also testified appellant would squeeze Timothy’s buttocks for a while, then have him lie nude and face down on the bed. Appellant sodomized Timothy (count 6).

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Corona CA2/3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-corona-ca23-calctapp-2014.