People v. Dean CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 14, 2021
DocketF078605
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Dean CA5 (People v. Dean CA5) 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. Dean CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

Filed 4/14/21 P. v. Dean CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, F078605 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. F17903952) v.

JAMES RYAN DEAN, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Fresno County. James M. Petrucelli, Judge. John Steinberg, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Carlos A. Martinez and Matthew A. Kearney, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo- INTRODUCTION Defendant James Ryan Dean shot and killed his fiancée’s ex-husband during a domestic dispute. The jury rejected the prosecution’s theory that the murder was willful, deliberate and premeditated, but convicted defendant of second degree murder. (Pen. Code, §§ 187, 189, subd. (b).)1 The jury also found that in committing a felony, defendant personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death and he personally used a firearm. (§§ 12022.53, subd. (d), 12022.5, subd. (a).) Defendant admitted he suffered a prior serious felony conviction within the meaning of the “Three Strikes” law and served two prior prison terms. (§§ 667, subds. (b)–(i), 1170.12, subds. (a)–(d), 667.5, former subd. (b).)2 The trial court sentenced defendant to a term of 15 years to life in prison, doubled to 30 years for the prior strike conviction, plus additional consecutive terms of 25 years to life in prison for the firearm enhancement under section 12022.53, subdivision (d), five years for the prior serious felony conviction enhancement, and one year for the prior prison term enhancement (§§ 667, subds. (a)(1), 667.5, former subd. (b)). The trial court stayed the firearm enhancement under section 12022.5, subdivision (a). In addition, the trial court imposed the maximum restitution fine of $10,000 under section 1202.4, subdivision (b)(1); a parole revocation restitution fine of $10,000 under section 1202.45, subdivision (a), suspended; a court operations assessment of $40 under section 1465.8; a court facilities assessment of $30 under Government Code section 70373; and a probation report fee of $296 under section 1203.1b. On appeal, defendant claims the trial court erred in admitting impeachment evidence that he was found with a weapon in jail on two occasions. Pursuant to Senate

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise stated. 2 As discussed in part IV. of the Discussion, section 667.5, subdivision (b), was amended effective January 1, 2020, to limit the convictions upon which a prior prison term enhancement may be based. (Stats. 2019, ch. 590, § 1, pp. 1–4 (Senate Bill No. 136).)

2. Bills Nos. 620 and 1393,3 defendant also seeks remand to allow the trial court to exercise its discretion regarding whether to strike the firearm enhancements and the prior serious felony conviction enhancement; and he challenges the imposition of fines, fees and court assessments without an ability-to-pay determination pursuant to People v. Dueñas (2019) 30 Cal.App.5th 1157 (Dueñas). In supplemental briefing, defendant requests we strike the one-year prior prison term enhancement pursuant to Senate Bill No. 136. The People’s position is that the trial court did not err in admitting the impeachment evidence but if error is assumed, it was harmless; and they dispute defendant’s entitlement to any relief under Dueñas. However, they concede that remand is appropriate under Senate Bills Nos. 620 and 1393, and they concede that the prior prison term enhancement must be stricken under Senate Bill No. 136. We find no error with the admission of the impeachment evidence, we agree with the parties that remand to allow the trial court to exercise its discretion under Senate Bills Nos. 620 and 1393 is appropriate on this record, we strike the prior prison term enhancement under Senate Bill No. 136 and, on our own motion, we direct the trial court to correct its sentencing error with respect to the failure to first impose and then stay the sentence under section 12022.5, subdivision (a). (People v. Gonzalez (2008) 43 Cal.4th 1118, 1129–1130.) Given the need to remand for a resentencing hearing on these issues, defendant’s Dueñas claim is moot and we do not consider it. FACTUAL SUMMARY I. Prosecution Case A. The Shooting Diana P. was raising her one-year-old granddaughter, Ava, although without a formal custody agreement, and in July 2017, she, defendant and Ava were staying

3 Statutes 2017, chapter 682, sections 1–2, pages 1–4 (Senate Bill No. 620 or Sen. Bill No. 620) and Statutes 2018, chapter 1013, sections 1, 2, pages 1–6 (Senate Bill No. 1393 or Sen. Bill No. 1393).

3. temporarily with Diana’s son and his family in their apartment. On July 8, 2017, defendant drove Diana’s son, his girlfriend, and their child to the store. Ava was also with them. During the ride, defendant was waving a handgun in his lap to the tune of the music, but he put it under the seat at the request of Diana’s son’s girlfriend. Diana’s daughter Alyssa, who is Ava’s mother, called several times that day because she wanted to pick Ava up for a visit, but Diana kept telling her no. Alyssa’s boyfriend drove her to the apartment complex in the early evening. Her father, Jay, who was Diana’s ex-husband, was also in the car and the two men waited while Alyssa went to get Ava. By then, defendant had returned from the store with Ava, and he went inside the apartment to tell Diana that Alyssa was there trying to take Ava. Diana went outside and found Alyssa putting Ava into a car seat that was on the ground. They argued and Diana refused to let Alyssa have Ava. Alyssa returned to the car crying. Jay then got out of the car, beer bottle in hand, and walked to where Diana was standing outside in the courtyard area. Jay told Diana to let Alyssa have Ava. Diana denied they were fighting as they discussed Ava, but Alyssa testified that she returned to the apartment complex because she heard her parents yelling. Diana, who testified she dislikes weapons, knew defendant had a handgun, and she described an incident two weeks earlier during which she became angry at him when she saw his gun. He laughed and pointed the gun at her, but he told her that he would never hurt her when she asked if he was going to shoot her. When Jay showed up that evening, Diana testified that defendant was “clutching” his gun, although she did not see the gun at that point. After Jay gave defendant a dirty look and said, “‘What’s up,’” Diana pushed defendant inside the apartment and told him several times, “‘Not my baby’s dad.’” Diana testified that Jay was abusive toward her during their marriage and he wanted to fight with defendant at that point. Diana did not know defendant to be a fighter, however, and right before the incident, he told her “he was too pretty to fight.”

4. Jay ultimately said that he was “‘not going to fight for [Ava] like this,’” and after Diana had pushed defendant inside the apartment, Jay walked away toward the apartment complex gate with Alyssa following behind him. Alyssa then turned back toward the apartment and yelled, “‘Fuck you, you bitch. You punk-ass bitch.’” Diana testified that Jay “back[ed] up Alyssa” and said, “‘Yeah, you’re a bitch. You’re a punk-ass bitch.’” Defendant then said, “‘No. The both of ya’ll are bitches.’” Diana was holding defendant inside the apartment and she told him to let them leave.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Clark
261 P.3d 243 (California Supreme Court, 2011)
People v. Beagle
492 P.2d 1 (California Supreme Court, 1972)
People v. Wheeler
841 P.2d 938 (California Supreme Court, 1992)
People v. Mickle
814 P.2d 290 (California Supreme Court, 1991)
People v. Smith
14 P.3d 942 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
People v. Giordano
170 P.3d 623 (California Supreme Court, 2007)
People v. Gonzalez
184 P.3d 702 (California Supreme Court, 2008)
People v. Gutierrez
324 P.3d 245 (California Supreme Court, 2014)
People v. Diaz
345 P.3d 62 (California Supreme Court, 2015)
People v. Clark
372 P.3d 811 (California Supreme Court, 2016)
People v. Jackson
376 P.3d 528 (California Supreme Court, 2016)
People v. Winbush
387 P.3d 1187 (California Supreme Court, 2017)
People v. Jones
398 P.3d 529 (California Supreme Court, 2017)
People v. Anderson
420 P.3d 825 (California Supreme Court, 2018)
People v. Johnson
453 P.3d 38 (California Supreme Court, 2019)
People v. Fayed
460 P.3d 1149 (California Supreme Court, 2020)
People v. Frahs
466 P.3d 844 (California Supreme Court, 2020)
People v. Welch
5 Cal. 4th 228 (California Supreme Court, 1993)
People v. Vega
214 Cal. App. 4th 1387 (California Court of Appeal, 2013)
People v. Turner
220 Cal. Rptr. 3d 449 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2017)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Dean CA5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-dean-ca5-calctapp-2021.