People v. Garcia-Vega CA4/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 25, 2014
DocketE057831
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Garcia-Vega CA4/2 (People v. Garcia-Vega CA4/2) 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. Garcia-Vega CA4/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Filed 11/25/14 P. v. Garcia-Vega 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, E057831

v. (Super.Ct.No. BAF1100383)

ERNESTO GARCIA-VEGA et al., OPINION

Defendants and Appellants.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Bernard Schwartz, Judge.

Affirmed with directions.

David M. McKinney, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant

and Appellant Ernesto Garcia-Vega.

Kimberly J. Grove, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and

Appellant Maria Manuelita Ayon.

1 Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney

General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, and Charles C. Ragland and Scott

C. Taylor, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

I. INTRODUCTION

Defendants and appellants Ernesto Garcia-Vega and Maria Manuelita Ayon were

tried before the same jury and convicted of the first degree murder of Ayon’s husband,

Pedro Vazquez, and conspiracy to murder Vazquez. (Pen. Code, §§ 187, subd. (a), 182,

subd. (a)(1).)1 Ayon claimed she shot and killed Vazquez in self-defense; that Vega was

unaware of the problems she was having with Vazquez; and she and Vega did not

conspire to murder Vazquez. Vega was prosecuted as an aider and abettor to the murder.

Against each defendant, the jury found true a special circumstance allegation that

the murder was committed by lying in wait. (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(15).) The jury also found

Ayon personally discharged a firearm in the murder (§ 12022.53, subd. (d)) and Vega

participated in the murder knowing a principal was armed (§ 12022, subd. (a)(1)). Each

defendant was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder.

Defendants appeal, and join each other’s claims. They claim (1) a prosecution

rebuttal witness, Sergeant Brian Reno, was unqualified to render an expert opinion on the

location of the gun when it was fired; (2) insufficient evidence supports the lying-in-wait

special-circumstance findings; (3) the jury was improperly instructed on the lying-in-wait

special-circumstance allegation as it applied to Vega; (4) the court had a duty to give

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

2 CALCRIM No. 702 sua sponte, on the lying-in-wait special-circumstance allegations; (5)

the court had a duty to give CALCRIM No. 522 and CALJIC Nos. 8.20, 8.30, and 8.71

sua sponte, on the murder charges; and (6) parole revocation restitution fines were

improperly imposed and must be stricken.

We agree the parole revocation restitution fines must be stricken, because the fines

are reflected in the sentencing minute orders and abstracts of judgment, though in orally

pronouncing the sentences the court said it was not imposing the fines. We reject

defendants’ other claims and affirm the judgment in all other respects.

II. FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. Prosecution Evidence

In May 2011, 31-year-old Ayon married 49-year-old Pedro Vazquez. Ayon and

Vazquez had a “[v]ery turbulent” relationship and did not live together after they married.

After marrying Vazquez, Ayon was spending time with Vega, who, like Ayon, was in his

early 30’s. Vazquez worked as an electrician, and if he died Ayon was to receive a

$60,000 one-time payment and monthly payments of $500.90 from his pension plan.

Ayon shot and killed Vazquez in his Honda Ridgeline truck, around 11:30 p.m. on

Saturday, July 9, 2011, while the Honda was parked in a remote area on San Timoteo

Canyon Road, and Vazquez was sitting in the driver’s seat. Around 2:00 p.m. on July 9,

Vazquez told his adult daughter Tanya he was having dinner with Ayon that night, and

they were going to discuss “fixing things” in their relationship. Vazquez then went to

pick up Ayon, driving his Honda Ridgeline truck.

3 On Friday, July 8, 2011, Ayon and Vega went to a party together at the apartment

of Sebero Ortiz in Paramount. Israel Mariscal and Ortiz lived in the same apartment

complex. Mariscal was charged, together with Ayon and Vega, in the same felony

complaint with murder and conspiracy to murder Vazquez, but the charges against

Mariscal were dismissed after he testified at the preliminary hearing and the court found

insufficient evidence to support the charges against him. Both Mariscal and Ortiz

testified against Ayon and Vega at trial. The most damaging testimony was from

Mariscal.

Mariscal testified he and Vega had known each other since childhood, but they

were not close friends. Around 5:00 p.m. on July 9, Vega called Mariscal and asked him

whether he and Ortiz would pick up Vega’s truck in Downey, where Ayon lived, and

park it at their apartment complex in Paramount. Mariscal, Ortiz, and Ortiz’s son met

Vega in Downey, obtained his truck, and drove it to their apartment complex. When he

met Ortiz and Mariscal in Downey, Vega was driving Ayon’s white Nissan Maxima.

Around 9:00 p.m. on July 9, Vega drove to Mariscal’s apartment in the Nissan,

and asked Mariscal to come with him to pick up “a girl” nearby. Mariscal was not

expecting Vega, but agreed to go with him. Mariscal did not believe they would be gone

long, so he left his apartment without taking his wallet or any identification with him.

Mariscal did not know and did not ask Vega what “girl” they were going to pick up.

Vega said they were picking up the girl at a casino but he needed to ask her which

one, so he called her on his cell phone. Vega appeared to be “a little nervous” as he and

4 Mariscal were driving on Interstate 105 toward Interstate 60. While talking on his cell

phone on Interstate 60, Vega saw a highway patrolman, handed his cell phone to

Mariscal, and Mariscal heard a woman say: “Dear, I’m on the Azusa Street at the

doughnut shop.” Vega drove to the donut shop, where Mariscal saw a Honda Ridgeline

truck. Vega said “the girl” was in the Honda and would be coming with them later, and

made another call.

Vega and Mariscal followed the Honda from the donut shop to a gas station,

where Ayon got out of the driver’s side of the car. Ayon and Vega went into the gas

station store and came out several minutes later. Mariscal could not see whether anyone

was in the Honda with Ayon. Vega and Mariscal followed Ayon, who was still driving

the Honda, back onto Interstate 60. Vega made another call and said Ayon would be

coming with them after she dropped off her husband at a casino. Mariscal was becoming

concerned about the length of the trip they were taking and where they were going, but

Vega told him not to worry. Vega and Mariscal exited Interstate 60 near Moreno Valley,

and followed the Honda into a dark, secluded mountainous area. According to Mariscal,

the Honda did not stop from the time it left the gas station to this point.

The Honda stopped in a remote area on San Timoteo Canyon Road. Vega pulled

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People v. Garcia-Vega CA4/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-garcia-vega-ca42-calctapp-2014.