People v. Garza

132 Cal. Rptr. 2d 831, 107 Cal. App. 4th 1081, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 3175, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 4027, 2003 Cal. App. LEXIS 538
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 14, 2003
DocketC039029
StatusPublished
Cited by74 cases

This text of 132 Cal. Rptr. 2d 831 (People v. Garza) 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. Garza, 132 Cal. Rptr. 2d 831, 107 Cal. App. 4th 1081, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 3175, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 4027, 2003 Cal. App. LEXIS 538 (Cal. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

Opinion

SIMS, Acting P. J.

In a case arising out of defendant Julio Romero Garza’s sexual assault on Cynthia R. on August 23, 2000, a jury convicted defendant on 18 felony counts: kidnapping for rape (count 1; Pen. Code, § 209, subd. (b)(1); all further undesignated section references are to the Penal Code), forcible oral copulation (counts 2-6; § 288a, subd. (c)(2)), forcible rape (counts 7-14; § 261, subd. (a)(2)), forcible digital penetration (count 15; § 289, subd. (a)(1)), sexual battery (count 16; § 243.4, subd. (a)), false imprisonment (count 17; § 236), and assault with a firearm (count 18; § 245, subd. (a)(2)). The jury also found that defendant personally used a firearm as to all counts. (§ 12022.53.) Finally, the jury found as to counts 2 through 15 that defendant kidnapped the victim for the purpose of committing rape, forcible oral copulation, or digital penetration, and substantially increased the risk of harm to the victim over and above that necessarily present in the underlying crime. (Cf. § 667.61, subds. (a), (d).)

The trial court sentenced defendant as follows: on count 2 (forcible oral copulation), the court imposed an indeterminate life sentence with a minimum of 25 years served before parole eligibility. (§§ 288a, subd. (c)(2), 667.61, subds. (a), (b), (e).) On counts 3 (forcible oral copulation), 7 (rape), and 15 (forced digital penetration), the court imposed consecutive determinate aggravated terms of eight years, plus 10 years for the firearm use enhancements. (§§ 288a, subd. (c)(2), 261, subd. (a)(2), 289, subd. (a)(1), 12022.53, subd. (b).) On counts 4 through 6, the remaining forcible oral copulation counts and firearm use enhancements, the court ran the 18-year sentences concurrent to that on count 3; similarly, on counts 8 through 14, the remaining rape counts and firearm use enhancements, the court ran the 18-year sentences concurrent to that on count 7. The court stayed execution of sentence on count 1 (kidnapping to commit rape) pursuant to section 209, subdivision (d), which bars punishment for that offense where an enhancement is imposed under section 667.61 for rape; the court also stayed execution of sentence on counts 16 through 18 pursuant to section 654. *1085 Finally, the court revoked defendant’s probation in a prior case (People v. Garza (Super. Ct. Sacramento County, No. 98F07051B)) and imposed an eight-month consecutive sentence for violation of Vehicle Code section 10851, subdivision (a).

Although the trial court first imposed the indeterminate life term, followed by the determinate terms, at the conclusion of sentencing, the trial court summed up as follows: “Accordingly, Mr. Garza, you are sentenced to the imprisonment in state prison for 54 years, plus an additional life sentence with a minimum parole eligibility of 25 years.”

This summation was correct. Section 669 provides in pertinent part: “Whenever a person is committed to prison on a life sentence which is ordered to run consecutive to any determinate term of imprisonment, the determinate term of imprisonment shall be served first and no part thereof shall be credited toward the person’s eligibility for parole as calculated pursuant to section 3046 or pursuant to any other section of law that establishes a minimum period of confinement under the life sentence before eligibility for parole.” Thus, “whenever a person is sentenced to prison on a life sentence and any other term of imprisonment for a felony conviction, and the sentences are to run consecutively, the sentence must provide that the determinate term of imprisonment shall be served first and the life sentence shall be consecutive to the determinate term, and not vice versa.” (People v. Grimble (1981) 116 Cal.App.3d 678, 684-685 [172 Cal.Rptr. 362], followed in In re Thompson (1985) 172 Cal.App.3d 256, 261 [218 Cal.Rptr. 192] and People v. Webber (1991) 228 Cal.App.3d 1146, 1172 [279 Cal.Rptr. 437]; see People v. Jenkins (1995) 10 Cal.4th 234, 251 [40 Cal.Rptr.2d 903, 893 P.2d 1224].) Since we are modifying the judgment and directing the trial court to prepare a new abstract of judgment, the new abstract can reflect the order in which defendant shall serve the terms to which he was sentenced. (People v. Webber, supra, 228 Cal.App.3d at p. 1172.)

On appeal, defendant contends: (1) The admission of propensity evidence under Evidence Code section 1108 violated defendant’s federal constitutional rights to due process and equal protection. (2) The evidence should have been excluded under Evidence Code section 352 as unduly prejudicial. (3) Insufficient evidence supports defendant’s convictions on counts 2 through 6 and 7 through 14. (4) The trial court erred prejudicially by restricting defendant’s right under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Evidence Code section 782 to present evidence and cross-examine the victim as to whether the sperm found in her vagina during the sexual assault examination was deposited during intercourse with another *1086 person on the morning of August 22, 2000. (5) The trial court erred prejudicially by instructing the jury on flight (CALJIC No. 2.52). (6) The trial court erred prejudicially by instructing the jury with CALJIC No. 17.41.1. (7) The cumulative prejudice from the trial court’s errors compels reversal. (8) Consecutive sentencing on counts 3, 7, and 15 was not mandatory under section 667.6, subdivision (d), as the trial court thought; therefore the matter must be remanded for resentencing.

The Attorney General contends a 10-year firearm use enhancement should have been imposed on count 2.

In the published portion of the opinion, we shall conclude that the trial court properly imposed consecutive sentences on counts 3, 7, and 15 and also properly imposed full 10-year firearm use enhancements on those counts. In the unpublished portion of the opinion, we reject defendant’s other contentions of prejudicial error and we conclude a 10-year firearm use enhancement should have been imposed on count 2. (§ 12022.53.) We shall therefore modify the judgment to impose the 10-year enhancement on count 2 and affirm the judgment as modified.

Facts

Prosecution case

On August 23, 2000, the 19-year-old victim was visiting a friend at an apartment complex in north Sacramento. Between 11:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., she accepted a ride from defendant, whom she knew, to take her to Michelle D.’s apartment in the complex, where she was staying.

After defendant started driving toward Michelle D.’s apartment, he asked the victim to buy him cigarettes, claiming he did not have his identification with him. She said she also did not have identification, but he- insisted the store clerk would sell her cigarettes anyway.

As defendant drove on (having passed Michedle D.’s apartment), he talked about his financial problems and his girlfriend’s pregnancy. Then he displayed a gun. When the victim asked why he had one, he ordered her to take her clothes off, then said he was just kidding. He did this two or three times. At first she thought it was a joke, but then she became scared, started crying, and asked him to take her home.

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Bluebook (online)
132 Cal. Rptr. 2d 831, 107 Cal. App. 4th 1081, 2003 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 3175, 2003 Daily Journal DAR 4027, 2003 Cal. App. LEXIS 538, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-garza-calctapp-2003.