People v. Gastelum

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 2, 2019
DocketD075368
StatusPublished

This text of People v. Gastelum (People v. Gastelum) 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. Gastelum, (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Filed 10/2/19

CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D075368

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. RIF1770111)

VICTOR GASTELUM,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Riverside County, Candace J.

Beason, Christian F. Thierbach, and David A. Gunn, Judges. Affirmed.

William J. Capriola, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and

Appellant.

Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney

General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Steve Oetting and Daniel J.

Hilton, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

A jury convicted Victor Gastelum of the first degree murder of Terrance Rodgers

with the special circumstance of lying-in-wait (Pen. Code, §§ 187, subd. (a), 190.2, subd. (a)(15))1 and the premeditated attempted murder of J.W. (§§ 187, subd. (a), 664,

subd. (a)). As to both offenses, the jury found that Gastelum participated with the

knowledge that another principal in the offense was armed with a firearm. (§ 12022,

subd. (a)(1).) In bifurcated proceedings, the trial court found that Gastelum had suffered

a prior prison term and had not remained free of custody or subsequent offense for five

years thereafter. (§ 667.5, subd. (b).) The court sentenced Gastelum to consecutive

indeterminate terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and life

imprisonment with the possibility of parole, plus three years.

Gastelum appeals. He contends (1) the court erred under People v. Chiu (2014)

59 Cal.4th 155 (Chiu) by instructing the jury that he could be convicted of first degree

lying-in-wait murder under the natural and probable consequences doctrine and (2) the

court erred by instructing the jury that it could find true the lying-in-wait special

circumstance if it found Gastelum acted with "intent to kill," without specifying whom

Gastelum must have intended to kill.

Gastelum's contentions are unpersuasive. As to the first, Chiu held that a

defendant cannot be convicted of first degree premeditated murder as an aider and abettor

based on the natural and probable consequences doctrine. (Chiu, supra, 59 Cal.4th at

p. 166.) It did not consider the first degree lying-in-wait murder at issue here, and

Gastelum has provided no persuasive argument why Chiu should be extended to this type

of murder—particularly where, as here, the defendant and perpetrator are equally

1 Further statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 culpable, having committed all the same actions that gave rise to the lying-in-wait

murder. As to the second contention, Gastelum forfeited any claim of error by failing to

object at trial to the allegedly deficient instruction. And, assuming that competent

counsel would have objected, Gastelum has not shown prejudice based on his counsel's

failure to do so. We therefore affirm the judgment.

FACTS

At the time of the offenses, Gastelum was staying with his cousin, Jacob Gamboa.

From his time living on the streets, Gastelum was acquainted with Rodgers and J.W., as

well as another individual, L.M.

On June 24, 2016, Gastelum was smoking next to a liquor store in Riverside,

California. J.W. approached and confronted him. J.W. believed Gastelum and his cousin

Gamboa had assaulted a mutual friend. Gastelum said something that angered J.W., so

J.W. punched Gastelum several times. During the fight, Gastelum dropped a portable

speaker. Either J.W. or someone else picked it up, and J.W. ended up with it.

Later that night, J.W. was hanging out at a gas station with L.M. and Rodgers.

J.W. heard someone call out his nickname. He turned around and saw Gastelum and

another person, later identified as Gamboa. J.W. started to walk toward them, but then he

noticed each of them was holding a gun. J.W. started to run. He heard gunshots and was

hit in his left buttock. J.W. kept running and eventually met up with a friend. He was

taken to a hospital, where he spent several days recovering. L.M. also suffered a gunshot

wound to his buttocks and survived. Rodgers was shot five times, including twice in the

head. He died at the scene.

3 Police obtained surveillance video of the initial fight in front of the liquor store,

Gastelum and Gamboa's approach to the gas station, and parts of the shooting. The video

showed that Gastelum and Gamboa parked some distance from the gas station and took a

circuitous route toward the victims.

Police also obtained a cell phone video recorded by Gastelum and Gamboa after

the shooting. At the beginning of the video, Gastelum said, "This video is for—fuck

[J.W.] and all the niggas." Gamboa commented, "[T]here was not—not a better night

than this. I—I got that fool. The same day that—the same day these fools tried to come

and start some shit, is the same these—these fools got served." He said, "I fucking got

that fucking nigger. Those fools were screaming fool." Gastelum responded, "Yeah I

know and that's what P asked him in the beginning, 'Hey nigga you know how to

dance?' "2 Gastelum later said, "I wanted to record it, but I didn't have my phone."

Gamboa talked about shooting one of the victims (presumably Rodgers) and explained,

"[W]hen he hit, that's when I was on him, I'm like doom, doom, doom. And then that's

when I started getting the rest of him." Gastelum remarked, "He paid for a nigger's

mistakes." Gamboa said, "I know I hit every single one of them. Fuck yeah, they all got

hit. That fool screamed like a little bitch." Gastelum responded, "Oh, yeah." A few days

later, Gastelum told a friend, "We took care of those niggers."

At trial, the parties stipulated that only one gun was fired during the shooting. The

parties also stipulated to certain statements Gastelum made to police. Gastelum said

2 This statement is a reference to music lyrics. Gastelum later admitted he was making a joke about J.W. having to "dance" to dodge bullets. 4 (1) he had problems with J.W. when he was living on the streets; (2) after J.W. punched

him at the liquor store, he challenged J.W. to continue the fight; and (3) he was upset and

angry after the fight because he had been hit, "especially by a black guy."

Gastelum testified in his own defense. He admitted suffering a felony conviction

for domestic violence, two misdemeanor convictions for domestic battery, and one

misdemeanor conviction for false imprisonment. He also admitted he knew that Gamboa

had been in prison several times "for guns" and had the nickname of "Maniac." He

claimed he had a good relationship with Rodgers, J.W., and L.M.

Gastelum confirmed that J.W. confronted him at the liquor store about their

mutual friend. He said he responded to J.W., "I don't know what the fuck you're talking

about." Gastelum told the jury he did not assault the friend.

At the liquor store, J.W. hit Gastelum and knocked him to his knees. The portable

speaker, which belonged to Gamboa, fell on the ground. J.W. picked up the speaker and

started walking away. Gastelum told J.W. to return the speaker because it did not belong

to him. J.W. replied, "Fuck you. Tell your cousin to come get it himself." Gastelum

claimed he was not mad afterward; he just wanted the speaker back.

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People v. Gastelum, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gastelum-calctapp-2019.