People v. Greene CA2/5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 14, 2013
DocketB244147
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Greene CA2/5 (People v. Greene CA2/5) 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. Greene CA2/5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 11/14/13 P. v. Greene CA2/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FIVE

THE PEOPLE, B244147

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. YA078978) v.

FLOYD GREY GREENE,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, James R. Brandlin, Judge. Affirmed as modified with directions. David H. Goodwin, 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, Steven D. Matthews and Roberta L. Davis, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. I. INTRODUCTION

At an initial trial, a jury convicted defendant, Floyd Grey Greene, of: pimping (Pen. Code, § 266h, subd. (a));1 pimping a minor (§ 266h, subd. (b)(2)); and procuring a child under 16 for lewd or lascivious acts (§ 266j). At the first trial, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a murder charge. Following retrial, a second jury convicted defendant of first degree murder. Defendant was sentenced to two consecutive 25-year- to-life terms plus a determinate term of 9 years, 4 months. We modify defendant’s presentence credits. We affirm the judgment in all other respects.

II. THE EVIDENCE

A. The Prosecution Case

1. Events Preceding The Murder

Evelyn Smith met defendant, a 22-year old pimp, in December 2006. When Ms. Smith met defendant, she was employed, attending college, and owned a car debt free. She lived in Hawthorne with a close friend of several years, Kendra Grimes. Their apartment was on Oxford Avenue near 118th Street. After meeting defendant, Ms. Smith stopped going to school, quit her job and became distant from Ms. Grimes. Ms. Smith became inseparable from defendant. She gave him a key to the apartment she shared with Ms. Grimes. She began to aid him financially. Early in their relationship, after they became sexually intimate, defendant told Ms. Smith, “[P]ay me, or pay me no attention.” Ms. Smith gave defendant $1,200. At trial, defendant explained: “Well . . . she would call my phone, asked me why I ain’t called her back, what’s wrong, what’s the matter.

1 Further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise noted.

2 [¶] And I basically let her know pay me, or pay me no attention. I mean, what is this? Where are we going with this? Was just a sexual encounter.” In addition to giving defendant money, Ms. Smith purchased a car for him, a midnight blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo. When defendant failed to make the payments on the Monte Carlo, Ms. Smith traded in her own car to cover the loan. As the relationship continued, and Ms. Smith’s financial resources dwindled, defendant encouraged her to become a prostitute. In January 2007, Ms. Smith began to work as a prostitute. From January to May 2007, Ms. Smith entertained four to five customers each night and earned approximately $100. She gave all the money she earned to defendant. Defendant paid Ms. Smith’s rent and provided her with necessities. When asked why she took up prostitution, Ms. Smith testified: “I just feel like I was just at a low point in my life, and I feel like [defendant] took advantage of me. And used that to his advantage.” In April 2007, Ms. Smith was arrested for prostitution. Defendant woke Ms. Smith’s roommate, Ms. Grimes, in the middle of the night. Defendant asked Ms. Grimes to post Ms. Smith’s bail. Defendant provided the bail money. Ms. Grimes executed the necessary paperwork in her name. This was when Ms. Grimes first learned that Ms. Smith was engaged in prostitution. In May 2007, Ms. Smith met Marco Smith at a gym. They exchanged phone numbers. Later, they met at a park. On a second occasion, they went to a restaurant in Ladera Heights. This was the first time Ms. Smith had dated anyone since meeting defendant. She did not want Marco2 to know she was a prostitute.

2 To avoid confusion, because the Smiths have the same surname, we refer to Mr. Smith by his first name.

3 2. The Murder

Ms. Smith had a third date with Marco on May 5, 2007. Defendant had arrived at Ms. Smith’s apartment earlier that evening with a friend. Ms. Smith told defendant she had a date. She did not say it was a non-prostitution date. Ms. Smith left the apartment when Marco telephoned and said he was parked outside her building. Defendant was still in the apartment at that time. Ms. Smith returned to her apartment with Marco sometime around or after midnight. Not long after arriving home, Ms. Smith asked Marco to take her to the store. Because he did not want to go out, Marco gave Ms. Smith the key to his Honda. Ms. Smith stopped first at a payphone. On May 6, 2007, between 1:07 a.m. and 1:09 a.m., Ms. Smith called defendant’s cellular telephone number four times. Ms. Smith did so she said because she was required to check in with defendant nightly. Ms. Smith testified defendant did not answer; she left him a message saying she was at home. She then drove to a liquor store where, as shown by surveillance videotape, she purchased a soda at 1:13 a.m. Ms. Smith parked Marco’s Honda on 118th Street and walked back to her apartment on Oxford Avenue. Once inside her apartment, Ms. Smith discovered she did not have Marco’s car key. After securing a flashlight, Ms. Smith and Marco returned to the car. Marco carried the flashlight. They looked into the car on the passenger side. As they walked to the driver’s side of the vehicle, defendant stepped forward. He was wearing a “hoodie” that covered his head. Defendant said something Ms. Smith did not understand. Then defendant shot Marco at least twice. Ms. Smith ran. She used a borrowed cellular telephone to call an emergency operator. Ms. Smith made the emergency call at 1:31 a.m. and related her friend had been shot. Around midnight that evening, John Garcia was in his Hawthorne apartment on 118th Street near Oxford Avenue. Ms. Smith’s building was nearby, on Oxford Avenue north of 118th Street. Mr. Garcia was on his balcony smoking a cigarette. He saw a young, slender, well dressed and groomed African-American man standing on the sidewalk. The man was standing beneath a light. He was wearing a large, very shiny

4 wristwatch. The man looked repeatedly towards the corner of Oxford Avenue. Ten to fifteen minutes later, the man walked to the corner of Oxford Avenue and 118th Street. He stood there no more than five minutes, then returned to his original position. The man continued to look down the street toward Oxford Avenue. Eventually, the man walked east on 118th Street toward York Avenue. He crossed the street and got into a vehicle parked on 118th Street. It was a very dark blue or black shiny, clean car. It was parked 150 yards away even though there were no cars parked on 118th Street in front of Mr. Garcia’s apartment building. The man drove west on 118th Street and turned right on York Avenue. Five to eight minutes later, the man returned. He parked his car in the same spot and returned to stand under the light. The man resumed looking down the street, primarily toward Oxford Avenue. After Mr. Garcia reentered his apartment, he heard three bangs. He ran outside. Mr. Garcia thought he saw someone lying near a car but he was not sure. The dark blue or black car he had earlier observed was gone. Mr. Garcia had seen the African-American man’s face numerous times. Mr.

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People v. Greene CA2/5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-greene-ca25-calctapp-2013.