People v. Hunter CA4/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 19, 2020
DocketE073825
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Hunter CA4/2 (People v. Hunter 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. Hunter CA4/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

Filed 10/19/20 P. v. Hunter CA4/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, E073825

v. (Super.Ct.No. RIF1105356)

BRIUANA LASHANAE HUNTER, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. John D. Molloy, Judge.

Affirmed with directions.

Mark D. Johnson, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and

Appellant.

Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney

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

Flaherty III, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

1 I

INTRODUCTION

Defendant and appellant Briuana Lashanae Hunter appeals the trial court’s order

denying her petition for resentencing pursuant to Penal Code1 section 1170.95, arguing

the trial court erred when it determined that her voluntary manslaughter and attempted

murder convictions are ineligible for relief under the statute. For the reasons explained,

we affirm the order and direct the superior court to amend the abstract of judgment.

II

BACKGROUND

Originally charged with first degree murder along with her mother, in 2013

defendant ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter (§ 192,

subd. (a)) and three counts of attempted murder (§§ 664 & 187, subd. (a)). Defendant

also admitted that a principal used a firearm (§ 12022, subd. (a)(1)) during the

commission of the voluntary manslaughter. In return, the remaining charges and

enhancement allegations were dismissed, and defendant was sentenced to a total term of

18 years in prison.2

1 All future statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise stated.

2 Defendant was originally sentenced to 18 years four months. However, pursuant to a letter submitted by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in July 2018, the trial court amended defendant’s sentence to a total term of 18 years. The court stayed the one-year term for the gun enhancement and ordered an amended abstract of judgment. The amended abstract of judgment incorrectly indicates defendant’s total sentence of 19 years and fails to note the firearm enhancement was stayed. We shall order the clerk of the superior court to issue an amended abstract of judgment to reflect defendant’s correct sentence.

2 While defendant was serving her 18-year prison term, the Legislature enacted

Senate Bill No. 1437 (2017-2018 Reg. Sess.) (Stats. 2018, ch. 1015, §§ 1-4) (Senate Bill

1437), which amended the law governing murder liability under the felony murder and

natural and probable consequences theories and provided a new procedure under

section 1170.95 for eligible defendants to petition for recall and resentencing.

On August 29, 2019, defendant filed a petition to vacate her voluntary

manslaughter and attempted murder convictions and for resentencing pursuant to

section 1170.95.

On September 13, 2019, the trial court summarily denied the petition without

prejudice, finding defendant had not established a prima facie case for resentencing, as

she was not convicted of murder. Defendant timely appealed from the trial court’s order.

III

DISCUSSION

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in summarily denying her petition for

resentencing under section 1170.95. Specifically, she claims that she is eligible for relief

under section 1170.95 because she pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and

attempted murder rather than face a likely conviction for murder at trial. Defendant also

argues that it is a violation of equal protection to deny resentencing under

section 1170.95 to persons who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and/or

attempted murder to avoid a murder conviction under the felony-murder rule. We

disagree.

3 A. Relevant Legal Principles and Standard of Review

Senate Bill 1437 “redefined malice under section 188 to require that the principal

acted with malice aforethought. Now, ‘[m]alice shall not be imputed to a person based

solely on his or her participation in a crime.’ (§ 188, subd. (a)(3).) Senate Bill 1437 also

amended section 189, which defines the degrees of murder, by limiting the scope of first

degree murder liability under a felony-murder theory. (§ 189, subd. (e).)” (People v.

Turner (2020) 45 Cal.App.5th 428, 433 (Turner).) These changes were prospective, but

the Legislature also created a mechanism in section 1170.95 for certain defendants whose

criminal cases proceeded under the prior versions of the statutes to petition for

resentencing.

Subdivision (a) of section 1170.95 states, “A person convicted of felony murder or

murder under a natural and probable consequences theory may file a petition with the

court that sentenced the petitioner to have the petitioner’s murder conviction vacated and

to be resentenced on any remaining counts when all of the following conditions apply:

[¶] (1) A complaint, information, or indictment was filed against the petitioner that

allowed the prosecution to proceed under a theory of felony murder or murder under the

natural and probable consequences doctrine. [¶] (2) The petitioner was convicted of first

degree or second degree murder following a trial or accepted a plea offer in lieu of a trial

at which the petitioner could be convicted for first degree or second degree murder. [¶]

(3) The petitioner could not be convicted of first or second degree murder because of

changes to Section 188 or 189 made effective January 1, 2019.” (§ 1170.95, subd. (a).)

4 If a defendant files a petition setting forth a prima facie case that he or she meets

these requirements, then the trial court must issue an order to show cause and hold a

hearing. (§ 1170.95, subd. (c).) At that hearing, “the burden of proof shall be on the

prosecution to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the petitioner is ineligible for

resentencing. If the prosecution fails to sustain its burden of proof, the prior conviction,

and any allegations and enhancements attached to the conviction, shall be vacated and the

petitioner shall be resentenced on the remaining charges.” (§ 1170.95, subd. (d)(3).) “If

petitioner is entitled to relief pursuant to this section, murder was charged generically,

and the target offense was not charged, the petitioner’s conviction shall be redesignated

as the target offense or underlying felony for resentencing purposes.” (§ 1170.95,

subd. (e).)

Because defendant’s argument that she met section 1170.95’s requirements

presents a pure question of law, we independently review the trial court’s ruling.

(Turner, supra, 45 Cal.App.5th at p. 435.) “As with any question of statutory

interpretation, ‘our primary task is to give effect to the Legislature’s intended purpose in

enacting the law.’ [Citation.] ‘We begin with the statute’s text, assigning the relevant

terms their ordinary meaning, while also taking account of any related provisions and the

overall structure of the statutory scheme.

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People v. Hunter CA4/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-hunter-ca42-calctapp-2020.