People v. Iraheta

227 Cal. App. 4th 611, 173 Cal. Rptr. 3d 843, 2014 WL 2918857, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 565
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 27, 2014
DocketNo. B249264
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 227 Cal. App. 4th 611 (People v. Iraheta) 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. Iraheta, 227 Cal. App. 4th 611, 173 Cal. Rptr. 3d 843, 2014 WL 2918857, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 565 (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Opinion

ALDRICH, J.

A jury found defendant and respondent Carlos Miguel Iraheta guilty of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle in violation of Penal Code section 246.1 Before sentencing, Iraheta moved for a new trial on several grounds, including that the trial court had erred by declining to instruct the jury on imperfect self-defense in relation to the section 246 charge. The trial court concluded it had committed instructional error, and granted Iraheta’s motion. Plaintiff and appellant the People of the State of California appeal the trial court’s ruling. In the published portion of this opinion, we agree with the People that the court properly declined to instruct on imperfect self-defense on the charge of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, and therefore its ruling granting a new trial was an abuse of discretion. In the unpublished portion, we conclude that the other grounds raised in the new trial motion do not support the trial court’s ruling. Accordingly, we reverse the trial court’s order and remand for further proceedings.

[614]*614FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

1. Facts

A. People’s evidence

Viewed in accordance with the usual rules governing appellate review, the evidence relevant to the issues raised on appeal established the following.2

(1) The December 2002 shooting of Michael Orozco

On December 20, 2002, at approximately 5:30 p.m., Noe Martinez drove his white Honda Civic to the Jr. Market in Inglewood. Inside the market, Jose Tovar, whom Martinez did not know, kept staring at him, giving him a bad feeling. When Martinez left the market, Tovar walked toward Martinez’s Honda, and pulled out a cellular telephone when a police car pulled up. Tovar was a member of the Inglewood 13 criminal street gang.

Martinez drove to his friend Michael Orozco’s home, where he socialized and drank beer. At approximately 8:30 that evening, Orozco and Martinez headed for another friend’s home. Because Martinez was feeling “buzzed,” Orozco drove Martinez’s Honda. Their route took them past the Jr. Market.

Meanwhile, Iraheta drove his girlfriend Melody Maciel, his younger brother Richard Iraheta,3 and his stepbrother Alexis Moreno to the Jr. Market in his Camaro. Once there, he stopped to talk to his friend, Tovar. Martinez’s car passed by the market, and Tovar pointed at it. Martinez saw Tovar’s gesture, and told Orozco to “step on it.”

When Martinez and Orozco drove away, Iraheta followed them in his Camaro. Orozco drove to 65th Street and, at Martinez’s direction, stopped the car. Martinez exited the Honda to talk to the people in the Camaro. He was wearing a red hat and a dark red jacket or shirt. The Camaro pulled up slowly. Iraheta was driving. Martinez lifted up his hands and said, “what’s going on?” As the Camaro passed the Honda, Iraheta fired a single gunshot at the Honda, and sped off. The shot shattered the Honda’s driver’s side window and hit Orozco in the neck, fatally wounding him. Neither Orozco nor Martinez was armed.

(2) The investigation

Officers stopped the Camaro shortly after the shooting. Iraheta was driving. One of the officers found a gun under the Camaro’s front passenger seat, [615]*615obscured by trash. The gun was loaded with six rounds, one of which was expended. Forensic testing revealed that the bullet that killed Orozco had been fired from the gun. At a field showup conducted shortly after the shooting, Martinez identified the Camaro and Iraheta. Officers did not find a gun in the Honda.

(3) Statements by the other occupants of the Camaro

Moreno and Maciel testified that as it passed the Jr. Market, the Honda slowed and then sped off. En route to Maciel’s house, the group came upon the Honda stopped in the middle of the road, blocking their path. Maciel asked Orozco to move. Martinez approached the back of the Camaro. Both Maciel and Moreno heard Richard say, “he’s got a gun.” Iraheta then pulled a gun from under the seat and fired a single shot at the Honda. In a recorded police interview, Moreno stated that Iraheta had followed the Honda after leaving the market.

(4) Gang evidence

A gang expert testified regarding the characteristics and activities of the Inglewood 13 gang. Among other things, he opined that Iraheta was an Inglewood 13 gang member, based on his “West L.A.” tattoo, attire, and association with other gang members. When given a hypothetical based on the facts of the case, the expert opined that the motive for the shooting was gang related.

B. Defense evidence

Iraheta testified in his own defense. At the time of the shooting, he was 19 years old, had no criminal record, was in the military reserves, and was not a gang member. He and Maciel were planning on getting married, and he had just been hired by Bank of America and was enrolled to start classes at ITT Tech. His “West L.A.” tattoo was not a gang tattoo. He had the gun for protection because he had been beaten up near his house by gang members a few months before the shooting.

On the night of the shooting, he drove by the Jr. Market and his friend Tovar flagged him down. While he and Tovar were talking, the Honda passed by. Tovar warned Iraheta that the occupants of the Honda had been “cruising around and looking for trouble” and had “mad-dogg[edj” him earlier that day. Iraheta left the Jr. Market a few minutes later. His route took him to 65th Street. The Honda was stopped in the street, blocking it. Martinez was standing outside the car, staring at Iraheta. Iraheta signaled to Martinez to move the car. Martinez then put up his hands up as if to say “What’s up?” [616]*616Iraheta tried to go around the Honda. Martinez approached the back of the Camaro. When the Camaro was approximately parallel to the Honda, Richard said, “keep going. He gots a gun.” Iraheta saw Orozco looking at him and saying something. Orozco had a small pistol in his hand and was tapping it on the Honda’s window. Iraheta fired one round while simultaneously hitting the gas pedal. On cross-examination, Iraheta admitted he had previously testified that he was unsure whether Orozco had a gun or a cellular telephone in his hand.4

2. Procedure

An information filed on May 1, 2003, charged Iraheta with murder (§ 187, subd. (a)). It also alleged that Iraheta personally and intentionally used and discharged a firearm, causing death (§ 12022.53, subds. (b), (c) & (d)). Iraheta was tried by a jury, convicted of second degree murder with the firearm enhancement, and sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. We affirmed his conviction in an unpublished opinion. (People v. Iraheta (Apr. 30, 2008, B173223.)5 Among other things, we held Iraheta was properly convicted of second degree felony murder. (People v. Iraheta, supra, B173223.)

The California Supreme Court subsequently granted Iraheta’s petition for review and, on June 10, 2009, transferred the case back to us with directions to vacate our decision and reconsider the cause in light of People v. Chun (2009) 45 Cal.4th 1172 [91 Cal.Rptr.3d 106, 203 P.3d 425

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
227 Cal. App. 4th 611, 173 Cal. Rptr. 3d 843, 2014 WL 2918857, 2014 Cal. App. LEXIS 565, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-iraheta-calctapp-2014.