People v. Jacot CA2/4

California Court of Appeal·Decided January 26, 2022·No. B307199·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 1/26/22 P. v. Jacot CA2/4

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FOUR

THE PEOPLE, B307199

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. KA028882) v.

JANICE DIANE JACOT,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from an order of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Mike Camacho, Judge. Reversed and remanded with directions. Jonathan E. Demson, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Kristen J. Inberg and Stephanie C. Santoro, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. Janice Diane Jacot appeals the denial of her petition for resentencing on her second degree murder conviction, contending that she did not act with reckless indifference to human life when she organized and supplied the weapons used in an armed robbery that turned deadly. Under controlling California law we are compelled to agree. We therefore reverse the trial court’s order and remand for resentencing. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY1 1. Facts Surrounding the Crimes In October 1996, Jacot pled no contest to second degree murder, robbery, two counts of attempted robbery, and attempted carjacking. She was sentenced to a total of 17 years, six months to life as follows: 15 years to life for the murder, plus one year for a firearm enhancement, along with a collective 18 months on the remaining counts. On the night of August 22, 1995, 16-year-old Jacot and another teenaged female accepted a ride from three men they met as the latter were leaving a nightclub. The three men – the eventual victims – took Jacot and her friend back to Jacot’s apartment and waited outside for the two girls as they dropped off some items. Inside Jacot’s apartment was Daniel McKeehan, a gang member also known as “Puppet,” who had been staying with Jacot. Jacot knew that Puppet “made his money[ ] by robbing people and stealing cars.” She told Puppet that she and her friend were going out with three men who “had a lot of money

1Jacot was convicted after a no contest plea. As a result, our statement of facts is based on the plea form, the reporter’s transcript and minute order from the hearing where the plea was taken, and the transcript of the preliminary hearing.

2 and jewelry and that he could rob them when they came back.” She told Puppet to wait for them in front of the apartment complex, then opened a safe where Puppet kept two handguns, gave him the weapons, and said, “When we leave, you come out and rob them.” Jacot and her friend left with the victims, and the group drove around and bought and used cocaine before returning to Jacot’s apartment. Jacot told the victims she and her friend would come back with marijuana and then told them to park near the front gate of the apartment complex. Jacot and her friend then walked into the complex. From her apartment, Jacot saw Puppet walk toward the victims’ car. According to one of the victims, Puppet approached the car, pointed two handguns at them, and demanded their cash, car keys, and “everything that [they] had.” Puppet then pistol-whipped passenger Miguel Mestas and grabbed Mestas’s wallet. The driver-victim began to drive away, prompting Puppet to fire one round – the fatal shot that struck Mestas in the back of the head. Jacot heard the gunshot and saw Puppet run back into the complex through a side alley; he returned to the apartment within minutes. Puppet changed his clothes and gave Jacot the guns, which she put back in the safe. Puppet told her he had shot one of the victims in the head and gave her the wallet and other stolen items to dispose of. Puppet then left. Jacot put the handguns and Puppet’s other belongings in a duffel bag and hid his clothes in her closet. Jacot’s mother later disposed of the duffel bag. After disclosing the above during her police interrogation, Jacot “broke down crying.” She told the officer that Puppet “was

3 just supposed to rob them, not kill them, and that the only thing she had asked for was $5 for cigarettes.” 2. Resentencing Petition and Hearing In February 2019 Jacot filed a petition seeking resentencing on her murder conviction (Pen. Code, § 1170.95)2, contending that she did not act with reckless indifference to human life, as required by changes in the law that occurred long after her conviction.3 The trial court found that Jacot stated a prima facie case and issued an order to show cause why Jacot was not entitled to be resentenced. At the show cause hearing, a court-appointed psychological expert testified that Jacot had intellectual deficits that adversely affected her memory, nonverbal skills, and ability to make and execute sound decisions. Additionally, Jacot suffered from sexual abuse and drug use during her childhood. The expert opined that the combination of these factors and the general effects of youth on the brain’s ability to evaluate information and make proper decisions likely rendered Jacot unable to reflect ahead on the consequences of her actions at the time of the crimes. No further new or additional evidence was introduced. Relying on People v. Clark (2016) 63 Cal.4th 522 (Clark) and People v. Banks (2015) 61 Cal.4th 788 (Banks), Jacot argued that the evidence showed she did not act with reckless indifference to human life because: the guns belonged to Puppet; there was no evidence she knew they were loaded; despite her knowledge of Puppet’s criminal activities, there was no evidence she knew he had ever committed violence; she was not present

2 All further section references are to the Penal Code. 3 We discuss these changes in some detail below.

4 during the robbery and therefore had no opportunity to intervene and either stop Puppet or render aid to Mestas; the robbery took place very quickly, meaning there was less time for the crime to “go south”; the evidence showed she did not intend that anyone be killed; and she was only 16 years old at the time, and therefore lacked an adult’s ability to “make the appropriate judgments” of risk. The prosecution argued that Jacot had been a major participant in the robbery, a point Jacot largely conceded. It further argued that she acted with reckless indifference to human life, because she planned the crimes, supplied Puppet with multiple firearms despite her knowledge of his criminal history, and failed to intervene to stop the crime or aid Mestas. The trial court found that Jacot’s intellectual functioning and cognitive development had been severely impaired around the time of the robbery. It also found that there was no evidence that she acted with express malice or otherwise intended to kill. However, the court found that Jacot was a major participant who acted with reckless indifference to human life. The trial court relied on the following factors: (1) Jacot was part of, and was present at, the planning and implementation phases of the robbery, and was near the crime scene when Puppet shot Mestas; (2) despite her knowledge that Puppet had committed robberies in the past, Jacot supplied him with two handguns, increasing the likelihood of lethal violence and showing awareness of what was needed for one robber to confront multiple victims; (3) she knew lethal violence had occurred once she heard the gunshot, but did nothing to assist the victims and instead helped Puppet hide evidence; (4) the crime was of long duration given the level of planning involved to set up and execute the robbery; and (5)

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

People v. Jacot CA2/4, (Cal. Ct. App. 2022).

People v. Jacot CA2/4 (People v. Jacot CA2/4) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Enmund v. Florida
458 U.S. 782 (Supreme Court, 1982)
Tison v. Arizona
481 U.S. 137 (Supreme Court, 1987)
People v. Stanley
897 P.2d 481 (California Supreme Court, 1995)
People v. Garcia
168 Cal. App. 4th 261 (California Court of Appeal, 2008)
People v. Banks
351 P.3d 330 (California Supreme Court, 2015)
People v. Clark
372 P.3d 811 (California Supreme Court, 2016)
In re Loza
10 Cal. App. 5th 38 (California Court of Appeal, 2017)
People v. Lewis
491 P.3d 309 (California Supreme Court, 2021)
People v. Smith
135 Cal. App. 4th 914 (California Court of Appeal, 2005)
People v. Lopez
198 Cal. App. 4th 1106 (California Court of Appeal, 2011)
People v. Medina
245 Cal. App. 4th 778 (California Court of Appeal, 2016)
In re Ramirez
243 Cal. Rptr. 3d 753 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)
In re Taylor
246 Cal. Rptr. 3d 342 (California Court of Appeals, 5th District, 2019)