People v. Keene CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 13, 2026
DocketD087145
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Keene CA4/1 (People v. Keene CA4/1) 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. Keene CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

Filed 3/13/26 P. v. Keene CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D087145

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. FSB703571)

JOHN KEENE,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Bernardino County, Michael A. Smith, Judge. Affirmed. Laura Beth Arnold, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Charles C. Ragland, Assistant Attorney General, Robin Urbanski, Donald W. Ostertag and Juliet W. Park, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. In 2023, the trial court recalled the sentence of defendant John Keene

and struck the now invalid one-year prison prior. (Pen. Code,1 § 1172.75, subd. (a).) In September 2024, the court conducted a full resentencing hearing and struck a one-year deadly weapon enhancement. (§ 12022, subd. (b)(1).) The court, however, reimposed (1) the upper term on Keene’s conviction for attempted murder, and the enhancements he admitted as part of his 2009 guilty plea; and (2) resentenced him to a determinate term of 26 years. On appeal, Keene contends the trial court erred when it (1) relied on a written waiver he and his counsel of record signed in accordance with section 977, and conducted the full resentencing hearing in Keene’s absence; (2) reimposed the upper term for his attempted murder conviction, based on aggravating circumstances that were neither stipulated to nor found true beyond a reasonable doubt; and (3) refused to exercise its discretion and strike his prior serious felony and/or great bodily injury enhancements. Finally, he contends (4) remand is necessary for the court to consider his postconviction conduct. As we explain, we reject each of these contentions and affirm the judgment. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND A. Underlying Offenses In September 2007, Keene stabbed Patricia F. “numerous times” in her chest and back with a knife. About a week before the incident, he and Patricia F. had broken off their dating relationship. Keene subsequently admitted to stabbing her.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 In May 2009, Keene entered a guilty plea to attempted murder (§§ 664 & 187, subd. (a)) and in committing that offense, admitted he personally (1) inflicted great bodily injury (§ 12022.7, subd. (a)) and (2) used a deadly weapon (§ 12022, subd. (b)(1)). He also admitted having a (3) prison prior (§ 667.5, subd. (b)); (4) serious felony prior (§ 667, subd. (a)(1)); and (5) strike prior (§§ 1170.12, subds. (a)–(d), 667, subds. (b)–(i)). The agreed-upon sentence consisted of the upper term of nine years for count 1, doubled to 18 years based on the prior strike conviction; a consecutive three-year upper term for the great bodily injury enhancement; a consecutive one-year upper term for the deadly weapon enhancement; a consecutive five-year term for the serious felony prior; and a consecutive one- year term for the prison prior. The trial court dismissed the balance of the first amended information and originally sentenced Keene to a determinate term of 28 years. B. Recall of Sentence and Resentencing In November 2023, the trial court recalled Keene’s sentence and struck the one-year prison prior (§ 1172.75, subd. (a)), reducing his sentence to 27 years. As discussed in detail post, in September 2024 the court held the full resentencing hearing in Keene’s absence; struck the one-year deadly weapon enhancement; and reimposed the remaining terms, resentencing Keene to 26 years. DISCUSSION I. Keene Waived His Appearance at Resentencing Keene contends the trial court violated his right to due process of law when it conducted the resentencing hearing in his absence. We disagree.

3 A. Additional Background 1. Waiver of Appearance The trial court originally set Keene’s resentencing for March 1, 2024. Keene did not appear for the hearing. Thereafter, the court continued the resentencing hearing multiple times due to his nonappearance, each time requesting that defense counsel either prepare a transport order if Keene wanted to be present or a written waiver of appearance if he did not. On September 9, Keene filed a resentencing brief that included his

written waiver of appearance.2 Keene argued “[m]any defendants forego returning to court for re-sentencing[,] as it might affect programming, housing arrangements or other aspects of their sentence.” He further argued the written waiver was a “valid waiver of [his] rights for re-sentencing herein”; he “was advised of the right to be present for all critical stages of the proceedings”; and “knowingly waive[d] his presence in court so that counsel and the court can determine the appropriateness of re-sentencing in this matter.”

2 Keene signed the waiver on June 25, 2024. It provided: “The undersigned defendant, having been advised of their right to be present at all stages of the proceedings, including, but not limited to, presentation of and arguments on questions of fact and law, and to be confronted by and cross- examine all witnesses, hereby knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waives the right to be physically or remotely present at the hearing of any motion or other proceeding in this cause. The undersigned defendant hereby requests the court to proceed during every absence of the defendant that the court may permit pursuant to this waiver, and hereby agrees that their interest is represented at all times by the presence of their attorney the same as if the defendant were physically or remotely present in court, and further agrees that notice to their attorney that their physical or remote presence in court on a particular day at a particular time is required is notice to the defendant of the requirement of their physical or remote appearance at that time and place.” 4 On the merits, Keene asked the trial court to exercise its discretion and (1) “strike any prior strikes used to double the punishment”; (2) “reduce any upper term sentences to lower or middle terms”; (3) “strike any enhancements previously imposed”; and (4) consider his “disciplinary and rehabilitative records as a fair representation of [his] rehabilitative efforts while incarcerated.” At the continued September 13 hearing, the trial court confirmed defense counsel had submitted Keene’s section 977 waiver, after he again did not appear for resentencing. 2. Resentencing Hearing The trial court conducted the full resentencing hearing on September 18, noting it was proceeding in Keene’s absence based on his section 977 waiver. Defense counsel also confirmed he was appearing on Keene’s behalf; and asked the court to reduce Keene’s upper-term sentence for attempted murder to either the low or middle term and strike the serious felony prior. The prosecutor acknowledged that Keene “has done relatively well in prison,” without “too many incidents of violence.” The prosecutor, however, noted Keene received the original, 28-year determinate sentence through a plea bargain, which the prosecutor argued was a “pretty fair deal” considering Keene was a “three-striker entering this case” and facing a “life charge,” and his attack on Patricia F. resulted in a life-threatening injury. If the court was inclined to reduce Keene’s sentence, the prosecutor suggested striking either the great bodily injury enhancement or the serious felony prior.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
People v. Keene CA4/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-keene-ca41-calctapp-2026.