People v. Kellersberger CA2/2

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 3, 2013
DocketB242632
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Kellersberger CA2/2 (People v. Kellersberger CA2/2) 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. Kellersberger CA2/2, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 12/3/13 P. v. Kellersberger CA2/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 TWO

THE PEOPLE, B242632

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. KA093531) v.

JOSHUA A. KELLERSBERGER,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Robert M. Martinez, Judge. Affirmed.

Patricia J. Ulibarri, 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, Eric R. Reynolds and Allison H. Chung, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

___________________________________________________ Joshua Andrew Kellersberger was convicted of (1) assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and (2) hit-and-run driving. On appeal, he challenges the sufficiency of the evidence; the adequacy of trial counsel’s representation; a lay witness’s opinion testimony; and the fairness of his trial. After reviewing the record, we find no error and affirm the judgment. FACTS On the night of January 20, 2011, friends and relatives attended a birthday party for Quinn Rodriguez (Quinn) at a Glendora restaurant. Among the attendees were defendant Joshua Kellersberger; codefendant Bryan Beljak; Manny and Mary Rodriguez (parents of Quinn); Heather Thomas (girlfriend of Quinn); Eddie Borba; and Emily Wittkop (girlfriend of Borba).1 The victim, Joseph Smith, arrived at the restaurant later and was seated at a different table with two friends. During the course of the party, tensions arose between Beljak and Smith. As their voices escalated, the men were told to go outside because they were too loud. Smith attempted to calm the situation and apologized. Beljak was agitated and pacing. Mary Rodriguez and Emily Wittkop tried to separate the two men. According to Wittkop, “Everyone was really intoxicated.” Beljak urged Quinn to fight Smith, who had walked away from the restaurant toward his friend’s parked car. Quinn pursued Smith and pushed the car door into him as he was about to enter the vehicle. After being struck by the car door, Smith “stepped up to Quinn, and they were about to fight.” When Manny Rodriguez grabbed his son in a bear hug, Smith hit Quinn in the face. In return, Quinn knocked Smith over with a punch, and then ran away as other party attendees approached. A melee began, and eyewitness Wittkop was hit in the mouth. There were “a bunch of crazy, drunk people . . . all swinging at each other.” Beljak attacked Smith, punching Smith multiple times in the face. Smith was knocked out and crumpled onto the ground. Once Smith was on the ground, Beljak

1 Codefendant Beljak is not a party to this appeal.

2 kicked Smith in the stomach and face some 10 to 15 times. Smith was bleeding from his nose and face. After another partygoer pulled Beljak away from Smith, Smith went to assist a teenaged friend who was fighting with defendant Kellersberger. Kellersberger and Smith started fighting. Kellersberger punched Smith in the face and kicked him multiple times while Smith was on the ground. Kellersberger raised Smith’s head up from the ground by sticking his fingers up Smith’s nostrils, and hit Smith in the face with “powerful blows” at least five and possibly more than 10 times. Wittkop heard Smith scream as he was being beaten by Kellersberger. Smith’s entire face was bloodied. Eventually, Manny Rodriguez stopped Kellersberger’s attack. Everyone piled into cars and left when they heard police car sirens. Kellersberger seemed dazed when the partygoers met up at the Rodriguez residence to discuss the fight and to wipe blood off of the participants. Wittkop testified that she had a clear memory and was not guessing at her answers to the questions. Quinn’s girlfriend Heather Thomas testified about the events of January 20, 2011. She is a long-time friend of Brian Beljak. Thomas saw Beljak punch one of Smith’s friends inside the restaurant, causing words to be exchanged between Smith and Beljak. Thomas and others intervened, and the two men sat down. Smith took a deep breath and seemed fine. Beljak walked outside; when he returned, he was giving hard looks and “flexing” at Smith. Beljak and Smith walked outside. From inside the restaurant, Heather Thomas saw Beljak and Smith yelling at each other. Some partygoers—including Mary Rodriguez, Emily Wittkop, and Thomas—went outside and tried to stop the two men from fighting. Beljak ignored their pleas for calm and was trying to charge at Smith. Thomas went inside the restaurant briefly to look for Quinn. When she came out, she saw Smith walking toward his friend’s car. Thomas advised Smith and his friends that they should leave quickly. She could see the other partygoers coming up behind them. Thomas heard Beljak tell Quinn that “These guys tried jumping me, fool.” Thomas testified that this was a lie, because Smith and his friends did not attack Beljak. In response to Beljak’s false accusation, Quinn hustled over to where Smith was standing

3 at the vehicle, even though Quinn’s father Manny was trying to say that Beljak lied about being jumped. Thomas held out her hand to prevent Quinn from approaching Smith. Quinn demanded that Smith come forward. Smith spit at Quinn, who was being held back by his father and Thomas, then struck Quinn with a slap to the side of the face and a push. Quinn pried himself away from those holding him. He hit Smith, who fell to the ground. Quinn hit Smith several times while Smith was on the ground, then Quinn took off running. Thomas was frightened and entered her car, which was adjacent to the brawl that ensued. She saw Smith charge at and knock down Kellersberger. Smith kicked and punched Kellersberger, who was on the ground curled into a fetal position. Thomas saw Beljak sock Smith “really hard” in the back of the head. Then Kellersberger hit Smith in the back of the head. Smith dropped to the ground, and Kellersberger “was just socking him, punching him like crazy. He went from that to kicking him and stomping him. He went from that to biting him all over his face.” Kellersberger struck any part of Smith’s body that he could lay his hands on. Smith attempted to get up from the ground during the attack, by grabbing Kellersberger’s legs. Kellersberger fell and Smith kicked him multiple times. Manny Rodriguez separated the two. Kellersberger ran away, then returned to the fight and tackled Smith, hitting and kicking him. Smith’s head made a thudding noise like a rock hitting the ground when Kellersberger tackled him. While Smith was on the ground being beaten by Kellersberger, Thomas saw Beljak and Eddie Borba kicking and stomping Smith. She described the attackers as “seriously going crazy” during her taped police interview. At one point, Thomas saw Kellersberger bend over Smith and insert two fingers into Smith’s nose while pushing Smith’s forehead back with his thumb, “like a leverage to try to rip his nose off.” She described it as a “fishhook” maneuver using “a ton of force.” Kellersberger struck Smith in the face 10 times during the fishhook maneuver, according to Thomas. Smith was screaming during the fishhook maneuver. In Thomas’s opinion, it sounded “[l]ike somebody was being tortured, like his nose was getting ripped off of his

4 face, however that would feel, that’s how he was screaming.” Thomas was so upset watching Kellersberger harm Smith that she started to cry.

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People v. Kellersberger CA2/2, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-kellersberger-ca22-calctapp-2013.