People v. Luna CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 21, 2023
DocketF082309
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Luna CA5 (People v. Luna CA5) 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. Luna CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

Filed 2/21/23 P. v. Luna CA5

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, F082309 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Consolidated w/F082434)

v. (Madera Super. Ct. Nos. MCR066495A & BRYAN LUNA et al., MCR066495B)

Defendants and Appellants. OPINION

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Madera County. Mitchell C. Rigby, Judge. Rex Adam Williams, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant, Bryan Luna. Catherine White, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant, William Webb. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Darren K. Indermill, and Catherine Tennant Nieto, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo- INTRODUCTION Appellants and defendants Bryan Luna (Luna) and William Webb (Webb), along with codefendant Francisco Samaniego (Samaniego), confronted Kevin Goodrich in a park and assaulted him with a shovel, an axe, and a sledgehammer. Goodrich suffered fractures to his skull and face. The three defendants were charged with assault with a deadly weapon (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(1)).1 At their joint trial, defendants did not testify but relied on the defense that Goodrich drew his knife first and provoked the incident. The three defendants were convicted as charged. As to Luna and Webb, the jury found true the enhancements that they personally inflicted great bodily injury on Goodrich in the commission of the assault (§ 12022.7, subd. (a)); the jury was unable to reach a finding on this enhancement as to Samaniego. Luna and Webb were sentenced to second strike terms of 16 years in prison. Luna and Webb have filed appeals that have been consolidated in this case. Samaniego is not part of the instant appeal. On appeal, Luna and Webb jointly assert there is insufficient evidence to support the great bodily injury enhancements because Goodrich was unable to testify as to which defendant inflicted which blow upon him during the assault; and the matter must be remanded for a new sentencing hearing because the court imposed upper terms based on aggravating circumstances that they did not admit and were not found true by the jury beyond a reasonable doubt, as required by Senate Bill No. 567’s (2021–2022 Reg. Sess.) (Senate Bill 567) amendments to section 1170, subdivision (b) (Stats. 2021, ch. 731, §§ 1.3, 2). Webb separately asserts the court failed to enumerate the elements of one of the fines it imposed, and the calculation of his credits must be corrected. We will order correction of Webb’s credits, find the other issues raised by Luna and Webb are not meritorious, and affirm their judgments.

1 All further statutory citations are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

2. FACTS Around 9:30 p.m. on May 28, 2020, 62-year-old, Kevin Goodrich, was sitting at a table in the picnic pavilion area at Millview Park in Madera and getting ready to “bed down” for the night. Goodrich was homeless and had been living at the park by himself for four to six weeks. The pavilion area was very dark, and there were only lights in the adjacent parking lot. Goodrich carried camping gear with him that consisted of a tent, sleeping bag, portable burner, and cooking utensils. He also had a backpack with his personal belongings and rode a red, 18-speed bicycle. Goodrich carried a knife to protect himself on the streets. On that night, he decided not to set up his tent, and instead placed his sleeping bag on top of a picnic table to sleep there. Goodrich Encounters Defendants Goodrich testified that Bryan “Polo” Luna, William “Will” Webb, and Francisco “Franky” Samaniego were also in the picnic area that night. They were sitting two tables away from him, about 15 to 18 feet away. Goodrich had known Webb for over a year through the rescue mission, Luna occasionally stayed at the park, and Luna had introduced him to Samaniego. Goodrich testified that the three defendants talked among themselves, and he was not listening to their conversation. Luna walked over to Goodrich and started to “bait” him. Luna said he did not want Goodrich to know about his business and what he was doing, he did not trust him, and he wanted Goodrich to leave. Goodrich testified that Luna sold drugs, and Luna said that he was afraid Goodrich was talking to the police. Luna said that if Goodrich did not leave, “they were going to beat me up and steal my bike and my stuff.” Goodrich testified that Luna was standing about 10 feet in front of him when he made these statements. Webb and Samaniego were about 12 feet behind Goodrich, and

3. they moved closer to him. Goodrich did not see defendants in possession of any weapons at that time. Goodrich testified that he pulled his folding knife from his pocket, opened the blade, and held it in his right hand because Luna was threatening him. Goodrich testified that he did not leave the picnic area because he had already set up his belongings for the night, and he wanted to stay there and defend his position. Goodrich stepped forward, waved his knife at Luna, and thrust it forward. Luna backed away and continued to “bait” him, saying that Goodrich was too old and slow to catch him. Goodrich testified that he was not looking for a fight, but he was going to defend himself and hoped Luna would leave. Luna moved too far away for Goodrich to hit him, or he might have made a second thrust of the knife toward Luna. Webb and Samaniego did not say anything to him. As Goodrich stepped toward Luna, Samaniego took Goodrich’s bicycle and pushed it behind some shrubs, about 18 to 20 feet away. Goodrich told Luna he was not going to leave, and Luna could just as easily leave himself. Goodrich testified that after moving the bicycle, Samaniego returned to the area where Goodrich was standing with Luna and Webb. Samaniego was carrying three construction tools: a metal shovel with a round-nosed spade, a steel axe, and a sledgehammer, all of which had long wooden handles. Samaniego kept the sledgehammer and gave the shovel to Webb and the axe to Luna. The Assault Goodrich testified that Luna, Webb, and Samaniego “converged” on him, and started “swinging” at him with the weapons they were holding. No one else was in the picnic area when defendants attacked him. Goodrich grabbed his backpack and folded tent in his left hand and used them as shields. He still held his knife in his right hand. Goodrich had to “dance” and “wheel around” because the three defendants surrounded him with their weapons.

4. Goodrich tried to lunge at defendants with his knife, but they were able to stay away from him, and they attacked him with their long-handled tools. Goodrich did not believe he hit anyone with his knife. Goodrich’s Testimony About Defendants’ Blows On direct examination, Goodrich testified that he was “getting hit” by all three defendants, but “to say who with what weapon at what time hit me, I mean, I can’t tell that.”

“Q … Mr. Luna, did he have a weapon?

“A Yes. He had the long-handled axe.

“Q And did he swing it at you?

“A Yes.

“Q And did he ever strike you?

“A Could be. I can’t tell you which weapon, you know, did what. I mean, sometimes I had my pack up. And, you know, their long- handled tools, they were coming over the top, you know? It was a [melee]. I can’t say … which injury was caused by what weapon.

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People v. Luna CA5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-luna-ca5-calctapp-2023.