People v. Martinez CA5

California Court of Appeal·Decided November 17, 2023·No. F085295·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 11/17/23 P. v. Martinez 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, F085295 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. VCF282470A) v.

TRINIDAD VALDEZ MARTINEZ, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

THE COURT* APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Tulare County. Melinda Myrle Reed, Judge.

Sylvia W. Beckham, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Kari Ricci Mueller and Darren K. Indermill, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo-

*Before Levy, Acting P. J., Poochigian, J. and Peña, J. INTRODUCTION A jury convicted defendant Trinidad Valdez Martinez and his codefendants Xavier Ysauro Medrano (also known as Xavier Ysidro Medrano), and Rey Robert Avellanoza of attempted murder, burglary, assault with a firearm, and participation in a criminal street gang. Avellanoza was also found guilty of shooting into an inhabited dwelling; Medrano and Martinez were acquitted of this charge. The jury also found true enhancements alleging premeditation and deliberation, use of firearms, causing great bodily injury, and committing the offenses for a criminal street gang. Each defendant received a substantial state prison sentence, including an indeterminate sentence for the attempted first degree murder conviction. We previously reversed Martinez’s and Medrano’s convictions for attempted murder, and, as to all three defendants, we also reversed the gang convictions and the gang enhancements. At resentencing, the court was directed to consider whether to exercise its discretion pursuant to Senate Bill No. 620 (2017–2018 Reg. Sess.) (Senate Bill 620) and Senate Bill No. 1393 (2017–2018 Reg. Sess.) (Senate Bill 1393), if applicable to any defendant, and consider the application of Senate Bill No. 136 (2019– 2020 Reg. Sess.) (Senate Bill 136). We also held Martinez could raise his claim for relief based upon the recent passage of Assembly Bill No. 518 (2021–2022 Reg. Sess.) (Assembly Bill 518) at resentencing. In all other respects, we affirmed the judgments. After the remittitur issued, the prosecutor elected not to retry Martinez on the attempted murder and active gang participation counts (counts 1 and 5, respectively) and the gang enhancement allegations. Before the resentencing hearing, the trial court held the one-year prior prison term allegations would be vacated and stricken pursuant to Senate Bill 136. At resentencing, the court declined Martinez’s invitation to exercise its discretion under section 1385 to dismiss Martinez’s prior strikes, citing the number of Martinez’s prior convictions, their seriousness, and the serious nature of the current offense. The court then sentenced Martinez to the middle term of three years on the

2. assault with a deadly weapon charge (count 4), doubled based on the strike convictions, plus the middle term of four years for the personal use of a firearm enhancement. The court struck the five-year prior serious felony conviction enhancement to count 4 pursuant to Penal Code section 1385, subdivision (c)(3)(B). The court also sentenced Martinez to 25 years to life for the burglary conviction (count 2), plus a 10-year upper term enhancement pursuant to section 12022.5 based on the personal use of a firearm enhancement. The court noted it had “stricken the allegation of Penal Code Section 667(a)(1), the additional five years under Penal Code Section 1385 (c)(3)(B).” The court ordered Martinez to pay a restitution fine in the amount of $8,000, and imposed and stayed an $8,000 parole revocation fine. The court also imposed a court operations assessment of $160 and $120 in criminal conviction fees. In this appeal, Martinez argues and the People agree the court erred in failing to stay the sentence on either the burglary count (count 2) or the assault with a deadly weapon count (count 4) pursuant to section 654, and remand is necessary to permit the court the opportunity to exercise its discretion regarding which count to stay. The parties also agree the court erred in increasing the restitution and parole revocation fines during the resentencing hearing, and it miscalculated the appropriate court operations assessment and criminal conviction assessment. We agree with the parties’ contentions. Martinez also contends the court erred in refusing to strike one of his firearm enhancements at resentencing and the court should not be entitled to reimpose the prior serious felony enhancement it struck during resentencing. Additionally, he challenges the manner in which custody credits are denoted on the abstracts of judgment. For the reasons stated herein, we vacate Martinez’s sentence and remand for the court to conduct a full resentencing hearing during which it should stay Martinez’s sentence on count 2 or count 4 and impose no more than a $4,000 restitution fine and a $4,000 parole revocation fine. We further direct the court to correct the court operations

3. assessment and criminal conviction assessment in light of Martinez’s remaining convictions. In all other respects, we affirm the judgment. PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Initial Proceedings An information was filed on May 22, 2013. On July 18, 2013, the trial court denied the defendants’ motions to bifurcate the gang allegations and evidence. The first trial ended in mistrial on July 24, 2013. A second jury was sworn and the case commenced on July 30, 2013. On August 9, 2013, the trial court denied the motion of Medrano and Martinez to sever their case from the case against Avellanoza. Jury Verdicts On August 9, 2013, defendants Martinez, Medrano, and Avellanoza were all convicted of attempted murder (Pen. Code, §§ 664, 187, subd. (a); count 1), first degree burglary (§ 459; count 2), assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm (§ 245, subd. (a)(1); count 4), and street terrorism (§ 186.22, subd. (a); count 5). Avellanoza was convicted of shooting into an inhabited dwelling (§ 246; count 3); Martinez and Medrano were acquitted of this charge. (Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.) The jury found true conduct enhancements that all three defendants committed attempted murder willfully, deliberately, and with premeditation. The jury also found true allegations that in committing count 1, Martinez and Medrano had violated section 12022.53, subdivisions (b) and (c) for personal use of a firearm as alleged in count 1, but did not find true Medrano and Martinez acted as principals or caused great bodily injury to the victim pursuant to section 12022.53, subdivisions (c) and (e)(1) and (d) and (e)(1). The jury found true the allegations Avellanoza personally used a firearm in count 1 within the meaning of subdivisions (b) and (c) of section 12022.53, he acted as a principal, causing great bodily injury within the meaning of subdivisions (c) and (e)(1) and (d) and (e)(1) of section 12022.53, and he inflicted great bodily injury pursuant to section 12022.7, subdivision (a). The jury found true the allegations all three defendants

4. used a gun within the meaning of section 12022.5, subdivision (a) as to counts 2, 4, and 5, and all three defendants acted in counts 1 through 4 for the benefit of a criminal street gang in violation of section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1)(C).

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

People v. Martinez CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2023).

People v. Martinez CA5 (People v. Martinez CA5) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Miranda v. Arizona
384 U.S. 436 (Supreme Court, 1966)
People v. Brents
267 P.3d 1135 (California Supreme Court, 2012)
People v. Hester
992 P.2d 569 (California Supreme Court, 2000)
In Re Estrada
408 P.2d 948 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Radil
76 Cal. App. 3d 702 (California Court of Appeal, 1977)
People v. Neely
176 Cal. App. 4th 787 (California Court of Appeal, 2009)
People v. Hanson
1 P.3d 650 (California Supreme Court, 2000)
People v. DeVaughn CA4/2
227 Cal. App. 4th 1092 (California Court of Appeal, 2014)
People v. Jackson
376 P.3d 528 (California Supreme Court, 2016)
People v. Islas
210 Cal. App. 4th 116 (California Court of Appeal, 2012)
People v. Valenzuela
441 P.3d 896 (California Supreme Court, 2019)