People v. Moreno CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 19, 2021
DocketF078495
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Moreno CA5 (People v. Moreno 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. Moreno CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

Filed 4/19/21 P. v. Moreno 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, F078495 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. 16CR-07163) v.

RAUL DIAZ MORENO, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Merced County. Ronald W. Hansen, Judge. (Retired Judge of the Merced Sup. Ct. assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to art. VI, § 6 of the Cal. Const.) Patricia L. Brisbois, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Xavier Becerra, Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Eric L. Christoffersen and Sally Espinoza, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo- INTRODUCTION Defendant Raul Diaz Moreno sexually abused his adopted daughters, S.M. and B.M., over the course of many years. Eventually, S.M. moved out. When S.M. was 19 years old and B.M. was 17 years old, B.M. sent S.M. a message reporting that she was being sexually abused by defendant. S.M. went with her boyfriend, her newborn daughter, and two companions to retrieve B.M. from the family home. Eventually, B.M. exited the residence, followed by defendant. As S.M., B.M., and their companions walked toward their vehicles, defendant shot S.M. in the back of the head; shot S.M.’s boyfriend in the ribs, shoulder, and back; and shot B.M. in the leg. Defendant pointed the gun at S.M.’s other two companions and pulled the trigger, but the gun failed to fire. When law enforcement arrived, defendant fired an additional two to three shots from inside the residence. Defendant surrendered to law enforcement a few hours later. All victims survived the shooting. A jury convicted defendant on three counts of attempted murder (Pen. Code §§ 187, subd. (a), 664, subd. (a);1 counts 1-3); five counts of assault with a firearm (§ 245, subd. (a)(2); counts 4-8); two counts of assault with a firearm upon a peace officer (§ 245, subd. (d)(1); counts 9-10); continuous sexual abuse of S.M. (§ 288.5, subd. (a); count 11); attempted forcible rape of S.M. (§§ 261, subd. (a)(2), 664; count 12); continuous sexual abuse of B.M. (§ 288.5, subd. (a); count 13); and forcible lewd acts upon a child as to B.M. (§ 288, subd. (b)(1); count 14). As to counts 1 through 3, the jury found defendant had personally and intentionally discharged a firearm and caused great bodily injury. (§ 12022.53, subd. (d).) As to counts 4 through 6, the jury found defendant had personally used a firearm (§ 12022.5, subd. (a)), and had personally inflicted great bodily injury (§ 12022.7, subd. (a)). As to counts 7 and 8, the jury found defendant had personally used a firearm. (§ 12022.5. subds. (a), (d).) As to

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

2. counts 11, 13, and 14, the jury found defendant had committed an offense specified in section 667.61, subdivision (c) against more than one victim. (§ 667.61, subds. (b), (e).) The court sentenced defendant to an aggregate term of 120 years to life plus 29 years, as follows: consecutive terms of two years, four months on each of counts 1 through 3, plus terms of 25 years to life for each of the firearm enhancements; a consecutive term of four years on count 7, plus 10 years for the firearm enhancement; a consecutive term of one year on count 8, plus one year, four months for the firearm enhancement; consecutive terms of two years on each of counts 9 and 10; a consecutive term of one year, eight months on count 12; and consecutive terms of 15 years to life on each of counts 11, 13, and 14. Sentence on counts 4 through 6 was imposed and stayed pursuant to section 654. The court also ordered defendant to pay a $10,000 restitution fine, a $560 court operations assessment, a $420 conviction assessment fee, and $22,785.55 in victim restitution. On appeal, defendant contends his conviction on count 14 must be reversed due to improper communication between the court and jury that violated his constitutional rights, and because the court’s response to a jury question was erroneous. Defendant additionally contends the fines, fees, and assessments imposed by the trial court violate his federal and state constitutional rights because he is unable to pay. Lastly, defendant contends the abstract of judgment must be corrected in several respects. We conclude the court’s communication with the jury did not violate defendant’s constitutional rights and, in any event, was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. We also conclude defendant has failed to demonstrate prejudice arising from the court’s challenged response to the jury’s question. We additionally conclude defendant has forfeited his challenge to the fines, fees, and assessments imposed by the trial court and, in any event, his arguments are without merit. We agree that the abstract of judgment requires correction as explained below, and will remand for the court to make these corrections. In all other respects, we affirm.

3. FACTS As the issues on appeal are not fact-dependent, we summarize the factual background only briefly. Defendant and his wife Margaret M.2 adopted S.M. and B.M., who are biological sisters, when the girls were young. The couple also have five older biological sons3 and a biological daughter the same age as S.M. The children primarily grew up in Los Banos, but the family moved to Merced in 2013 when defendant became a pastor. S.M. moved out of the family home in 2015. I. THE PEOPLE’S CASE S.M. testified that defendant began sexually abusing her when she was in the third grade. Defendant would require S.M. to massage his penis or orally copulate him. The sexual abuse continued for several years. On Valentine’s Day of 2015, defendant pinned S.M. to the couch and said, “This is what you want. This is what every guy is going to do to you anyway,” and attempted to rape her. On February 17, 2015, S.M. reported the abuse to Margaret, who admitted she was aware of it. That day, S.M. also moved out of the family home. S.M. reported the sexual abuse to Child Protective Services in 2015, after she moved out. B.M. was 18 years old at the time of trial. She testified that defendant began sexually abusing her when she was in kindergarten. Eventually, defendant would make B.M. orally copulate him approximately once per week. He would also come into B.M.’s room in the night to have sex with her or sodomize her. He would also fondle her breasts in the morning when she was required to bring him coffee. This abuse continued for several years. On the evening of Easter Sunday when B.M. was in seventh grade,

2 Pursuant to California Rules of Court, rule 8.90, we refer to some persons by their first names. No disrespect is intended. 3 The oldest son was raised by defendant but is Margaret’s son from a prior relationship.

4. defendant raped her. A few months before B.M. turned 17, she reported the abuse to her oldest brother, who then told Margaret. B.M. acknowledged that she met with Child Protective Services workers in 2015 after S.M. moved out and told them no one in the household had touched her sexually. She testified that she had denied the abuse because she did not want to “tear up a family and a church.” On October 28, 2016, B.M., who was then 17 years old, contacted S.M., who was then 19 years old, through Facebook Messenger. B.M. told S.M., “What Dad did to you, he’s doing to me now.” S.M. told B.M. to pack her belongings because S.M. was going to pick her up. S.M. then went to the family home in Merced with her boyfriend Josh M.4 and their newborn daughter.

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