People v. Ortiz CA2/8

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 25, 2016
DocketB257413
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Ortiz CA2/8 (People v. Ortiz CA2/8) 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. Ortiz CA2/8, (Cal. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Filed 3/25/16 P. v. Ortiz CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 EIGHT

THE PEOPLE, B257413

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. LA069901) v.

EVIN ADONIS ORTIZ et al.,

Defendants and Appellants.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Greg Dohi, Judge. Affirmed as modified.

Ralph H. Goldsen, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Rene Ubaldo Ramirez.

Eric R. Larson, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Evin Adonis Ortiz.

Charlotte E. Costan, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Edwin Bonilla.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Scott A. Taryle and John Yang, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

__________________________ INTRODUCTION Three men robbed Manuel Flores as he walked from the driveway to the front door of his North Hollywood home. As the robbers were fleeing, one shot at Flores, but missed. Flores’s grandson, Danilo Morales, chased the robbers to their getaway car, a white Mitsubishi Montero SUV. As the Montero was driving away, one of the robbers shot at Morales through the back window, fatally wounding Morales. Witnesses, including victim Flores, were only able to describe the three perpetrators by their nationality (Hispanic), relative heights and some clothing. Soon after releasing photos of the getaway car to the media, the police received information connecting defendant Evin Ortiz to a white 1996 Mitsubishi Montero SUV, the broken back window of which had been replaced the day after the shooting. Police investigation of Ortiz led to codefendants Edwin Bonilla and Rene Ramirez. The fingerprints of all three men were found on the Montero. None of the witnesses could positively identify Bonilla, Ortiz or Ramirez from photographic or live lineups or in court, but one witness identified the clothing Ramirez was wearing in his booking photograph as the clothing worn by the man who killed Morales. All three defendants were charged with the murder of Morales committed during the course of a robbery, as well as the robbery, assault with a firearm and attempted premeditated murder of Flores. Following a joint jury trial, defendants were found not guilty of assault with a firearm, but guilty of the other charged crimes; the jury found true the felony-murder special circumstance as to all three defendants. PROCEDURAL HISTORY Bonilla, Ortiz and Ramirez were jointly charged by amended information with the murder of Danilo Morales during the commission of a robbery (count 1), the attempted premeditated murder of Manuel Flores (count 2); assault with a firearm on Flores (count 3) and second degree robbery of Flores (count 4). As to count 4 (Flores robbery), the information alleged defendants knew or should have known Flores was more than 65 years old (Pen. Code, § 667.9, subd. (a)); as to counts 1, 2 and 4, it was further alleged

2 that Ramirez personally and intentionally discharged a firearm which caused great bodily injury to Morales; and that Ramirez had served a prior prison term.1 A jury found defendants not guilty on count 3 (assault with a firearm), but guilty on counts 1, 2 and 4. The jury found true the felony-murder special circumstance and the enhancements related to the other counts. Motions for new trial were denied. On June 23, 2014, each defendant was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for the Morales murder (count 1). Including enhancements, Ramirez was additionally sentenced to a consecutive 25 years to life for the Flores attempted murder (count 2), and 15 years for the Flores robbery (count 4). Also including enhancements, Ortiz and Bonilla were each additionally sentenced to a consecutive 7 years to life in prison for the Flores attempted murder (count 2) and a consecutive 5 years for the Flores robbery (count 4). Each defendant timely appealed.

CONTENTIONS ON APPEAL

A. Bonilla

1. Insufficient evidence supports the murder conviction; 2. It was error to allow an expert witness to rely on out-of-court statements by a third party; 3. It was error to deny his request for instructions on (a) second degree murder and (b) accessory; 4. It was error to deny motions for mistrial, disclosure of juror information and new trial, which were all based on juror misconduct; and 5. Even if individually harmless, the errors were cumulatively prejudicial.

B. Ortiz

1. Insufficient evidence supported the special circumstance finding; 2. It was error to not instruct on second degree murder;

1 All further undesignated section references are to the Penal Code.

3 3. The trial court committed sentencing errors.

C. Ramirez

1. It was error to deny Ramirez’s request for an alibi instruction; 2. It was error to identify Ramirez as the perpetrator and shooter in instructions; 3. It was error to deny the motions for mistrial, disclosure of juror information and new trial based on juror misconduct; and 4. It was error to allow the People to file a Penal Code section 1203.01 “Statement of View.”

In addition, to their individual contentions, each defendant purports to join in the contentions of his codefendants. Although a party may join the contentions of another party (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 8.200(a)(5)), cursory joinder is not enough. The joining party still has the burden of demonstrating error and prejudice as to him. (People v. Nero (2010) 181 Cal.App.4th 504, 510, fn. 11.)

FACTS A. People’s Case

Viewed in accordance with the usual rules of appeal (People v. Zamudio (2008) 43 Cal.4th 327, 357), the evidence established that in January 2012, attempted murder and robbery victim Manual Flores was 68 years old, diabetic and had high blood pressure. He lived on the 8000 block of Coldwater Canyon Boulevard with his daughters, Ana and Marta, and Ana’s son, murder victim Danilo Morales. Witness Alfredo Canales Flores, who is unrelated to victim Manuel Flores, rented a room in the back of Flores’s house.2

2 To avoid confusion, we refer to victim Manuel Flores as “Flores,” witnesses Alfredo Canales Flores as “Canales,” Ana Flores as “Ana” and Marta Flores as “Marta.”

4 In the early evening on Monday, January 9, 2012, Flores was shopping at an indoor “swap meet” on Sherman Way and Coldwater, not far from his home. When he returned home at about 6:45 p.m., Flores parked his green minivan in the driveway. As he walked from the driveway to his front door, Bonilla, Ortiz and Ramirez accosted Flores. Witnesses described the perpetrators by their relative heights. The evidence established that Ramirez is 5’1”; Ortiz is 5’9”; and Bonilla is 6’1”.3 The shortest man, Ramirez, took Flores’s gold neck chain; the tallest, Bonilla, took Flores’s car keys and wallet. As the three defendants were walking away, Flores yelled for help. Ramirez turned around and fired one gunshot at Flores.4 The shot missed. The three robbers then ran north on Coldwater and turned west onto the 13000 block of Willard Street, where they got into a parked, white Mitsubishi Montero SUV. Meanwhile, apparently in response to his grandfather’s call for help, Morales had run out of the house and chased defendants to the Montero.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Ortiz CA2/8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ortiz-ca28-calctapp-2016.