People v. Ortiz CA4/3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 29, 2013
DocketG047301
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Ortiz CA4/3 (People v. Ortiz CA4/3) 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 CA4/3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Filed 10/29/13 P. v. Ortiz CA4/3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, G047301

v. (Super. Ct. No. 11CF0203)

ISMAEL CALIXTO ORTIZ, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

Appeal from a judgment of the Superior Court of Orange County, Lance Jensen, Judge. Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded. Jennifer L. Peabody, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, A. Natasha Cortina and Sean M. Rodriquez, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. * * * Defendant and appellant Ismael Calixto Ortiz appeals from the trial court‟s judgment after a jury convicted him of (1) forcible rape committed during the commission of a burglary (Pen. Code, §§ 261, subd. (a)(2), 667.61, subds. (a), (c) & (d)(4); count 1); (2) dissuading or attempting to dissuade the victim from reporting the crime through force or threat of force (Pen. Code, § 136.1, subd. (c)(1); count 2); and (3) first degree residential burglary for entering a dwelling with intent to commit rape (Pen. Code, § 459; count 3).1 Ortiz contends the trial court erred in instructing the jury with CALCRIM No. 318 because the instruction allowed the jury to consider the victim‟s hearsay statement that she was raped for the truth of the matter rather than for the limited, nonhearsay purpose of showing she promptly reported the offense. Ortiz also contends the trial court erred in failing to stay his sentence for dissuading the victim because the threats on which his conviction was based are the same threats he used to accomplish the rape, and therefore section 654 prevented him from being punished for both crimes. Finally, Ortiz contends section 654 prohibited the trial court from imposing a consecutive sentence on the burglary count even though the court properly stayed that sentence. As explained below, we reject Ortiz‟s first two challenges, but agree the trial court erred in imposing a consecutive sentence on count 3. Accordingly, we affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for the trial court to resentence Ortiz on count 3.

I

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In January 2005, Rocio B. was 17 years old and lived with her two-year-old son, six brothers, two sisters, and mother in a two bedroom apartment in Santa Ana,

1 All statutory references are to the Penal Code.

2 California.2 Rocio and her son shared one bedroom while her mother, two sisters, and one brother shared the other bedroom. Rocio‟s other brothers slept on the couches and floor in the living room. The apartment was on the second floor and had a balcony. Underneath the balcony was a fence and telephone junction box that some of Rocio‟s brothers would use to climb up onto the balcony. The sliding glass door from the apartment to the balcony did not lock. One night that month, Rocio and her son fell asleep around 11:00 p.m. while watching television in their bedroom. Her mother was at work and her siblings fell asleep in their bedroom or the living room. Her oldest brother, Luis, was 18 years old and slept on a mattress on the living room floor near the sliding glass door. Before going to bed, Luis locked the apartment‟s front door. Around 2:30 a.m., Rocio woke up to go to the restroom. The lights were off, but the television was still on. The light from the television allowed Rocio to see a man kneeling next to her bed with his hand on her son‟s chest. He told Rocio he would come back and kill her son if she said anything. The man climbed into bed with Rocio and removed her pants and underwear. As he pulled down his own pants and underwear the man told Rocio, “This is a revenge.” Rocio, however, had no idea what he was talking about and did not recognize the man. He then raped Rocio while holding her down by her shoulders. Rocio did not try to resist or make any noise because she was afraid he would hurt her or her son. Rocio lay on her back during the entire encounter and the light from the television allowed her to clearly see the man‟s face. While he was on top of Rocio, the man said he would do the same thing to Rocio‟s sister if she said anything. The man ejaculated inside Rocio and then got up, put his clothes on, and ran out of her room.

2 We use Rocio‟s first name and the first name of her family members to protect Rocio‟s privacy. No disrespect is intended.

3 After the man left, Rocio put her clothes on and ran out into the living room crying hysterically. She woke up Luis and told him she had been raped. Luis went out to the balcony, but did not see anyone. Earlier, Luis had felt something while he was asleep, but thought it was one of his brothers getting up to use the restroom. Rocio told Luis not to call the police because she was afraid the man would return and kill her son. Nonetheless, Luis called 911 at approximately 3:00 a.m. The operator told Rocio to lie down and avoid using the restroom until the police arrived. Police investigators did not find any signs of forced entry, fingerprints, or footsteps outside the apartment. A sexual assault examination revealed that Rocio did not suffer any physical injuries such as bruising or vaginal tearing during the rape. The nurse conducting the examination obtained several vaginal swabs from Rocio that revealed the presence of semen. Police investigators obtained a DNA profile from the semen, but efforts to find a DNA match were unsuccessful. In 2010, the police matched Ortiz‟s DNA profile with the DNA profile from the semen collected following Rocio‟s 2005 attack. Police then presented Rocio with a photographic lineup of five men and she identified Ortiz as her assailant. Police arrested Ortiz based on the DNA match and Rocio‟s identification. During an interview, Ortiz disclosed he lived about two blocks from Rocio‟s apartment in 2005, but denied raping her and claimed he did not recognize Rocio from a photograph police showed him. In June 2011, the prosecutor filed a three-count information against Ortiz as described above. During trial, Rocio testified about the attack, her statements reporting the attack to her brother Luis immediately afterwards, and her statements to the police. Luis also testified about the statements Rocio made to him immediately after the attack. A jury found Ortiz guilty on all three counts. The trial court sentenced Ortiz to a total of 29 years to life as follows: 25 years to life on count 1, a consecutive term of 4 years on count 2, and a consecutive term of 16 months on count 3 stayed under section 654. Ortiz timely appealed.

4 II

DISCUSSION

A. Ortiz Forfeited His Claim the Trial Court Erred in Giving CALCRIM No. 318 Ortiz contends the trial court erred by instructing the jury with CALCRIM No. 318, which informed the jury it could consider a witness‟s prior, out-of-court statements in two ways: “1. To evaluate whether the witness‟s testimony in court is believable; [¶] AND [¶] 2. As evidence that the information in (those) earlier statements is true.” Ortiz contends this instruction improperly allowed the jury to consider Rocio‟s hearsay statement to her brother that she had been raped for the truth of that statement, rather than for the limited, nonhearsay purpose of showing she promptly reported the attack. Ortiz, however, forfeited this challenge by failing to object to CALCRIM No.

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People v. Ortiz CA4/3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ortiz-ca43-calctapp-2013.