People v. Patterson CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 9, 2015
DocketF068508
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Patterson CA5 (People v. Patterson 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. Patterson CA5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 6/9/15 P. v. Patterson 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, F068508 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. BF143850A) v.

CHRISTOPHER HARVELL PATTERSON, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Kern County. Kenneth C. Twisselman II, Judge. Victor J. Morse, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Carlos A. Martinez and Jeffrey D. Firestone, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo- Christopher Harvell Patterson (defendant) stands convicted, following a jury trial, of first degree murder during the commission of a robbery (Pen. Code,1 §§ 187, subd. (a), 189, 190.2, subd. (a)(17); count 1), robbery with the personal infliction of great bodily injury (§§ 212.5, subd. (c), 12022.7, subd. (a); count 2), and active participation in a criminal street gang (§ 186.22, subd. (a); count 3).2 Following a bifurcated court trial, he was found to have served a prior prison term. (§ 667.5, subd. (b).) The People not having sought the death penalty, defendant was sentenced to an unstayed term of life in prison without the possibility of parole plus four years, and ordered to pay restitution plus various fees, fines, and assessments. We conclude the trial court did not err by denying defendant’s motion for a change of venue. As defendant contends and the Attorney General concedes, however, the sentence imposed on count 3 should have been stayed pursuant to section 654. We will modify the judgment accordingly and affirm. FACTS The facts of the crimes are largely irrelevant to the issues before us. Briefly stated, on August 19, 2012, defendant, a member of the Eastside Crips criminal street gang, was seated on a planter just outside a grocery store when 71-year-old Guadalupe Ramos walked from the store to her daughter’s car a short distance away in the parking lot. Defendant grabbed Ramos from behind and pulled a gold chain from around her

1 All statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise stated. 2 Defendant originally was jointly charged with Lawrence Slaughter and Maxamillion Lee McDonald, but their cases were severed. Only defendant’s case is before us on this appeal. During trial, the court dismissed an allegation the murder was committed by means of lying in wait (§ 189) and the lying-in-wait special circumstance (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(15)). Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the gang enhancements (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)) alleged as to counts 1 and 2, and the allegations were dismissed on the prosecutor’s motion.

2. neck knocking her to the pavement in the process and causing her to hit her back and head. Defendant then ran out of the parking lot and was picked up in a vehicle by fellow gang members McDonald and Slaughter. The vehicle, which had been in the grocery store parking lot for several minutes before Ramos was accosted, then sped off. Ramos was taken to the hospital. She was pronounced dead a short time later. The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy stated the cause of death as “emotion stress by precipitated sudden cardiac death due to marked excitation and emotional stress associated with physical exertion during robbery confrontation,” and “cardiac dysrhythmia or irregular heartbeat associated with blunt force trauma to the trunk and the extremity.” DISCUSSION I DENIAL OF MOTION FOR CHANGE OF VENUE Defendant unsuccessfully sought to change trial venue out of Kern County. He says the trial court erred by denying his motion. We disagree. A. Background and Procedural History Defendant was tried after McDonald and Slaughter had already been convicted. He moved, in limine, for a change of venue. In support, he submitted six different articles published in the local newspaper, on that newspaper’s Internet site, and on a local television station’s Internet site.3 The first, dated September 5, 2012, recounted the arrest of the three suspects, gave their names and ages and a brief recap of the crime and Ramos’s cause of death, and referred to defendant as an “AB 109 Probationer.” The article named Patterson as the suspect who took Ramos’s necklace, and explained that AB 109 allows nonviolent, nonserious, and nonsex offenders to serve their sentences in

3 Defendant actually submitted eight articles, but in two instances, the same article was published both in the local newspaper and on that newspaper’s Internet site.

3. county jails instead of state prisons. The second (not dated) recounted Slaughter’s conviction, and included a brief recap of the crime, that McDonald was convicted on April 8, and that Patterson was scheduled for a readiness hearing. The third article, dated May 14, 2013, reported on Slaughter’s sentencing, and quoted Ramos’s daughter as saying of the other defendants, “‘One down, two to go.’” The article stated Slaughter’s attorney believed defendant might be willing to testify Slaughter had nothing to do with the robbery. The fourth article, dated June 14, 2013, recounted McDonald’s April 2013 conviction and continuance of sentencing, and contained a brief recap of the crime, including defendant’s and Slaughter’s names. The fifth article (not dated) recounted another continuance in McDonald’s sentencing and again contained a brief recap of the crime. The final and most recent article, dated September 18, 2013, recounted McDonald’s sentencing and contained essentially the same recap of the crime as was contained in the prior articles. Defendant’s motion was heard October 2, 2013. The court decided it would examine individually those prospective jurors who claimed hardship and/or had knowledge of the case. It asked the attorneys to prepare a short statement of the case sufficient to trigger recollection in someone with such knowledge, and to include mention of the taking of a necklace, since that was a common theme in the articles. The court then denied the motion without prejudice, subject to it being renewed after completion of individual voir dire. Jury selection began that same afternoon, with an initial panel of 80 prospective jurors being summoned. Ultimately, a second panel of prospective jurors was also examined. Pursuant to the factual statement prepared by counsel, the court told each panel:

“This is a homicide case where the defendant is accused of one count of first degree homicide with special circumstances alleged. The name of the decedent is Guadalupe Ramos. The homicide occurred on August 19, 2012, at Foods Co located at 2505 Haley Street in east

4. Bakersfield. Guadalupe Ramos had her necklace taken in the parking lot of Foods Co. She later died at Kern Medical Center.” As to each panel, the court temporarily excused those prospective jurors who did not believe they had a hardship or prior knowledge of the case, but required all others to remain. Those who claimed hardship or knowledge were then individually examined outside the presence of other prospective jurors. According to the trial court’s count, 78 prospective jurors remained at the conclusion of individual voir dire. Defendant renewed his motion for a change of venue, arguing that more than 30 of the remaining prospective jurors had some knowledge of events.4 He acknowledged, however, that when examined by the court, all said they could set aside their prior knowledge of the case. The prosecutor observed that very few had extensive knowledge, and he argued all could be fair.

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People v. Patterson CA5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-patterson-ca5-calctapp-2015.