People v. Pavon CA2/5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 7, 2015
DocketB253706
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Pavon CA2/5 (People v. Pavon CA2/5) 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. Pavon CA2/5, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 7/7/15 P. v. Pavon CA2/5 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 FIVE

THE PEOPLE, B253706

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BA381363) v.

ARTURO PAVON,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, C.H. Rehm, Jr., Judge. Affirmed with modifications. Nancy J. King, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Arturo Pavon. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Steven D. Matthews and Ryan M. Smith, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. Appellant Arturo Pavon was convicted, following a jury trial, of two counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child in violation of Penal Code1 section 288.5, subdivision (a), and eleven counts of committing a lewd act on a child in violation of 288, subdivision (a). The victims of these offenses were appellant’s daughters G.V. and B.F., and B.F.’s half-sisters A.V. and K V. The jury found true the allegations that appellant committed the lewd acts on more than one victim within the meaning of section 667.61, subdivisions (b) and (e). The jury also found true the allegation that the statute of limitations was extended for the crimes against G.V. and A.V. pursuant to section 803, subdivision (f). The trial court sentenced appellant to consecutive upper terms of 16 years for the two section 288.5 convictions plus four consecutive terms of 15 years to life for the counts 7, 11, 16 and 18 section 288 convictions, pursuant to section 667.61. Appellant appeals from the judgment of conviction, contending that the prosecutor committed prejudicial misconduct during the examination of five prosecution witnesses and the cross-examination of two defense witnesses. Appellant also contends the abstract of judgment must be corrected with respect to the fines and fees, and the matter remanded for a determination of his ability to pay. We make a number of corrections to the fines and fees, as reflected below in the disposition. The judgment of conviction is affirmed in all other respects.

Facts Appellant’s daughter G.V. was born on June 20, 1985. She lived with him from birth until she was 17 years old. Appellant also had a daughter in Mexico with Victoria R. This daughter, B.F., was born on June 16, 1982. Later, Victoria had two daughters with another man. A.V. was born on December 23, 1984, and K.V. was born on November 7, 1985. Victoria and the three girls lived in Mexico until 1993.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise specified. 2 In 1993, appellant brought B.F. to Los Angeles. Later in 1993, Victoria moved to Los Angeles, bringing A.V. with her. Victoria wanted to be with appellant. In 1995, K.V. came to Los Angeles to live with her mother, sisters, and appellant. Appellant was convicted of sexually abusing all four girls. The abuse began with G.V. Appellant was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of G.V. between June 20, 1990, when she turned five, and June 19, 1995. Appellant was also convicted of four counts of lewd acts on G.V. for the abuse which occurred between June 20, 1996 and June 19, 1999, the day before her fourteenth birthday. Appellant next began sexually abusing A.V., beginning in 1993 when she was nine years old. Appellant was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of A.V. between April 1, 1993, and December 31, 1994. He was also convicted of one count of lewd acts on A.V., occurring between January 1, 1995, and December 22, 1998, the day before her fourteenth birthday. The abuse continued with B.F., beginning in 1995 when she was 12 years old. Appellant was convicted of four counts of lewd acts on B.F., all occurring between January 1, 1995, when B.F. was 12 years old, and June 15, 1996, the day before her fourteenth birthday. Appellant also began sexually abusing K.V. in 1995, when she was nine years old. Appellant was convicted of two counts of lewd acts on K.V., both occurring between January 1, 1995, and November 6, 1999, the day before her fourteenth birthday. Appellant had at least two other children who lived with him during the period the sexual abuse occurred. Appellant’s son Luis was G.V.’s full brother. Luis did not testify at trial. Appellant’s daughter Leticia F. was B.F.’s half-sister. Leticia testified at trial and provided partial corroboration for B.F.’s sexual abuse claims. Appellant called two witnesses to testify in his defense. The first was Luis’s wife Lizbeth Anzures. G.V. had testified that she tried to warn Lizbeth about appellant because she was worried that if Lizbeth and Luis had children, appellant would molest them. Lizbeth gave a different account of events. According to Lizbeth, she met and lived with G.V. for about a month when Lizbeth was 11 years old and G.V. was 16. G.V.

3 told Lizbeth that appellant touched her “pamper” and leg when she was three years old, but she never described any other incidents with appellant. Lizbeth recalled that G.V. and appellant seemed to have a good relationship. Appellant’s second witness was his sister, Maria Flores. She testified that G.V. lived with her for a few months in 2003, when G.V. was pregnant. One night, G.V. told Maria that she had been molested when she was three years old at a place she lived with her mother. Her parents sometimes left her alone with a man who wore glasses, and he molested her. She was angry that her parents has not protected her. G.V. never told Maria that appellant had abused her.

Discussion 1. Prosecutorial Misconduct Appellant contends the prosecutor committed misconduct by asking leading questions of prosecution witnesses G.V., B.F., A.V., K.V., and Leticia and also by asking defense witnesses Lizbeth and Maria questions which were intended to elicit inadmissible evidence or to encourage the jury to speculate. Appellant further contends the prosecutor “berated” Maria. Appellant contends this misconduct violated his right to due process and a fair trial. Respondent contends appellant has forfeited this claim by failing to object on the ground of prosecutorial misconduct and failing to request an admonition. Appellant contends that if his claim is forfeited, he received ineffective assistance of counsel.

a. General law “‘“The applicable federal and state standards regarding prosecutorial misconduct are well established. ‘“A prosecutor’s . . . intemperate behavior violates the federal Constitution when it comprises a pattern of conduct ‘so egregious that it infects the trial with such unfairness as to make the conviction a denial of due process.’”’ (People v. Gionis (1995) 9 Cal.4th 1196, 1214; People v. Espinoza (1992) 3 Cal.4th 806, 820.) Conduct by a prosecutor that does not render a criminal trial fundamentally unfair is

4 prosecutorial misconduct under state law only if it involves ‘“‘the use of deceptive or reprehensible methods to attempt to persuade either the court or the jury.’”’”’ (Hill, supra, 17 Cal.4th at 819.)” (People v. Gray (2005) 37 Cal.4th 168, 215-216.) Showing misconduct is not sufficient; an appellant must also demonstrate that his right to a fair trial was prejudiced by the misconduct. (People v. Bolton (1979) 23 Cal.3d 208, 214.) A defendant may not complain of prosecutorial misconduct on appeal if he failed to object to the conduct at trial or to request a curative admonition. (People v. Pearson (2013) 56 Cal.4th 393, 426.)

b.

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People v. Pavon CA2/5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-pavon-ca25-calctapp-2015.