People v. Shareef CA4/3

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 23, 2021
DocketG059364
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Shareef CA4/3 (People v. Shareef 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. Shareef CA4/3, (Cal. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

Filed 11/23/21 P. v. Shareef 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, G059364

v. (Super. Ct. No. 15HF0093)

QAYED MURTAZA SHAREEF, OPINION

Defendant and Appellant.

Appeal from a judgment of the Superior Court of Orange County, Craig Robison, Judge. (Retired Judge of the Orange Super. Ct. assigned by the Chief Justice pursuant to art. VI, § 6 of the Cal. Const.) Affirmed and remanded with instructions. Stephen M. Hinkle, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Eric A. Swenson and Jennifer B. Truong, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. * * * A jury convicted appellant Qayed Murtaza Shareef of a series of sex crimes against minors. Shareef argues the trial court erred in admitting statements he made to investigators because (1) he made those statements during a custodial interrogation without being advised of his rights under Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 (Miranda); and (2) his confession was involuntary. Shareef also challenges the imposition of certain fines and fees. We remand this matter to the trial court with directions to modify the minute order and abstract of judgment to reflect the court’s oral pronouncement staying the restitution fine. In all other respects, the judgment is affirmed.

FACTS In December 2013, 10-year-old J.D., who was autistic and had a learning disability, received a computer tablet as a gift. His mother downloaded several applications to the tablet, including an app called TangoMe, which allowed J.D. to message and video chat with other people online. Within a matter of days, a person who identified himself as “Jeremy Stevens” began messaging J.D. through TangoMe; the child soon disclosed he was 10 years old. After exchanging messages about video games, music, and other topics, “Jeremy” and J.D. began to discuss pornography, and “Jeremy” described various sexual acts he wanted to perform on and with the child. “Jeremy” then sent J.D. several videos of himself performing sexual acts, including a video of him wearing a blue GAP sweatshirt while masturbating and penetrating himself with what appears to be a glass sex toy. “Jeremy’s” face was not

2 visible in the video. “Jeremy” also convinced J.D. to create and send him videos of himself masturbating and performing various sexual acts with his nine-year-old brother. J.D.’s mother soon discovered the messages and her sons’ photographs and videos, and she contacted the police. Law enforcement investigators were able to link “Jeremy’s” IP address to the house in Aliso Viejo where Shareef had lived in 2013. Shareef, a husband and father of an infant son, was a marketing and advertising professional who at the time was making over $200,000 a year. At about 7:00 a.m. on January 21, 2015, seven members of the Orange County Child Exploitation Task Force, which included both federal and local investigators, executed a search warrant at Shareef’s house with guns drawn. After officers cleared the home, Orange County Sheriff’s investigator Sandra Longnecker asked Shareef to read the search warrant; she then asked him if he wanted to talk to her. Shareef said he did. Longnecker suggested they talk in his garage, where she had set up some chairs and recording devices. Longnecker, Shareef, and Ronald Perez, an agent from the Department of Homeland Security, entered the garage. Longnecker had Shareef sit closest to the door, so he could leave at any time. Perez asked Shareef, “You want me to close this door right here?” Shareef answered, “Yeah. Please close it.” Longnecker then informed Shareef he was not under arrest and told him he was free to go at any time. Shareef acknowledged he understood (“I get it”). After asking some initial questions about Shareef’s family members and living situation, Longnecker explained to him that authorities on the East Coast had contacted local law enforcement about two minor boys who were chatting on Tango. She added they were trying to find out who their suspect was, and they had traced the IP addresses for the “bad guy” to Shareef’s old residence. She also shared they had

3 screenshots of the perpetrator wearing a blue GAP sweatshirt, but they did not have any face shots. Shareef said he did not own a blue GAP sweatshirt and suggested that perhaps one of his brothers-in-law had committed the offenses. He added that agents might find the sweatshirt in the downstairs bedroom where his brother-in-law had stayed, but they would not find it in his (Shareef’s) bedroom. Shortly thereafter Shareef said that he was raped as a child by a friend of his father, and his wife did not know about it. Longnecker assured him that whatever they discussed would remain between them. Shareef said he wanted to make sure his son was not exposed to the same sort of abuse. Shareef then asked if he had to get a lawyer. Longnecker replied, “Um, I mean no. I mean like I said you’re, no one’s under arrest or anything like that.” She added they were just trying to figure out who the suspect was, and the victim’s family only wanted an apology. Shareef responded he did not think his brother-in-law would admit to committing the crimes. He added that, considering how many people had stayed with him over the years, he wanted to make sure the investigation was “taken care of” and “done right.” After asking Shareef some questions about his pornography preferences, Longnecker asked Shareef if he knew what a “glass toy” was. Shareef denied having any vibrators, glass sex toys, or dildos in the house. Meanwhile, investigators were searching Shareef’s home pursuant to the terms of the warrant. They found a blue GAP sweatshirt stored in a plastic bag in Shareef’s bedroom closet, as well as a glass sex toy in Shareef’s nightstand. When she was made aware of these findings, Longnecker informed Shareef officers had found a blue GAP sweatshirt and a glass sex toy in his bedroom. She showed the items to Shareef, who claimed the sweatshirt belonged to his brother and the glass object was his wife’s back massager. Longnecker told Shareef his wife said the sweatshirt belonged to him; Shareef responded that “she has a really bad memory.”

4 Longnecker then asked Shareef whether he had ever inserted the glass massager into his anus. He admitted he had—that he occasionally penetrated himself with the glass object in the shower to try to understand the pain he experienced when he was raped as a child. He told Longnecker he needed to talk to a psychiatrist; she responded they could get him help. She then asked Shareef if he had ever videotaped himself using the glass massager, and he denied ever doing so. Shareef asked what time it was. Longnecker replied it was almost 8:00 a.m. and asked if he needed something to eat or drink or to use the restroom. Shareef told her, “No. I’m okay.” Shareef then asked what was going to happen next. Longnecker informed him his electronics would be searched; the next steps would depend on what was found; all the information would be sent to prosecutors; if they identified the perpetrator, they would file criminal charges. Shareef asked what the charges would be, and Longnecker responded it depended on whether federal or state prosecutors filed the case.

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People v. Shareef CA4/3, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-shareef-ca43-calctapp-2021.