People v. Shiga

246 Cal. Rptr. 3d 198, 34 Cal. App. 5th 466
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal, 5th District
DecidedApril 17, 2019
DocketB256009
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 246 Cal. Rptr. 3d 198 (People v. Shiga) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal, 5th District primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Shiga, 246 Cal. Rptr. 3d 198, 34 Cal. App. 5th 466 (Cal. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

FEUER, J.

*200*469Defendant Gregory Yusuke Shiga was convicted of aggravated arson, arson of a structure, arson of an inhabited structure, possession of flammable material, and second degree burglary arising from the 2011 burning down of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights. The jury also found true the special allegations the arson was caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire or delay ignition; Shiga proximately caused multiple structures to burn; and Shiga caused property damage exceeding $ 3.2 million. The trial court sentenced Shiga to an aggregate state prison term of 18 years to life.

In the published part of the opinion, we conclude the crimes of arson of an inhabited structure and arson of a structure under Penal Code section 451, subdivisions (b) and (c),1 respectively, are forms of the same offense of *470simple arson. Therefore, Shiga was erroneously convicted of both crimes. We reverse Shiga's convictions on counts 2 and 5 and remand for the People to elect on which count they want to proceed. Shiga also contends his convictions for arson of an inhabited structure and arson of a structure must be reversed because the offenses are lesser included offenses of aggravated arson under section 451.5. This contention lacks merit because a defendant can commit aggravated arson without necessarily committing arson, whether of a structure or an inhabited structure.

In the unpublished part of the opinion, we address Shiga's contentions concerning his competence to stand trial and to represent himself at trial. In Shiga's initial appeal, he argued the trial court erred in failing to conduct hearings on his competency to represent himself and to stand trial. We agreed, and remanded with instructions to the trial court to determine whether it was feasible retrospectively to determine Shiga's mental competency at the time of trial to represent himself and to stand trial, and if it was feasible, whether Shiga was competent in both respects. ( People v. Shiga (2016) 6 Cal.App.5th 22, 50, 210 Cal.Rptr.3d 611 ( Shiga I ).) On remand the trial court concluded a retrospective determination of Shiga's competency was feasible, and found that at the time of trial Shiga was both competent to represent himself and to stand trial. In this reinstated appeal, Shiga contends the trial court erred in both these determinations. We conclude it did not.

In the unpublished portion of the opinion we also address numerous sentencing issues. Shiga contends in his supplemental briefing, the People concede, and we agree the trial court erred in failing to stay his sentence on count 3 for possession of flammable material pursuant to section 654 because this offense was based on Shiga's possession of the flammable materials he used to commit aggravated arson, for which he was sentenced on count 1.

The People also concede and we agree the trial court erred when it imposed two 5-year enhancements under section 451.1, subdivision (a), on count 2 for the use of a device designed to accelerate the fire *201(§ 451.1, subd. (a)(5)), and causing multiple structures to burn (§ 451.1, subd. (a)(4)), because subdivision (a) provides for a single enhancement "if one or more" of the bases for the enhancement are true. Therefore, if the People elect to proceed on count 2, the trial court may only impose one of the two enhancements under section 451.1. We also agree, as conceded by the People, the jury's true finding on count 1 as to the five-year enhancement under section 451.1, subdivision (a), must be reversed because the enhancement only applies to a conviction for a "felony violation of Section 451," not aggravated arson under section 451.5.

Finally, Shiga contends in his second supplemental briefing the enhancement the trial court imposed on count 2 under former section 12022.6, *471subdivision (a)(4), for causing damage in excess of $ 3.2 million, must be stricken because the enhancement was repealed by its own terms, effective January 1, 2018. (Former § 12022.6, subd. (f).) We reject this contention because the repeal of former section 12022.6 does not apply retroactively.

We reverse Shiga's convictions for arson on counts 2 and 5. On remand the People should elect whether to proceed on count 2 under section 451, subdivision (c), or count 5 under section 451, subdivision (b), and the trial court should then enter a conviction on one of the offenses. We also reverse the jury's true finding on the section 451.1, subdivision (a), enhancement as to count 1. We remand for resentencing with directions for the trial court to stay Shiga's sentence on count 3 for possession of flammable material pursuant to section 654 and, if it reinstates Shiga's conviction on count 2, to impose only one 5-year sentence enhancement under section 451.1, subdivision (a).

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND2

A. The Arson of the Church

On April 15, 2011 St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights was set on fire. The blaze quickly spread to an adjacent rectory where two of the church's priests were sleeping. Both priests safely escaped the flames, but the firefighters were not able to save any portion of the church.

B. The Information

An amended information charged Shiga with aggravated arson (§ 451.5, subd. (a); count 1); arson of a structure ( § 451, subd. (c) ; count 2); possession of flammable material (§ 453, subd. (a); count 3); second degree commercial burglary (§ 459; count 4); and arson of an inhabited structure or property ( § 451, subd. (b) ; count 5). The information further alleged as to counts 1, 2, and 5, the arson was caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire or delay ignition (§ 451.1, subd. (a)(5)); as to counts 1 and 2 Shiga proximately caused multiple structures to burn (§ 451.1, subd. (a)(4)); and as to count 2 Shiga caused property damage exceeding $ 3.2 million in value (former § 12022.6, subd. (a)(4)).

C.-E.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
246 Cal. Rptr. 3d 198, 34 Cal. App. 5th 466, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-shiga-calctapp5d-2019.