People v. Villatoro

281 P.3d 390, 54 Cal. 4th 1152, 144 Cal. Rptr. 3d 401, 2012 WL 3064340, 2012 Cal. LEXIS 7245
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 30, 2012
DocketS192531
StatusPublished
Cited by277 cases

This text of 281 P.3d 390 (People v. Villatoro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Villatoro, 281 P.3d 390, 54 Cal. 4th 1152, 144 Cal. Rptr. 3d 401, 2012 WL 3064340, 2012 Cal. LEXIS 7245 (Cal. 2012).

Opinions

Opinion

CHIN, J.

Pursuant to Evidence Code1 section 1108, pattern jury instruction CALCRIM No. 1191 explains to a jury that it may consider a defendant’s uncharged sexual offense as evidence of his or her propensity to commit a charged sexual offense. Relying on a recent case, the trial court here modified CALCRIM No. 1191 to permit the jury to consider the defendant’s charged sexual offenses as evidence of his propensity to commit the other charged sexual offenses. (See People v. Wilson (2008) 166 Cal.App.4th 1034, 1052 [83 Cal.Rptr.3d 326] (Wilson).) The jury subsequently convicted defendant Juan Jose Villatoro of various counts of kidnapping, robbery, and rape against five women.

On appeal, defendant challenged the modified instruction based on People v. Quintanilla (2005) 132 Cal.App.4th 572 [33 Cal.Rptr.3d 782] (Quintanilla), which held that charged offenses could not be considered as propensity evidence under a similar provision (§ 1109) and its corresponding jury instruction (CALJIC No. 2.50.02). Relying in part on Wilson, the Court of Appeal below rejected defendant’s challenges to the modified instruction. For reasons that follow, we affirm the Court of Appeal’s judgment.

Factual and Procedural Background

Defendant was charged with committing various offenses, including rape, against five women between 2005 and 2008.

R.I.

On May 25, 2005, prostitute R.I. agreed to have sex with defendant for $80 and got into his car. After driving to a nearby residential area, defendant stopped the car, pulled out a gun from the backseat, and told the victim not to [1157]*1157move or look at him or else he would kill her. Defendant forced R.I. to have vaginal and anal intercourse, then whipped her on the back for 20 minutes with electrical extension cords. He then took her cell phone and told her to get out of the car.

The bruises on RJ.’s back and vagina, along with the swelling in her legs, were consistent with her account of the attack. DNA samples taken from R.I. were later found to match defendant’s DNA. R.I. subsequently identified defendant from a six-pack photographic lineup.

N.G.

On June 21, 2006, 18-year-old N.G. was walking home late at night when defendant drove up in a car, pointed a gun at her, and told her to get in his car or else he would kill her. She got in and defendant drove off. He told her not to look at him, and held a razor to her ribcage as he drove. When he stopped in a residential area, he forced N.G. to have vaginal intercourse, and inserted his fingers into her vagina. Defendant took the victim’s cell phone, rings, and sunglasses, and then let her go.

DNA samples taken from N.G. were later determined to match defendant’s DNA. Almost two years after the attack, N.G. identified defendant from a six-pack photographic lineup.

Beverly G.

On February 3, 2008, prostitute Beverly G. agreed to have sex with defendant for $100. After she got into his car, defendant drove a short distance to a residential area. When he stopped the car, he pulled out a stun gun, activated it, and told Beverly not to move. He held the stun gun to her neck and screamed, “Don’t look at me.” He forced her to have vaginal and anal intercourse. Whenever Beverly looked at defendant, he slapped her or spat at her. After he was done, defendant told her to get out; she did not retrieve her belongings before getting out of the car.

Beverly eventually told police what had happened and identified defendant from a six-pack photographic lineup on May 2, 2008.

C.C.

In the early morning of February 10, 2008, defendant offered a ride to C.C., who was waiting at a bus stop. She accepted the ride because another man had been harassing her. C.C. asked defendant to drive her to Hollywood. When she noticed he had driven to Santa Monica, she became worried and [1158]*1158nervous. She asked defendant to stop so that she could use a restroom. Defendant pulled over, handed C.C. some baby wipes, and told her to relieve herself in the grass. Defendant watched as she did so.

After defendant promised to take her home, C.C. got back into his car. He then pulled out a Taser or stun gun, activated it, and placed it near her throat. He ordered C.C. to take off her pants, which she did. He told her not to look at him, punched her in the face, and made her cover her head with her shirt. Defendant forced C.C. to have vaginal intercourse, bit her left breast, and pulled out some of her hair. He took her purse.

C.C.’s physical injuries—a bite mark and suction injury on C.C.’s left breast—were consistent with her account of the attack. DNA samples taken from her body were later found to match defendant’s DNA. In April 2008, C.C. identified defendant from a six-pack photographic lineup.

Kimberly J. 2

On April 4, 2009, around 3:00 a.m., prostitute Kimberly J. got into defendant’s car. He drove a few blocks before parking the car on a secluded street. He then jumped on top of Kimberly and said, “Shut up or I’m going to kill you.” He pulled out a stun gun and turned it on to scare her. After defendant ripped off Kimberly’s underwear and pulled down her skirt, he forced her to have vaginal intercourse. He repeatedly pushed her head and told her not to look at him. When defendant was done, he took Kimberly’s jewelry and cell phone and ordered her out of the car.

Kimberly’s physical injuries—vaginal bruising and abrasions on her hymen—were consistent with her account of the attack. DNA samples were taken from Kimberly, which were later determined to match defendant’s DNA. Kimberly helped police create a composite drawing of her attacker, and she later identified defendant from a six-pack photographic lineup.

At trial, the victims (all but Kimberly J.) testified about what had happened to them, and indicated they did not know one another before they were attacked. Without objection, the trial court instructed the jury with a modified version of CALCRIM No. 1191, which permitted the jury to use evidence of defendant’s guilt of one of the charged sexual offenses as evidence of his propensity to commit the other charged sexual offenses. The jury convicted defendant of five counts of rape, one as to each victim. It also convicted him [1159]*1159of one count of kidnapping to commit another crime as to N.G.; and four counts of robbery, one each as to N.G., Beverly G., C.C., and Kimberly J. The jury also found true allegations that defendant (1) personally used a firearm during the rapes of R.I. and N.G., and during the kidnapping and robbery of N.G. and (2) personally used a deadly or dangerous weapon as to all of the five rapes and as to the robberies of C.C. and Kimberly J. The trial court sentenced defendant to 153 years to life. Defendant appealed.

Relying on Quintanilla, supra,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
281 P.3d 390, 54 Cal. 4th 1152, 144 Cal. Rptr. 3d 401, 2012 WL 3064340, 2012 Cal. LEXIS 7245, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-villatoro-cal-2012.