People v. Viveros CA5

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 26, 2015
DocketF066283
StatusUnpublished

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

Opinion

Filed 3/26/15 P. v. Viveros 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, F066283 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Super. Ct. No. VCF242538) v.

RAUL VIVEROS, OPINION Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Tulare County. Joseph A. Kalashian, Judge. Patricia J. Ulibarri, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Michael P. Farrell, Assistant Attorney General, Daniel B. Bernstein and Henry J. Valle, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. -ooOoo- A jury convicted Raul Viveros of the second degree murder of his grandmother, Solidad Hinojos. He argues on appeal that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence obtained as a result of his arrest, and the custody credits in the abstract of judgment are incorrect by one day, probably because he was incarcerated during a leap year. Viveros also requests we review various police reports that were produced in response to subpoenas issued by defense counsel. The trial court reviewed these records and concluded none of the reports should be given to Viveros. We conclude the trial court correctly denied Viveros’s motion to suppress and correctly concluded none of the police reports was relevant to this proceeding. We will remand the matter to the trial court for issuance of a corrected abstract of judgment. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL SUMMARY Evidence Presented at Trial On the day of the murder, Ernesto Llerenas lived in the same house with his mother, his brother, Viveros, and Ms. Hinojos. Although Llerenas had remained in his bedroom most of the day, he heard Viveros and Ms. Hinojos leaving and returning to the house several times that day. Around 7:00 or 8:00 p.m., Llerenas awoke from a nap when he thought he heard a scream, although it was not a scream suggesting someone was seriously injured. He then heard a door slam, which caused him to wake up fully. Llerenas got dressed and went to the living room, where he observed Ms. Hinojos sitting on the floor in front of the couch covered in blood. Llerenas ran back to his room and called first his brother and then the emergency operator to report the crime. Tulare City Police Officer Shannon Oliver was one of the first officers to arrive at the scene. She found Llerenas and his brother outside the house. After detaining the two, she and another officer cleared the house. Ms. Hinojos was in the living room. As soon as the officers determined the house was safe, emergency personnel entered to treat Ms. Hinojos.

2. Tulare City Police Corporal Richard Payne was the detective assigned to the murder. He arrived at the scene at approximately 8:50 p.m. During his initial investigation he discovered Ms. Hinojos owned a vehicle and that Viveros lived with her at the house. Since neither the vehicle nor Viveros could be located, he issued a statewide alert for both. At approximately 5:00 a.m. the following morning, the vehicle was located abandoned on southbound Highway 99, five miles south of Bakersfield. California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Joshua Williams was assigned to the Grapevine inspection facility (hereafter, facility or weigh station) on Interstate 5 south of Bakersfield. The facility weighs and inspects commercial vehicles. Normally there is no foot traffic at the facility. In the early morning hours on the day after the murder, Williams observed an individual in dark clothing walking across one of the scales used to weigh commercial vehicles. Williams stopped the pedestrian, who he later learned was Viveros, because it was not safe for a pedestrian to be in that area. Viveros pointed in a southerly direction and said he was headed that way. Williams brought Viveros into the facility and had him wait in the truck drivers’ waiting area. Williams intended to gather more information so he could assist Viveros. Viveros appeared confused and was not sure where he was or where he was headed. Viveros told Williams the vehicle he was driving ran out of gas. When asked if someone could pick him up, Viveros said he did not know anyone and there was no number he could call for assistance. Williams then had Officer Francisco Torres perform a records check on Viveros. The records check did not reveal any negative information. Torres then contacted the CHP dispatch center in an attempt to obtain a phone number for Viveros. The dispatcher reported that Viveros was wanted in Tulare, at which time Viveros was detained. Initially, Williams’s primary concern was Viveros’s confused state. Had Viveros not been confused, Williams would not have released him at the weigh station, but would have offered him a ride to a nearby restaurant.

3. Torres testified that because Viveros appeared confused and disoriented, he checked Viveros for possible drug intoxication. Torres concluded Viveros was not under the influence of drugs at the time. Torres also found it strange that Viveros ended up at the facility because it is in a very remote location and it was unusual for any pedestrian to appear at the facility. Torres contacted dispatch to try to find a contact number because it would not have been safe for Viveros to leave the facility on foot as it was located in such a remote place. Viveros was at all times cooperative with both officers. Ms. Hinojos was stabbed approximately 55 times. One cluster of stab wounds was suffered on the left side of Ms. Hinojos’s face, which resulted in fractures of the facial bones. Ms. Hinojos also suffered four stab wounds to the left side of her chin and neck, 14 stab wounds to the right side of her face and neck, eight stab wounds to the chest area, some of which penetrated the heart, and there were also stab wounds to the abdominal and upper left back areas. The stab wounds to the heart caused Ms. Hinojos to bleed to death, although a preexisting heart condition aggravated by the stab wounds may have contributed to her death. Samples for DNA testing were taken from Ms. Hinojos’s fingernails and mouth. Samples for DNA testing were taken from Viveros, including fingernail scrapings. Finally, samples from the clothes Viveros was wearing and the key to the vehicle he was driving were taken for DNA testing. Samples obtained from Viveros’s sandals that appeared to be blood contained DNA that was consistent with Ms. Hinojos’s DNA.1 A sample from the key that appeared to contain blood also contained Ms. Hinojos’s DNA profile. A sample taken from Viveros’s jeans that appeared to be blood contained a DNA profile consistent with Viveros’s DNA.

1Statistically,the DNA from a nonrelated, randomly selected individual would be one in five quintillion Hispanics.

4. The Information The information charged Viveros with one count of first degree murder. (Pen. Code, § 187, subd. (a).)2 In addition, it was alleged Viveros used a deadly weapon within the meaning of section 12022, subdivision (b)(1). Verdict and Sentencing The jury found Viveros not guilty of first degree murder, instead finding him guilty of the lesser included offense of second degree murder. The jury also found true the deadly weapon enhancement. Viveros was sentenced to a term of 15 years to life plus one year for the enhancement. DISCUSSION I. Detention Prior to trial Viveros made a motion pursuant to section 1538.5 to suppress all evidence obtained as a result of his arrest at the CHP weigh station. He argued he was illegally detained and any evidence seized was fruit of the poisonous tree.

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