People v. Washington CA2/7

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 20, 2014
DocketB245418
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Washington CA2/7 (People v. Washington CA2/7) 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. Washington CA2/7, (Cal. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Filed 8/20/14 P. v. Washington CA2/7 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 SEVEN

THE PEOPLE, B245418

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. SA057427) v.

RICHARD WASHINGTON,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, James R. Dabney, Judge. Affirmed as modified. Charlotte E. Costan, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Assistant Attorney General, Victoria B. Wilson, Joseph P. Lee, and Noah P. Hill, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. _______________ Richard Washington was convicted by a jury of first degree felony murder with special circumstances, kidnapping to commit robbery, two counts of first degree burglary, robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, forcible rape, forcible sexual penetration and kidnapping for extortion. On appeal Washington contends the trial court committed several errors including (1) denying his motion for mistrial after the prosecutor disclosed he had run criminal background checks on sworn jurors during the trial; (2) granting the People’s pretrial motion to join sexual assault charges filed against Washington with the trial on the murder, robbery, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault charges; (3) admitting prejudicial evidence and excluding relevant evidence favorable to the defense; (4) failing to impose sanctions for the People’s statutory discovery violations; (5) refusing his requests to instruct the jury on several lesser included offenses; and (6) permitting witnesses who had not performed forensic tests to testify to test results in violation of his Sixth Amendment right to confrontation. He also contends his conviction for kidnapping to commit robbery is not supported by substantial evidence and his convictions for both rape and forcible sexual penetration arising out of the same act was improper. We strike the forcible sexual penetration conviction and an improperly imposed parole revocation fine, order the correction of clerical errors relating to sentencing and, as modified, affirm the judgment. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 1. The Initial Information An initial information filed September 22, 2006 charged Washington with five counts related to offenses committed against Dr. Jose Segundo in June 2005: attempted 1 murder (Pen. Code, §§ 664, 187, subd. (a)) (count 1), kidnapping to commit robbery (§ 209, subd. (b)(1)) (count 2), first degree burglary (§ 459) (count 3), first degree residential robbery (§ 211) (count 4) and assault with a deadly weapon (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)) (count 5). It was specially alleged as to each of those counts that

1 Statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated or context otherwise makes clear.

2 Washington had personally inflicted great bodily injury against a person 70 years of age or older (§ 12022.7, subds. (a), (c)). The information also charged Washington with two counts related to crimes against Marie Fouquet in May 2004: murder (§ 187, subd. (a)) (count 6) and first degree burglary (§ 459) (count 7). It was specially alleged as to count 6 that the murder was committed during the commission of a burglary (§ 190.2, subd. (a)(17)). 2. The People’s Motion for Joinder and the Filing of an Amended Information In February 2007 the People discovered a sperm sample taken from rape victim Betty K. in 2001 matched Washington’s DNA profile. Pursuant to section 954, in July 2007 the People moved, over a defense objection, to join charges against Washington relating to the 2001 sexual assault of Betty K. with the trial on the 2004 and 2005 offenses charged in the initial information. Following a hearing, the court granted the motion for joinder on April 29, 2008, ordered the initial information amended to include charges of forcible rape (§ 261, subd. (a)(2)) (count 8) and forcible sexual penetration (§ 289, subd. (a)(1)) (count 9) and denied Washington’s concomitant motion for severance. Pursuant to the court’s order, an amended information was filed July 18, 2008 that included each of the counts and special allegations in the initial information filed September 22, 2006, as well as newly-added counts 8 and 9. The amended information also added special allegations that the sexual assault offenses in counts 8 and 9 were committed during the commission of a burglary (§ 667.61, subds. (a) & (d)). 3. The Second Amended Information A second amended information (the operative charging document) filed January 12, 2011 included each of the nine counts and special allegations from the July 18, 2008 amended information and added a new charge of kidnapping Segundo for ransom/extortion (§ 209, subd. (a)) (count 10). It was specially alleged as to the newly- added count 10 that Washington had personally inflicted great bodily injury against a person 70 years of age or older (§ 12022.7, subds. (a), (c)). It was further alleged as to all counts that Washington had served four separate prison terms for felonies within the meaning of section 667.5, subdivision (b). The People did not seek the death penalty

3 with regard to the alleged special circumstances murder. Washington pleaded not guilty and denied all special allegations. 4. The Evidence at Trial a. The offenses against Segundo (counts 1 through 5, count 10) After he awoke from a nap in his backyard hammock on the afternoon of June 29, 2005, 82-year-old Segundo went inside his home and unexpectedly encountered Washington. Washington saw Segundo and struck him in the head and body multiple times with a large wooden board, continuing the assault even after Segundo had fallen to the floor. Washington then pushed Segundo into another room in the house, again knocked him to the floor, put his foot on Segundo’s neck and face while pinning him to the ground and struck him several more times with the piece of wood. Washington demanded Segundo tell him where he stored his money. Segundo, on blood thinning medication and bleeding profusely from his wounds, told Washington he had money in another bedroom about 10 to 15 feet away. Washington pulled Segundo up and forced him to the bedroom where Segundo retrieved $200 to $300 in cash and immediately handed it to Washington. Washington then shoved Segundo into a nearby closet, ordered him to lie down, locked the closet door and placed a chair under the doorknob to prevent Segundo from escaping. Washington asked through the closet door where Segundo kept his ATM card and demanded Segundo give it to him along with the personal identification number (PIN) that would activate the card. Segundo slid the card under the closet door but gave Washington a false PIN. After Washington left, Segundo was able, with some effort, to unlatch the closet door and free himself. He noticed his cell phone had also been taken from his dresser. Segundo called the police emergency operator from a house telephone and reported the attack. He was immediately hospitalized. Segundo suffered a fracture to his hand and required numerous staples and sutures for his head wounds.

4 b. The offenses against Fouquet (counts 6 and 7) On the afternoon of May 30, 2004 Raymond Fouquet arrived home to find his 78- year-old wife, Marie Fouquet, dead, her body sprawled awkwardly on the floor. Initially, both Raymond and paramedics believed she had suffered a heart attack.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Washington CA2/7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-washington-ca27-calctapp-2014.