People v. Yazzie CA4/1

California Court of Appeal·Decided April 8, 2016·No. D067019·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 4/8/16 P. v. Yazzie CA4/1

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D067019 Plaintiff and Respondent, v. (Super. Ct. No. SCD256675)

DERRICK HASTEEN YAZZIE, Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, Joan P.

Weber, Judge. Affirmed as modified.

Marianne Harguindeguy, upon appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Gerald A. Engler, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Scott C. Taylor and Daniel Hilton, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

At about four o'clock in the morning on a weekday, 58-year old Craig Bledsoe walked over to a neighbor's home to ask the occupants to turn down loud music. Not

expecting a physical confrontation, Bledsoe was dressed in pajama bottoms, a shirt, and sandals. While Bledsoe was standing on the sidewalk, outside a fence in front of the house, sharp words were exchanged between Bledsoe and one of the occupants, Derrick Yazzie. When Bledsoe looked away for a moment, Yazzie reached over the fence and began punching him in the face. As Bledsoe retreated, Yazzie said, "If you call the police, I'll find you and beat your ass again."

A jury convicted Yazzie of assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury (Pen. Code,1 § 245, subd. (a)(4)) (count 1), battery with serious bodily injury (§ 243, subd. (d)) (count 2), and attempting to dissuade a witness from reporting a crime (§ 136.1, subd. (b)(1)). The jury also found that in committing the assault, Yazzie personally inflicted great bodily injury upon the victim within the meaning of sections 12022.7, subdivision (a) and 1192.7, subdivision (c)(8). The jury similarly found that in committing the battery, Yazzie personally inflicted great bodily injury upon the victim within the meaning of section 1192.7, subdivision (c)(8).

The court sentenced Yazzie to three years in prison for the assault conviction, with the enhancement stayed. The court also sentenced Yazzie to a concurrent three-year prison term for the battery conviction and another three-year concurrent term for the conviction for attempting to dissuade a witness from reporting a crime—for a total prison term of three years. The court suspended execution of the sentence and placed Yazzie on

1 Unless otherwise stated, all statutory references are to the Penal Code.

formal probation for three years on conditions, including that Yazzie serve 365 days in county jail and pay $725 in restitution to the victim.

Yazzie's defense was one of mistaken identity. Yazzie asserted that Juan Villela, a friend who was also at the house that night, was the one who beat Bledsoe.

On appeal, Yazzie contends his convictions should be reversed for three principal reasons. First, he contends the court erroneously excluded hearsay testimony that Villela said, "I hit him." Yazzie argues that evidence was admissible under the spontaneous statement hearsay exception in Evidence Code section 1240 and that his attorney rendered ineffective assistance of counsel by not relying on that hearsay exception at trial. Second, citing Chambers v. Mississippi (1973) 410 U.S. 284 (Chambers), Yazzie contends the exclusion of the hearsay evidence violated his due process right to a fair trial. Third, he contends there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions.

Last, Yazzie also contends, and the Attorney General agrees, that under section 654, the sentence imposed for battery should be stayed. We will modify the judgment to stay the sentence imposed for battery and, as so modified, affirm.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

A. The People's Case In May 2014 Bledsoe, who has insomnia, awakened at about 3:30 a.m. He heard loud music coming from a nearby house. After listening for 10 to 15 minutes, Bledsoe decided to ask the neighbors to turn down the volume.

Wearing his pajama bottoms, a shirt and sandals, and carrying his house keys in his hand, Bledsoe walked across the street and down five houses from his apartment, to a

single family residence where lights were on and the loud music and voices were coming from. In front of the house, parallel with the sidewalk, was a wood fence and gate. Bledsoe stood on the sidewalk, outside the fence and gate, and saw several people inside the house through the living room window, "hooting and hollering."

About three to five minutes later, Hannah Valenzuela exited the house and said to Bledsoe, "What," in a rude tone. Bledsoe replied, "Do you know what time it is? Do you have any respect for your neighbors?" Valenzuela said, "Are you asking me or telling me?" Bledsoe replied, "I'm asking you. Or are you too drunk to know the difference?" After stating, "You can't talk to me like that," Valenzuela went back inside.

Bledsoe stood there, thinking about whether to call police. A minute later, the front door opened. Valenzuela and three men exited the house and walked into the front yard.

Two of the men came up to the sidewalk, about 18 inches from Bledsoe, on the other side of the fence and short gate. Bledsoe got a "good look" at both men. One of them, Yazzie, was wearing wire-rimmed glasses, the other man did not wear glasses. Yazzie had long hair in a ponytail and a goatee. The other man had no ponytail. Yazzie was taller and heavier than the other man. At trial, Bledsoe identified Yazzie as the man who was across the fence, on Bledsoe's right side.

Bledsoe and Yazzie argued about the loud music. As the argument grew more heated, Bledsoe said he would call police if they could not resolve the situation among themselves. Bledsoe and Yazzie argued for about five minutes.

As Bledsoe turned to his left, Yazzie reached over the gate and punched Bledsoe in the side of the head. Yazzie opened the gate and rapidly punched Bledsoe 10 to 12 more times in the face and head. Bledsoe testified, "It was just crack, crack, crack, crack." Bledsoe had no chance to protect himself.

After punching him, Yazzie said, "Get the fuck out of here." Bledsoe retreated, walking across the street towards his apartment. Yazzie followed and threatened, "If you call the police, I'll find you and beat your ass again." Then, Bledsoe heard Valenzuela say, "No, Yazzie." Yazzie stopped and returned to his residence. Before this incident, Bledsoe had never met Yazzie and did not know his name. Bledsoe had moved into the neighborhood only three weeks before.

Bledsoe returned to his apartment, "bleeding all over the place," and called the police. Bledsoe sustained a laceration on his eyelid that required stitches, and a fractured eye socket that required surgery.2 Police arrived within about three minutes. Bledsoe described his assailant to police as a "dark skinned male with a long ponytail and goatee." Bledsoe accompanied police to the residence where he was attacked. While an officer made contact with the occupants at the front door, Bledsoe remained at the sidewalk, close to where he had been punched.

2 Yazzie's trial attorney essentially conceded Bledsoe sustained serious bodily injury, as she prefaced her first question on cross-examination by stating, "Mr. Bledsoe, I understand that you suffered a serious bodily injury when this occurred, so I'm not going to ask you any questions—any further questions about any of that. All I really wanted to talk to you about is the actual incident . . . ."

Yazzie came outside. Yazzie matched the description Bledsoe had given the officer: wire-rimmed glasses, long hair in a ponytail, and a goatee.

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