People v. Young CA1/3

California Court of Appeal·Decided March 30, 2021·No. A159116·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 3/30/21 P. v. Young CA1/3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, A159116

v. (Contra Costa County Super. Ct. No. 50811471) BRIAN YOUNG,

Defendant and Appellant.

Penal Code1 section 1170.95 permits a person convicted of second degree murder under the natural and probable consequences doctrine to petition to vacate his conviction and be resentenced on any remaining counts. As the trial court erred in summarily denying defendant Brian Young’s section 1170.95 petition without issuing an order to show cause and holding an evidentiary hearing, we reverse and remand the matter for further proceedings.

1 All further undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

1 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND I. Background The facts are taken, in part, from our prior decision affirming Young’s convictions for shooting at an occupied vehicle (§ 246) and second degree murder (§187), together with related firearm and sentence enhancement allegations (§§ 190, subd. (d); 12022.5, subd. (a); 12022.53, subds. (b)-(d)). (People v. Young (Mar. 28, 2014, as modified, Apr. 24, 2014, A134248) [nonpub. opn.] (Young I).) On the evening of April 3, 2008, two cars were traveling westbound on Interstate 80 in Contra Costa County. A Dodge was being driven by Tania Sheppard; her boyfriend Aaron Myers was in the front passenger seat and their friend Young was in the rear seat. A Pontiac was being driven by the victim Rhonda White (White), who was a relative and friend of Sheppard and a close friend of Myers and Young. Also in White’s car were D.A., S.W., C.R. and A.D.2, all of whom also knew Sheppard, Myers and Young. White’s Pontiac was behind and to the left of the Dodge, when White recognized her friends in the Dodge. White sped up to overtake the Dodge, and White and D.A. signaled to the people in the Dodge. Multiple shots from two weapons were fired from the Dodge into the Pontiac, which shattered the driver’s side windows of the Dodge and passenger side windows of the Pontiac. White was killed, and D.A.— seated in the front passenger seat—was wounded. Sheppard and Myers were charged with the same offenses as Young: murder (White) (§187) and attempted murder (one count per

2 Pursuant to the California Rules of Court, rule 8.90, governing “Privacy in Opinions,” we refer to certain persons by their initials.

2 passenger in White’s car) (§§ 187, 664), with related firearm enhancements (§ 12022.53, subds. (b)-(d)), and shooting at an occupied vehicle (§ 246). Sheppard entered into a plea agreement. Myers was tried and found guilty of one count of voluntary manslaughter and four counts of attempted voluntary manslaughter, together with a firearm enhancement and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle. Myers’ conviction was affirmed on appeal. A. Young’s Trial and Direct Appeal A major issue at Young’s trial was motive: “ ‘How could two friends [Myers and Young] have shot and killed a close friend, and shot and wounded another friend? One answer was that . . . Myers had recently been shot, and [Young] had recently been fired upon. A second answer was [White’s] overtaking [Sheppard’s] car late at night, with people in [White’s] car making hand movements. A third answer was that . . . Myers came to the mistaken conclusion that they were under attack by people in the Pontiac. The final answer was that [Young], in the rear seat of the Dodge, misinterpreted the gunfire and breaking glass of the Dodge’s driver’s side windows as shots being fired into his car from the Pontiac.’ ” Because Young “ ‘took the stand and admitted having had a gun and having fired at the other car,’ ” there were “ ‘few issues’ ” to be resolved by the jury. “ ‘One issue concerned who had which weapon, when a pistol and an assault rifle had been used. Another issue concerned whether it was [Myers or Young] who had first fired. The final and most significant issue concerned [Young’s] intent and belief when he fired. [¶] [Young] told the jury that he had been in the rear seat, just waking up, when he heard semiautomatic gunfire and became

3 aware the windows in his car were shattering. He believed his car was under attack, and he reached into his duffle bag for a .380 pistol which he blindly fired out the window, without an intent that anyone be killed.’ ” Sheppard testified she did not see the shooting because Myers had pushed her head into her lap and then shot over her head through the driver’s side window. After the shooting stopped, Sheppard lifted her head and drove but her car hit something in the road. She stopped the car and she, Myers, and Young left the scene, not knowing who was in the other vehicle and not knowing if anyone had been shot. Sheppard did not know which gun had been fired by Myers or Young. As Myers and Young entered her car they were not carrying any weapons. When Young entered the car he was carrying a duffle bag big enough to hold a rifle, and when he left the car he had a long metal object that could have been a rifle under his jacket, but Sheppard never actually saw a rifle. Some months before the incident, Sheppard was present when the police came to Myers’ house and confiscated an AK-47 assault rifle. Deputy Sheriff Criminalist Donald Finley, a firearms expert, testified that a search of Sheppard’s Dodge revealed two expended .380 cartridge cases likely fired from an automatic pistol and fourteen expended 7.62 cartridge cases likely fired from an AK-47 assault rifle. The .380 cartridge cases were found in the front of the car, while the 7.62 cartridge cases were found in both the front and the rear. Finley could not opine whether the weapons were fired from the front or back seat or who possessed which weapon when they were fired. Ikechi Ogan, M.D., an expert in forensic pathology, testified that White died of

4 multiple gunshot wounds, but could not identify the caliber of bullets that caused the wounds. The jury was instructed with regard to the murder charge on first and second degree murder with malice aforethought (CALCRIM No. 520) along with aiding and abetting liability (CALCRIM Nos. 400— general principles, 401—intended crime, and 402—natural and probable consequences doctrine for accomplice liability). The jury was also instructed on the firearm enhancement allegations (e.g., CALCRIM Nos. 3149 & 3150) and a sentence enhancement that focused on the manner of the killing (CALCRIM No. 525—discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle). The jury convicted Young of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle (§ 246) and second degree murder (§187), together with true findings on the firearm enhancements (during the commission of the murder defendant (1) personally used and discharged a firearm; and (2) personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or the death of the victim (§§ 12022.5, subd. (a); 12022.53, subds. (b)-(d))) and the sentence enhancement (killing perpetrated by intentionally shooting a firearm from a motor vehicle at a person outside the vehicle with the intent to inflict great bodily injury (§ 190, subd. (d)). The jury was unable to reach a verdict on four counts of attempted murder; those counts were later dismissed. Young was sentenced to an aggregate term of 50 years, later modified to 73 years to life by the trial court. On direct appeal, Young did not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence but rather argued purported instructional and sentencing errors.

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