People v. Zeledon CA6

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 18, 2015
DocketH038366
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Zeledon CA6 (People v. Zeledon CA6) 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. Zeledon CA6, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 12/18/15 P. v. Zeledon CA6 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

THE PEOPLE, H038366 (Santa Clara County Plaintiff and Respondent, Super. Ct. No. CC595164)

v.

NELSON ZELEDON,

Defendant and Appellant.

Defendant Nelson Zeledon was convicted after his second jury trial of two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14 (Pen. Code, §§ 261, subd. (a)(1), 269.)1 In the first trial, defendant’s attorney hired a psychologist to evaluate defendant and possibly testify as an expert. Defendant’s attorney turned over an unredacted copy of the psychological report to the district attorney. The expert was not called to testify at trial; however, defendant did testify, and the prosecutor used his statements to the psychologist during the evaluation against him to his great detriment. The trial court found that defendant had waived both the psychotherapist/patient and the attorney/client privilege by turning over the unredacted psychological report to the prosecutor. We reversed the judgment as to two counts of aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14 by rape (§§ 261, subd. (a)(1), 269; counts one and two), and one count of

1 All further unspecified statutory references are to the Penal Code. aggravated sexual assault on a child under 14 by oral copulation (§§ 269, 288, subd. (a); count three), finding that defendant suffered ineffective assistance of counsel by his attorney’s act of turning over the unredacted report and waiving his privileges without his consent. (People v. Zeledon (Jan. 14, 2010, H030760) [nonpub. opn.].) After remand, defendant was re-tried on counts one through three. The jury convicted him of counts one and two, and acquitted him of count three. On appeal, defendant again asserts that he suffered ineffective assistance of counsel. Defendant argues that during the second trial, his attorney failed to assert the marital communication privilege or raise a lack of personal knowledge objection to the admission of statements his wife made regarding an issue in case. In addition, defendant argues his counsel was ineffective because he did not request the trial court to admonish a particular juror not to consider defendant’s courtroom demeanor except when defendant was testifying. Defendant also argues that the trial court erred in refusing to disclose juror information, and in sentencing him. STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND CASE This case involved allegations of rape and sexual assault by defendant on K. Doe, a 13-year-old girl who was best friends with defendant’s daughter, S. Defendant denied all of the allegations. K.Doe was born in February 1991. Defendant’s daughter, S. was a year younger than K. Both K. and S. attended the Boys and Girls Club while they were in middle school. The club was next door to their school. When S. and K. were going to the Boys and Girls Club, defendant would pick them up and take them home. After S. stopped going to the club, either K.’s mother, her aunt I., or defendant picked her up from the club.

2 During seventh grade, defendant occasionally picked K. up from the club. On one occasion after he picked her up from the club, defendant took K. to his house and raped her. K. weighed about 90 pounds at the time, and when defendant told her to take off her clothes and forced her to have sex with him, she was scared. K. asked defendant not to do it, but he did not listen to her. K. did not tell anyone about the rape because she did not think anyone would believe her. Defendant was an adult and was considered a good guy by the family. Defendant picked K. up from the Boys and Girls Club, took her to his house, and raped her on five separate occasions. She did not have a specific memory of each time that defendant took her to his house and raped her. K. remembered one time in January 2005 when she was in the eighth grade. Defendant had taken her to his house to rape her, and everyone at the club was looking for her and could not find her. After raping her, defendant took K. back to the club. That was the last time that defendant raped her. Defendant also forced K. to put his penis in her mouth. She thought that happened two times. K. tried to push him off, but that did not work. K. remembered that defendant was actually able to put his penis inside her mouth one time. K. spent the night with S. at defendant’s house on one occasion. K. woke up and defendant had his finger in her vagina. S. was sleeping in the bed next to K. On another occasion, K.’s friend, Samantha spent the night at K.’s house. Defendant and his daughter S. also spent the night at K.’s house. Samantha and K. were the same age. The girls were in K.’s room watching a movie. At some point, Samantha left the room to get a snack from the kitchen. When she came back to K.’s bedroom, Samantha was scared and shaking. She told K. that defendant had tried to kiss her.

3 Samantha told K.’s mother what happened. K.’s mother talked to defendant and defendant told Samantha he was sorry. K.’s mother told defendant to leave the house.2 S. was the first person K. told about what defendant had done to her. S. had seen defendant trying to kiss her in the past, so K. told S. everything. On April 12, 2005, when she was 14-years-old, K. told defendant’s wife, Sandra, that defendant had raped her. K. had the courage to tell people about defendant when Samantha spoke up about what happened to her. K. did not want this to happen to other girls. Defendant sent K. an e-mail about Samantha, asking what K.’s mother told her about it. Sergeant John Robb interviewed K. on April 12, 2005, and K. told him that defendant had raped her. After K.’s interview, Sergeant Robb interviewed defendant on April 12, 2005. Defendant said that he thought K. was an excellent role model for S. Defendant denied that he raped K. He stated that when he was unemployed, he would pick K. up from the Boys and Girls Club and take her back to his mother’s house. Defendant said that after he got his job at Advanced Medical Equipment Corporation, he would occasionally pick K. up when he was asked to. Defendant denied ever having taken K. back to his house after picking her up. In May 2005, S. told Officer Ken Tran that K. told her defendant raped her. S. asked K. if she was lying, and K. told S. that she was telling the truth. S. told K. that she should tell S.’s mother, Sandra about the rape. S. heard K. tell Sandra that defendant raped her. Mary Ritter, a physician assistant and the clinic coordinator and primary examiner at the center for child protection in the department of pediatrics at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, examined K. for signs of sexual abuse in April 2005. She testified as an 2 Defendant was convicted in the first trial of committing a lewd act upon a child under the age of 14 (§ 288a), in connection with the incident involving Samantha. (People v. Zeledon, supr a, H030760 [nonpub. opn.].) 4 expert in child sexual assault and penetrating sexual trauma. In her examination of K., Ms. Ritter found evidence of a penetrating trauma consistent with sexual assault. She could not tell how long ago the tear had occurred, but believed that it happened at least a couple of weeks, and possibly a couple of years ago. James Crawford-Jakubiak, the medical director of the center for child protection at Children’s Hospital in Oakland, reviewed photographs and videotape of K.’s medical examination by Ms. Ritter. Dr. Crawford-Jakubiak testified as an expert for the defense. Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Zeledon CA6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-zeledon-ca6-calctapp-2015.