People v. TENAPeople v. TENA
PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On September 26, 2005, an amended information was filed charging appellant Julio Henry Tena with corporal injury to Sonia Verdugo, the mother of his child (
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A. Prosecution Evidence
At trial, the key prosecution witness was Sonia Verdugo, who testified as follows: She and appellant had been together for seven years, and had two
Ana Avila testified that on April 5, 2005, she saw a man and a woman swearing at each other and fighting in her front yard. The man pushed the woman, who fell against a tree. When she stood up, he hit her on the left side of her face. Avila then went to make a 911 phone call. When she returned, she saw the man and the woman walking away from each other.
B. Defense Evidence
Verdugo was also called as a defense witness. She testified that when she reported appellant‘s misconduct on April 9, 2005, she did not blame him for scratches that police officers noticed on her hands because she was not sure that he was responsible for them. In reporting his abusive conduct, she did not mention appellant‘s threats to harm her and to tell officers that there were drugs in her car. She first referred to these threats during a court hearing.
West Covina Police Officer Major Whitlock testified that on April 5, 2005, he responded to a 911 call concerning a man and woman fighting in a front yard. He found appellant and Verdugo walking tоgether, engaged in a verbal argument. When he contacted Verdugo, who was crying, he did not notice that she had any injuries. He did not arrest anyone.
West Covina Police Officer Roosevelt Austin testified that he and Whitlock detained appellant and Verdugo on April 5, 2005. Verdugo told him only that she had sprained her ankle, and he did not notice that she had any other injuries, although she limped as she walked. When he offered to take her to a hospital, she said that she would be okay.
DISCUSSION
Appellant contends that (1) the trial court improperly denied his motions for self-representation under Faretta v. California (1975) 422 U.S. 806 [45 L.Ed.2d 562, 95 S.Ct. 2525] (Faretta), (2) the prosecutor engaged in misconduct, (3) the jury was misinstructed, and (4) there was sentencing error.
A. Faretta
Appellant contends that his requests for self-representation at a pretrial proceeding and at the preliminary hearing were improperly denied. We disagree.
1. Governing Principles
In Faretta, the United States Supreme Court held that a defendant in a criminal case “has a constitutional right to proceed without counsel when he voluntarily and intelligently elects to do so.” (Faretta, supra, 422 U.S. at p. 807, italics omitted.) The defendant thus possesses two mutually exclusive constitutional rights under the
2. Underlying Proceedings
On June 22, 2005, approximately three weeks before the preliminary hearing, appellant appeared at a hearing before Commissioner Harold J. Mulville with his court-appointed public defender, Eric Stanford. Stanford explained that although a different public defender would probably handle appellant‘s case, he had discussed the case with appellant, and requested that
“[Appellant]: Sir, I want to go pro per.
“[Commissioner Mulville]: You can‘t.”
There was no further discussion of appellant‘s request at the hearing, which terminated after a brief discussion of the plea agreement. When the prosecutor explained the agreement, appellant indicated that he would not accept it, and he again asked Commissioner Mulville whether subpoenas would be issued to the witnesses he had identified. Commissioner Mulville advised him to provide his public defender with the names of the witnesses, and the hearing ended.
The preliminary hearing occurred before Superior Court Judge Michael A. Latin on July 12, 2005. Immediately prior to the hearing, appellant asserted a Marsden motion regarding his public defender, Dana Flaum.2 During the hearing on the motion, appellant stated that he had decidеd to hire a private attorney to represent him because Flaum and his other public defenders had declined to subpoena the hospital employees and other individuals as witnesses. According to appellant, his private attorney was in trial, and could not represent him for two weeks. Appellant argued that the witnesses he wished to subpoena would establish that Verdugo had not been injured, and that the charge against him was “a lie“; he further asserted that he would be ready for the preliminary hearing with his private counsel in two weeks. Regarding Flaum, appellant stated: “I don‘t want him, sir. I want to fire him. . . .” Judge Latin denied the Marsden motion, reasoning that the decision not to subpoena the witnesses was a tactical decision within attorney Flaum‘s
Appellant became agitated and threatened to walk out of the courtroom, stating that he was “getting railroaded.” In response to Judge Latin‘s assurance that “[y]ou do have the right, if you have the funds, to bring in your own lawyer,” appellant stated “I have the money. No problem, Sir,” but insisted he was “not going to sit here and get railroaded.” Appellant again threatened to walk out of the courtroom, insisting “you‘re going to tackle me down, whatever you do. I‘m going to get up and walk out.” Following appellant‘s outbursts, the court took a brief recess, suggesting the bailiff might consider taking “some measures in lockup” before returning appellant to the courtroom. After the recess, the prosecutor and Flaum announced themselves ready to proceed with the preliminary hearing. The following dialogue occurred:
“[Appellant]: Can I go pro per, sir? Your Honor, may I go pro per?
“[Judge Latin]: No.
“[Appellant]: Why? I have the right.
“[Judge Latin]: The request is not timely. You can revisit that after the preliminary hearing, at your next appearance.”
Appellant did not renew his request to proceed in propria persona during the underlying proceedings, including his trial, at which he appeared before Judge Robert M. Martinez, represented by the private attorney he had identified during the Marsden hearing.
3. Analysis
The key issues before us are (1) whether appellant‘s remarks concerning self-representation were unequivocal invocations of his Faretta rights, and (2) whether appellant abandoned his request for self-representation after the preliminary hearing. As explained below, we concludе that appellant‘s remarks were not unequivocal (see pt. 3.a., post); in addition, we conclude that even if appellant requested self-representation, he waived this request through abandonment after the preliminary hearing, and that any erroneous denial of self-representation at the preliminary hearing was harmless under People v. Pompa-Ortiz (1980) 27 Cal.3d 519, 529 [165 Cal.Rptr. 851, 612 P.2d 941]
a. Equivocal Remarks
We begin by assessing whether appellant made an unequivocal Faretta request. On this matter, courts must determine “whether the defendant truly desires to represent himself or herself.” (Marshall, supra, 15 Cal.4th at p. 23.) Thus, “an insincere request or one made under the cloud of emotion may be denied.” (Id. at p. 21.) In assessing appellant‘s remarks, we are not bound by Commissioner Mulville‘s and Judge Latin‘s responses, and their failure to make express findings on this matter does not oblige us to conclude that appellant‘s Faretta rights were infringed. (Id. at pp. 24-25.) As our Supreme Court explained in Marshall, in addressing this issue, “the court‘s duty goes beyond determining that some of [the] defendant‘s words amount to a motion for self-representation. The court should evaluate all of a defendant‘s words and conduct to decide whether he or she truly wishes to give up the right to counsel and represent himself or herself and unequivocally has made that clear.” (Marshall, supra, 15 Cal.4th at pp. 25-26.)
Applying these principles, courts have concluded that under some circumstances, remarks facially resembling requests for self-representation were equivocal, insincere, or the transitory product of emotion. In Marshall, the defendant represented himself during some pretrial proceedings, and then requested and received a court-appointed attorney. (Marshall, supra, 15 Cal.4th at pp. 15-19.) When the attorney asked the defendant for body tissue samples, the defendant told the trial court that he wanted to “‘take the pro per status.‘” (Id. at p. 18.) The trial court construed this remark as a Faretta request and denied it. (Id. at p. 19Marshall concluded that the remark was an insincere ploy to disrupt the proceedings, pointing to the defendant‘s self-acknowledged inability to defend himself and his emotional response to his attorney‘s attempt to obtain the samples. (Id. at pp. 25-26People v. Scott (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 1197, 1204 [111 Cal.Rptr.2d 318], the defendant asserted a Marsden motion before trial. After the trial court denied the motion, the defendant stated, “‘If that‘s the case, I hereby move the court to let me go pro se.‘” (Id. at pp. 1204-1205 fn. 3.) When the trial court asked, “‘For the record . . . are you sure you want to represent yourself?,‘” the defendant replied: “‘Yes. I do, judge. I don‘t want [appointed defense counsel] to represent me.‘” (Id. at p. 1205 You the court is [sic] coercing me.‘” (Ibid.) The court in Scott concluded that these remarks, viewed in context, were too equivocal to constitute a Faretta request, and that the defendant made them out of frustration at the denial of his Marsden motion. (Id. at pp. 1205-1206; see also People v. Danks (2004) 32 Cal.4th 269, 295-297 [8 Cal.Rptr.3d 767, 82 P.3d 1249] [defendant‘s remark, “‘I want to defend myself and go pro. per if I‘m not allowed to go pro. per., I would at least like to be cocounsel . . .,‘” (italics omitted) viewed in context, was not a sincere Faretta request].)
Relevant to our inquiry is whether appellant reasserted a request for self-representation when presented with the opportunity to do so. In People v. Valdez (2004) 32 Cal.4th 73, 91-92 [8 Cal.Rptr.3d 271, 82 P.3d 296] (Valdez), the defendant asserted a Marsden motion, which the trial court denied. The defendant then stated: “‘Well, in this matter I am — my constitutional rights if I want to go pro. per. on this case I could do that.‘” (Id. at p. 98.) The trial court responded to this as a Faretta request and denied it. (Ibid.) The defendant did not refer to self-representation at his next court appearance, which was conducted by a different bench officer. (Id. at p. 100Faretta request to this bench officer, which was denied as untimely. (Ibid.) The court in Valdez concluded that the defendant had not asserted an unequivocal Faretta request, reasoning, inter alia, that he made only a single reference to self-representation, and failed to press for self-representation at his next court appearance before the new bench officer. (Id. at pp. 99-101; see also Jackson v. Ylst (9th Cir. 1990) 921 F.2d 882, 887-888 [defendant‘s failure to renew his request for self-representation indicates that it was equivocal].)
In our view, appellant‘s remarks were impulsive reactions to his frustrated attempts to secure an attorney who would subpoena the witnesses that he desired, rather than unequivocal Faretta requests. His statements and conduct establish that his goal was a defense based on these witnesses but presented by counsel, rather than by himself. Before Commissioner Mulville, appеllant complained about his public defender‘s failure to obtain the presence of the witnesses, and asked whether he could have subpoenas issued to the witnesses — presumably, so that his public defender could present their testimony. Only after Commissioner Mulville told him to consult his public defender did appellant refer to self-representation, which Commissioner Mulville denied. Although appellant otherwise spoke vigorously in court, he immediately returned to the topic of the witnesses, and did not pursue self-representation. As in Valdez, appellant made a single remark about self-representation, apparently born of frustration at his public defender‘s decisions. That appellant sought an attorney amenable to his defense strategy, rather than self-representation, is corroborated by his subsequent behavior. Much
b. Waiver
Even if appellant made an unequivocal Faretta request that may have been wrongfully denied, the record establishes that appellant waived his right to self-representation. As we explain below, (1) he abandoned his request after the preliminary hearing, and (2) any error at the preliminary hearing was harmless.
i. Abandonment
Numerous courts have held that after a defendant invokes the right to self-representation, a waiver may be found if it reasonably appears that the defendant abandoned the request. (E.g., People v. Dunkle (2005) 36 Cal.4th 861, 907-908 [32 Cal.Rptr.3d 23, 116 P.3d 494]; People v. Kenner (1990) 223 Cal.App.3d 56, 60-62 [272 Cal.Rptr. 551]; Brown v. Wainwright (5th Cir. 1982) 665 F.2d 607, 611.) Instructive applications of this principle are found in People v. Stanley (2006) 39 Cal.4th 913 [47 Cal.Rptr.3d 420, 140 P.3d 736] (Stanley), and Wilson v. Walker (2d. Cir. 2000) 204 F.3d 33 (Wilson). In Stanley, the defendant raised the issue of self-representation during a Marsden hearing, which occurred before the preliminary hearing. (Stanley, supra, 39 Cal.4th at p. 929.) The trial court declined to permit the defendant to represent himself, and denied the Marsden motion. (Id. at pp. 930-931.) Thereafter, the defendant accepted representation by several court-appointed attorneys without requesting self-representation. (Id. at p. 933Stanley concluded not only that the defendant had not knowingly and intelligently waived his right to counsel, but that his subsequent conduct established that he had abandoned his desire to invoke his Faretta rights. (Id. at p. 933.) Again, in Wilson, the defendant tried to replace his court-appointed attorney before trial, and repeatedly asserted that he wanted to represent himself. (Wilson, supra, 204 F.3d at p. 35.) The trial court denied the motion for new counsel and application for self-representation. (Id. at pp. 35-36Id. at p. 36Ibid.) The second attorney apparently did not revisit the request, and when the triаl court later appointed a third attorney, the defendant voiced no objection and never renewed his request for self-representation. (Ibid.) The court held that the defendant had waived his right to self-representation, pointing to the trial court‘s remark to the second attorney indicating that it had not foreclosed self-representation, and to the defendant‘s persistent failure to renew the request, despite his willingness to assert his perceived rights in court. (Id. at pp. 38-39)
On the record before us, we conclude that following the preliminary hearing, appellant abandoned any desire for self-representation expressed to Commissioner Mulville and Judge Latin. He never accepted Judge Latin‘s invitation to renew his request following the preliminary hearing, notwithstanding his demonstrated proclivity to speak for himself and opportunity to do so before a new bench officer. Instead, he proceeded as he had said he wished to do at the preliminary hearing, viz., with retained counsel of his choice.
Appellant contends that the rulings by Commissioner Mulville and Judge Latin rendered further invocations of his right to self-representation futile. His reliance on U.S. v. Arlt (9th Cir. 1994) 41 F.3d 516 (Arlt), People v. Dent (2003) 30 Cal.4th 213 [132 Cal.Rptr.2d 527, 65 P.3d 1286], U.S. v. Hernandez (9th Cir. 2000) 203 F.3d 614 (Hernandez), and Williams v. Bartlett (2d Cir. 1994) 44 F.3d 95 (Williams) is misplaced, as these cases are factually distinguishable. In Arlt, the defendant made a request before trial to proceed in propria persona. (Arlt, supra, 41 F.3d at pp. 517-518.) After a hearing, the trial court
In Dent, the defendant, who was facing a potential death sentence, was represented by attorneys who were repeatedly late for proceedings. (People v. Dent, supra, 30 Cal.4th at p. 216.) When they were not present at the beginning of the defendant‘s trial, the court told the defendant that new counsel would be appointed for him because he could not represent himself. (Ibid.) Concerned that the defendant might make incriminating remarks, the trial court prevented him from speaking except through counsel. (Ibid.) Shortly thereafter, the attorneys appeared and conferred with the defendant. (Ibid.) They informed the trial court that the defendant wished to proceed with one of his former attorneys or to represent himself. (Id. at p. 217Ibid.) The defendant never renewed his Faretta request. (Ibid.) The court in Dent concluded that the trial court had denied the Faretta request for an improper reason, and that the record did not otherwise support the denial. It rejected the contention that the defendant‘s failure to renew the request was evidence of equivocation, noting the trial court‘s instruction not to speak except through counsel, coupled with its firm denial of the Faretta request, “may well have convinced defendant the self-representation option was simply unavailable, and making the request again would be futile.” (People v. Dent, supra, 30 Cal.4th at p. 219.) As we have explained, that is not the case here.
In Hernandez, the defendant asserted a request for self-representation at a pretrial status conference. (Hernandez, supra, 203 F.3d at p. 617 himself. (Id. at p. 618) In so ruling, the district court stated that it would reconsider the request if the defendant persisted in it. (Id. at pp. 623-624) The Ninth Circuit held that the defendant‘s failure to renew his motion did not establish that his request was equivocal. (Id. at pp. 623-624) It reasoned that the district court‘s ground for denying the request was unlikely to change, and thus the defendant reasonably viewed the option of sеlf-representation as foreclosed, notwithstanding the district court‘s remark that he could renew his motion. Unlike Hernandez, Judge Latin‘s announced ground for denying self-representation at the time of the preliminary hearing — untimeliness — was not a settled or fixed condition permanently foreclosing the option of appellant‘s self-representation. Moreover, unlike Hernandez, appellant appeared before a different bench officer for trial.
Finally, in Williams, the defendant repeatedly asked to represent himself during the pretrial proceedings. (Williams, supra, 44 F.3d at pp. 97-98.) The trial court eventually denied the request on the ground that the defendant lacked legal training, and the defendant thereafter failed to renew his request. (Ibid.) The court in Williams concluded that the pretrial request was wrongfully denied and rejected the contention that the defendant had waived his right to self-representation, reasoning that the pretrial request was denied on grounds that the defendant could not cure before trial. (Id. at p. 101.) As we have indicated, no such grounds were given here.
In short, appellant‘s conduct following the preliminary hearing demonstrates that by the time of trial, and likely well before, appellant had abandoned any desire he may have harbored to represent himself, in favor of proceeding to trial with retained counsel of his choice.
ii. Harmless Error
In any event, we conclude thаt any error in the rejection of appellant‘s Faretta request at the preliminary hearing stage is harmless in this case. Although most errors in criminal proceedings are subject to harmless error analysis, the United States Supreme Court has identified a small number of “structural” errors at trial — i.e., “structural defect[s] affecting the framework within which the trial proceeds” — that are reversible per se. (Arizona v. Fulminante (1991) 499 U.S. 279, 310 [113 L.Ed.2d 302, 111 S.Ct. 1246]; see People v. Stewart (2004) 33 Cal.4th 425, 462 [15 Cal.Rptr.3d 656, 93 P.3d 271].) These structural errors “include: (i) ‘total deprivation of the right to counsel at trial‘; (ii) trial by a ‘judge who was not impartial‘; (iii) ‘unlawful exclusion of members of the defendant‘s race from the grand jury‘; (iv) denial of the right to self-representation at trial; and (v) denial of the right to a public trial.” (People v. Stewart, supra, 33 Cal.4th at p. 462, quoting Arizona v. Fulminante, supra, 499 U.S. at pp. 309-310.) However, an error that would constitute a structural defect at trial is not invariably
The question presented here is whether a defendant who is denied the right of self-representation at the preliminary hearing, but who subsequently waives this right and is represented at trial by counsel of his choice, must, on appeal, establish prejudice from the denial. In Pompa-Ortiz, supra, 27 Cal.3d at p. 529, our Supreme Court held that irregularities at the preliminary hearing are reviewed оn appeal under “the appropriate standard of prejudicial error and . . . require reversal only if defendant can show that he was deprived of a fair trial or otherwise suffered prejudice as a result of the error at the preliminary examination. The right to relief without any showing of prejudice [is] limited to pretrial challenges of irregularities.” (Id. at p. 529.) In so holding, the court expressly noted the holding in Coleman, and remarked that “even . . . a situation as extreme as the denial of counsel” at the preliminary hearing is subject to harmless error analysis. (Id. at pp. 529-530.)
The focus of our inquiry, therefore, is whether harmless error analysis is also appropriate for an improper denial of self-representation at the preliminary hearing. As the United States Supreme Court explained in Faretta, the
The differences between the rationales for the rights support divergent accounts as to why their erroneous denial at trial constitutes a structural defect in the trial. Addressing the right of self-representation at trial, the United States Supreme Court has explained: “Since the right of self-presentation is a right that when exercised usually increases the likelihood of a trial outcome unfavorable to the defendant, its denial is not amenable to ‘harmless error’ analysis. The right is either respected or denied; its deprivation cannot be harmless.” (McKaskle v. Wiggins (1984) 465 U.S. 168, 177,
Despite these differences, we conclude that the denial of self-representation at the preliminary hearing, like the denial of counsel at the preliminary hearing, is subject to harmless error analysis. As wе explain below, to hold otherwise leads to a result difficult to reconcile with the right to a full defense guaranteed all defendants by the
The import of Coleman is to remove the presumption of prejudice when the denial of counsel is confined to the preliminary hearing. In Coleman, the plurality opinion and the principal concurring opinion agreed that a defendant who is denied counsel at the preliminary hearing loses the advantages of counsel in that forum. (Coleman, supra, 399 U.S. at pp. 1-10 (plur. opn. of Brennan, J.), 11-12 (conc. opn. of Black, J.).) Nonetheless, a majority of the court held the defendant must show that this error affected the outcome of the trial under the standard of prejudice defined in Chapman v. California (1967) 386 U.S. 18, 24 [17 L.Ed.2d 705, 87 S.Ct. 824] (Chapman). (Coleman, supra, 399 U.S. at p. 11.) Accordingly, unless a defendant improperly denied self-representation at the preliminary hearing is held to the same requirement, the defendant will be entitled to an automatic reversal of the judgment, even though the error will typically work in his or her favor at trial. Neither the Constitution nor case law compels such an anomalous result. We therefore conclude that the right of self-representation confined to the preliminary hearing is subject to harmless error analysis pursuant to Chapman.
As the United States Supreme Court has indicated, Chapman analysis is appropriate when, as here, the defendant undergoes a trial represented by counsel of his choice. (Rose v. Clark (1986) 478 U.S. 570, 578,
We recognize that in Moon v. Superior Court (2005) 134 Cal.App.4th 1521, 1531-1534 [36 Cal.Rptr.3d 854], the court held that a defendant who was wrongfully denied the right to represent himself at the preliminary hearing, and who subsequently sought relief by writ, was not required to show prejudice from the denial. We do not disagree with Moon, but conclude that its holding is inapplicable to the situation before us. As the court explained in Pompa-Ortiz, a defendant who raises a “pretrial challenge of irregularities” in the preliminary hearing may properly be relieved of the burden of showing prejudice. (Pompa-Ortiz, supra, 27 Cal.3d at p. 529.) No such challenge was presented here. Rather than seeking relief by writ following the preliminary hearing, appellant waived his right to self-representation and elected to proceed at trial with counsel of his choice.
On the record before us, we see no prejudice under Chapman. Following the preliminary hearing, appellant appeared with retained counsel of his choice, who represented appellant throughout trial. Appellant has not attempted to demonstrate that his defense at trial was in any way impaired by his failure to represent himself at the preliminary hearing. It thus appears “beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of did not contribute to the verdict obtained.” (Chapman, supra, 386 U.S. at p. 24.) Accordingly, appellant is not entitled to relief on appeal due to the denial of his Faretta requests prior to the preliminary hearing.
B.-E.*
B. Prosecutor‘s Closing Argument
Appellant contends that the prosecutor made remarks during closing argument that constitute misconduct. In the alternative, he contends that his counsel rendered ineffective assistance by refraining from objecting to these remarks. As we explain below, both contentions fail.
1. Prosecutor‘s Remarks
At the outset of the opening portion of closing argument, the prosecutor acknowledged that Verdugo‘s injuries were not serious, and remarked: “It‘s a bruise. . . . It‘s not huge. It doesn‘t have to be great bodily injury or even pretty darn bad. . . . He hit her and he left a mark. You say, that‘s not that big of a deal. Everybody in California that‘s charged with a criminal offense has a right to a jury trial. One marijuana cigarette or multiple murder, the burden of proof is the same, the process is the same. One marijuana cigarette to multiple murder it all goes through this process. [¶] Is this the biggest crime? Probably not. But for the people involved, it‘s very important. So at the beginning I asked you to pay close attention to all of the witnesses no matter who called them. . . .” (Italics added.)
After summarizing Verdugo‘s testimony, the prosecutor stated “And she can‘t remember all the details. And does that mean that she‘s lying about it or does that mean that for her she‘s doing the best that she can to tell you what she remembers?” The prosecutor continued: ”You‘re not supposed to use sympathy or prejudice to make your decision, but you can use empathy. You can try and imagine how the participants felt given their circumstances. [¶] Who‘s Sonia Verdugo? What do you know abоut her? She had a drug issue. She went through the courts. She cleared it up. She finished the program. She has two children with this man. She‘s trying to get her life back on track. [¶] He‘s calling her all these names. He‘s treating her like dirt. He punched her. [¶] If you can say, you know what? When Sonia Verdugo testified, she wasn‘t scripted like they are in the movies or on TV, and there‘s things I wish she could have told me, but I believe her. I believe that she was scared. And I believe [appellant] hit her. And I believe she went down the street. If you believe her, that‘s enough.” (Italics added.)
After describing Avila‘s testimony, the prosecutor compared Verdugo‘s emotional state at the time of the underlying events with that of Avila: “[Verdugo is] one of the perceivers and the other perceiver is in her house having a lovely evening. Of course, what these two people describe is going to be different, the emotional strain that [Verdugo is] under is completely different than the condition of Ana Avila. There‘s no way that what they describe could be exactly the same.”
The prosecutor then described the testimony of officers Whitlock and Austin, who responded to Avila‘s 911 call. In describing their training regarding domestic violence, she stated that her own professional experience in talking about “foul and disgusting things” had made her immune to their emotional impact, and opined that this was probably also true of defense counsel. At this point, the prosecutor argued: ”You are now asking Sonia Verdugo, not a lawyer, to come up here and in a room full of strangers tell you that she has made such bad choices in her life; to admit that she had a drug problem, that she got it cleaned up; to admit that she has two children out of wedlock with [appellant], a man who calls her names and degrades and disrespects her and hits her; to tell you that she still loves this man who did this to her; to admit, basically, that she has so little respect for herself that she would stay with him, in a room full of strangers out and out admit that to you because that‘s what she had to do.” (Italics added.)
The prosecutor then argued that appellant‘s presence made it difficult for Verdugo to report the attack to officers Whitlock and Austin, and to the nurse at the hospital that Verdugo visited on April 5, 2005. After noting that defense counsel had repeatedly asked Verdugo to explain her conduct, the prosecutor stated, “We are not robots . . . And we don‘t act rationally.” The prosecutor elaborated on this point, asserting that “love is the most irrational thing that you can ever do.” She then argued: ”And now we ask [Verdugo] to come into court and explain this all to you. And if Sonia Verdugo had been a customer at a Taco Bell and she had been robbed, nobody would have grilled her on why did you go to Taco Bell that day? Why did you order the Super Value meal? Why did you order diet Pepsi instead of regular Pepsi? But because the person who hurt her is a person she loves[, w]e treat her that way. And she gets grilled again and again and again. And something that probably took 10 to 15 minutes she has to talk about for a couple of hours.” (Italics added.)
After observing that Verdugo did not have the benefit of the reports she gave to police and the transcripts of her prior testimony, the prosecutor argued: “She‘s just a person doing the best that she can.” The prosecutor urged the jury to consult the factors that they had been instructed were relevant to a witness‘s credibility, and to interpret the evidence, rather than any insinuations raised in cross-examination: “So if there was a question insinuating that she did this for revenge purposes and there were things thrown into that question but she did not give you the answer on the stand, . . . then you don‘t get to bring it in, it‘s what she said.” The prosecutor then argued: ”And if I were scripting somebody, it would be perfect. But we don‘t script. We take real people who are victims of real crimes. We put them on the stand where they are grilled and accused.” (Italics added.) Shortly thereafter, the prosecutor concluded her argument.
2. Prosecutorial Misconduct
Appellant contends that the italicized portions of the prosecutor‘s argument constitute misconduct. He argues that: (1) the prosecutor‘s remark that the trial was not “that big of a deal,” but that “[e]verybody in California that‘s charged with a criminal offense has a right to a jury trial,” invited the jury to blame appellant for any annoyance they felt about the trial; (2) her statement that the jury could extend empathy to Verdugo and her descriptions of Verdugo‘s hardships in testifying were an improper demand for sympathy for Verdugo; (3) her references to Verdugo‘s “grilling” at trial amounted to an attack on appellant‘s attorney and improper comment on appellant‘s failure to testify; and (4) her expressions of belief in Verdugo‘s credibility and denials that Verdugo had been scripted constituted impermissible vouching.
No objection was raised to the prosecutor‘s remarks during trial, and thus appellant has forfeited his contentions. Absent an objection and request for an admonition to the jury, we review a contention of prosecutorial misconduct “‘only if an admonition would not have cured the harm cause by the misconduct.‘” (People v. Earp (1999) 20 Cal.4th 826, 858.) Appellant does not contend that this exception is applicable here. We have nonetheless examined appеllant‘s contentions of error, and conclude that with the exception of two comments, the prosecutor did not stray into error. As we explain below, these comments were harmless.
Regarding item (1), the prosecutor‘s remark occurred as she explained that every criminal defendant is entitled to a jury trial, and urged the jury to take the decisions presented to them seriously. Generally, “[t]o prevail on a claim of prosecutorial misconduct based on remarks to the jury, the defendant must show a reasonable likelihood the jury understood or applied the complained-of comments in an improper or erroneous manner.” (People v. Frye (1998) 18 Cal.4th 894, 970.) Under this standard, the remark, viewed in context, was not improper. (See People v. Bradford (1997) 15 Cal.4th 1229, 1380 [prosecutor‘s remark during penalty phase of trial that “‘justice demands an execution‘” does not attack defendant‘s right to a fair trial].)
Regarding item (2), “an appeal to the jury to view the crime through the eyes of the victim is misconduct at the guilt phase of trial; an appeal for sympathy for the victim is out of place during an objective determination of guilt.” (People v. Stansbury (1993) 4 Cal.4th 1017, 1057.) Nonetheless, the prosecutor may properly argue that the alleged victim‘s hardships in recounting her version of the underlying events to strangers throughout the judicial process tends to bolster her credibility. (People v. Turner (1983) 145 Cal.App.3d 658, 673, disapproved on other grounds in People v. Majors (1998) 18 Cal.4th 385, 411, and People v. Newman (1999) 21 Cal.4th 413, 423, fn. 6; People v. Wiley (1976) 57 Cal.App.3d 149
3. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
Appellant also contends that his counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to object to the prosecutor‘s argument.3 He is mistaken. As we have explained (see pt. B.2, ante), much of this argument was proper, and therefore defense counsel did not err in declining to raise meritless objections to it. (People v. Price (1991) 1 Cal.4th 324, 387.) To the extent that the prosecutor engaged in any impermissible vouching, defense counsel may have made the reasonable tactical decision not to challenge it because it underscored the questions about Verdugo‘s credibility that defense counsel developed at length in his closing argument. (People v. Shoals (1992) 8 Cal.App.4th 475, 501 [ineffective assistance occurs only when counsel‘s acts cannot be explained on the basis of any knowledgeable choice of tactics].) Moreover, for the reasons described above (see pt.B.2., ante), the failure to object to these remarks was not prejudicial.
C. CALJIC 2.27
Appellant contends that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury with CALJIC No. 2.27, which states: “You should give the testimony of a single witness whatever weight you think it deserves. Testimony by one witness, which you believe concerning any fact, is sufficient for proof of that fact. You should carefully review all the evidence upon which the proof of that fact depends.”4 This instruction traces its origins to People v. Rincon-Pineda (1975) 14 Cal.3d 864, in which our Supreme Court stated that it should be given “in every criminal case in which no corroborating evidence is required.” (Id. at pp. 884-885.) We are unaware of any authority requiring the corroboration of the alleged victim‘s testimony regarding the offense of corporal injury to a co-parent (
D. Sentencing
Appellant contends that in imposing the upper term on his conviction for corporal injury to a co-parent, the trial court (1) made improper “dual use” of facts otherwise employed to enhance his sentence, and (2) contravened his right to a jury trial under Blakely v. Washington (2004) 542 U.S. 296 (Blakely) and Cunningham v. California (2007) 549 U.S. 270 [127 S.Ct. 856] (Cunningham). For the reasons explained below, we conclude that the trial court erred in selecting the upper term.
1. Underlying Proceedings
Following a bench trial, the trial court determined that in December 2001, appellant had suffered a misdemeanor conviction for corporal injury to a co-parent (
2. Forfeiture
At the outset, respondent argues that appellant has forfeited his contentions by failing to raise them before the trial court. We disagree. Generally, the absence of a timely objection works a forfeiture when the trial court erred in its discretionary sentencing choices, include instances in which “it double-counted a particular sentencing factor, misweighed the various factors, or failed to . . . give a sufficient number of valid reasons.” (People v. Scott (1994) 9 Cal.4th 331, 353 (Scott).) The rationale for this rule is “to encourage prompt detection and correction of error, and to reduce the number of unnecessary appellant claims.” (Id. at p. 351.) In view of this rationale, the rule is aрplicable only when there is a meaningful opportunity to object before sentence is imposed, that is, at some point in the sentencing hearing, where “the trial court describes the sentence it intends to impose and the reasons for the sentence, and the court thereafter considers the objections of the parties before the actual sentencing.” (People v. Gonzalez (2003) 31 Cal.4th 745, 751-752.) Moreover, the forfeiture rule is generally inapplicable when “an objection would have been futile or wholly unsupported by substantive law then in existence.” (People v. Welch (1993) 5 Cal.4th 228, 237.) Here, appellant had no meaningful opportunity to interpose an objection to the improper “dual use” of his prior prison terms. Appellant‘s sentencing memorandum asked the trial court to select the lower term for his offense. At the sentencing hearing, the trial court heard argument from the prosecutor, who asked the court to choose the upper term and impose a total sentence of 12 years in accordance with the calculation described above. The prosecutor pointed to a number of facts that might support the selection of the upper term, including that appellant had “numerous prior convictions,” displayed a pattern of violent conduct, “ha[d] been to prison befоre,” and was on probation at the time of the offense. The trial court heard responses from appellant and his counsel before imposing sentence, but never indicated that it would rely on multiple terms of imprisonment. Nor did appellant forfeit his contention under Blakely and Cunningham. Appellant was sentenced under the then-governing authority of People v. Black (2005) 35 Cal.4th 1238 (Black), which held that Blakely was inapplicable to the selection of the upper term, and which was reversed on this matter in Cunningham. (Cunningham, supra, 127 S.Ct. at p. 871.) Accordingly, any objection based on Blakely would have been futile. Citing People v. Hill (2005) 131 Cal.App.4th 1089, respondent contends that appellant has forfeited his contention under Blakely. We disagree. In Hill, the defendant was sentenced after Blakely but before Black, and the court concluded that his failure to raise an objection under Blakely at the sentencing hearing worked a forfeiture. (Id. at p. 1103.) Unlike the situation in Hill, any such objection by appellant would have failed.
2. Analysis
We therefore turn to the merits of appellant‘s contentions. Generally, only one aggravating factor, if proper, is sufficient to support the selection of the upper term. (People v. Osband (1996) 13 Cal.4th 622, 732.) Because both factors cited by the trial court are facially infirm, we conclude that the matter must be returned to the trial court for resentencing. Our inquiry is controlled by Blakely and Cunningham, which establish that appellant was entitled to a jury trial on the facts supporting the selection of the upper term, with the exception of those facts that the trial court is permitted to determine under Apprendi v. New Jersey (2000) 530 U.S. 466 (Apprendi). (Blakely, supra, 542 U.S. at p. 301; Cunningham, supra, 127 S.Ct. at pp. 860, 871.) In Apprendi, defendant‘s sentence had been doubled because the trial court found the crime to have been motivated by racial animus. The court held that the doubling was improper because “[o]ther than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increases the penalty for a crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.” (Apprendi, supra, at 530 U.S. at p. 490.) As the court explained in People v. Thomas (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 212, 221-222, numerous courts have concluded that the “prior conviction” exception in Apprendi applies to a variety of issues closely related to a defendant‘s convictions, including, for example, whether the defendant is a recidivist by virtue of prior crimes, whether the defendant committed a new offense within a certain number of years of being released from prison, and whether the defendant served a prior prison term. In our view, the trial court‘s determination that appellant posed a substantial danger to others falls outside the Apprendi exception. This determination, on its face, is a prediction that appellant is likely to endanger others in the future, and thus it extends well beyond the facts tethered to his prior convictions. Because it contravenes Blakely and Cunningham, it cannot support the selection of the high term.10
The trial court‘s determination that appellant had served prior prison terms, though proper under Apprendi, is infirm for a different reason.
E. Presentence Custody Credits
Appellant contends the trial court miscalculated his presentence custody credits. The trial court awarded appellant credit for 250 days of actual custody and an additional 50 days for good conduct. Appellant argues that he is entitled to credit for 285 days in actual custody, plus conduct credit of 142 days. Respondent agrees. We conclude that apрellant‘s presentence custody credit must be corrected to reflect a total of 427 days, consisting of 285 days of actual custody, plus 142 days of good time/work time credit. The abstract of judgment shall be amended to reflect the appropriate credits.
The judgment is reversed with respect to the imposition of the upper term on appellant‘s conviction under
Epstein, P. J., and Suzukawa, J., concurred.