People v. Richardson CA2/8

Filed 8/29/25 P. v. Richardson CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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 EIGHT

THE PEOPLE, B335448

Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. MA085418-01) v.

ANTOINE LEON RICHARDSON,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Emily Cole, Judge. Affirmed. William G. Holzer, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Susan Sullivan Pithey, Assistant Attorney General, Scott A. Taryle and Viet H. Nguyen, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. _________________________________________

INTRODUCTION A jury convicted Antoine Leon Richardson of one count of criminal threats. At trial, the victim testified that he saw Richardson brandish a gun while making the underlying threat. The sole issue that Richardson raises on appeal is that insufficient evidence supports his criminal threats conviction, arguing the victim’s testimony was inherently improbable because the People did not present any evidence that a gun was found when the police searched Richardson’s apartment shortly after the underlying threat was made. We reject this argument. The People were not required to corroborate the victim’s testimony that Richardson brandished a gun while making the underlying threat. Nor was the victim’s testimony inherently improbable, as it was not unbelievable per se. We therefore affirm Richardson’s criminal threats conviction. BACKGROUND In June 2023, Richardson lived in an apartment in Lancaster. Richardson’s neighbors, Brianna and Miguel Bolden, lived with their children near Richardson’s apartment.1 Previously, there had been no issues between the neighbors. However, that month, Richardson had a series of interactions with Miguel and Brianna that culminated in Richardson being charged with making criminal threats under Penal Code2 section 422, subdivision (a). Approximately two weeks before Richardson’s arrest, Brianna and her father were outside their apartment when