California Court of Appeal Jul 21, 2022 No. E071805Unpublished
Filed 7/21/22 P. v. Remy CA4/2 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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
FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
DIVISION TWO
THE PEOPLE,
Plaintiff and Respondent, E071805
v. (Super. Ct. Nos. RIF1506080, RIF1604605) WILLIE JAMES REMY, JR., OPINION Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL from the Superior Court of Riverside County. Godofredo Magno,
Judge. Affirmed with directions.
Helen S. Irza, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and
Appellant.
Matthew Rodriguez, Acting Attorney General, Rob Bonta, Attorney General,
Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney
General, Michael P. Pulos, Kathryn A. Kirschbaum, Joseph C. Anagnos, Charles, C.
Ragland, Melissa A. Mandel and Warren J. Williams, Deputy Attorneys General, for
Plaintiff and Respondent.
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I.
INTRODUCTION
Defendant and appellant Willie James Remy, Jr., was convicted of unlawful
possession of weapons, ammunition, and drug paraphernalia. In a separate proceeding,
he was convicted of domestic violence and assault with a deadly weapon. The trial court
Defendant argues the trial court erroneously admitted expert testimony from a
police detective about domestic violence. We disagree. Defendant also argues, and the
People agree, that the matter should be remanded for resentencing and for a hearing on
his ability to pay the fines and fees that the trial court imposed. We agree with the parties
that remand for resentencing and an ability-to-pay hearing is appropriate. We therefore
affirm defendant’s convictions and remand for resentencing.
II.
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
In September 2015, a neighbor saw a gun in defendant’s waistband and called 911.
Defendant put the gun in the trunk of his car. The responding officers searched defendant
and his car. The officers found a revolver and a box of 46 rounds in the car and a
methamphetamine pipe in his pocket.
About a year later, police were dispatched to the apartment defendant shared with
his girlfriend, K.B., her nine-year-old daughter, and her eight-year-old son. K.B.’s
daughter called 911 to report that defendant was “pepper spraying my mom, and he’s
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grabbing her and throwing her.” When the officers arrived, K.B. had a laceration on her
forehead.
At the police station later that day, K.B. gave a statement and was photographed.
K.B. described defendant’s abuse from that day and several prior incidents. K.B.’s
children also gave statements about defendant’s abuse of K.B. that they had witnessed.
Child Protective Services (CPS) interviewed the children on the day of the
incident. K.B.’s daughter told CPS that she left the apartment when K.B. and defendant
started fighting. When she returned, she saw defendant straddling and choking K.B. and
noticed that K.B. was bleeding. She ran to a neighbor’s house and called 911.
K.B.’s daughter was interviewed again a few months later. Her statement matched
her previous statement on the day of the incident. She also described prior incidents of
defendant’s abuse of K.B.
On the day of the incident, K.B.’s son told CPS that he saw defendant on top of
K.B. and choking her. He said that defendant pepper sprayed K.B. and threw the bottle at
her, which caused her to bleed. He also said that he had seen defendant spray K.B. with
pepper spray several times in the past.
K.B.’s son was interviewed again a few months later. His statements were
consistent with his prior statements.
CPS also interviewed K.B. on the day of the incident. K.B. said defendant was
sleeping in and the children woke him up. Defendant started yelling at K.B., grabbed her,
squeezed her arms, and started breaking things. Defendant grabbed her by the neck and
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“kind of choked” her. K.B. told her daughter to call 911, so her daughter left the
apartment to get help. Defendant then sprayed K.B. with pepper spray. He threw the
pepper spray canister at her, which hit her forehead and caused her to bleed. K.B.
explained that defendant had punched her before and had choked her “dozens” of times.
During the trial, however, K.B. told a different story about what happened and
recanted her prior statements. She testified that defendant woke up angry on the day of
the incident and they began arguing. As she walked to the bathroom, she hit her eye on
the door to the washer/dryer machine. She asked her children to go to their rooms and
then showered to wash the blood off. When she got out of the shower, police officers
were in her apartment. K.B. said she lied about defendant’s abuse when she was
interviewed on the day of the incident because she did not want to lose her children.
To impeach K.B.’s testimony, the prosecution offered recorded phone calls
between her and defendant while he was awaiting trial in jail. In one of them, K.B. told
defendant that she had told investigators that defendant hit her, choked her, pepper
sprayed her, and threw the pepper spray canister at her. She told defendant that he should
not have “put his hands on” her and that she thought he was “really going to hurt [her]
this time.”
A jury convicted defendant of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person 1 (count 1; Pen. Code, § 29800, subd. (a)(1)); possession of ammunition by a prohibited
1 Unless otherwise indicated, all further references are to the Penal Code.
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person (count 2; § 30305, subd. (a)); and possession of a pipe used for unlawfully
smoking methamphetamine (count 3; § 11364).
In a separate trial, a jury convicted defendant of willful infliction of corporal
injury on a cohabitant (domestic violence) (count 1; § 273.5, subd. (a)) and assault with a
deadly weapon (count 2; § 245, subd. (a)(1)). The jury acquitted him of intimidating a
witness (count 3; § 136.1, subd. (b)(1)).
The trial court found true that defendant had been convicted of two prison priors:
vehicle theft (Veh. Code, § 10851, subd. (a); § 667.5, subd. (b)) and discharging a firearm
from a vehicle (§ 12034, subd. (d); § 667.5, subd. (b)). The court also found that the
latter conviction was a serious prior felony (§ 667, subd. (a)(1)). The trial court
sentenced defendant to 18 years, eight months in prison, which included two one-year
enhancements for defendant’s prison priors and one five-year enhancement serious felony
prior enhancement. The trial court also imposed $950 in fines and fees.
III.
DISCUSSION
Defendant raises four arguments: (1) the trial court erroneously admitted
testimony from a detective that constituted improper “profile evidence”; (2) the two one-
year enhancements must be stricken under recently enacted legislation; (3) the case must
be remanded so the trial court can decide whether to strike the five-year enhancement
under recently enacted legislation; and (4) the case must be remanded so the trial court
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can hold an ability-to-pay hearing before imposing fines and fees. The People disagree
with defendant’s first contention but agree with the rest, as do we.
A. Detective’s Testimony
Detective Christian Vaughan testified as an expert on domestic violence for the
prosecution. Detective Vaughan testified generally about domestic violence. Among
other things, he explained the “cycle” of domestic violence between partners and why
domestic violence victims often recant after reporting abuse.
In doing so, Detective Vaughan testified about the “Power and Control Wheel,”
which describes the “traits and behaviors and characteristics of the perpetrators in their
individual cases.” Detective Vaughan told the jury that the Power and Control Wheel
was based on survey responses by 300 domestic violence victims about “traits and
behaviors and characteristics of the perpetrators in their individual cases.”
Using a graphic of the Power and Control Wheel as a demonstrative exhibit,
Detective Vaughan explained that the wheel has eight typical traits and behaviors of
abusers, including “‘using coercion and threats,’” “‘using intimidation,’” “‘minimizing,
denying and blaming,’” and “‘using male privilege.’” Detective Vaughan also testified
that domestic abusers generally exhibit two “characteristics”: “one common
characteristic [is] to treat women as a possession,” and “another common characteristic
[is] a lack of responsibility about their actions.”
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Defendant contends Detective Vaughan’s testimony, particularly his testimony
about the Power and Control Wheel, amounted to inadmissible “profile evidence.” We 2 disagree.
“A profile is a collection of conduct and characteristics commonly displayed by
those who commit a certain crime.” (People v. Robbie (2001) 92 Cal.App.4th 1075, 1084
(Robbie).) “Profile evidence is generally inadmissible to prove guilt.” (Ibid.) This is
because it evidence invites the jury “to conclude that, because the defendant manifested
some characteristics, he committed a crime” (id. at p. 1087.) by suggesting that
“criminals act in a certain way; the defendant acted that way; therefore, the defendant is a
criminal.” (Id. at p. 1085.)
“‘Profile evidence,’ however, is not a separate ground for excluding evidence,”
and “is inadmissible only if it is either irrelevant, lacks a foundation, or is more
prejudicial than probative.” (People v. Smith (2005) 35 Cal.4th 334, 357, disapproved on
other grounds by People v. Beck and Cruz (2019) 8 Cal.5th 548, 670.) In particular,
profile evidence is inadmissible “‘when it is insufficiently probative because the conduct
or matter that fits the profile is as consistent with innocence as guilt.’ [Citation.]”
(People v. Prince (2007) 40 Cal.4th 1179, 1226.) We review the trial court’s admission
2 The People argue defendant forfeited the argument because he did not object to Detective Vaughan’s testimony on this basis. We address the issue on the merits “to avert [defendant’s] claim of inadequate assistance of counsel,” and reject the claim. (People v. Yarbrough (2008) 169 Cal.App.4th 303, 310.)
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of alleged profile evidence for an abuse of discretion. (Robbie, supra, 92 Cal.App.4th at
p. 1084.)
The two cases defendant relies on, Robbie, supra, 92 Cal.App.4th 1075 and
People v. Martinez (1992) 10 Cal.App.4th 1001 (Martinez), illustrate what improper
profile evidence is and why it is inadmissible. They also show that Detective Vaughan’s
testimony was not inadmissible profile evidence.
In Robbie, the defendant was charged with kidnapping for sexual purposes, oral
copulation, and penetration with a foreign object. (Robbie, supra, 92 Cal.App.4th at p.
1077.) The prosecution also presented expert testimony from a special agent on “‘the
behaviors and conduct of persons who commit sexual assaults.’” During the agent’s
testimony, the prosecutor asked her to consider various kinds of conduct by posing
hypothetical questions, which matched the behavior the victim attributed to the
defendant. The agent testified that the behavior she described through the
hypotheticals—in other words, the defendant’s alleged behavior—was “the most
prevalent type of behavior pattern” by a sex offender. (Id. at pp. 1082-1083.) The
Robbie court held the expert’s testimony was inadmissible profile evidence because it
suggested that the defendant was a rapist because he acted a certain way, even though his
alleged behavior “was equally consistent with consensual activity.” (Id. at p. 1083.)
In Martinez, the defendant was arrested while driving a stolen truck. (Martinez,
supra, 10 Cal.App.4th at p. 1003.) The defendant was driving with a suspended license,
the truck’s license plates had been replaced, and the registration was forged. (Ibid.) The
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defendant claimed he did not know the car was stolen when he bought it. (Ibid.) Two
law enforcement experts on auto theft rings testified for the prosecution. They described
how auto theft rings in the area operated matched the circumstances of the defendant’s
case, including the type of truck he drove, his route, and his claim that he did not know
the truck was stolen. (Id. at pp. 1004-1006.) This court held that the experts’ testimony
was inadmissible profile evidence because “the clear thrust of the evidence was to
establish that defendant ‘fit’ a certain ‘profile.’” (Id. at p. 1006.) We reasoned that
although the similarities between the defendant’s conduct and how auto theft rings
operate “may be a proper consideration for law enforcement in investigating criminal
activity, they are inappropriate for consideration on the issue of guilt or innocence”
because of “the potential of including innocent people as well as the guilty.” (Ibid.)
Detective Vaughan’s testimony was not improper profile evidence like the
experts’ testimony in Robbie and Martinez. Unlike the prosecutor in Robbie, the
prosecutor here did not ask Detective Vaughan hypothetical questions about conduct that
matched defendant’s alleged conduct. And unlike the experts’ testimony in Martinez,
Detective Vaughan’s testimony was not offered to prove that defendant fit a certain
criminal profile. His testimony was limited to a general discussion of domestic abuse and
its effects on victims. He never suggested that defendant fit the profile of an abuser.
(See People v. Prince, supra, 40 Cal.4th at p. 1226 [explaining that “profile testimony”
involves an expert comparing “the behavior of the defendant to the pattern or profile” and
the expert concluding “the defendant fits the profile”].) And the prosecutor did not use
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hypotheticals to elicit testimony from Detective Vaughan that suggested defendant’s
alleged behavior mirrored the behavior of an abused.
This background information was properly admitted given K.B.’s trial testimony
that defendant did not abuse her, which conflicted with her statements to law enforcement
and CPS that he repeatedly abused her, including on the day in question. (See People v.
Kovacich (2011) 201 Cal.App.4th 863, 903 [“expert testimony on domestic violence may
include general descriptions of abuser behavior in order to ‘explain the victim’s actions in
light of the abusive conduct [citation]’”]; People v. Gadlin (2000) 78 Cal.App.4th 587,
594 [expert evidence about “recantation and reunion by a domestic abuse victim” was
admissible even though victim did not recant and cooperated with police].) Indeed, using
expert testimony to “explain that it is common for people who have been physically and
mentally abused to act in ways that may be difficult for a layperson to understand” is
authorized by Evidence Code section 1107. (People v. Riggs (2008) 44 Cal.4th 248,
293.) As defendant acknowledges, Detective Vaughan’s testimony was offered “to dispel
some of the myths surrounding domestic violence, information about the cycle of
domestic violence, and information about why victims of domestic violence often
recant.” He also acknowledges that the prosecution used Detective Vaughan’s testimony
to argue that the fact that he “fit the profile showed that K.B. was an abusive relationship
and that existence of that relationship explained some of her behavior.”
Our Supreme Court approved the admission of expert testimony similar to
Detective Vaughan’s in People v. Brown (2004) 33 Cal.4th 892 (Brown). The court
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explained that expert testimony about abusive relationships is relevant to explain why a
domestic violence victim may recant an accusation or minimize the abuse. (Id. at p. 906.)
An expert thus properly testified about the ‘“cycle of violence’ in an abusive domestic
relationship,” including how “[m]ost abusive relationships begin with a struggle for
power and control between the abuser and the victim that later escalates to physical
abuse,” “[t]he initial ‘tension building stage’ of the cycle can appear in deceptively
mundane ways, such as complaints about the cleanliness of the house,” “[o]ften the
abuser uses psychological, emotional, or verbal abuse to control the victim,” “[w]hen the
victim tries to leave or to assert control over the situation, the abuser may turn to violence
as an attempt to maintain control,” and that “the victim may change her mind about
prosecuting the abuser and may recant her previous statements.” (Id. at p. 907.) The
testimony was admissible because there was evidence suggesting that the defendant and
the victim were in a “‘cycle of violence’” that included emotional, psychological, and
physical abuse usually present in abusive domestic relationships. (Ibid.; see also People
v. Humphrey (1996) 13 Cal.4th 1073, 1087 [evidence about battered Woman’s syndrome
relevant and admissible to help “‘dispell[] many of the commonly held misconceptions
about battered women’”].)
Detective Vaughan’s testimony was largely substantively similar to the expert
testimony permissibly admitted in Brown. Like the expert in Brown, Detective Vaughan
testified about the “cycle” of abusive relationships and how they develop, the
psychological and physical tactics abusers use to control their victims, and how victims
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often recant. And just as the expert’s testimony in Brown was properly admitted to assess
the victim’s credibility and recantation, Detective Vaughan’s testimony was properly
admitted for the jury to evaluate K.B.’s credibility and conflicting statements about
defendant’s abuse. We therefore conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion by
admitting Detective Vaughan’s testimony. (Cf. In re I.B. (2020) 53 Cal.App.5th 133, 156
[“[C]ourts are very familiar with experts testifying in criminal cases about the ‘Power and
Control Wheel,’ and the ‘Cycle of Violence,’ . . . .”]) As a result, we reject defendant’s
claim that his counsel was ineffective for failing to object to Detective Vaughan’s 3 testimony as inadmissible profile evidence.
Defendant suggests Detective Vaughan’s testimony “crossed the line” in part
because he used a “powerful graphic” of the Power and Control Wheel. We disagree.
We discern no material difference between Detective Vaughan’s testifying about the
wheel and using a graphic of it and testifying without it. The graphic was simply a prop
that helped explain his otherwise admissible testimony.
Even if the trial court erroneously admitted Detective Vaughan’s testimony, any
error was harmless. “[R]eversal is required only if it is reasonably probable the
defendant would have obtained a more favorable result had the evidence been excluded.”
3 Defendant also argues in passing that the prosecutor improperly relied on Detective Vaughan’s testimony. Because he did not object to the prosecutor’s arguments and has not sufficiently briefed the issue, we find it forfeited. (See People v. Hajek and Vo (2014) 58 Cal.4th 1144, 1239; In re A.C. (2017) 13 Cal.App.5th 661, 672.) For the same reasons, we reject defendant’s cursory argument that the trial court improperly admitted K.B.’s phone calls with defendant.
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(People v. Carrillo (2004) 119 Cal.App.4th 94, 103.)
It is not reasonably probable defendant would have received a better outcome had
Detective Vaughan’s testimony been excluded. The evidence that defendant was guilty
of count 1 (domestic violence) and count 2 (assault with a deadly weapon) was
overwhelming. The jury heard evidence of K.B.’s daughter’s 911 call in which she said
defendant was “throwing” K.B. and pepper spraying her. The jury saw photographs of
K.B.’s injuries taken later that day, and also heard evidence of the statements she and her
two children gave law enforcement shortly after defendant’s abuse. Finally, the jury
heard a recorded jail call during which defendant effectively admitted to having abused
K.B., including by pepper spraying her, and tried to coach her on what to say going
forward. Given the strength of this evidence proving defendant’s guilt on counts 1 and
2, any error in admitting Detective Vaughan’s testimony was harmless.
B. Remand
Defendant asserts that, following the enactment of Senate Bill No. 136, the two
one-year prior prison term enhancements must be stricken because his prior prison term
convictions no longer qualify as predicate offenses for the imposition of enhancements
under section 667.5, subdivision (b). Defendant also contends that the case must be
remanded for resentencing under Senate Bill No. 567 and Assembly Bill No. 124. The
People agree with defendant’s contentions, as do we.
While this appeal was pending, the Governor signed Senate Bill No. 136 (2019-
2020 Reg. Sess.) (Stats 2019, ch. 590, § 1), effective January 1, 2020. At the time of
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defendant’s sentencing, former section 667.5, subdivision (b), required trial courts to
impose a one-year sentence enhancement for each true finding on an allegation that the
defendant had served a separate prior prison term unless the defendant had remained free
of both felony convictions and prison or jail custody during a period of five years since
the subject prior prison term. Following the enactment of Senate Bill No. 136, only prior
prison terms for sexually violent offenses, as defined in Welfare and Institutions Code
section 6600, subdivision (b), are subject to the one-year enhancement under Penal Code
First, under amended section 1170, subdivision (b), a court must “order imposition
of a sentence not to exceed the middle term,” except under narrow circumstances.
(§ 1170, subd. (b)(1).) An upper term may be imposed “only when there are
circumstances in aggravation of the crime that justify the imposition of a term of
imprisonment exceeding the middle term, and the facts underlying those circumstances
have been stipulated to by the defendant, or have been found true beyond a reasonable
doubt at trial by the jury or by the judge in a court trial.” (§ 1170, subd. (b)(2).)
Nevertheless, “the court may consider the defendant’s prior convictions in determining
sentencing based on a certified record of conviction without submitting the prior
convictions to a jury.” (§ 1170, subd. (b)(3).)
Here, defendant was sentenced to the upper term for his convictions on counts 1
and 2. Defendant contends, and the People concede, that Senate Bill No. 567 applies
retroactively to this case and that the matter should be remanded for resentencing under
current section 1170, subdivision (b). We agree. (See People v. Flores (2022) 73
Cal.App.5th 1032, 1038-1039 [remanding for resentencing under section 1170 as
amended by Senate Bill No. 567].) We accordingly vacate the sentence and remand for
resentencing under amended section 1170, subdivision (b).
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Defendant also argues, and the People concede, that the matter should be
remanded under recently enacted Assembly Bill No. 124. We agree.
Assembly Bill No. 124 amended section 1170, subdivision (b)(6) to provide that
“unless the court finds that the aggravating circumstances outweigh the mitigating
circumstances that imposition of the lower term would be contrary to the interests of
justice, the court shall order imposition of the lower term if” the defendant “has
experienced psychological, physical, or childhood trauma, including, but not limited to,
abuse, neglect, exploitation, or sexual violence.” (§ 1170, subd. (b)(6)(A).) We agree
with the parties that this amendment applies retroactively to defendant’s case. (See
People v. Flores, supra, 73 Cal.App.5th at pp. 1038-1039.) We therefore agree with the
parties that the matter must be remanded so that defendant can present evidence of
trauma he suffered at a resentencing hearing.
Finally, defendant argues the trial court erred in imposing fines and fees without
holding a hearing on whether he can pay them. He argues, and the People agree, that we
should remand the case so that he can request an ability-to-pay hearing and argue that the
trial court should not impose the fines and fees because they are unconstitutionally
excessive and he cannot pay them. We agree. We therefore remand the matter to allow
defendant to request an ability-to-hearing and/or argue that the trial court may not impose
fines and fees that he has no ability to pay and that they are unconstitutionally excessive.
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IV.
DISPOSITION
The judgments of conviction are affirmed, the sentence is vacated, and the matter
is remanded for resentencing. On remand, the trial court shall strike the two one-year
enhancements for defendant’s prison priors, shall decide whether to strike the five-year
serious felony enhancement, and shall resentence defendant under amended section 1170,
subdivision (b). Before imposing fines and fees, the trial court shall allow defendant to
request an ability-to-pay hearing and/or argue that the court should not impose any fines
or fees that he cannot pay and that they are unconstitutionally excessive. After the trial
court has resentenced defendant, the clerk of the superior court is directed to prepare
amended abstracts of judgment and to forward a certified copy of each amended abstract
to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
CODRINGTON J.
We concur:
RAMIREZ P. J.
FIELDS J.
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AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court affirmed the defendant's convictions but remanded for resentencing to strike prior prison term enhancements, reconsider a serious felony enhancement, apply amended sentencing laws, and conduct an ability-to-pay hearing for fines and fees. The court held that expert testimony regarding the 'cycle of violence' and 'Power and Control Wheel' was admissible to explain victim recantation and did not constitute improper profile evidence.
Issues
Whether expert testimony on domestic violence constituted inadmissible profile evidence.
Whether the case must be remanded for resentencing due to legislative changes regarding prison priors and sentencing enhancements.
Whether the trial court erred by failing to hold an ability-to-pay hearing before imposing fines and fees.
Disposition. Affirmed with directions; remanded for resentencing.
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“Detective Vaughan’s testimony was not improper profile evidence like the experts’ testimony in Robbie and Martinez.”
“We therefore remand the matter to the trial court with instructions to strike the two one-year prior prison enhancements.”
“We accordingly vacate the sentence and remand for resentencing under amended section 1170, subdivision (b).”