People v. Sheppard CA2/8

Filed 2/15/24 P. v. Sheppard CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, B318179

Plaintiff and Respondent, Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BA474459 v.

CHARIS DEJUAN SHEPPARD,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Mildred Escobedo, Judge. Affirmed. Edward H. Schulman, 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, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Noah P. Hill, Supervising Deputy Attorney General, and David F. Glassman, Deputy Attorney General, for Plaintiff and Respondent. ____________________

Charis Dejuan Sheppard appeals his conviction for first- degree murder. He argues there was insufficient evidence to support the jury’s finding of premeditation and deliberation and that the trial court erred in denying his motions to unseal identifying juror information and to proceed in pro per at his sentencing hearing. We affirm. I We recount the factual and procedural background. Sheppard was best friends with Brad Brown. Sheppard had previously dated Brown’s sister, Samantha, but Sheppard and Brown remained friends after that relationship ended. Sheppard had lived with Brown’s family for a few months at one point. Sheppard and Brown sometimes argued, but the fights were never physical. LaDawn Reed, Brown’s wife, and Carmalida Walker, Brown’s step-daughter, had both known Sheppard for years. On December 30, 2018, Sheppard picked Brown up, and the two went to lunch. Brown was unhappy with the way Sheppard was treating Sanicka Cummings, a woman with whom Sheppard had had a son. Brown expressed his displeasure to Sheppard. Sheppard dropped Brown off at Brown’s house in the early afternoon. The two men began communicating again via text and phone calls that evening around 6:00 p.m. That day through early the next morning the two exchanged 87 texts and phone calls, 73 of which originated from Brown’s phone. Brown continued to admonish Sheppard for his treatment of Cummings. Brown also accused Sheppard of having an affair with Brown’s wife, Reed. Around 2:00 a.m., Brown was again arguing with Sheppard on the phone. Brown walked through his home with his phone on