California Court of Appeal May 30, 2024 No. E079829Unpublished
Filed 5/30/24 P. v. Hemsley 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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.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, E079829
v. (Super. Ct. No. FWV19002041)
DAVID JEFFERY HEMSLEY, OPINION
Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL from the Superior Court of San Bernardino County. Charles J. Umeda,
Judge. Affirmed in part, reversed in part with directions.
Joanna Rehm, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and
Appellant.
Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General,
Charles C. Ragland, Assistant Attorney General, Christopher P. Beesley, and Britton B.
Lacy, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.
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I.
INTRODUCTION
James M. believed defendant and appellant David Hemsley was having an affair
with his girlfriend. The two men engaged in a fistfight, leading to defendant firing two
shots at James, one of which hit him in the chest.
A jury found defendant guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon
(count 2), unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon (count 3), and assault with a
semiautomatic firearm (count 4). The jury also found true allegations that defendant
personally used a firearm and inflicted great bodily injury (GBI) in the commission of the
assault. In addition, the jury found that defendant had a prior burglary conviction, which
qualified as a strike, and a prior serious felony enhancement adding a five-year sentence
(nickel prior). The jury acquitted defendant of count 1, making a criminal threat. The
court sentenced defendant to a determinate prison term of 26 years, eight months. This
court affirmed the judgment of conviction but reversed the sentence. On remand,
defendant was sentenced to 20 years, four months.
In this second appeal, defendant contends the trial court erred in denying his 1 request under Penal Code section 1385, subdivision (c)(2)(B) and (C), to strike his gun
use and GBI enhancements. Defendant also contends the trial court erred in refusing to 2 reconsider his Romero motion to strike his 30-year-old burglary conviction.
1 Unless otherwise noted, all statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 People v. Superior Court (Romero) (1996) 13 Cal. 4th 497, 529-530.
2
We reject defendant’s contention that the trial court erred in not dismissing his
firearm use and GBI enhancements. The parties and this court agree the trial court erred
in not reconsidering defendant’s Romero motion during resentencing. We therefore
reverse defendant’s sentence and remand the matter for that purpose. The judgment of
conviction and sentence are affirmed in all other regards.
II. 3 FACTS
Dwight B. and Kimberly L. lived with their two children in an upstairs apartment,
which had a loft. Defendant rented the upstairs loft from Dwight. Unbeknownst to
Dwight, Kimberly had been having an affair with James. During the afternoon of June
29, 2019, defendant was in his loft room. James went upstairs to the loft, knocked on
defendant’s door, identified himself, and said he needed to talk. James believed
defendant had been “messing around” with Kimberly, his girlfriend for a few months.
Defendant opened the door and James entered. Defendant tried to push James out of the
loft. James punched defendant in the face. The two men scuffled on the ground for about
a minute and then stopped. James told defendant he thought defendant was “messing
around” with Kimberly. As James got up, left the apartment, and descended the inside
stairs, defendant shot him in the back. Defendant fired again at James as James opened
3 This summary of the facts is taken from the statement of facts included in the statement of facts in our previous decision in this case (People v. Hemsley (Mar. 10, 2022, as modified Apr. 8, 2022, E074782) [non.pub. opn.]).
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the apartment door and descended the outside stairs. James fled and yelled to a neighbor
to call 911.
The police found a spent shell casing on the carpet about three or four feet from
the bottom of the stairs leading to the loft. The police also found in the loft a gun holster
on the ground and a second casing downstairs, outside the apartment. The police
apprehended defendant after he fled, and found a loaded semiautomatic pistol under his
thigh. The trauma surgeon who treated James testified a bullet entered James’s right side
near his back and made a hole in James’s heart chamber. Defendant testified that he
wanted to shoot James “‘in the heat of the f—ing moment,’” in anger, because James beat
him up for no reason. He denied sleeping with Kimberly. Defendant also testified he
shot James because he was in fear for his life. James had a criminal history, which
included convictions for criminal threats in 1997 and burglary in 1996 and 2010.
III.
PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
During defendant’s first appeal (People v. Hemsley, supra, E074782), defendant
argued, among other things, that the trial court erred in concluding it lacked discretion to
strike his nickel prior under section 1385, and the court erred under section 654 in
imposing separate sentences for his convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and
possession of ammunition. This court issued its decision on March 10, 2022, affirming
the judgment of conviction but reversing defendant’s sentence, with directions that the
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trial court (1) stay his sentence on count 3 under section 654, and (2) exercise its
discretion regarding whether to strike defendant’s nickel prior under section 1385.
During resentencing on September 16, 2022, the trial court amended defendant’s
sentence as directed by this court. In addition, during resentencing, at defendant’s
request, the trial court considered the issue of whether under recently amended section
1385, subdivision (c), the court was required to strike defendant’s nickel prior and
enhancements for gun use and GBI.
The trial court concluded that it was not required to give conclusive weight to the
mitigating circumstances listed in section 1385, subdivision (c)(2), when considering
whether to dismiss defendant’s enhancements. Instead, it was required to give them
“great weight.” (§ 1385, subd. (c)(2).) In doing so, the court dismissed the nickel prior
but denied defendant’s request to dismiss the gun use and GBI enhancements. The trial
court also concluded that defendant’s renewed Romero motion was not properly before
the court because the trial court had previously denied the motion during the original
sentencing hearing, and in the first appeal, this court affirmed the ruling. The trial court
therefore did not reconsider defendant’s Romero motion during resentencing. During
resentencing on September 16, 2022, the trial court imposed a new reduced sentence of
20 years, four months. Defendant appeals the sentence.
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IV.
SENTENCE ENHANCEMENTS
Defendant contends that during resentencing the trial court erred in imposing the
gun use and GBI enhancements. Defendant argues the trial court was required to dismiss
these enhancements under amended section 1385, subdivision (c)(2)(B) and (C). The
People argue amended section 1385 reserved for the trial court discretion to dismiss or
impose the enhancements. The People acknowledge that it must “afford great weight” to
a mitigating circumstance, but argue the applicable statutory language does not mandate
dismissal of an enhancement when it is not in the furtherance of justice.
A. Standard of Review
We review the trial court’s interpretation of section 1385 de novo. (People v.
Mendoza (2023) 88 Cal.App.5th 287, 294.) We apply the abuse of discretion standard to
determine whether the trial court properly exercised its discretion when it denied
defendant’s request to dismiss his enhancements under section 1385, subdivision
(c)(1)(B) and (C). (See People v. Williams (1998) 17 Cal.4th 148, 162 [dismissal of prior
serious felony conviction finding pursuant to section 1385 reviewed for abuse of
discretion].)
In construing section 1385, subdivision (c) generally, and subdivision (c)(2)(B)
and (C) specifically, we are guided by long-established principles of statutory
interpretation. Our objective “is to determine the Legislature’s intent so as to effectuate
the law’s purpose. [Citation.] We begin by examining the statute’s words, giving them a
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plain and commonsense meaning. [Citation.] We do not . . . consider the statutory
language ‘in isolation.’” (People v. Murphy (2001) 25 Cal.4th 136, 142.) Instead, “we
construe the words in question ‘“in context, keeping in mind the nature and obvious
purpose of the statute”’” as a whole. (Ibid.)
“If the statutory language is unambiguous, then its plain meaning controls. If,
however, the language supports more than one reasonable construction, then we may look
to extrinsic aids, including the ostensible objects to be achieved and the legislative
history.” (People v. Cole (2006) 38 Cal.4th 964, 975.) Further, when the statutory
language is ambiguous, “‘we “‘select the construction that comports most closely with
the apparent intent of the Legislature, with a view to promoting rather than defeating the
general purpose of the statute, and avoid an interpretation that would lead to absurd
consequences.’”’” (People v. Lipscomb (2022) 87 Cal.App.5th 9, 17 (Lipscomb).)
B. Applicable Statutory Law
Section 1385, subdivision (c)(1) states: “Notwithstanding any other law, the court
shall dismiss an enhancement if it is in the furtherance of justice to do so, except if
dismissal of that enhancement is prohibited by any initiative statute.”
Subdivision (c)(2) states: “In exercising its discretion under this subdivision, the
court shall consider and afford great weight to evidence offered by the defendant to prove
that any of the mitigating circumstances in subparagraphs (A) to (I) are present. Proof of
the presence of one or more of these circumstances weighs greatly in favor of dismissing
the enhancement, unless the court finds that dismissal of the enhancement would
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endanger public safety.” Subdivision (c)(2) defines “endanger public safety” as “a
likelihood that the dismissal of the enhancement would result in physical injury or other
serious danger to others.” (§ 1385, subd. (c)(2).)
The relevant mitigating circumstances include the following two circumstances:
“(B) Multiple enhancements are alleged in a single case. In this instance, all
enhancements beyond a single enhancement shall be dismissed. [¶] (C) The application
of an enhancement could result in a sentence of over 20 years. In this instance, the
enhancement shall be dismissed.”
C. Dismissal of Defendant’s Enhancements Was Not Mandatory
Defendant argues the word “shall” in section 1385, subdivision (c)(2)(B) and (C),
required the trial court to dismiss one or more of his enhancements. We disagree.
We begin by examining the plain language of section 1385. First, while the term
“shall” in a statute is generally mandatory, we cannot consider this word in isolation;
instead, we must consider where it fits in the context of the entire statute. (People v.
(c)(1) first sets forth the controlling ‘furtherance of justice’ standard for dismissal.
Subdivision (c)(2) then states that the court must give great weight to the presence of any
one or more of the nine listed mitigating circumstances ‘[i]n exercising its discretion’
whether to dismiss. Subdivision (c)(3) confirms the discretionary nature of this decision
by stating that the court ‘may exercise its discretion at sentencing’ but is not prevented 4 ‘from exercising its discretion’ earlier in the proceedings.[ ] We therefore conclude that
the ‘shall be dismissed’ language of the mitigating circumstances in subdivisions
(c)(2)(B) and (C)—read in the context of the statute as a whole—only requires the court
to dismiss the enhancement if it first finds that dismissal is ‘in the furtherance of justice.’
(§ 1385, subd. (c)(1).)” (Ibid.)
Additionally, section 1385, subdivision (c)(2), does not say such proof of a
mitigating circumstance automatically mandates dismissal of an enhancement if a
defendant proves a mitigating circumstance. Rather, such proof “weighs greatly in favor
of dismissing the enhancement.” (§ 1385, subd. (c)(2), italics added.) As stated in
Walker, supra, 86 Cal.App.5th at page 397, regarding mitigating circumstance
4 Section 1385, subdivision (c)(3) states: “While the court may exercise its discretion at sentencing, this subdivision does not prevent a court from exercising its discretion before, during, or after trial or entry of plea.”
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subdivision (c)(2)(B), “[i]f we were to read the phrase appended to the multiple 5 enhancements mitigating factor[ ] as automatically mandating dismissal of all but one
enhancement whenever multiple enhancements exist, then the existence of multiple
enhancements would not ‘weigh greatly’ in favor of dismissal—it would weigh
dispositively. But that is not what the statute says, and we are not allowed to rewrite the
statute.” (Walker, supra, at p. 397, review granted.) This is equally true regarding the
mitigating circumstance in subdivision (c)(2)(C) (imposing an enhancement which results
in the sentence exceeding 20 years).
The legislative history of Senate Bill No. 81 (Sen. Amend. to Sen. Bill No. 81
(2021-2022 Reg. Sess.) Apr. 27, 2021) also supports construing the mitigating
circumstances in section 1385, subdivision (c)(2)(B) and (C), as not mandating dismissal
of enhancements. “The initial drafts of the bill stated, ‘There shall be a presumption that
it is in the furtherance of justice to dismiss an enhancement upon a finding that any of the
circumstances in subparagraphs (A) to (I), inclusive, are true. . . . However, the Assembly
removed the presumption, replacing it with more flexible discretionary language in
section 1385, subdivision (c)(2).’” (Anderson, supra, 88 Cal.App.5th at p. 240, review
granted; see also Lipscomb, supra, 87 Cal.App.5th at pp. 17-21.)
5 We refer to the mitigating circumstances listed in subparagraphs (A) to (I) of section 1385, subdivision (c)(2), as “mitigating circumstances” and other mitigating sentencing factors, such as those listed in California Rules of Court, rule 4.423, as “mitigating factors.”
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In a letter to the Secretary of the Senate that was placed by unanimous consent in
the Senate Daily Journal, Senate Bill No. 81’s author wrote, “‘I respectfully request the
following letter be printed in the Senate Daily Journal expressing our intent with respect
to this measure: [¶] . . . [¶] [A]mendments taken on [August] 30, 2021 remove the
presumption that a judge must rule to dismiss a sentence enhancement if certain
circumstances are present, and instead replaces that presumption with a “great weight”
standard where these circumstances are present. The retention of the word “shall” in
[section] 1385[, subdivision] (c)(3)(B) and (C)[] should not be read as a retention of the
previous presumption language—the judge’s discretion is preserved [in section 1385,
subdivision (c)(2)].’ (Sen. Nancy Skinner, letter to Secretary of the Sen. (Sept. 10, 2021), 6 121 Sen. J. (2021-2022 Reg. Sess.) p. 2638.)” (Anderson, supra, 88 Cal.App.5th at p.
240, fn. omitted, review granted; see also Lipscomb, supra, 87 Cal.App.5th at pp. 17-21;
Walker, supra, 86 Cal.App.5th at pp. 397-398, review granted.)
“Thus, not only did the Legislature remove the presumption in favor of dismissal,
instead explicitly stating the court had discretion to dismiss enhancements, but also the
author of Senate Bill [No.] 81 anticipated the precise argument [raised here]—that the
word ‘shall’ in section 1385, [subdivision] (c)(2)(B) . . . could be misconstrued as a
mandate to automatically dismiss applicable enhancements. The author’s unambiguous
6 “The version of section 1385 effective January 1, 2022, included mitigating circumstances (A) through (I) within subdivision (c)(3). (Stats. 2021, ch. 721, § 1.) Effective June 30, 2022 the mitigating circumstances are listed in subdivision (c)(2). (Stats. 2022, ch. 58, § 15.)” (Anderson, supra, 88 Cal.App.5th at p. 240, fn. 8, review granted.)
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rejection of this interpretation, placed in the official record with the unanimous consent of
her colleagues, supports our conclusion that a trial court is not required to dismiss all but
one enhancement . . . but rather that the trial court has discretion in deciding whether to
do so.” (Anderson, supra, 88 Cal.App.5th at pp. 240-241, review granted; see also
Lipscomb, supra, 87 Cal.App.5th at pp. 17-21.) Such is also the case as to the mitigating
circumstance in subdivision (c)(2)(C).
In rejecting the court’s conclusion in Walker, supra, 86 Cal.App.5th at pages 391,
397-398, that under section 1385, subdivision (c), there is a presumption in favor of
dismissing enhancements, the court in People v. Ortiz (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1087, 1090,
review granted April 12, 2023, S278894 (Ortiz), reasoned that under section 1385, “trial
courts have long had broad discretion to dismiss a charge or allegation ‘in furtherance of
justice.’ [Citation.] As the California Supreme Court has recognized, however, ‘the
“concept” of “furtherance of justice” . . . is “‘ amorphous.’”’ [Citation.] The Legislature
in Senate Bill No. 81 . . . has now given greater definition to the concept by enumerating
certain mitigating circumstances which the trial court—‘[i]n its exercise of discretion’—
is to ‘weigh[ ] greatly’ in favor of dismissal of an enhancement, unless ‘dismissal of the
enhancement would endanger public safety.’ (§ 1385[, subd.] (c)(2).)” The defendant in
Ortiz requested the court to interpret the great weight contemplated by section
1385[, subdivision] (c)(2) as amounting to a presumption favoring dismissal that is
rebuttable only by a danger to public safety. The Ortiz court construed “the plain
language of the statute and the legislative history as reflecting the Legislature’s
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considered rejection of such a presumption.” (Ortiz, supra, at p.1090.) The issue of
whether there is a presumption is under review by the California Supreme Court in
Walker, supra, 86 Cal.App.5th at page 396; Anderson, supra, 88 Cal.App.5th at page
239, review granted; and Ortiz, supra, at page 1090. Regardless of whether there was
such a presumption, the record supports the trial court’s finding that it was rebutted by
substantial evidence defendant posed a danger to public safety. 7 California Rules of Court, rule 4.428, amended on March 14, 2022, is consistent
with Ortiz, in interpreting section 1385. Rule 4.428 states:
“(c) Dismissing enhancements under section 1385(c)
“(1) The court shall exercise the discretion to dismiss an enhancement if it is in the
furtherance of justice to do so, unless the dismissal is prohibited by initiative statute.
“(2) In exercising its discretion under section 1385(c), the court must consider and
afford great weight to evidence offered by the defendant to prove that any of the
mitigating circumstances in section 1385(c) are present.
“(A) Proof of the presence of one or more of these circumstances weighs greatly in
favor of dismissing the enhancement, unless the court finds that dismissal of the
enhancement would endanger public safety.
“(B) The circumstances listed in 1385(c) are not exclusive.
7 Undesignated rule references are to the California Rules of Court.
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“(C) ‘Endanger public safety’ means there is a likelihood that the dismissal of the
enhancement would result in physical injury or other serious danger to others.” (Cal.
Rules of Court, rule 4.428, (b)(1)-(2).)
We conclude that under section 1385 the trial court must exercise its discretion in
weighing both mitigating and aggravating factors when determining if dismissal of an
enhancement is in the furtherance of justice, giving great weight to the mitigating
Here, defendant admitted he possessed a gun and shot the victim, but argued he
acted in self-defense. The jury rejected the argument and found him guilty of possession
of a firearm and assault with a firearm. There was substantial evidence that defendant
shot the victim in the back while fleeing. In addition, defendant conceded he was aware
that it was unlawful for him to possess a gun and ammunition. Under these
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circumstances, the trial court’s reliance on defendant’s lack of remorse as an aggravating
factor was proper. The trial court could reasonably find that, because of defendant’s lack
of remorse, he did not have sufficient insight and acceptance of responsibility for his
criminal conduct, such that he was likely to commit similar conduct in the future,
particularly if provoked.
Defendant indicated that he believed he had a right to carry a gun, regardless of
the law prohibiting such possession, and this disregard for the law led to defendant
shooting the victim when provoked. Defendant demonstrated he had no remorse for
shooting the victim in the back or for possessing the gun unlawfully. We conclude that
under these circumstances there was no error in the trial court relying on lack of remorse
as an aggravating factor, and denying dismissal of defendant’s gun use enhancement.
Defendant cites People v. Williams (1998) 19 Cal.App.5th 1057, for the
proposition that, when considering whether he would pose a danger to public safety, the
trial court failed to consider his age of 58 years, at sentencing, and his probable date of
release. Not only is Williams distinguishable but, in addition, it cannot be assumed from
the record that the trial court did not take into account defendant’s age and release date.
(People v. Jones (2022) 86 Cal.App.5th 1076, 1092 [“In the usual case, the fact that a
court did not specifically mention certain evidence does not mean that the court ‘ignored’
that evidence.”].)
Here, dismissing the two enhancements would have reduced defendant’s sentence
significantly from 20 years, four months, to 13 years, four months. Nothing in the record
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suggests the trial court overlooked defendant’s age and date of release when denying his
request to dismiss the gun use and GBI enhancements. Under the totality of the
circumstances in this case, we thus conclude the court did not abuse its discretion in
denying defendant’s request to dismiss these two enhancements.
V.
RENEWAL OF ROMERO MOTION
During resentencing on September 16, 2022, defendant requested the trial court to
reconsider his Romero motion to strike his 30-year-old burglary conviction in light of the
new sentencing laws, which amended section 1385. The original motion was heard and
denied, and this court affirmed the ruling in defendant’s first appeal. During
resentencing, the trial court stated it would not reconsider defendant’s Romero motion
because it was not before the court and this court had previously affirmed the trial court’s
ruling on the Romero motion. Defendant argues that during resentencing, he was entitled
to a full re-sentencing, including reconsideration of his Romero motion. The People
agree that a limited remand to allow the trial court to reconsider defendant’s Romero
motion is appropriate.
We agree the trial court erred in not reconsidering defendant’s Romero motion.
(People v. Buycks (2018) 5 Cal.5th 857, 893 [“when part of a sentence is stricken on
review, on remand for resentencing ‘a full resentencing as to all counts is appropriate, so
the trial court can exercise its sentencing discretion in light of the changed
circumstances’”]; People v. Navarro (2007) 40 Cal.4th 668, 681.) The record shows that
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during resentencing, the trial court was unaware it had discretion to reconsider
defendant’s Romero motion and therefore denied defendant’s request to do so. The
record also does not clearly indicate that the trial court would have reached the same
conclusion had it reconsidered the motion. The matter must thus be remanded for the
purpose of allowing the trial court to reconsider the motion. If the Romero motion is
granted during resentencing, “the full resentencing rule, which ‘allows a court to revisit
all prior sentencing decisions when resentencing a defendant’ [citation], applies.”
(People v. Henderson (2022) 14 Cal.5th 34, 56.)
VI.
DISPOSITION
Defendant’s sentence is reversed as to the trial court’s denial of defendant’s
request to reconsider his Romero motion, and the matter is remanded for that purpose.
The judgment of conviction and sentence are affirmed in all other regards.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
CODRINGTON J.
We concur:
MILLER Acting P. J.
RAPHAEL J.
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AI Brief
AI-generated · verify before citing
Holding. The court held that Penal Code section 1385, subdivision (c)(2), does not mandate the dismissal of sentencing enhancements upon proof of mitigating circumstances, but rather requires the trial court to exercise its discretion in determining if dismissal is in the furtherance of justice. The court further held that the trial court erred by failing to reconsider the defendant's Romero motion during resentencing.
Issues
Whether Penal Code section 1385, subdivision (c)(2)(B) and (C), mandates the dismissal of sentencing enhancements when mitigating circumstances are present.
Whether the trial court erred in refusing to reconsider the defendant's Romero motion during resentencing.
Disposition. Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
Quotations verified verbatim against the opinion
“The ‘shall be dismissed’ language of the mitigating circumstances in subdivisions (c)(2)(B) and (C)—read in the context of the statute as a whole—only requires the court to dismiss the enhancement if it first finds that dismissal is ‘in the furtherance of justice.’”
“The parties and this court agree the trial court erred in not reconsidering defendant’s Romero motion during resentencing. We therefore reverse defendant’s sentence and remand the matter for that purpose.”