Opinion ID: 2829983
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prosecution’s Guilt Phase Evidence

Text: In the early morning of May 14, 1993, while defendant drove around Moreno Valley with Mondre Weatherspoon and Alonso Dearaujo, the three decided to commit a robbery. Defendant had a .380-caliber handgun that was to feature prominently in the ensuing crimes. He directed Weatherspoon to the parking lot of a Circle K convenience store and gave Dearaujo the gun. He and 7 Section 12022.5, subdivision (a). 8 Section 190.4, subdivision (e). 9 Section 1239, subdivision (b). 2 Weatherspoon told Dearaujo to go into the store, pull out the gun and demand money. James Garcia was working at the Circle K when Dearaujo entered, pointed a gun and told him to ―give him all the money or he‘d blow my . . . head off.‖ Garcia emptied the cash register into a bag, then turned around and started to count to 100 as directed. When the doorbell chimed, Garcia looked and Dearaujo had gone. He locked the door and called the police Dearaujo ran back to the car and Weatherspoon drove away. Defendant took his gun back and the three split the stolen money.
The same night, a group of young people ranging in age from 13 to 19 gathered at the home of 17-year-old Natalie Dannov, defendant‘s girlfriend. Defendant had called the meeting and invited the participants. According to Dannov and others, defendant talked about forming a gang to commit crimes and ―have fun.‖ Stolen money would be used to buy a house and invest in stocks. Those over 18 would be given bank accounts. Defendant said the gang would be called the Pimp-Style Hustlers. Gang members would earn ―stripes‖ or ―G stripes‖ by committing crimes, carjackings and robberies. At one point, defendant demonstrated how to commit a carjacking, using Dearaujo as his mock victim. The victim was to be put in the car trunk. If a target resisted, defendant directed his members to ―cap ‘em or shoot ‘em.‖ Although others also spoke, defendant was the leader. After his presentation, several people, including defendant, got into a van driven by John Howell and went out looking for someone to carjack. 3. Attempted Kidnappings for Robbery of Debby Phillips and Deena Nolin (Counts 4 and 5) Defendant directed Howell to the parking lot of Dilly‘s night club. Defendant gave George Holland the .380-caliber handgun and told him to commit 3 the carjacking because he was the oldest. He also told 14-year-old Andrew Cannioto to accompany Holland. Cannioto had a pocket knife. Seeing Deena Nolin and Debby Phillips getting into a car outside the club, Holland approached the driver‘s window. When Nolin rolled it down, Holland pointed a gun through it, and told Nolin to get into the back seat. Cannioto approached the passenger side where Phillips sat. The women got out of the car, but Nolin stopped Phillips from getting into the back seat. She said Holland could take the car and their purses, but they would not stay in the car. Phillips ran toward the night club. Holland and Cannioto ran back toward the van. The passengers told them not to get in and they kept running. Around 30 minutes later, defendant and Weatherspoon picked them up. They drove to a hotel where Holland‘s sister had rented a room to celebrate. 4. Robbery of Dale Nonies (Count 6) Later that night, defendant, Weatherspoon, Holland and Steven McNair went to find another carjack victim. Holland drove. Around midnight, they saw Dale Nonies and his girlfriend, Genalyn Doronio, saying goodnight in front of Doronio‘s house. Nonies‘s white Ford Escort was parked at the curb. Defendant and Weatherspoon got out of the car. Defendant pointed his gun at the couple and demanded Nonies‘s car key and wallet. Nonies asked to keep his wallet and other keys. The robbers agreed taking only his money and car key. Defendant and Weatherspoon drove off with Nonies‘s car, followed by Holland and McNair. In a secluded area, they stripped the car and rolled it into a ditch. 4 b. Events of May 15, 1993 1. Attempted Carjacking of Barbara DeGeorge (Count 7) On May 15, defendant told gang member Anthony Post to carjack a vehicle so defendant could drive it to the prom. After two aborted attempts, defendant and Post went to the parking lot of a theater complex. They saw a woman getting out of a car. Defendant said, ―she‘ll be easy because she hasn‘t put her keys away yet.‖ Post was reluctant, but defendant gave him the gun and ―pumped [him] up.‖ Post approached the woman, lifted his shirt to display the gun in his waistband, and demanded her car keys. The victims, Barbara DeGeorge and her 10-year-old daughter Lisa, were on their way to the movies. When Post displayed the weapon, DeGeorge and her daughter ran. Post ran toward defendant, who waved him away. Post hid the gun in a field and retrieved it later. 2. Robbery of Patricia Smith Estep and Charles Estey (Counts 8 and 9) Later that night, defendant sent Dearaujo and 13-year-old gang member Christopher Lyons to rob a liquor store. Dearaujo had defendant‘s gun; Lyons carried two knives. When they got to the liquor store, it was closing. They left. They passed a building with the lights on and people inside. Lyons said, ―let‘s rob them.‖ Lyons took the gun and they entered. The building housed a Los Angeles Times distribution center owned by Charles Estey who was there with his mother, Patricia Smith Estep. Lyons and Dearaujo ran into the office with Lyons wearing a stocking mask. Initially, Estey thought his friends were playing a joke on him, even as the gunman pointed the gun at his face. Dearaujo held a knife to Patricia Smith Estep‘s back and told her not to look at him. Ordered to get on the floor, Estey said, ―Knock it off, Manny . . . . This has gone far enough.‖ Seeing the knife pointed at his mother, Estey realized the robbery was not a joke. The 5 robbers took Estey‘s wallet and his mother‘s purse. Dearaujo told Lyons, ―Let‘s cap them and get out of here.‖ Estey offered them his car keys, saying, ―We never saw you once, just go.‖ They left. Dearaujo and Lyons met defendant. They gave him the purse and wallet that together contained about $100. Defendant kept the money and commended them for a ―good job.‖ c. Events of May 19-20, 1993 1. Murder of Yvonne Los (Counts 1 and 2) On the evening of May 19, 1993, defendant was part of a group planning to drive to a party in Anaheim. As he and others were getting into a car, Dearaujo and Lyons came over. Defendant asked if Dearaujo could come with them, but the group was too large to fit in the vehicle. Defendant told Dearaujo and Lyons to go to the Family Fitness Center and ―get a car.‖ Defendant told Dearaujo to carjack a light-colored sedan and put the victim in the trunk. He gave Dearaujo his gun along with a jacket and a bandana to cover his face. He described where to meet him afterwards. Dearaujo and Lyons walked to the parking lot of the fitness center and waited for an ―appropriate‖ victim. Yvonne Los, an Air Force nurse and mother of two, pulled into the lot. When her car passed them, Dearaujo said, ―This is it, let‘s do it.‖ As Los sat in the driver‘s seat, Dearaujo tapped the car window with the gun barrel and said, ―Shh.‖ Los looked frightened and locked the doors. Lyons tried to open the passenger door. A witness heard him yelling, ―get out of the car, get out of the fucking car.‖ When Los started the car, Dearaujo shot her. The car rolled backwards, striking another vehicle. Los tapped her car horn and then slumped over. Dearaujo and Lyons fled. 6 An off-duty police officer heard the crash and responded to find Los shot in the neck and unresponsive. A bullet had severed Los‘s carotid artery causing death by exsanguination. Later, Dearaujo and Lyons met defendant and reported what happened. Defendant told them to find someplace to stay that night and to come to Dannov‘s house the next day. 2. Post Murder Celebration The following afternoon, the mood at Dannov‘s house was festive. Defendant referred to Dearaujo as ―Charles Manson.‖ He awarded Dearaujo two stripes, and Lyons one, for a ―good job.‖ When a television newscast aired a photograph of Los, Dearaujo said, ―I smoked that bitch.‖ When Los‘s fiancé appeared on screen and said they were planning to marry, Lyons said, ―Not no more.‖ 3. Robbery and Attempted Kidnapping for Robbery of Glynn Brodbeck (Counts 10 and 11) That night, defendant, Weatherspoon and James Handy tried to commit another carjacking. Defendant took the gun. Defendant and Weatherspoon approached Glynn Brodbeck, who was parked in a Taco Bell lot waiting for his fiancée to finish her shift. Defendant tapped on the driver‘s window and told Brodbeck to get out of the car. Brodbeck saw defendant with a gun and two other men standing nearby. Defendant demanded his wallet, but Brodbeck had left it at home. Handy ―frisked‖ him and took his cigarettes. Weatherspoon took Brodbeck‘s keys and opened the trunk, where he and defendant planned to put their victim. When the robbers looked into the trunk, Brodbeck ran toward the Taco Bell. Defendant shot at him, but Brodbeck slipped. As he fell, he heard the bullet pass by. He recovered and kept running until he entered the restaurant where he called police. 7 Defendant, Weatherspoon and Handy left the scene, dropping Brodbeck‘s keys in the parking lot. 4. Defendant’s Arrest and Statement to Police The murder investigation led police to George Holland who revealed defendant‘s name. Police arrested him on May 22, 1993. En route to the county jail, defendant asked how much time he could get for carjacking. Defendant also commented that a detective had called him ―David Koresh,‖ adding he did not think he was Koresh, but guessed he was a sort of leader. Police interrogated defendant on May 22 and 23. He admitted calling the meeting at Natalie Dannov‘s house where he and others discussed committing carjackings. He also admitted proposing to put the money into a common investment pool and to coining the name Pimp-Style Hustlers. He denied being the ―ringleader,‖ claiming he was the ―second hand man‖ to Mondre Weatherspoon. Defendant admitted either planning or committing the Circle K robbery, the Nonies robbery and the attempted carjacking of Brodbeck at Taco Bell. He was present at the attempted carjacking of Phillips and Nolin and the attempted carjacking of DeGeorge. Defendant conceded he divided the money Dearaujo and Lyons took from Charles Estey and his mother. As to the murder, defendant admitted knowing that Dearaujo was ―gonna jack a car,‖ giving him a gun and planning to meet him afterwards. He denied ordering Dearaujo to commit the crime.