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People v. Davila

California Court of Appeals, Fourth District, Third Division
Dec 1, 2023
No. G062295 (Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 1, 2023)

Opinion

G062295

12-01-2023

THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. SALVADOR MIRANDA DAVILA, Defendant and Appellant.

Marta I. Stanton, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. No appearance for Plaintiff and Respondent.


NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Appeal from a postjudgment order of the Superior Court of Orange County, No. 03NF3266 Michael A. Leversen, Judge. Affirmed.

Marta I. Stanton, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant.

No appearance for Plaintiff and Respondent.

OPINION

BEDSWORTH, J.

Salvador Miranda Davila appeals the denial of his petition for resentencing. However, his appellate attorney was unable to find any arguable issues in the record, and we have not detected any either. Therefore, we affirm the trial court's order.

BACKGROUND

In 2004, appellant was convicted of second degree murder for beating his two-year-old daughter to death. The trial court sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison, and we affirmed the judgment on appeal. (People v. Davila (Apr. 6, 2006, G034763) [nonpub. opn.].)

In 2022, appellant filed a petition for resentencing pursuant to Penal Code section 1172.6, formerly section 1170.95. Following a response by the People and a hearing at which appellant was represented by appointed counsel, the trial court denied the petition for failing to make a prima facie case.

In this appeal, appointed counsel filed a brief raising no issues but requesting that we independently review the record pursuant to People v. Delgadillo (2022) 14 Cal.5th 216. We informed appellant of his right to file a supplemental brief, however he declined to do so. Exercising our discretion and in the interest of justice, we have examined the entire record for any arguable issues. (See id. at p. 230.) But, that examination has only confirmed our conclusion appellant's petition was properly denied.

DISCUSSION

To be eligible for resentencing, a defendant must have been convicted of murder under the felony murder rule, the natural and probable consequences doctrine, or some other theory under which malice was imputed to him based solely on his participation in a crime. (Pen. Code, § 1172.6, subd. (a).) However, appellant was convicted of murder for personally and maliciously causing his daughter's death. Because his jury was not instructed on any theory of imputed malice, he is ineligible for resentencing as a matter of law. (People v. Coley (2022) 77 Cal.App.5th 539, 542, 548; People v. Cortes (2022) 75 Cal.App.5th 198, 205.) Therefore, the trial court rightly denied his petition at the prima facie stage of the proceedings. (People v. Strong (2022) 13 Cal.5th 698, 708; People v. Lewis (2021) 11 Cal.5th 952, 971.) There is no arguable basis for disturbing that decision.

DISPOSTITION

The trial court's order denying appellant's petition for resentencing is affirmed.

WE CONCUR: O'LEARY, P. J., MOORE, J.


Summaries of

People v. Davila

California Court of Appeals, Fourth District, Third Division
Dec 1, 2023
No. G062295 (Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 1, 2023)
Case details for

People v. Davila

Case Details

Full title:THE PEOPLE, Plaintiff and Respondent, v. SALVADOR MIRANDA DAVILA…

Court:California Court of Appeals, Fourth District, Third Division

Date published: Dec 1, 2023

Citations

No. G062295 (Cal. Ct. App. Dec. 1, 2023)