People v. Swenson CA4/3

I.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On May 25, 2022, at around 4:30 p.m., Swenson told her friend Alex R. (Alex) that she was not feeling well, so it was determined that Alex would drive her to the hospital. Alex was about 87 years old; Swenson was about 42 years old. Alex left his home in Santa Ana and began to drive Swenson towards a nearby hospital in his white rental car. Swenson took over driving when Alex made a U-turn and drove “too close to the curb.” Instead of driving to the hospital, Swenson drove Alex around “senselessly” for about 12 hours, and “never attempted to go to a hospital or anything like that.” At one point during the evening, she removed Alex’s

1 Hereinafter, referred to as a Trombetta/Youngblood motion.

2 glasses from his face, broke them, and threw them out of the window. At another point, Swenson hit Alex in the nose and kicked him “on the left side of the face.” Swenson also put her hands around Alex’s throat and asked him if he wanted to die. Swenson got out of the car and went into a home at one point during the evening. Alex was able to get behind the wheel of the car to drive away, but then Alex realized Swenson had taken the car’s fob key. At…