People v. Williams CA1/5

BACKGROUND

A.

The underlying facts and procedural history are primarily taken from this Court’s unpublished opinion in Williams’s first

2 Our Supreme Court’s recent decision involved a different

defendant, Jeremiah Ira Williams, who bears the same last name as the appellant here. To avoid confusion in this opinion, we refer to the Supreme Court decision as J. Williams. 2 appeal. (People v. Williams (April 27, 2018, A147160) [nonpub. opn.] (Williams I).)

In May 2014, Williams’s cousin, Audrey Sims, had an altercation with Jane Doe, accusing Doe of owing her money. Williams, who was 23 at the time, got involved and took Doe’s phone. He choked her, called her a “bitch,” and told her she owed his cousin money. Although Doe denied the debt, Williams and Sims told Doe she needed to figure out a way to make the money back that night. They told her she was going to “ ‘get on Redbook,’ ” a prostitution website, and they would get clients for her. Doe refused but Williams and Sims told her they didn’t care what she wanted. Williams pulled a gun out from the back of his pants and said, “ ‘I’m not stupid. You have a pussy, right?’ ” Williams pointed the gun in Doe’s face and said “ ‘he…