People v. Contreras CA2/2

INTRODUCTION

On appeal from being convicted of the murder of a 13-year- old girl, Santos Grimaldi (Grimaldi), Melvin Sandoval (Sandoval), and Rogelio Contreras (Contreras) (collectively, defendants) raise a plethora of challenges to either their convictions or sentences. Because their substantive challenges lack merit, we affirm the convictions and sentences, but order that the abstracts of judgment for Grimaldi and Sandoval be corrected to reflect the actual credits awarded by the trial court.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

I. Facts

In early May 2001, 13-year-old Jacqueline P. (Jacqueline) ran away from home. Late in the afternoon of June 27, 2001, Jacqueline was in the company of Jorge Palacios (Palacios) and his girlfriend. Palacios belonged to the Francis clique of Mara Salvatrucha, a criminal street gang commonly known as “MS-13.” Palacios sold drugs in the MacArthur Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California; this was an important role within MS-13 because he

2 controlled a lot of money. Palacios labeled Jacqueline a “chavala”—that is, a trespasser from another gang’s “hood.” It was a gang’s obligation to punish any chavala who set foot into its territory. Acting…