People v. Rodas CA4/1

BACKGROUND

A. Prosecution Evidence I.R. is Rodas’s eldest daughter. She was born in Guatemala on November 4, 1997. When I.R. was one year seven months old, Rodas and I.R.’s mother moved to the United States, leaving I.R. in the care of her maternal grandmother. For much of her childhood, I.R. believed her grandmother was her mother. Rodas visited I.R. in Guatemala around five times. I.R.’s mother never visited her. In October 2012, one month before I.R. turned 16 years old, Rodas picked her up in Guatemala and moved her to the United States. After she moved to the United States, her parents limited her communication with her grandmother in Guatemala. I.R. attended high school fulltime in Fallbrook. In addition to her schoolwork, she was expected to prepare Rodas’s lunches, load his truck for work, prepare the family’s dinners, clean the home, and do the laundry. When her parents were unhappy with the way I.R. performed these tasks, they would beat her. Her mother also beat I.R. when she did her schoolwork instead of the housework. In addition to the housework, I.R. cared for her younger sisters and went to work with Rodas on the weekends. Rodas maintained tight control over I.R.…