People v. Sanchez CA4/2

BACKGROUND AND OUR REVIEW

In September 2021, defendant and Doe spent the late afternoon drinking alcohol

with friends in a parking lot near the beach in Huntington Beach. Doe consumed

Gatorade and watermelon-flavored vodka that she mixed in a cup. After three drinks, she

“blacked out” and when she regained consciousness, she was sweating and vomiting.

1 Anders v. California (1967) 386 U.S. 738 (Anders); People v. Wende (1979) 25 Cal.3d 436 (Wende).

2 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

2 Defendant held her hair back while she vomited. Though they were no longer engaged,

Doe considered defendant to be her best friend at the time. Before she blacked out again,

Doe overheard one of the women present, Alyssa, warn defendant not to take advantage

of Doe in her condition. Doe could tell defendant was upset by the comment.

The next thing Doe remembered was defendant opening the door of his car for her

outside her home in Lake Elsinore, where she lived with her parents. Footage from the

Ring surveillance camera at her front door was played for the jury. The footage showed

Doe and defendant’s arrival around 10:30 p.m. at night.…