People v. Padilla CA4/2

BACKGROUND

Padilla and his victim, Maricela A., knew each other because Padilla visited her

neighbor “a lot.” In July 2020, Maricela A. was at home alone when she heard banging

on her door. She looked out a window and saw Padilla, his girlfriend Joanne, and two

other women—Jeanette T. and Jessica T.—trying to get into her home. The four yelled at

Maricela A. to open the door, and Maricela A. hid in the bathroom. She heard a window

breaking and then heard the four assailants trying to break down the bathroom door.

Padilla eventually kicked the bathroom door down, and he and the others began to

beat Maricela A., with Padilla and at least one other assailant using baseball bats they

found in the home. Padilla then went through her home, destroying various items. While

Padilla traversed the house, Joanne T. and one other woman continued hitting Maricela

A., with Joanne T. using one of the two baseball bats. When the beating finally stopped,

Padilla threatened Maricela A. with a machete he found in the home, and told her “that’s

what happens because you got in with the wrong person.” Maricela A. did not know to

what Padilla was referring. Maricela A. saw no one take…