Abilez

A jury in Los Angeles County Superior Court convicted Frank Manuel Abilez in 1997 of the first degree murder of his mother, Beatrice Abilez Loza (Pen. Code, § 187; all further statutory references are to this code unless otherwise indicated), forcible sodomy (§ 286, subd. (c)), first degree robbery (§ 211), two counts of first degree burglary (§ 459) and grand theft of a vehicle (former § 487h, subd. (a); see now § 487, subd. (d)). The jury also sustained special circumstance allegations that Abilez committed a murder while engaged in the commission of a robbery, sodomy and burglary. (§ 190.2, former subd. (a)(17)(i), (iv) & (vii); see now subd. (a)(17)(A), (D) & (G).) In addition, the jury sustained an allegation that defendant caused great bodily injury to a person over 60 years of age. (§ 1203.09, subd. (a).) Defendant waived a jury for determination of his prior convictions, and the trial court sustained allegations that he had suffered two prior serious felony convictions (§ 667, subd. (a)(1)), had previously served four separate terms in prison for felony convictions (§ 667.5, subd. (b)), and had suffered two prior felony convictions within the meaning of the “Three…