People v. Silagi CA2/4

INTRODUCTION

A jury convicted defendant Jarris Jay Silagi of attempted second degree robbery (Pen. Code, §§ 664, 211)1 (count 2). The jury found defendant not guilty of attempted grand theft from a person (§§ 664, 487, subd. (c)) (count 1). In a bifurcated trial, the jury found defendant had suffered three prior felony convictions within the meaning of section 667.5, subdivision (b). The trial court denied probation (pursuant to §1203, subd. (e)(4)), and sentenced defendant to a total term of five years in prison. In this appeal, defendant contends that the trial court erred when it denied his request for self-representation under Faretta v. California (1975) 422 U.S. 806 (Faretta). We readily conclude that defendant did not make an unequivocal request to represent himself, and therefore affirm the judgment of conviction.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Because defendant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdict, we need only briefly recite the facts of the crime. In August 2012, Francisca Cano Sanchez was seated in an outdoor patio at a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Defendant jumped over a railing and tried to grab Sanchez’s cell phone from her hand. A…