People v. Razavi CA3

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Defendant married M. Razavi in 1995. They had three daughters, Ka., Kar., and Kr. The relationship deteriorated over the years, and defendant became physically and verbally abusive towards M. The mistreatment began with yelling and name calling, and eventually escalated to hitting, kicking, and pushing. Defendant would also, on occasion, hit his daughters. In 2007, M. called the police to report that defendant had hit, kicked, and pushed her into a table. The children were removed from the home by Child Protective Services (CPS) and M. recanted her allegations, at defendant’s direction, in order to get them back. Defendant and M. divorced in 2008, but remarried in February 2011. Defendant filed for divorce a second time in October 2011, less than one year later. Despite the pending divorce, defendant and M. were still living together at the time of the events described below. On January 20, 2012, defendant and M. got into an argument about M.’s unemployment. The quarrel occurred in the presence of all three of the couple’s daughters. At some point, M. decided to record the argument using her cell phone. During the ensuing jury trial, M. testified…