People v. Kam Hing Wong

Kam Hing Wong appeals from a judgment which sentences him to a life sentence for the attempted murder of his wife, Mei O. 1 Wong challenges his sentence on appeal, contending the trial court erred when it imposed to a single count three consecutive one-year enhancements for the use of deadly weapons. We agree Penal Code section 654 2 prohibits multiple punishment under these circumstances. We affirm the judgment but modify the sentence to stay the imposition of two of the three deadly weapon enhancements.

FACTS

The Attempted Murder

Mei and Wong met in China in October 2013 after Mei posted a personal ad in a Chinese-language newspaper. They married one month later. At the time, Mei lived in China and Wong lived in the United States. They spent the first two and a half years of their marriage apart, waiting for her visa to be granted. They spoke every day on the phone, however, and Wong visited Mei in September 2014.

Mei arrived in Los Angeles on March 30, 2016, soon after her visa was granted. The next afternoon, Wong asked her to cut his hair and brought out two pairs of scissors for her to use. Mei cut his hair and then continued to clean the house and perform other chores.…