People v. Veloz CA2/5

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Indictment A grand jury indicted defendant on one count of murder. The indictment alleged defendant personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon (a knife) in the commission of the murder. (Pen. Code, § 12022, subd. (b)(2).) The trial court dismissed financial gain and lying-in-wait special circumstance allegations.

B. The Evidence at Trial We summarize the evidence at trial organized into three categories: (1) evidence concerning Sandra’s relationship with defendant; (2) evidence pertaining to Sandra’s disappearance and death in June 2017; and (3) propensity evidence in the form of testimony by two of defendant’s former partners.

1 Sandra’s son, Michael Velasco (Michael), testified at defendant’s trial. We refer to Sandra and Michael by their first names.

2 1. Sandra’s relationship with defendant Defendant and Sandra started dating in 2015. Defendant moved in with Sandra and her adult son, Michael, after a few months, and they married in 2015. Sandra’s family and friends testified the relationship was marred by defendant’s drug use and infidelity, as well as multiple instances of domestic violence. The first instance of domestic violence…