Harvey v. Gonzales et al

Filing 9

ORDER adopting 8 the Magistrate Judge's Report and Recommendation and Denying 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. Signed by Judge John A. Houston on 6/4/12. (All non-registered users served via U.S. Mail Service)(ecs)

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

9

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

10
11
12
13

MICHAEL ALONZO HARVEY,
v.

Petitioner,

F. GONZALES, et al.,
Respondents.

14

)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)

Civil No. 10cv2235 JAH(RBB)
ORDER ADOPTING THE
MAGISTRATE JUDGE’S REPORT
AND RECOMMENDATION AND
DENYING PETITION FOR WRIT
OF HABEAS CORPUS
[28 U.S.C. § 2254]

INTRODUCTION

15
16

Petitioner, a state prisoner proceeding pro se, filed a petition for writ of habeas

17

corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. Respondent filed an answer to the petition and

18

petitioner filed a traverse. Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1), the Honorable Ruben B.

19

Brooks, United States Magistrate Judge, submitted a report and recommendation

20

(“report”) to this Court recommending the instant petition be denied with prejudice.

21

Objections to the report were due by March 16, 2012, but neither party filed objections.

22

After careful consideration of the pleadings and relevant exhibits submitted by the parties,

23

and for the reasons set forth below, this Court ADOPTS the magistrate judge’s report in

24

its entirety and DENIES the instant petition in its entirety.

25

//

26

//

27
28

10cv2235

BACKGROUND1

1
2

On November 21, 2009, petitioner was found guilty, after a jury trial, of

3

premeditated attempted murder, kidnapping for robbery, and attempted robbery.

4

Petitioner was subsequently sentenced to two life terms with the possibility of parole, plus

5

fifty years to life, and five years. Petitioner appealed his conviction on January 20, 2009.

6

The California Court of Appeal upheld petitioner’s kidnapping for robbery and attempted

7

robbery convictions but reversed his attempted murder conviction based on an erroneous

8

jury instruction.

9

Petitioner appealed to the California Supreme Court on October 29, 2009,

10

challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to convict him of aggravated kidnapping for

11

robbery based on the instruction given to the jury. The California Supreme Court denied

12

review without opinion on December 2, 2009. On October 27, 2010, petitioner filed the

13

instant petition. Respondents filed an answer to the petition on January 5, 2011 and

14

petitioner filed his traverse on February 17, 2011. The magistrate judge’s report was filed

15

on February 16, 2012. No objections to the report were filed by either party.
DISCUSSION

16
17

1.

Legal Standard

18

The district court’s role in reviewing a Magistrate Judge’s report and

19

recommendation is set forth in 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1). Under this statute, the district

20

court “shall make a de novo determination of those portions of the report . . . to which

21

objection is made,” and “may accept, reject, or modify, in whole or in part, the findings

22

or recommendations made by the magistrate [judge].” Id. When no objections are filed,

23

the Court may assume the correctness of the magistrate judge’s findings of fact and decide

24

the motion on the applicable law. Campbell v. United States Dist. Court, 501 F.2d 196,

25

206 (9th Cir. 1974); Johnson v. Nelson, 142 F. Supp. 2d 1215, 1217 (S.D. Cal. 2001).

26

Under such circumstances, the Ninth Circuit has held that “a failure to file objections only

27
28

1

The underlying facts set forth in the report are adopted in toto, and referenced as if fully set forth
herein. This Court provides only a brief procedural background.

2

10cv2235

1

relieves the trial court of its burden to give de novo review to factual findings; conclusions

2

of law must still be reviewed de novo.” Barilla v. Ervin, 886 F.2d 1514, 1518 (9th Cir.

3

1989) (citing Britt v. Simi Valley Unified Sch. Dist., 708 F.2d 452, 454 (9th Cir. 1983)).

4

2.

Analysis

5

The Court received no objections to the report and no request for an extension of

6

time in which to file any objections. As such, the Court assumes the correctness of the

7

magistrate judge’s factual findings and adopts them in full. The Court has conducted a

8

de novo review, independently reviewing the report and all relevant papers submitted by

9

both parties, and finds that the report provides a cogent analysis of the claims presented

10

in the instant petition.

11

Specifically, this Court first agrees with the magistrate judge that Warden Gonzales

12

is a proper respondent but former Attorney General Edmund G. Brown is not a proper

13

respondent and should be dismissed.

14

judge’s determination that petitioner’s first ground for relief has not been fully exhausted

15

in state court but should, nevertheless, be addressed on the merits. Based on a thorough

16

de novo review of the record, this Court agrees with the magistrate judge’s finding that the

17

trial court did not err when it allowed the introduction of evidence regarding petitioner’s

18

parole status because it was not objectively unreasonable and thus not violative of due

19

process. This Court further agrees that petitioner has not demonstrated the trial court’s

20

failure to give a limiting instruction and tell the jury not to draw any inference from the

21

references to petitioner’s parole status rendered the entire trial fundamentally unfair

22

because his parole status was not admitted to prove he had the propensity to commit the

23

current crime and the court did not allow the prosecutor to discuss the prior conviction

24

which led to petitioner’s parole. Thus, this Court agrees with the magistrate judge that the

25

state court’s rejection of petitioner’s evidentiary error claim contained in ground one was

26

not contrary to, or an unreasonable application of, clearly established federal law and was

27

not based on an unreasonable determination of the facts.

28

Second, this Court agrees with the magistrate

Third, this Court agrees with the magistrate judge’s findings and conclusion
3

10cv2235

1

concerning petitioner’s second ground for relief based on the contention that there was

2

insufficient evidence to support his conviction for kidnapping for robbery. This Court’s

3

de novo review of the record reflects the magistrate judge correctly determined that the

4

evidence supports a finding that the kidnapping began upon petitioner’s brandishing a

5

weapon, demanding money and threatening the victim and that the victim’s continuing

6

movement was due to fear and the implied threat to keep moving. This Court agrees with

7

the magistrate judge that a reasonable person would not feel free to stop or deviate from

8

the original course after petitioner brandished his weapon and made the threat. Thus,

9

viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, this Court agrees that

10

a rational trier of fact would have found petitioner guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of

11

kidnapping for robbery.

12

Lastly, this Court, after a thorough de novo review of the record, agrees with the

13

finding that the state court’s rejection of petitioner’s claim regarding his conviction being

14

based on the victim’s failure to consent to her movement at the complex was not contrary

15

to, or an unreasonable application of clearly established Supreme Court law.

16
17

Accordingly, this Court ADOPTS the magistrate judge’s report in full and DENIES
the instant petition in its entirety.
CONCLUSION AND ORDER

18
19

For the reasons set forth above, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that:

20

1.

The findings and conclusions of the magistrate judge presented in the Report
and Recommendation are ADOPTED in their entirety;

21
22

2.

The instant petition is DENIED with prejudice in its entirety.

23

3.

The Clerk of Court shall enter judgment in accordance with this Order.

24

Dated:

June 4, 2012

25
JOHN A. HOUSTON
United States District Judge

26
27
28
4

10cv2235