People v. Avila

Opinion

PREMO, Acting P. J.

Defendant Luis Ledesma Avila was found guilty at a court trial of six counts of sodomy against two victims and received 14 years in state prison. On appeal, he challenges the constitutionality of Penal Code section 286, subdivision (i),1 sodomy by use of drugs, and the sufficiency of the evidence to support conviction.

Facts

On separate occasions on February 1, 1998, and April 10, 1998, appellant, who was known as a “curandero,” that is, “a person who heals, who cures *794witch diseases,” was asked to “cleanse” two 14-year-old boys. The mother of John Doe I thought evil…