People v. Velazquez

Opinion

WILLHITE, J.

The victim in this case, in which defendant Jonathan Velazquez was charged with three counts of criminal threats (Pen. Code,1 § 422) and three counts of dissuading a witness (§ 136.1, subd. (b)(2)) for the benefit of a criminal street gang (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)(B), (4)), failed to appear to testify during the prosecution’s case-in-chief. Although there was a witness to the first instance in which defendant threatened the victim and attempted to dissuade her from assisting in the prosecution of his fellow gang members, and that witness testified in the prosecution’s…