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People v. Henriquez - Convictions Upheld, Sentence Remanded

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Summary

The California Court of Appeal affirmed most convictions for Yoni Antonio Henriquez related to sexual abuse of a minor but found insufficient evidence for one conviction and remanded for resentencing. The court upheld convictions for lewd acts and forcible rape, but reversed a conviction for sexual penetration by a foreign object.

Published by CA Court of Appeal on courtlistener.com . Detected, standardized, and enriched by GovPing. Review our methodology and editorial standards .

What changed

The California Court of Appeal has affirmed the majority of convictions against Yoni Antonio Henriquez for sexual offenses against his stepdaughter, including lewd acts and forcible rape. However, the court found insufficient evidence to support the conviction for sexual penetration by a foreign object and has remanded the case back to the trial court for resentencing. The appellate court's decision addresses arguments concerning evidentiary sufficiency, jury instructions on duress, and the issue of multiple convictions for the same offense.

This ruling means that while Henriquez will still face sentencing for the upheld convictions, the total sentence may be reduced. Compliance officers and legal professionals should note the court's reasoning regarding evidentiary standards for sexual offenses and jury instructions, as these could influence future case law or defense strategies. The remand for resentencing indicates that the final sentencing will occur after the appellate court's decision is implemented.

What to do next

  1. Review appellate court's reasoning on evidentiary standards for sexual offenses.
  2. Monitor resentencing proceedings for Yoni Antonio Henriquez.

Penalties

Remand for resentencing.

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Mar 27, 2026

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March 26, 2026 Get Citation Alerts Download PDF Add Note

People v. Henriquez CA1/3

California Court of Appeal

Combined Opinion

Filed 3/26/26 P. v. Henriquez CA1/3
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS
California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for
publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or
ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FIRST APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

THE PEOPLE,
Plaintiff and Respondent, A172030
v.
(Contra Costa County
YONI ANTONIO HENRIQUEZ, Super. Ct. No. 02-23-01994)
Defendant and Appellant.

A jury convicted Yoni Antonio Henriquez of several counts of lewd acts
on a child both under and over the age of 14, forcible rape of a child over 14,
forcible rape of an adult, and sexual penetration by a foreign object based on
years of sexual abuse of Jane Doe, his stepdaughter. The trial court
sentenced him to 68 years. On appeal, he argues there is insufficient
evidence to support his forcible rape and sexual penetration convictions, the
court incorrectly instructed the jury regarding forcible rape committed by
duress, and it inadequately responded to jury questions about duress during
deliberations. He further argues we must reverse two convictions for lewd
and lascivious conduct because they impermissibly constitute multiple
convictions based on alternative statements of the same offense. We find
insufficient evidence to support his conviction for sexual penetration and
remand for resentencing, but we otherwise affirm.

1
BACKGROUND
When Doe was approximately 13 or 14 years old, Henriquez — who was
over 17 years older — tickled her and kissed her vagina over her clothing. He
then said, “ ‘I’m so sorry for doing that. I won’t do that.’ ” But he did it again
once or twice more. When she was between 15 and 16 years old, Henriquez
kissed her breasts and put his penis in her vagina. He ultimately had sexual
intercourse with her twice when she was 15, five times when she was 16, five
times when she was 17, and approximately four times when she was 18 — all
at their home when her mother was away. He sent Doe various text
messages that she interpreted as referencing sexual intercourse. She did not
want to have intercourse with him on any occasion. After each time,
Henriquez told her he was “truly sorry.” But he warned her against
disclosing the abuse because he would go to jail. She complied because she
variously worried the family would separate, he would “get mad” if she
refused, and he would refuse to buy her things that she wanted. He also told
her that because he was her father and treated her well, she should have sex
with him.
In December 2023, Doe went to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Henriquez walked in, placed her on top of him, and put his penis in her
vagina. He physically restrained her with his body. She did not want to have
intercourse with him, and it stopped only when her mother returned to the
house and ran to the bathroom. She asked Doe to open the bathroom door.
Doe responded, “He forced me to.” Doe’s mother called the police.
During a police interview, Doe revealed Henriquez had been having
sexual intercourse with her for years. She noted that when she attempted to
put her hands on Henriquez to stop, he simply grabbed her hands and put
them on the side. When she told him to stop, he would hold her down. Every

2
time she said no, he would get mad. In general, he repeatedly asked her “are
we gonna do it” — referring to sexual intercourse — “yes or no.” She feared
that rejecting him would make him mad, and he would not talk with her or
protect her from her mother during arguments.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney charged Henriquez
with lewd acts on a child under 14 years old (Pen. Code, § 288, subd. (a);
counts 1-2, undesignated statutory references are to this code); forcible rape
of a child victim over 14 years old, occurring on or between January 8, 2020
and January 7, 2021 (§ 261, subd. (a)(2); counts 3-4); lewd acts on a child 15
years old, occurring on or between January 8, 2020 and January 7, 2021
(§ 288, subd. (c)(1); counts 5-6); forcible rape of a child victim over 14 years
old, on or between January 8, 2021 and January 7, 2022 (§ 261, subd. (a)(2);
counts 7-9); forcible rape of a child victim over 14 years on or between
January 8, 2022 and January 7, 2023 (§ 261, subd. (a)(2); counts 10-12);
sexual penetration by foreign object (§ 289, subd. (a)(1)(A); count 13); forcible
rape, occurring on or between January 8, 2023 and December 16, 2023 (§ 261,
subd. (a)(2); counts 14-15); and forcible rape occurring on or about December
17, 2023 (§261, subd. (a)(2); count 16).
Doe’s statements to the police officer after the December 2023 events
were admitted as an excited utterance. But during the trial, she testified he
never held her arms down, she never tried to physically resist or fight him
when he wanted to have sex. And she testified that she only told him to stop
once and could not recall his response.
A jury found Henriquez guilty of all counts. At sentencing, the trial
court sentenced him to an aggregate term of 68 years — seven years for count
three, the principal term (forcible rape of a child 14 years or older); seven
consecutive seven-year sentences for the additional counts of forcible rape of

3
a child 14 years or older (counts 4 & 7-12); three consecutive three-year
sentences for forcible rape of an adult (counts 14-16); a consecutive three-year
term for sexual penetration (count 13); concurrent three-year terms for lewd
acts of child under 14 years old (counts 1-2); and a stayed term of one year for
each conviction of lewd acts on a child 15 years old (counts 5-6). Henriquez
appealed.
DISCUSSION
I.
Henriquez contends there is insufficient evidence to support his forcible
rape convictions. First, citing Doe’s trial testimony, he maintains she
voluntarily had sexual intercourse with him and lied to police during her
interview to avoid punishment by her mother. Accordingly, there is
insufficient evidence that he engaged in sexual intercourse with Doe by
means of duress or force. Arguing in the alternative, he insists substantial
evidence only supports his forcible rape conviction arising out of the
December 2023 incident. Having reviewed the whole record in the light most
favorable to the judgment, determining whether “it discloses substantial
evidence—evidence which is reasonable, credible and of solid value” such that
a jury could find Henriquez guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, we reject his
various arguments. (People v. Haynes (1998) 61 Cal.App.4th 1282, 1291.)
Forcible rape is sexual intercourse against a person’s will “by means of
force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily
injury on the person or another.” (§ 261, subd. (a)(2); People v. Griffin (2004)
33 Cal.4th 1015, 1022.) Duress is “a direct or implied threat of force,
violence, danger, or retribution sufficient to coerce a reasonable person of
ordinary susceptibilities to perform an act which otherwise would not have
been performed, or acquiesce in an act to which one otherwise would not have

4
submitted.” (§ 261, subd. (b)(1).) It is “measured by a purely objective
standard,” focusing “on the defendant’s wrongful act, not the victim’s
response to it.” (People v. Soto (2011) 51 Cal.4th 229, 246.) When assessing
the existence of duress, the trier of fact considers the totality of the
circumstances, including “age of the victim, and the victim’s relationship to
the defendant.” (§ 261, subd. (b)(1); People v. Mejia (2007) 155 Cal.App.4th
86, 100
.)
Substantial evidence established Henriquez used duress to accomplish
each act of rape. He psychologically dominated Doe. (People v. Veale (2008)
160 Cal.App.4th 40, 49.) He raised her since she was one year old, and she
identified him as her father despite the lack of any biological relationship.
As her family member, he occupied a “position of authority” and dominance
over her. (Ibid.) She was 13 years old when he began sexually assaulting
her. The rapes — occurring on or between January 8, 2020 and December 17,
2023, when she was over 14 years old — always “occurred when they were
alone at home.” (People v. Thomas (2017) 15 Cal.App.5th 1063, 1073
(Thomas); People v. Cochran (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 8, 15 (Cochran)
[“a defendant’s attempt to isolate the victim” can establish duress].) He
reasoned with her that she was obligated to have sex with him because he
was her father and treated her well. She was thus a “vulnerable, isolated
child who was compelled to participate in sex acts in response to parental
authority,” not consent. (Thomas, at p. 1073.) He further threatened her
with adverse consequences — that he, her stepfather, would go to jail — if
she disclosed the sexual intercourse. And she also did not report the abuse
because she feared breaking up her family. (Cochran, at p. 15.) “When the
victim is young and is molested by her father in the family home, duress will
be present in all but the rarest cases.” (Thomas, at pp. 1072–1073.)

5
Henriquez’s attempts to minimize the existence of duress based on Doe’s age
at the time the abuse began — 13, rather than six or seven years old — is not
well taken. His exploitation of Doe was continuous, bolstering the existence
of duress. (People v. Senior (1992) 3 Cal.App.4th 765, 775.)
Relying on People v. Espinoza (2002) 95 Cal.App.4th 1287 and People v.
Hecker (1990) 219 Cal.App.3d 1238 — both of which hold “ ‘ “[p]sychological
coercion’ without more does not establish duress’ ” and requiring at a
minimum “ ‘an implied threat of “force, violence, danger, hardship or
retribution” ’ ” — Henriquez insists the evidence here failed to establish
duress. (Espinoza, at p. 1321 [citing Hecker, reversing forcible rape
conviction where the victim was 12 years old with limited intellectual
abilities]; Hecker, at pp. 1250–1251.) His reliance is misplaced. The same
court that decided Hecker subsequently determined the language regarding
duress was “overly broad.” (Cochran, supra, 103 Cal.App.4th at p. 15,
disapproved on another ground by People v. Soto, supra, 51 Cal.4th at p. 248,
fn. 12
.) It clarified that the “very nature of duress is psychological coercion.”
(Cochran, at p. 15.) For that reason, a “threat to a child of adverse
consequences, such as suggesting the child will be breaking up the family or
marriage if she reports or fails to acquiesce in the molestation, may
constitute a threat of retribution and may be sufficient to establish duress,
particularly if the child is young and the defendant is her parent.” (Ibid.)
Thus, nothing more was needed to establish duress here. (People v. Senior,
supra, 3 Cal.App.4th at p. 776 [rejecting Hecker’s language that evidence of
fear is required].) And in any event, the record establishes more. In her
statements to police, Doe explained that when she physically resisted
Henriquez’s attempts to have sexual intercourse with her, he physically
dominated her by grabbing her hands and placing them by her side. This

6
suggests “that greater physical resistance would be answered with greater
physical force.” (Senior, at p. 775.)
Henriquez’s remaining arguments are meritless. First, he urges us to
disregard Doe’s statements made during her police interview as not credible.
He instead asks us to accept her trial testimony that he did not restrain her
and she did not fight back. This argument ignores the standard of review.
We do not reevaluate the credibility of witnesses. (People v. Manibusan
(2013) 58 Cal.4th 40, 87.) Doe’s statements to police were admitted as
excited utterances, and the jury was free to credit those statements rather
than her trial testimony. Next, to the extent Henriquez suggests we must
reverse his rape convictions because there was insufficient evidence to
establish rape by force, we disagree. Reversal is only required if there is no
applicable theory of guilt supported by substantial evidence. (People v.
Marks (2003) 31 Cal.4th 197, 233.) A conviction for rape can be established
by evidence of sexual intercourse against a person’s will “by means of force”
or duress, as is the case here. (§ 261, subd. (a)(2).)
Finally, we reject Henriquez’s alternative argument that the evidence
only supports one rape conviction based on the December 2023 events. Doe
testified he had sexual intercourse with her twice when she was 15, five
times when she was 16, five times when she was 17, and four times when she
was 18. These incidents all occurred in her room while her mother was away.
Testimony further established that she did not want to have sexual
intercourse with him in any of those instances. By so testifying, Doe
“outline[d] a series of specific, albeit undifferentiated, incidents, each of which
amounts to a separate offense, and each of which could support a separate
criminal sanction.” (People v. Jones (1990) 51 Cal.3d 294, 314, 299–300

7
[in “ ‘resident child molester’ ” cases, “testimony describing a series of
essentially indistinguishable acts of molestation is frequently the only
testimony forthcoming from the victim”].) Based on the entirety of the
record, a reasonable jury could conclude Henriquez engaged in sexual
intercourse with Doe by means of duress for his rape charges.
II.
Henriquez contends we must reverse his rape convictions because the
trial court incorrectly and inadequately responded to the jury’s questions
seeking clarification on the element of duress. Not so.
The trial court provided the jury with CALCRIM No. 1000 — the
pattern instructions for rape defining duress as “a direct or implied threat of
force, violence, danger, or retribution that would cause a reasonable person to
do or submit to something that she would not do or submit to otherwise.
When deciding whether the act was accomplished by duress, consider all the
circumstances, including the woman’s age and her relationship to the
defendant.” During deliberations, the jury asked, “Is the fear that the
family . . . break up on behalf of the victim sufficient to meet the criteria for
‘duress’ as appl[ied] to possible rape charge”? In response, the court wrote:
“Duress means a direct or implied threat of force, violence, danger, or
retribution sufficient to coerce a reasonable person of ordinary susceptibilities
to perform an act which she would not otherwise have performed, or
acquiesce in an act which she would otherwise not have submitted.” It
continued: “The total circumstances, including but not limited to the age of
the alleged victim, her relationship to the defendant, threats of harm to the
victim, physically controlling the victim when the victim attempts to resist,
and warning . . . the victim that revealing the perpetrator’s conduct would

8
result in jeopardizing the safety of the victim or the victim’s family are
factors to consider in apprising the existence of the duress.”

9
Later, the jury asked whether “duress [has] to result in physical
harm/bodily injury.” After a colloquy with the parties — during which
Henriquez’s counsel proposed simply referring the jury back to the CALCRIM
No. 1000 definition of duress — the court reread that pattern instruction. It
also included the following definition of duress: “a direct or implied threat of
force, violence, danger, or retribution sufficient to coerce a reasonable person
of ordinary susceptibilities to perform an act which she would not otherwise
have performed or acquiesce in an act to which she otherwise would not have
submitted.” It reiterated, “The total circumstances, including, but not limited
to, the age of the alleged victim, her relationship to the defendant, threats of
harm to the victim, physical control — physically controlling the victim when
the victim attempts to resist, and warnings to the victim that revealing the
perpetrator’s conduct would result in jeopardizing the safety of the victim or
the victim’s family are factors to consider in appraising the existence of the
duress.”
First, Henriquez argues the final phrase in the trial court’s response —
that the jury could consider “warnings to the victim that revealing the
perpetrator’s conduct would result in jeopardizing the safety of the victim or
the victim’s family” — when assessing the existence of duress is incorrect.
Courts have a sua sponte duty to instruct juries on the essential elements of
the charged offense. (People v. Merritt (2017) 2 Cal.5th 819, 824.) We
independently review claims of instructional error. (People v. Mitchell (2019)
7 Cal.5th 561, 579.) After considering the instructions as a whole to
determine whether there is a reasonable likelihood the jury misapplied the
law, we discern no error. (Ibid.)
“[W]arnings to the victim that revealing the molestation would result
in jeopardizing the family” is one of the circumstances a jury may consider

10
when deciding whether sexual intercourse was accomplished by duress.
(Thomas, supra, 15 Cal.App.5th at p. 1072.) As before, we reject Henriquez’s
argument — relying on People v. Espinoza, supra, 95 Cal.App.4th 1287, and
People v. Hecker, supra, 219 Cal.App.3d 1238 — that such warnings are not
indicative of duress. Threats of adverse consequences, such as breaking up
the family “if she reports or fails to acquiesce in the molestation, may
constitute a threat of retribution” sufficient to establish duress. (Cochran,
supra, 103 Cal.App.4th at p. 15.) The “fact that the victim testifies the
defendant did not use force or threats does not preclude a finding of duress.”
(Thomas, at p. 1072.) As here, duress may be supported in part by defendant
telling the victim “not to tell anyone because he would get in trouble and
could go to jail.” (Cochran, at p. 15.)
Moreover, nothing in the trial court’s instructions authorized the jury
to find duress based solely on the existence of these warnings, as Henriquez
insists. Rather, the instructions expressly required considering the totality of
the circumstances, followed by a nonexhaustive list of facts such as the
victim’s age and relationship to the perpetrator, including warnings to the
victim that revealing the perpetrator’s conduct would result in jeopardizing
the safety of the victim or the victim’s family. Here, where Henriquez, as
Doe’s stepfather, began sexually assaulting her when she was approximately
13 years old, engaged in sexual intercourse with her when she was 15 years
old in their house while Doe’s mother was out, and warned Doe not to tell
anyone about the abuse because he would go to jail, giving the jury this
instruction was proper.
Second, we reject Henriquez’s challenge to the adequacy of the trial
court’s responses to the jury. Specifically, he contends the court should have
responded “no” to the jury’s two questions — whether Doe’s fear that the

11
family would break up established duress, and whether duress had to result
in physical harm or bodily injury. Henriquez forfeited this claim by failing to
request this specific response and instead requesting the jury be referred to
CALCRIM No. 1000. (People v. Lang (1989) 49 Cal.3d 991, 1024 [a party
forfeits a claim “that an instruction correct in law and responsive to the
evidence was too general or incomplete unless the party has requested
appropriate clarifying” language].) This failure precludes Henriquez from
raising this claim now.
Moreover, we acknowledge courts must provide information on any
point of law arising in the case during jury deliberations. (§ 1138; People v.
Hodges (2013) 213 Cal.App.4th 531, 539.) The original instructions here were
“ ‘themselves full and complete,’ ” thus the trial court had “ ‘discretion under
section 1138 to determine what additional explanations are sufficient to
satisfy the jury’s request for information.’ ” (Hodges, at p. 539; People v.
Moore (1996) 44 Cal.App.4th 1323, 1330–1331 [abuse of discretion standard
of review for errors under § 1138].) The court did not “figuratively throw up
its hands and tell the jury it cannot help” in response to the jury inquiry
about duress. (People v. Beardslee (1991) 53 Cal.3d 68, 97.) Instead, it
satisfied its obligation by referring the jury back to CALCRIM No. 1000,
supported by additional, correct language regarding duress. (Beardslee, at
p. 97 [courts satisfy obligation to respond to jury by considering “how it can
best aid the jury,” including referring the jury back to the specific
instructions].)

12
III.
Henriquez contends he could not be convicted of both lewd acts on a
child (§ 288, subd. (c)(1), counts 5-6) based on the same conduct supporting
his rape convictions (§ 261, subd. (a)(2), counts 3-4). According to him,
section 954 prohibits the convictions because they are simply different
statements of the same offense. He points to the prosecution’s sentencing
brief, conceding counts five and six cover the same acts under counts three
and four, and requesting the trial court stay the sentences for counts five
and six. We independently review this issue of whether multiple convictions
are proper under section 954 and disagree. (People v. Rodriguez (2021)
71 Cal.App.5th 921, 936.)
As relevant here, section 954 “concerns the propriety of multiple
convictions.” (People v. Gonzalez (2014) 60 Cal.4th 533, 537.) It provides in
relevant part, an “accusatory pleading may charge two or more different
offenses connected together in their commission, or different statements of
the same offense or two or more different offenses of the same class of crimes
or offenses, under separate counts.” (§ 954.) Nothing requires the
prosecution “to elect between the different offenses or counts set forth in the
accusatory pleading, but the defendant may be convicted of any number of
the offenses charged.” (Ibid.) Critically, the “same act can support multiple
charges and multiple convictions.” (Gonzalez, at p. 537.) Indeed, multiple
“convictions can be based upon a single criminal act or an indivisible course
of criminal conduct.” (People v. Benavides (2005) 35 Cal.4th 69, 97
(Benavides).) This is proper unless “one offense is necessarily included in the
other.” (Ibid.) But section 954 “ ‘does not permit multiple convictions for a
different statement of the same offense when it is based on the same act or
course of conduct.’ ” (People v. Vidana (2016) 1 Cal.5th 632, 650, italics

13
added.) Whether statutory provisions “define different offenses or merely
describe different ways of committing the same offense” turns “on the
Legislature’s intent in enacting these provisions.” (Gonzalez, at p. 537.)
If “the Legislature meant to define only one offense, we may not turn it into
two.” (Ibid.)
Section 288 — lewd or lascivious acts involving children — and section
261 — forcible rape — define different offenses rather than describing
different ways of committing the same offense. Section 288 prohibits a
person from “willfully and lewdly commit[ting] any lewd or lascivious act,
including any of the acts constituting other crimes provided for in Part 1,
upon or with the body, or any part or member thereof, of a child . . . with the
intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust, passions, or sexual
desires of that person or the child.” (§ 288, subd. (a).) Section 261 defines
rape as “an act of sexual intercourse accomplished under any of the following
circumstances,” including “against a person’s will by means of force, violence,
duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury on the
person or another.” (§ 261, subd. (a)(2).)
“Lewd conduct with a child is not a necessarily included offense” of
rape, which requires “only general intent.” (Benavides, supra, 35 Cal.4th
at p. 97
.) “Lewd conduct with a child is a distinct crime that requires an act
upon or with the body of a child,” “with the specific intent to arouse, appeal
to, or gratify the lust or passions or sexual desire of either the perpetrator or
the child (§ 288), and can be proven by circumstantial evidence including the
nature of the act itself.” (Ibid.) Thus, section 288 does not require a specific
act, such as sexual intercourse, as long as it is committed with the requisite
intent. Rape, in contrast, is an “inherently sexual act[].” (Benavides,
at p. 97.) The two statutes do not constitute “different ways of describing

14
the behavior proscribed by those statutes.” (People v. Vidana, supra,
1 Cal.5th at p. 649.) Thus, Henriquez could be convicted of both rape and
lewd conduct with a child based on a single act. (People v. Siko (1988)
45 Cal.3d 820, 823.) But in those circumstances, “he cannot be punished for
both offenses; execution of the sentence for one of the offenses must be
stayed,” as was done here. (Ibid.)
IV.
Henriquez contends there is insufficient evidence of “penetration” to
support his conviction for sexual penetration by a foreign object. On this
point, we agree.
Sexual penetration “is the act of causing the penetration, however
slight, of the genital or anal opening of any person . . . for the purpose of
sexual arousal, gratification, or abuse by any foreign object, substance,
instrument, or device, or by any unknown object.” (§ 289, subd. (k)(1).)
It does not require penetration of the vagina. (People v. Quintana (2001)
89 Cal.App.4th 1362, 1371.) Contact with “genitalia inside the exterior of the
labia majora constitutes ‘sexual penetration’ within the meaning of section
289.” (Ibid.) A finger constitutes a “foreign object.” (People v. Adams (1993)
19 Cal.App.4th 412, 428, disapproved on other grounds in People v. Chhoun
(2021) 11 Cal.5th 1, 38.)
Even considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the
judgment, we find no evidence to support Henriquez’s unlawful sexual
penetration conviction. (People v. Haynes, supra, 61 Cal.App.4th at p. 1291.)
During her police interview, Doe stated, “when I wouldn’t give him what he
wanted, he would finger me sometimes.” She did not clarify the meaning of
“finger.” These statements constitute “vague, euphemistic language,”
requiring followup questions to prove the required penetration. (People v.

15
Paz (2017) 10 Cal.App.5th 1023, 1038.) But officers did not ask any. The
officer’s trial testimony that in her experience and training, “finger” meant
“digitally penetrating someone with a finger in their vagina” did not clarify
Doe’s statements, contrary to the People’s assertions. Nothing indicates Doe
ascribed the same meaning of the term “finger.” (Compare with id.,
at p. 1040 [victim statement the defendant “ ‘started having anal sex’ ”
with her and that he moved “ ‘his body in and out’ ” of hers supported
penetration finding].)
Taken together, this evidence does not constitute “precise and specific
testimony to prove the required penetration beyond a reasonable doubt.”
(People v. Paz, supra, 10 Cal.App.5th at p. 1038; People v. Jones, supra,
51 Cal.3d at p. 316 [though a child sexual crime victim need not specify
precise dates, times and circumstances, she must describe “the kind of act or
acts committed with sufficient specificity, both to assure that unlawful
conduct indeed has occurred and to differentiate between the various types of
proscribed conduct”], italics omitted.) Indeed, Doe denied that Henriquez
ever put his fingers inside of her vagina, nor did the prosecutor ask any
questions regarding whether he made contact with “genitalia inside the
exterior of the labia majora.” (People v. Quintana, supra, 89 Cal.App.4th
at p. 1371
.)
On this record, we must reverse the sexual penetration conviction.
We strike his sentence for that count and remand for a full resentencing as to
all counts “ ‘so the trial court can exercise its sentencing discretion in light of
the changed circumstances.’ ” (People v. Buycks (2018) 5 Cal.5th 857, 893
[trial courts have jurisdiction to modify every aspect of sentence on “ ‘the
counts that were affirmed, including the term imposed as the principal
term’ ”].) In light of this conclusion, we do not address Henriquez’s argument

16
challenging his sentence for a consecutive term on this count. We also do not
address his arguments regarding corrections to the abstract of judgment,
which will be revised following resentencing.
DISPOSITION
Henriquez’s conviction for sexual penetration is reversed. The matter
is remanded for resentencing. In all other respects, the judgment is affirmed.

17


RODRÍGUEZ, J.

WE CONCUR:


TUCHER, P. J.


PETROU, J.

A172030; People v. Henriquez

18

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Classification

Agency
CA Court of Appeal
Filed
March 26th, 2026
Instrument
Enforcement
Legal weight
Binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Substantive
Document ID
A172030
Docket
A172030

Who this affects

Applies to
Criminal defendants
Activity scope
Criminal Prosecution
Geographic scope
California US-CA

Taxonomy

Primary area
Criminal Justice
Operational domain
Legal
Topics
Sexual Abuse Appellate Procedure

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