What Sentences Are Imposed for Residential Burglary in Los Angeles?
Six completed Los Angeles residential-burglary outcomes reviewed for this guide resulted in state-prison terms from 5 to 18 years, but that span is not presented as a clean burglary-only range. Four defendants were sentenced together after pleas that also included grand theft and several defendants admitted prior convictions. Only one example below states a burglary-only conviction without another count or allegation.
Quick Answer
- Completed defendants reviewed: 6
- Independent prosecutions represented: 3
- Outcome type: state prison
- City locations: Pacific Palisades, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, and Northridge
- Key limitation: most totals include another count, allegation, or prior-conviction effect
Visit the Los Angeles sentence hub, compare assault-with-a-deadly-weapon outcomes and Los Angeles transit-robbery outcomes, and read our methodology.
What Is Residential Burglary in California?
Penal Code §459 defines burglary as entering a listed structure or other covered place with intent to commit grand or petit larceny or any felony. Under §460, burglary of an inhabited dwelling or inhabited portion of a building is first-degree burglary. “Inhabited” refers to current use for dwelling purposes and does not necessarily mean a person was physically present at that moment.
Statutory Sentence
Penal Code §461 states that first-degree burglary is punishable by two, four, or six years in state prison. Prior serious or violent felony convictions, additional counts, enhancements, and other sentencing provisions can produce a longer final term. The statutory triad is separate from the observed case totals below.
Observed Completed Outcomes
| Defendant | Los Angeles location | Disposition | Final outcome | Allocation note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chivetta Overstreet | Pacific Palisades | Open plea to first-degree residential burglary and grand theft; admitted firearm-related priors | 5 years in state prison | Combined case outcome; no burglary-only allocation stated |
| Daniel Martinez | Northridge | Convicted of first-degree burglary with a person present | 6 years in state prison | Burglary conviction stated separately |
| Ryeheem Evans Johnson | Van Nuys and North Hollywood homes | No-contest plea to the burglaries; admitted a gang allegation | 7 years in state prison | Includes allegation and two homes |
| Everald Fisher Jr. | Pacific Palisades | Open plea to residential burglary and grand theft; admitted a prior robbery conviction | 9 years in state prison | Combined outcome; also pleaded in a separate burglary case |
| Elanee Jarrett | Pacific Palisades | Open plea to residential burglary and grand theft; admitted a prior burglary conviction | 10 years in state prison | Combined case outcome |
| Donte Caldwell | Pacific Palisades | Open plea to residential burglary and grand theft; admitted a prior burglary conviction | 18 years in state prison | Combined case outcome |
Case Details
Pacific Palisades prosecution: Caldwell, Jarrett, Fisher, and Overstreet entered open pleas to one count each of first-degree residential burglary and grand theft after a Pacific Palisades home break-in. Their terms were 18, 10, 9, and 5 years. The release identifies prior convictions for all four and a second burglary case for Fisher. These are four defendants but one prosecution, and the totals are not isolated burglary-count sentences. Official source.
Daniel Martinez: The District Attorney reported that Martinez was convicted of first-degree burglary with a person present in a Northridge home case and received six years in state prison. The co-defendant’s much longer sex-offense and kidnapping sentence is not attributed to Martinez or to burglary. Official source.
Ryeheem Evans Johnson: Johnson pleaded no contest after burglarizing homes in Van Nuys and North Hollywood and admitted a gang allegation. He was sentenced immediately to seven years. The official release does not allocate a portion of that term solely to one burglary. Official source.
Why Outcomes Differ
Prior strike or serious-felony convictions, number of homes, whether a person was present, additional theft counts, gang allegations, plea structure, and consecutive terms can change the total. The higher totals in this sample should not be mistaken for the ordinary two-four-six statutory triad standing alone.
Methodology
We retained completed cases with an official source tying the residential burglary to a neighborhood inside the City of Los Angeles. County cases in Palmdale, Cerritos, Burbank, or other separate cities were excluded. We label same-prosecution defendants and unallocated combined terms instead of treating them as independent burglary-only observations.
Sources
Disclaimer
General information only, not legal advice. California burglary sentencing depends on the conviction, record, allegations, plea, and facts.