State v. Brown

• Decision Date: 06 May 2015
• Docket Number: No. KA 14–1218.,KA 14–1218.
• Citation: State v. Brown, 164 So.3d 395 (La. App. 2015)
• Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Christopher J. BROWN.
• Court: Court of Appeal of Louisiana — District of US

164 So.3d 395

STATE of Louisiana

v.Christopher J. BROWN.

No. KA 14–1218.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

May 6, 2015.

Keith A. Stutes, District Attorney, Lafayette, LA, J.N. Prather, Jr., Assistant District Attorney, Abbeville, LA, for Appellee, State of Louisiana.

Edward J. Marquet, Louisiana Appellant Project, Lafayette, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Christopher J. Brown.

SAVOIE, Judge.

MEMORANDUM

Defendant, Christopher J. Brown, was charged on December 22, 2011, with the attempted forcible rape of L.S.¹ in violation of La.R.S. 14:42.1 and 14:27.Defendant was arraigned and pled not guilty on January 19, 2012.

On September 26, 2012, Defendant's attorney filed a Motion for Appointment of Sanity Commission, which the trial court granted.Both members of the commission testified that Defendant understood the nature of the charges and was competent to stand trial, and the court so found.

Trial commenced on February 11, 2014, and Defendant was found guilty of attempted forcible rape on February 12, 2014.On July 31, 2014, Defendant was sentenced to serve twenty years at hard labor, with ten years suspended subject to five years supervised probation with special conditions, and with the first year of Defendant's sentence to be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

On August 11, 2014, on the trial court's own motion, Defendant was resentenced to fifteen years at hard labor, without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.Attempted forcible rape is a crime of violence, and is, therefore, not subject to a suspended sentence or probation.SeeLa.Code Crim.P. art. 893(A)andLa.R.S. 14:2(B)(10).The court resentenced Defendant to correct this error in the original sentence.Defendant then timely appealed his conviction and sentence.For the following reasons, Defendant's conviction and sentence are affirmed.

FACTS

The State began by calling as its first witness, the victim, L.S., who is a thirteen year-old girl.She testified that after school and algebra team practice, she went to the public library, dropped her things at a table, and went to use the restroom.She further testified that, as she went to wash her hands, a young man entered the restroom behind her.When she tried to tell him he was in the wrong restroom, he covered her mouth to prevent her from screaming, grabbed her, and pushed her to the floor.

She testified that, while she was on the ground, her attacker was bent over her attempting to cover her mouth.According to the victim, she then pushed his hand away and managed to kick him in the head, at which point she left the restroom as her attacker recovered.

L.S. stated that, after she exited the restroom, Mr. Edward Poche asked her what was wrong.She pointed to the restroom where her attacker had just exited and saw him attempting to leave through a side door.She stated that Mr. Poche stopped her attacker and that the librarians spoke with her and called the police.She then identified Defendant as the individual who attacked her at the library.On cross-examination, L.S. stated that Defendant did not rape her, have sex with her, or kiss her.

The State then called Mr. Edward Poche, who testified that he was at the library on the date of the attack in order to pick up a book to bring with him to work that night.He testified that while looking for a book, he heard a scream which he initially thought was simply children playing in the restroom.When the screams continued, he stopped his book search and approached the restrooms.

Mr. Poche testified that, as he was approaching the restrooms, he saw L.S. back out of the restroom and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.The Defendant then came out of the same restroom.Mr. Poche testified that L.S. approached him, started crying, and told him Defendant had attacked her.

Mr. Poche testified that Defendant was heading towards one of the exits and he yelled at him to stop.He testified that Defendant stopped, but did not want to come towards Mr. Poche or L.S.He testified that, as he, L.S., Defendant, and a librarian were headed towards the front of the library, Defendant kept saying that he was sorry.He then identified Defendant.On cross-examination, Mr. Poche stated that L.S. was not in any state of undress when she exited the restroom; she was neither bloody nor bruised, and that Defendant waited for the police to arrive.

The State also called Ms. Lela Thibodeaux, a library employee who was working on the day of the attack.She testified that she was in the back of the library and heard a yell, but did not know what had happened until she heard her supervisor speaking to the police on the phone.She testified on cross-examination that she saw Defendant at the computers when she went to the closet in the back, prior to the incident.She also testified that L.S. was not bloody or bruised, but was crying, and that Defendant remained at the library until police arrived.

The State called to the stand Ms. Linda Leonard, another library employee who was working on the day of the incident.She testified that she was working at her desk in the front of the library, heard a commotion in the back of the library, and saw L.S., Mr. Poche, and Defendant coming from the restroom area.After speaking to Mr. Poche, she called the Kaplan Police Department.She testified that her desk was near the main exit and that the exit by the restroom is an emergency exit.On cross-examination, she testified that Defendant remained at the library until the police arrived.

The State then called Officer Jacob Primeaux, formerly of the Kaplan Police Department.He testified that he was the responding officer when the library called the police.He testified that after speaking to the librarians, he called the detectives, and Lieutenant Seth Comeaux and Detective Josh Hardy arrived.He further testified that he arrested the suspect and transported him to the police department.He also stated that during a search incident to arrest, he found an unopened condom in the suspect's pocket and identified Defendant as the suspect.

Officer Primeaux testified that as he was booking Defendant into the jail, he noticed that Defendant's pants were unzipped and that his belt was undone.He stated that he had not seen Defendant adjust his pants prior to that point.On cross-examination, Officer Primeaux confirmed that the condom found in Defendant's pocket was unopened, and that he noticed the Defendant's pants being unzipped about two or three minutes after leaving the library.

The State next called Officer Seth Comeaux, who was formerly a lieutenant that oversaw investigations with the Kaplan Police Department.Officer Comeaux identified Defendant and testified that, when he arrived on the scene with Detective Hardy, they read Defendant his Miranda rights and began to question him.He further testified that Defendant indicated he understood his rights, did not ask for an attorney, and agreed to answer questions without an attorney present.

Over objection, Officer Comeaux then testified that, after Defendant was read his rights and agreed to answer questions without an attorney present, he told Officer Comeaux that he went into the restroom to kiss a girl.He further stated that Defendant told him he had attempted to kiss the girl in the restroom, but that she had screamed and ran.

Officer Comeaux testified that he then arrested Defendant for attempted forcible rape, took him to the Kaplan Police Department and interviewed him for a second time about forty minutes after Defendant was originally read his rights.Officer Comeaux stated that he and Defendant spoke further in Officer Comeaux's office.

Officer Comeaux testified that, during the unrecorded interview in his office, Defendant told him he had gone into the restroom because he was trying to have sex with the girl.He further stated that Defendant told him “he wanted to be in control of the situation,” and that L.S. “looked something like an angel.”

On cross-examination, Officer Comeaux confirmed that the second interview took place with no one but himself and Defendant in the room.At that point, the State rested its case.Defendant informed the court of his decision not to testify or call any witnesses.

ERRORS PATENT

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed for errors patent on the face of the record.After reviewing the record, we note one potential error patent, however, for the reasons discussed in assignment of error number one, this error has no merit.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERRORNO. 2

In his second assignment of error, Defendant contends the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction.Because this assignment of error relates to the sufficiency of the evidence presented, we will address it first.State v. Hearold,603 So.2d 731(La.1992).

The analysis for such claims is well settled:

When the issue of sufficiency of evidence is raised on appeal, the critical inquiry of the reviewing court is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.Jackson v. Virginia,443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, rehearing denied,444 U.S. 890, 100 S.Ct. 195, 62 L.Ed.2d 126(1979), State ex rel. Graffagnino v. King,436 So.2d 559(La.1983);State v. Duncan,420 So.2d 1105(La.1982);State v. Moody,393 So.2d 1212(La.1981).It is the role of the fact finder to weigh the respective credibility of the witnesses, and therefore, the appellate court should not second guess the credibility determinations of the triers of fact beyond the sufficiency evaluations under the Jackson standard of review.SeeState ex rel. Graffagnino,436 So.2d 559(citingState v. Richardson,425 So.2d 1228(La.1983) ).In order for this Court to affirm a conviction, however, the record must reflect that the state has satisfied its burden of proving

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