State of Louisiana v. Breanna S. White

• Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
• Decided: April 22, 2020
• Docket: 53,444-KA
• Status: Published

Opinion

Judgment rendered April 22, 2020. Application for rehearing may be filed within the delay allowed by Art. 922, La. C. Cr. P.

No. 53,444-KA

COURT OF APPEAL SECOND CIRCUIT STATE OF LOUISIANA

*****

STATE OF LOUISIANA Appellee

Versus

BREANNA S. WHITE Appellant

Appealed from the Fourth Judicial District Court for the Parish of Morehouse, Louisiana Trial Court No. 2019466F

Honorable Larry Donell Jefferson, Judge

LOUISIANA APPELLATE PROJECT Counsel for Appellant By: Carey J. Ellis, III

ROBERT STEPHEN TEW Counsel for Appellee District Attorney

JOHN GATES SPIRES Assistant District Attorney

Before WILLIAMS, GARRETT, and STEPHENS, JJ. STEPHENS, J.

This criminal appeal by defendant, Breanna S. White, arises from the

Fourth Judicial District Court, Morehouse Parish, State of Louisiana. White

pled guilty to manslaughter, a violation of La. R.S. 14:31, and was sentenced

to 20 years at hard labor. She now appeals, arguing her sentence is

excessive. For the following reasons, we affirm White’s conviction and

sentence.

FACTS

Breanna White and the victim, Tavario Minnieweather, lived together

as girlfriend and boyfriend. On May 17, 2018, they got into an argument at

their house. As the argument progressed, White grabbed a steak knife and

stabbed Tavario in the shoulder. Tavario ran out of the house, and White

followed him. In the driveway, White stabbed Tavario in his leg behind his

knee, striking an artery and causing Tavario to bleed to death. White then

went back inside the house, where she washed off the knife and put it in the

dish drainer.

According to White, Tavario had attacked her and she got the knife

because he was hitting her with a blue, wood board. White claimed she

followed Tavario out of the house because she wanted to make sure he left

the premises. White claimed Tavario slammed her to the ground, was

choking her, hitting her in the head, and kicking her in the side. She stabbed

him in the leg while she was on the ground with him on top of her. Despite

her claims, the responding officers could not locate the alleged blue board,

and there were no injuries to White’s person consistent with her portrayal.

White was originally charged by bill of information with

manslaughter, possession of ecstasy, and possession of marijuana. However, a grand jury later indicted her for second degree murder. The drug charges

were dismissed.

On January 24, 2019, White appeared and pled guilty to the reduced

charge of manslaughter. Prior to accepting the guilty plea, White was

informed of and waived her rights in accordance with Boykin v. Alabama,

395 U.S. 238, 89 S. Ct. 1709, 23 L. Ed. 2d 274 (1969). There was no

agreement on sentencing, and the trial court ordered a presentence

investigation (“PSI”) report.

On May 9, 2019, after reviewing the PSI report, the trial court

sentenced White to 20 years at hard labor. White filed a motion to

reconsider sentence, arguing the trial court overstated her criminal history

and failed to adequately consider her history of mental health conditions and

the fact she stabbed the victim in defense of great bodily injury. The trial

court denied the motion following a hearing on August 19, 2019. This

appeal followed.

DISCUSSION

In her sole assignment of error, White maintains her sentence of 20

years constitutes a sentence that is cruel and excessive and the case should

be remanded for resentencing. Specifically, White argues the trial court

failed to properly consider the mitigating circumstances of her history of

mental disorders, for which she was unable to receive appropriate treatment,

and the argument and attack which occurred prior to the stabbing. White

points out there is nothing in the record to dispute her version of the events.

Further, White asserts the trial court placed too much emphasis on her

criminal history, noting she only has one prior misdemeanor conviction and

is a first-felony offender. We disagree. 2 Legal Principles

An appellate court utilizes a two-pronged test in reviewing a sentence

for excessiveness. First, the record must show that the trial court took

cognizance of the criteria set forth in La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1. The trial judge

is not required to list every aggravating or mitigating circumstance so long

as the record reflects that he adequately considered the guidelines of the

article. State v. Smith, 433 So. 2d 688 (La. 1983); State v. DeBerry, 50,501

(La. App. 2 Cir. 4/13/16), 194 So. 3d 657, writ denied, 2016-0959 (La.

5/1/17), 219 So. 3d 332. The articulation of the factual basis for a sentence

is the goal of La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1, not rigid or mechanical compliance

with its provisions. Where the record clearly shows an adequate factual

basis for the sentence imposed, remand is unnecessary even where there has

not been full compliance with La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1. State v. Lanclos, 419

So. 2d 475 (La. 1982); State v. DeBerry, supra. The important elements

which should be considered are the defendant’s personal history (age, family

ties, marital status, health, employment record), prior criminal record,

seriousness of the offense, and the likelihood of rehabilitation. State v.

Jones, 398 So. 2d 1049 (La. 1981); State v. DeBerry, supra. The trial court

is not required to assign any particular weight to any specific matters at

sentencing. State v. Parfait, 52,857 (La. App. 2 Cir. 8/14/19), 278 So. 3d

455, writ denied, 2019-01659 (La. 12/10/19), 285 So. 3d 489.

Second, the court must determine whether the sentence is

constitutionally excessive. A sentence violates La. Const. art. I, § 20, if it is

grossly out of proportion to the seriousness of the offense or nothing more

than a purposeless and needless infliction of pain and suffering. State v.

Dorthey, 623 So. 2d 1276 (La. 1993); State v. Bonanno, 384 So. 2d 355 (La. 3 1980). A sentence is considered grossly disproportionate if, when the crime

and punishment are viewed in light of the harm done to society, it shocks the

sense of justice. State v. Weaver, 2001-0467 (La. 1/15/02), 805 So. 2d 166;

State v. Meadows, 51,843 (La. App. 2 Cir. 1/10/18), 246 So. 3d 639, writ

denied, 2018-0259 (La. 10/29/18), 254 So. 3d 1208.

The trial court has wide discretion in the imposition of sentences

within the statutory limits and such sentences should not be set aside as

excessive in the absence of a manifest abuse of that discretion. State v.

Williams, 2003-3514 (La. 12/13/04), 893 So. 2d 7; State v. Allen, 49,642

(La. App. 2 Cir. 2/26/15), 162 So. 3d 519, writ denied, 2015-0608 (La.

1/25/16), 184 So. 3d 1289. A trial judge is in the best position to consider

the aggravating and mitigating circumstances of a particular case, and,

therefore, is given broad discretion in sentencing. State v. Allen, supra. On

review, an appellate court does not determine whether another sentence may

have been more appropriate, but whether the trial court abused its discretion.

State v. Adams, 53,055 (La. App. 2 Cir. 11/20/19), 285 So. 3d 526.

The offense of manslaughter is punishable by imprisonment at hard

labor for not more than 40 years. La. R.S. 14:31.

Analysis

Here, we do not find that the trial court abused its discretion in

sentencing White to 20 years at hard labor. At the sentencing hearing, the

trial court considered the PSI report, as well as supplemental documentation

submitted by White containing her medical records. Also at the hearing,

White made a brief statement, apologizing for her actions. Wanda

Minnieweather, the mother of the victim, also submitted a statement,

indicating the following: Wanda knew White was “bad news” from their 4 initial meeting; she knew White had previously “cut” other people; White

had previously “cut” Tavario, who was planning on leaving White; and,

Wanda’s whole life has changed since Tavario’s death.

In examining White’s personal history, the trial court noted she was

27 years old, has three children currently living with her mother, and has

worked at several different places in Louisiana and Texas. The trial court

noted White was currently married to Donquarius Goodin, although they had

been separated for a while, and she had recently filed for divorce. The trial

court also reviewed White’s criminal history, noting she has some history of

violence against domestic partners. White was convicted of simple battery

in 2016 and received six months of unsupervised probation. She was also

convicted of disturbing the peace in 2013 and was arrested for aggravated

assault in 2011, but that charge was dismissed. The PSI contained specific

facts regarding each of the previous convictions.

Further, the trial court reviewed the facts of this case and questioned

White regarding her actions in chasing Tavario down the driveway after he

left the house. The trial court observed that White was not in any danger

when Tavario was leaving and could have stayed in the house, locked the

door, and called the police. The trial court ultimately concluded an

aggravating factor was the fact that White followed Tavario down the

driveway as he was leaving. As another aggravating factor, the trial court

noted White’s actions in washing the blood off the knife in the sink after the

stabbing. As a mitigating factor, the trial court considered White’s medical

condition. Although no specific information was set forth by the trial court

at the sentencing hearing, the documents containing White’s medical records

were submitted by White and placed under seal by the trial court. They 5 provide detailed information regarding her medical condition. Although the

trial court did not specifically articulate the factors under La. C. Cr. P. art.

894.1, which it considered in imposing White’s sentence, the reasons stated

by the trial court, the record, and the PSI report provide an adequate factual

basis for the sentence imposed. Further, White’s midrange sentence is not

constitutionally excessive. White, who has a history of violence against her

significant others, followed her boyfriend as he was leaving their house after

an argument and stabbed him in the shoulder and the leg, resulting in his

death.

Considering the facts of this case, the sentence imposed by the trial

court does not shock the sense of justice, nor is it grossly disproportionate to

the severity of the offense—Tavario Minnieweather lost his life. See, State

v. Woods, 48,002 (La. App. 2 Cir. 5/15/13), 115 So. 3d 708

(defendant/mother pled guilty to manslaughter, where autopsy revealed her

two-year-old child died of “asphyxia with multiple blunt force injuries”;

defendant’s 20-year sentence not excessive); State v. Taylor, 35,921 (La.

App. 2 Cir. 4/3/02), 813 So. 2d 1151, writ denied, 2002-1569 (La. 5/30/03),

845 So. 2d 1067 (defendant upset when victim allegedly sexually groped

him; defendant produced a .38 caliber revolver which he was carrying, shot

victim twice, and killed him; defendant’s 22-year sentence not excessive);

State v. Scott, 28,131 (La. App. 2 Cir. 2/28/96), 669 So. 2d 664 (“an

atypical manslaughter involving obvious cruelty” where defendant hit victim

in head with pistol, and victim was subsequently shot by coperpetrator;

defendant’s 21-year sentence not excessive); State v. Batiste, 2006-0875

(La. App. 4 Cir. 12/20/06), 947 So. 2d 810 (defendant stated he shot and

killed the victim over a $20 dominos bet and claimed State failed to refute 6 his self-defense claim; defendant’s 20-year sentence not excessive). We

conclude that White’s assignment of error is without merit.

CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, we affirm Breanna S. White’s conviction

and sentence.

AFFIRMED.