State of Louisiana v. Cedric Daniels

Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided May 12, 2004·No. KA-0003-1621·Unknown

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA

COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

KA 03-1621

STATE OF LOUISIANA VERSUS CEDRIC DANIELS

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APPEAL FROM THE

THIRTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF VERNON, NO. 60487AM HONORABLE JOHN C. FORD, DISTRICT JUDGE

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BILLY HOWARD EZELL

JUDGE

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Court composed of Oswald A. Decuir, Jimmie C. Peters, and Billy Howard Ezell, Judges.

AFFIRMED IN PART AND REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.

Hon. William E. Tilley District Attorney -Thirtieth Judicial District Court P.O. Box 1188 Leesville, LA 71496-1188 (337) 239-2008 Counsel for: Plaintiff/Appellee State of Louisiana

Dmitrc Ian Burnes Burnes & Burnes 711 Washington Street Alexandria, LA 71309-0650 (318) 448-0482 Counsel for: Defendant/Appellant Cedric Daniels

Cedric Daniels Pro Se 2294 Slagle Road Leesville, LA 71446

EZELL, JUDGE.

The Defendant, Cedric Daniels, was charged by bill of information on April 23, 2001, with armed robbery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:64. On April 23, 2001, the Defendant was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty. An amended bill of information charging the Defendant with armed robbery wherein a firearm was used, a violation of La.R.S. 14:64 and La.R.S. 14:64.3, was filed on February 18, 2003. On March 6, 2003, the Defendant was arraigned and entered a plea of not guilty to the amended charge.

On April 14, 2003, a jury was selected to hear this matter. The jury returned a verdict of guilty as charged on April 15, 2003. On September 30, 2003, the Defendant was sentenced to serve ten years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, with credit for time served for armed robbery. For use of a firearm during the robbery, the Defendant was sentenced to serve an additional five years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence to run consecutively to his sentence for armed robbery.

The Defendant filed a motion for appeal on October 7, 2003. The motion was granted on October 9, 2003, and the matter made returnable to this court on December 9, 2003.

FACTS

On February 8, 2001, Jason Hendricks had a part-time job as a pizza delivery person for Domino’s Pizza. Mr. Hendricks delivered a pizza to 1206 Dogwood Circle at approximately 8:00 p.m. Once the customer paid for the order, Mr. Hendricks returned to his car and placed the pizza warming bag in the back passenger side of his car. Mr. Hendricks then heard someone say “hey, man.” Mr. Hendricks turned and saw a black man, fifteen to twenty feet away, walking toward him. The man asked Mr. Hendricks if he worked for Domino’s and if he had twenty dollars. Mr.

Hendricks indicated that he did not have any money and walked to the back of his car. At that time, the man reached into his pocket, pulled out a gun, and “pulled back on the slide.” The man then ordered Mr. Hendricks to give him everything Mr. Hendricks had in his pockets, including his wallet. Mr. Hendricks took twenty-three dollars and placed it on the ground. The man then picked up the money and jogged away.

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 find there is one error patent as to the sentence imposed pursuant to La.R.S. 14:64.3. Pursuant to La.R.S. 14:64.3, the trial court sentenced the Defendant to five years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, to be served consecutive to the sentence imposed for armed robbery. When the Defendant committed the present offense, La.R.S. 14:64.3 provided:

When the dangerous weapon used in the commission of the crime of armed robbery is a firearm, the offender shall be imprisoned for an additional period of five years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The additional penalty imposed pursuant to this Section shall be served consecutively to the sentence imposed under the provisions of R.S. 14:64.

This provision does not provide for the sentence imposed to be served at hard labor. Thus, the trial court erred in ordering the additional five-year sentence to be served at hard labor. In State v. Williams, 01-1398 (La.App. 1 Cir. 3/28/02), 815 So.2d 378, writ denied, 02-1466 (La. 5/9/03), 843 So.2d 388, the first circuit found that even though La.R.S. 14:64.3’s failure to provide for imprisonment at hard labor may have been a legislative oversight, any ambiguity must be resolved in favor of the defendant. Accordingly, the court found that a term of imprisonment imposed pursuant to La.R.S. 14:64.3 could not be imposed at hard labor. See also State v. Hyland, 36 La.Ann. 709

(1884), wherein the court stated “that the word ‘imprisonment’ alone and unqualified, when used in criminal statutes, does not import imprisonment at hard labour. . . .” Id. at 710.

Accordingly, we find the five-year sentence imposed pursuant to La.R.S.

14:64.3 should be amended by deleting the provision requiring the sentence to be served at hard labor. Therefore, we will remand the case and order the trial court to correct the minutes accordingly.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE In his first assignment of error, the Defendant contends “the trial court erred in sentencing [him] under LA R.S. 14:64.3 . . . when the jury only returned one verdict but was not given an opportunity to return a separate verdict with respect to LA R.S. 14:64.3.” In brief to this court, the Defendant contends the following:

[T]he trial court instructed the jury concerning armed robbery . . . but did not instruct the jury separately on the elements of the offense under Revised Statute 14:64.3, use of a firearm during an armed robbery.

Because the jury was not given separate instructions on what constitute the elements of the use of a firearm and because the jury was not given the opportunity to vote separately on that, only one verdict . . . was returned.

More specifically, in enumerating the elements required to return a verdict of armed robbery, the trial court did not instruct the jury that it must find a firearm was used. The trial court, in listing the elements, only explained to the jury that they must find that “the defendant was armed with a dangerous weapon.” When the jury returned it’s verdict of “Guilty as Charged”, that verdict . . . was to the charge of violation of Louisiana Revised Statute 14:64, armed robbery. There was no separate instructions, findings, or verdict concerning Louisiana Revised Statute 14:64.3 returned by the jury.

The Defendant also contends that an improper set of verdicts and responsive verdicts was presented to the jury.

The State argues that the Defendant did not object to the jury instructions or ask the court to give any additional jury instructions. Additionally, the State contends that La.R.S. 14:64.3 does not establish a new crime and is only a sentencing provision.

The transcript of the trial indicates the jury instructions at issue were not recorded by the court reporter at the trial of this matter. However, a copy of jury instructions signed by the trial judge was filed into the record on April 15, 2003, the date the Defendant was found guilty. We will address the Defendant’s arguments based on the jury instructions filed in the record. ELEMENT OF THE OFFENSE/SEPARATE VERDICT The Defendant contends that use of a firearm is an element of the offense of armed robbery and a separate verdict regarding firearm use should have been presented to the jury. As noted by the Defendant, the authors of the Louisiana Civil Law Treatise, Criminal Jury Instructions, are of the opinion that La.R.S. 14:64.3 is an added element of the offense of armed robbery since it expands the penalty range. CHENEY C. JOSEPH, JR. & P. RAYMOND LAMONICA, 17 Louisiana Civil Law Treatise (2002 Pocket Part) Criminal Jury Instructions § 10.66.1, at 153.

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