State of Louisiana v. Diondre D. Romero

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 3, 2012
DocketKA-0012-0031
StatusUnknown

This text of State of Louisiana v. Diondre D. Romero (State of Louisiana v. Diondre D. Romero) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Louisiana v. Diondre D. Romero, (La. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

NOT DESIGNATED FOR PUBLICATION

STATE OF LOUISIANA COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT

KA 12-31

STATE OF LOUISIANA

VERSUS

DIONDRE D. ROMERO

**********

APPEAL FROM THE FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF VERMILION, NO. 51565 HONORABLE DURWOOD WAYNE CONQUE, DISTRICT JUDGE

BILLY HOWARD EZELL JUDGE

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

AFFIRMED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.

Michael Harson District Attorney, Fifteenth Judicial District Court P.O. Box 3306 Lafayette, LA 70502-3306 (337) 232-5170 COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE: State of Louisiana Beth Smith Fontenot Louisiana Appellate Project P. O. Box 3183 Lake Charles, LA 70602 (337) 491-3864 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT: Diondre D. Romero

Laurie A. Hulin Assistant District Attorney Fifteenth Judicial District Court-Vermilion Parish P. O. Box 175 Abbeville, LA 70511 (337) 898-4320 COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE: State of Louisiana

Diondre D. Romero Louisiana State Penitentiary General Delivery Angola, LA 70712 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT: Diondre D. Romero EZELL, Judge.

The Defendant, Diondre D. Romero, was indicted by a grand jury with six

counts of aggravated rape occurring in April and May of 2009. The Defendant was

convicted as charged after a bench trial held July 19, 2011. At the October 27, 2011

sentencing, the Defendant was sentenced on each count to life imprisonment at hard

labor without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The

Defendant is before this court appealing his conviction.

FACTS

The facts of this case are set forth in Assignment of Error Number One below.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE and Pro Se Assignment of Error

The Defendant contends the evidence presented by the State was insufficient to

convict him of six counts of aggravated rape because the victim’s testimony contained

internal inconsistencies and conflicted with other testimony presented at trial.

Additionally, the Defendant claims the physical evidence was inconclusive as to the

occurrence of rape.

Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:42(A) provides in pertinent part:

Aggravated rape is a rape committed upon a person sixty-five years of age or older or where the anal, oral, or vaginal sexual intercourse is deemed to be without lawful consent of the victim because it is committed under any one or more of the following circumstances:

....

(4) When the victim is under the age of thirteen years. Lack of knowledge of the victim’s age shall not be a defense.

In State v. J.F., 05-1410, pp. 8-11 (La.App. 3 Cir. 4/5/06), 927 So.2d 614, 619-

21, writ denied, 06-1424 (La. 12/8/06), 943 So.2d 1060 (alteration in original), this

court stated:

In State v. Touchet, 04-1027, pp. 1-2 (La.App. 3 Cir. 3/9/05), 897 So.2d 900, 902, this court stated: With regard to sufficiency of the evidence, this court set forth as follows in State v. Lambert, 97-64, pp. 4-5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 9/30/98), 720 So.2d 724, 726-27:

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 (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 witness. Therefore, the appellate court should not second-guess the credibility determination of the trier of fact beyond the sufficiency evaluations under the Jackson standard of review. See King, 436 So.2d 559, citing State v. Richardson, 425 So.2d 1228 (La.1983).

In order for the State to obtain a conviction, it must prove the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In order for this court to affirm a conviction, the record must reflect that the State has satisfied this burden of proving the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Kennerson, 96-1518 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/7/97), 695 So.2d 1367.

In State v. Schexnaider, 03-144, p. 9 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/4/03), 852 So.2d 450, 457 (quoting State v. Williams, 00-981, p. 7 (La.App. 5 Cir. 4/11/01), 786 So.2d 805, 810, writ denied, 01-1377 (La.3/28/02), 812 So.2d 646), a panel of this court explained:

The testimony of the victim alone can be sufficient to establish the elements of a sexual offense, even where the State does not introduce medical, scientific or physical evidence to prove the commission of the offense. State v. Hotoph, 99-243 (La.App. 5th Cir.11/10/99), 750 So.2d 1036, 1045, writ denied, 99-3477 (La.6/30/00), 765 So.2d 1062 and 00-0150 (La.6/30/00), 765 So.2d 1066; State v. Hawkins, 99-217 (La.App. 5th Cir.7/2/99), 740 So.2d 768, 769; State v. Hubbard, 97-916 (La.App. 5th Cir.1/27/98), 708 So.2d 1099, 1104, writ denied, 98-0643 (La.8/28/98), 723 So.2d 415.

2 The credibility of a witness, including the victim, is within the discretion of the trier of fact, who may accept or reject, in whole or in part, the testimony of any witness. Id. “[T]he Jackson standard does not serve as a vehicle for a reviewing court to second guess the rational credibility determinations of the fact finder at trial.” State v. Juluke, 98-341 (La.1/8/99), 725 So.2d 1291, 1293.

At trial, the victim, L.T., testified that her birthdate is October 31, 1999, making

her eleven years old at the time of trial.1 For the two-and-one-half years preceding

trial, L.T. lived with her grandmother. Prior to that time, she resided with her mother,

the Defendant, whom she calls “Drey,” her sister, and two brothers on Graceland

Avenue. According to L.T. she lived with “Drey” for a year and a half until the State

removed her from her mother’s custody and placed her with her grandmother.

L.T. testified that during the time she lived with her mother and the Defendant,

she was sexually abused or raped. L.T. confirmed that she had talked to (OCS),

doctors, her grandmother, her mother, her nanny, and Ms. Nicki from Hearts of Hope

about the incidents. L.T. described the first incident as follows:

A. He told me to go in the room because we was going play a game, and I went, and he turned the lights off, and he locked the door, and he pushed me on the bed, and he pulled his pants down, and he pulled mine’s down, and he held me down, and he - - I don’t know how to put this - - he stuck his prostate into my vagina.

L.T. testified that after the Defendant did this, she went into the bathroom and

washed herself off as he instructed her to do. She noticed “white stuff” and blood

coming out of her vagina. According to L.T., this occurred six times. When

questioned how she knew it was six times, she replied, “[b]ecause I can remember.”

According to L.T., this incident occurred in her mother’s and the Defendant’s

bedroom while her sister and two brothers were in living room. When asked where

her mother was, L.T. replied that she was an exotic dancer at a strip club. She worked

nights and returned home at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. While her mother was at

1 As required by La.R.S. 46:1844(W), the initials of the parties involved are used to protect the victim’s identity.

3 work, L.T. stayed with the Defendant. However, her nanny, Candida, would

occasionally stay with her.

The second incident was described by L.T. as follows:

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
State v. Kennerson
695 So. 2d 1367 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1997)
State v. Hubbard
708 So. 2d 1099 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)
State v. Richardson
425 So. 2d 1228 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1983)
State v. Tompkins
429 So. 2d 1385 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1983)
State v. Tompkins
403 So. 2d 644 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1981)
State v. Roe
903 So. 2d 1265 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2005)
State v. Holley
799 So. 2d 578 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
State v. Williams
786 So. 2d 805 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2001)
State v. Juluke
725 So. 2d 1291 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1999)
State Ex Rel. Graffagnino v. King
436 So. 2d 559 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1983)
State v. Schexnaider
852 So. 2d 450 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2003)
State v. Duncan
420 So. 2d 1105 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1982)
State v. Lambert
720 So. 2d 724 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)
State v. Moody
393 So. 2d 1212 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1981)
State v. Touchet
897 So. 2d 900 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2005)
State v. Hotoph
750 So. 2d 1036 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Hawkins
740 So. 2d 768 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. J.F.
927 So. 2d 614 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2006)

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State of Louisiana v. Diondre D. Romero, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-louisiana-v-diondre-d-romero-lactapp-2012.