State of Louisiana Versus Terrence Blunt

CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 18, 2020
Docket20-KA-171
StatusUnknown

This text of State of Louisiana Versus Terrence Blunt (State of Louisiana Versus Terrence Blunt) 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 Versus Terrence Blunt, (La. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. 20-KA-171

VERSUS FIFTH CIRCUIT

TERRENCE BLUNT COURT OF APPEAL

STATE OF LOUISIANA

ON APPEAL FROM THE TWENTY-FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA NO. 15-5586, DIVISION "G" HONORABLE E. ADRIAN ADAMS, JUDGE PRESIDING

November 18, 2020

JUDE G. GRAVOIS JUDGE

Panel composed of Judges Jude G. Gravois, Robert A. Chaisson, and Hans J. Liljeberg

AFFIRMED; REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS; MOTION TO WITHDRAW GRANTED JGG RAC HJL COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLEE, STATE OF LOUISIANA Honorable Paul D. Connick, Jr. Thomas J. Butler Darren A. Allemand Matthew R. Clauss

COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANT/APPELLANT, TERRENCE BLUNT Holli A. Herrle-Castillo GRAVOIS, J.

Defendant, Terrence Blunt, appeals his convictions, by way of guilty plea, of

two counts of sexual battery upon a known juvenile under the age of thirteen.

Defendant’s appointed counsel has filed an appellate brief pursuant to Anders v.

California,1 stating that a thorough review of the appellate record failed to reveal

any non-frivolous issues for appeal. Appointed counsel has further filed a motion

to withdraw as counsel of record for defendant. The State filed an appellate brief

concurring in appointed counsel’s evaluation of the record. For the following

reasons, we affirm defendant’s convictions and sentences, grant appointed

counsel’s motion to withdraw as counsel of record for defendant, and remand the

matter to the trial court with instructions for the trial judge to correct the

sentencing minute entry and the Louisiana Uniform Commitment Order to

conform to the transcript.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On September 18, 2015, defendant, Terrence Blunt, was charged by bill of

information with two counts of sexual battery upon a known juvenile in which the

juveniles were under the age of thirteen (count one DOB: 7/16/2008, and count

two DOB: 4/2/2013) in violation of La. R.S. 14:43.1. Defendant pled not guilty at

his arraignment on September 21, 2015. Defendant filed omnibus motions on

October 14, 2015.

On February 4, 2016, defense counsel filed a “Motion to Appoint Sanity

Commission to Determine Competency to Stand Trial and NGRI2,” for the purpose

of determining whether defendant was competent to stand trial. On May 15, 2016,

the trial court found defendant incompetent to proceed. On May 18, 2016, the trial

court ordered that defendant be committed. On January 11, 2017, the State and

1 Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967). 2 “NGRI” stands for “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity.”

20-KA-171 1 defendant jointly stipulated that defendant was competent. On April 14, 2017,

defense counsel filed a “Motion to Appoint Sanity Commission to Examine

Defendant Regarding NGRI,” for the purpose of determining whether defendant

was incompetent at the time of the commission of the offenses. The trial court

granted the motion on April 17, 2017, and ordered that the physicians provide a

report on May 17, 2017.

On May 31, 2017, defendant changed his plea to not guilty and not guilty by

reason of insanity. Later, on October 5, 2017, defendant pled guilty as charged to

both counts pursuant to a plea agreement. Defendant was thereupon sentenced to

twenty-five years imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of probation,

parole, or suspension of sentence on each count.3 After sentencing defendant in

district court case number 17-3302, the trial judge stated, “[a]ll sentences are to run

concurrent with each other.”4 Defendant was also ordered to register as a sex

offender for the duration of his life.5

On March 28, 2019,6 defendant filed a pro se Application for Post

Conviction Relief (“APCR”) seeking an out-of-time appeal as to this case and

district court case number 17-3302.7 Ultimately, after the State responded to the

application, the trial court denied defendant’s APCR on August 16, 2019.

Defendant thereupon filed a writ application in this Court, seeking review of the

denial of his APCR. On October 28, 2019, this Court granted defendant’s writ

application, vacated the trial court’s August 16, 2019 Order denying his request for

3 See Errors Patent discussion, infra. 4 Defendant pled guilty and was sentenced that same day in district court case number 17-3302 to obscenity in violation of La. R.S. 14:106. He was sentenced to six months in the parish prison, to run concurrently with his sentences in this case. The conviction and sentence in district court case number 17-3302 are not part of this appeal. 5 The trial court also recommended that defendant be allowed to participate in any self-help programs while incarcerated. Defendant was also ordered to pay a $45 public defender fee. 6 It is noted that the application is dated January 29, 2019, but was filed on March 28, 2019. 7 On April 24, 2019, the trial court denied the application as to case number 17-3302, finding that defendant was procedurally barred from appealing as he was no longer in custody for that offense.

20-KA-171 2 an out-of-time appeal, and ordered the trial court to hold a hearing to determine

whether defendant was entitled to an out-of-time appeal. The Louisiana Supreme

Court denied a writ application on January 14, 2020.8 On January 17, 2020,

defendant filed a pro se motion to set a hearing date and appoint counsel.

On January 29, 2020, the State filed a supplemental response to defendant’s

APCR. The State argued that any pretrial issues related to defendant’s sanity at the

time of the commission of his offenses had no effect on the continuation of the

proceedings or the validity of his guilty plea. On January 30, 2020, a hearing on

the issue was held, and the State withdrew its objection to granting defendant an

out-of-time appeal. The State also noted that defendant was found competent and

“then separately filed sanity.” The State asserted that the sanity issue was pending

at the time of defendant’s plea and that sanity is “not an impediment to a guilty

plea.”9 That same day, the trial court granted defendant an out-of-time appeal.

Defendant’s appointed counsel has now filed an appellate brief pursuant to

Anders v. California and has further filed a motion to withdraw as counsel of

record for defendant.

FACTS

Because defendant’s convictions were the result of guilty pleas, the facts

underlying the crimes of conviction are not fully developed in the record.

This Court’s Case Management System reflects that the State filed a writ application in case 8

number 19-KH-460 with the Louisiana Supreme Court on November 7, 2019. 9 The record does not indicate that the trial court addressed defendant’s sanity at the time of the offense. However, the trial court was not required to make a determination as to defendant’s sanity at the time of the offense. In State v. Daniels, 09-1661 (La. App. 4 Cir. 1/20/10), 2010 WL 8971104, writ denied, 10-284 (La. 2/4/11), 56 So.3d 987, the defendant asserted, in part, that the trial court should not have accepted his guilty plea because a second lunacy proceeding was not concluded. The Fourth Circuit found that the second sanity commission was related to defendant’s sanity at the time of the offense and that his competency to proceed had previously been decided.

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Related

Anders v. California
386 U.S. 738 (Supreme Court, 1967)
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395 U.S. 238 (Supreme Court, 1969)
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