State v. Anderson

66 So. 3d 568, 11 La.App. 3 Cir. 106, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 692, 2011 WL 2135583
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 1, 2011
Docket11-106
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 66 So. 3d 568 (State v. Anderson) 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 v. Anderson, 66 So. 3d 568, 11 La.App. 3 Cir. 106, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 692, 2011 WL 2135583 (La. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

GENOVESE, Judge.

| ¶ Defendant, Marcus W. Anderson, appeals his two aggravated burglary convictions and his two forcible rape convictions. He does not appeal his sentences. For the following reasons, we affirm all four convictions.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant, Marcus W. Anderson, was charged by amended bill of information with aggravated burglary of R.G., a violation of La.R.S. 14:60; forcible rape of R.G., a violation of La.R.S. 14:42.1; aggravated burglary of J.S., a violation of La.R.S. 14:60; and, forcible rape of J.S., a violation of La.R.S. 14:42.1. 1 It is alleged in the record that Defendant entered R.G.’s dwelling on October 12, 2007, and raped her, and that he entered J.S.’s dwelling on October 16, 2007, and raped her.

Defendant was convicted by a jury on all counts of all offenses. The trial court sentenced Defendant to twenty years at hard labor on each count of aggravated burglary to run concurrently with each other. The trial court sentenced Defendant to thirty-five years at hard labor on each count of forcible rape to run consecutively to each other, but concurrently with the previously imposed aggravated burglary sentences.

On appeal, Defendant assigns the following errors:

1. The trial judge erred in allowing the testimony of R.G. in light of the fact that the identification was made from a photo line-up that was unduly suggestive.
2. The trial judge erred in allowing introduction of the photographs of R.G.’s vaginal area that had been altered or enhanced and therefore did not accurately illustrate that R.G. had been raped.
3. Considering the evidence in the light most favorable to. the prosecution, the trier of fact could not have found the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt of forcible rape/aggravated 12burglary of R.G.
4. Considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the trier of fact could not have found the defendant guilty beyond reasonable doubt of forcible rape/aggravated burglary of J.S.
5. The convictions in this case violate the Constitutional Prohibitions against Double Jeopardy because the same facts are relied upon for the Aggravated Burglary and the [Forcible] Rape. 2 The unlawful entry was enhanced to Aggravated Burglary by the commission of [Forcible] Rape, and as such there could not be additional punishment for the separate element of Aggravated Burglary. The effect was to impose two punishments for a single act.

*571 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 that there is one error patent.

The trial court imposed sentences of thirty-five years at hard labor without specifying the number of years to be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence on each of the forcible rape convictions. The penalty provision for forcible rape requires at least two years of the sentence be imposed without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. La.R.S. 14:42.1. Thus, the trial court imposed illegally lenient sentences; however, this court will not consider this issue as it was not raised as an error on appeal. State v. Doucet, 09-1065 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/5/10), 36 So.3d 1105, writ denied, 10-1195 (La.12/17/10), 51 So.3d 19. Additionally, the facts in the instant case trigger La.R.S. 15:301.1, which addresses the omission and provides in pertinent part:

A. When a criminal statute requires that all or a portion of a sentence imposed for a violation of that statute be served without benefit Rof probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, each sentence which is imposed under the provisions of that statute shall be deemed to contain the provisions relating to the service of that sentence without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The failure of a sentencing court to specifically state that all or a portion of the sentence is to be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence shall not in any way affect the statutory requirement that all or a portion of the sentence be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.
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C. The provisions of this Section shall apply to each provision of law which requires all or a portion of a criminal sentence to be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, or of any one of them, any combination thereof, or any substantially similar provision or combination of substantially similar provisions.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NUMBERS 3 AND 4

Defendant asserts that considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the trier of fact could not have found Defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of forcible rape/aggravated burglary of R.G. and of J.S.

“When issues are raised on appeal both as to the sufficiency of the evidence and as to one or more trial errors, the reviewing court should first determine the sufficiency of the evidence.” State v. Hearold, 603 So.2d 731, 734 (La.1992). Thus, we will first address Defendant’s assigned errors regarding sufficiency of the evidence.

In State v. Bourg, 09-1291, p. 7 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/30/10), 42 So.3d 1079, 1084, writ denied, 10-1702 (La.2/4/11), 56 So.3d 990, this court explained in pertinent part:

The supreme court has discussed the standard [of] review [for] sufficiency of the evidence claims:
The standard of appellate review for a sufficiency of the evidence claim 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, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). A determination of the weight of evidence is a *572 question of fact, resting solely with the trier of fact who may accept or reject, in whole or in part, the testimony of any witnesses. A reviewing court may impinge on the factfinding function of the jury only to the extent necessary to assure the Jackson standard of review. It is not the function of an appellate court to assess credibility or re-weigh the evidence.
State v. Macon, 06-481, pp. 7-8 (La.6/1/07), 957 So.2d 1280, 1285-86 (citations omitted).

In State v. H.L.J., 08-1070, p. 16 (La.App. 3 Cir. 4/1/09), 6 So.3d 997, 1007, this court held in pertinent part:

Louisiana courts have previously discussed the extent to which a reviewing court may question credibility determinations made by the fact finder.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 So. 3d 568, 11 La.App. 3 Cir. 106, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 692, 2011 WL 2135583, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-anderson-lactapp-2011.