State v. Austin

146 So. 3d 716, 2014 WL 3450795, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 1793
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided July 16, 2014·No. No. 49,061-KA·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinion

CARAWAY, J.

|/The defendant appeals his conviction and sentence for attempted second degree murder and home invasion. He argues in part that the evidence was insufficient to convict him and that his sentence is unconstitutionally excessive. Finding no error in the trial court’s rulings, we affirm.

Facts

In the early morning hours of July 23, 2011, Terry Gilpin (“Gilpin”) was at his home sitting on his bed, while his friend Mark Williamson (“Williamson”) was taking a shower in the bathroom nearby. Two men, at least one of whom was wearing a bandana as a mask, burst through the front door of the home, breaking it off the hinges in the process. Each man was armed, one with a pistol, the other with a sawed-off shotgun. One of the men came in the room threatening a frightened Gil-pin, asking multiple times, “Where is it?”

Williamson had just finished his shower and was holding the door to the small bathroom closed while the two men were harassing Gilpin. Next, one of the armed assailants began kicking the bathroom door to force it open. Williamson, who was bracing the door, was able to keep it closed. At that point, the man with the shotgun approached the door and from very close range shot the door near the middle on the same level as the doorknob. The shot from the blast blew past Williamson’s head, and the door hit him after the shot. The pellets from the shotgun blast made it to the bathtub, |2which contained several holes as a result. Once the door hit Williamson on the head, he fell down, and began playing dead.

Meanwhile, after the first shot was fired, the man with the shotgun attempted to cock the weapon, but it malfunctioned. He [722] asked the other man for the pistol, which was unloaded at that point, and stated, “Give me the gun, I’m going to kill this mother.” The other man refused to comply with the request. The two men then exited the home, only to return shortly because they had forgotten the keys to their getaway car inside the house. They attempted to knock in the front door again. This time Gilpin resisted by holding the door and throwing household items at the men. In the melee, Gilpin somehow injured his shoulder. His shirt had a hole in it, and he was bleeding. After the men successfully recovered their keys, they left.

After an investigation, police arrested Christopher Weathersby (“Weathersby”) and Wesley Austin (“Austin”) for the incident. Cellphone records placed Austin in the area of the crime at the time of the offense. Detective Roppolo conducted a recorded interview with Williamson. Williamson stated he thought he heard the voice of Saunders King (“King”) in the home the night of the crime. After the interview with Detective Roppolo, Williamson was browsing King’s Facebook page, and he saw Austin and recognized him as one of the assailants. He then notified Detective Roppolo. His report to the detective was not taped. Weathersby pled guilty to unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. Austin was charged by bill of information with attempted first degree murder and home invasion.

| a After a trial, Austin was convicted of attempted second degree murder and home invasion on May 22, 2013. On August 5, 2013, he moved for new trial, which was denied at the sentencing hearing the next day. At the sentencing hearing, Austin asked for a continuance to submit a letter from Williamson asking for leniency. The trial court denied the request, stating the letter would not affect its decision. Austin was sentenced to 30 years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for attempted second degree murder. He was given a 20-year sentence for home invasion, the first five years to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The sentences were designated to run consecutively.

Austin now appeals the conviction and sentence, arguing multiple assignments of error. Finding no error, we affirm the conviction and sentence.

Discussion

Sufficiency of the Evidence

Austin contends in his counseled and pro se briefs that the evidence adduced at trial was insufficient to convict him of attempted second degree murder. Each brief focuses on whether the State proved that Austin had the specific intent to kill Williamson when he blasted a shotgun through a door that Williamson was clearly behind. Secondarily, in his pro se brief, he argues that the State did not prove that he was the offender who fired the gun. He does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence for his conviction for home invasion.

|4The 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. State v. Williams, 47,245 (La.App.2d Cir.8/22/12), 103 So.3d 558, citing Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Tate, 01-1658 (La.5/20/03), 851 So.2d 921. In the absence of internal contradiction or irreconcilable conflict with physical evidence, one witness’s testimony, if believed by the trier of fact, is sufficient support for a requisite factual conclusion. Williams, supra. The appellate court [723] does not assess the credibility of witnesses or reweigh the evidence. Id. A reviewing court accords great deference to a fact finder’s decision to accept or reject testimony of a witness in whole or in part, Williams, supra, and a reviewing court may impinge on that discretion only to the extent to guarantee the fundamental due process of law. State v. Freeman, 45,127 (La.App.2d Cir.4/14/10), 34 So.3d 541. Where there is conflicting testimony about factual matters, the resolution of which depends upon a determination of the credibility of the witnesses, the matter is one of the weight of the evidence, not its sufficiency. State v. Tillman, 47,386 (La.App.2d Cir.8/08/12), 104 So.3d 480.

Second degree murder is the killing of a human being when, among other things, the offender has a specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm. La. R.S. 14:30.1. Any person who, having a specific intent to commit a crime, does or omits an act for the purpose of and tending directly | ¡¡toward the accomplishing of his object is guilty of an attempt to commit the offense intended; it shall be immaterial whether, under the circumstances, he would have actually accomplished his purpose. La. R.S. 14:27(A). To prove attempted second degree murder, the State must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant specifically intended to kill a human being and that he committed an overt act in furtherance of that goal. State v. Preston, 12-798 (La.App.5th Cir.5/16/13), 118 So.3d 1129; Freeman, supra.

If a person only intends to inflict great bodily harm, and the victim did not die, at most, the defendant only attempted some type of battery. Therefore, for attempted murder, a person must specifically intend to kill the victim, and specific intent to inflict great bodily harm in the alternative is not enough to convict an offender of attempted second degree murder. See State v. Andrews, 95-129 (La.App.5th Cir.11/15/85), 665 So.2d 454.

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State v. Austin, 146 So. 3d 716, 2014 WL 3450795, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 1793 (La. Ct. App. 2014).

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