State v. Banks

128 So. 3d 534, 13 La.App. 5 Cir. 41, 2013 WL 5850822, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 2203
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in State v. Banks. Read the opinion of the Court — 2015 La. App. LEXIS 722
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided October 30, 2013·No. No. 13-KA-41·Published

Opinion

HANS J. LILJEBERG, Judge.

|20n August 10, 2010, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Carol H. Banks, with three counts of La. R.S. 14:32, causing the deaths of Gerard Faucheaux, Nelson Faucheaux, and Shirley Faucheaux.1 Thereafter, the State filed three superseding bills of information, ultimately charging defendant with three counts of vehicular homicide in violation of La. R.S. 14:32.1(A)(6).2 On February 7, 2012, defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Defendant proceeded to trial on August 16, 2012. On August 18, 2012, a six-person jury unanimously found the defendant guilty of three counts of the responsive verdict of negligent homicide, a violation of La. R.S. 14:32.

On May 10, 2012, the trial court denied defendant’s motions to reinstate order for presentence investigation, arrest of judgment, post verdict judgment of |sacquittal and new trial. On that same'date, the trial court sentenced defendant to imprisonment at hard labor for a term of five years on each count to be served concurrently. The trial court suspended two of the five years and ordered defendant, upon release from the custody of the Department of Corrections, to serve two years on home incarceration. The trial court thereafter granted defendant’s motion for appeal.

On June 20, 2012, the trial court denied defendant’s motion to reconsider sentence. Defendant’s appeal follows.

FACTS

Prosecution was initiated against defendant as a result of a multi-car collision that occurred on Interstate 10, between the Williams and Loyola exits, at approximately 3:30 p.m. on February 10, 2010. The collision resulted in the deaths of Gerard Faucheaux and his parents, Nelson and Shirley Faucheaux. All three victims died of blunt-force trauma sustained in the crash. The State maintained at trial that defendant knowingly consumed excessive amounts of dextromethorphan that led to her impairment and ultimately to the collision that caused the deaths of the three victims.

The collision

The facts surrounding the mechanics of the collision itself were largely undisputed at trial and were introduced through the expert testimony of accident reconstruc-tionists, Officer William Bagert of the Ken-ner Police Department and Trooper Trey Elliot of the Louisiana State Police. The accident reconstruction and witness statements revealed that four vehicles were [538]*538involved in the crash: a Mercury Grand Marquis operated by defendant (Vehicle 1), a Toyota Sienna operated by Gerard Faucheaux (Vehicle 2), a Buick LeSabre operated by Mia Ahn (Vehicle 3), and a Chevrolet Tahoe operated by Hjalmar Breit (Vehicle 4).

| ¿Vehicles 1, 2, and 3 were travelling west on Interstate 10 with Vehicle 1 in the left lane, Vehicle 2 in the center lane, and Vehicle 3 in the right lane. Vehicle 1 made an erratic lane change from the left lane to the center lane, striking the left-rear bumper of Vehicle 2, as evidenced by the paint transfer from Vehicle 2 to Vehicle 1, and then veered into the right lane, striking the left-rear bumper of Vehicle 3. Vehicle 3 came to a controlled stop; however, the collision sent Vehicle 2 across the grassy, unobstructed median and into oncoming eastbound traffic, where it was unavoidably T-boned by Vehicle 4. It was stipulated that the occupants of Vehicle 2, Gerard, Nelson, and Shirley Faucheaux, died upon impact. Defendant, operator of Vehicle 1, continued westbound for approximately one-half of a mile before coming to a controlled stop on the right shoulder of Interstate 10.

The events that transpired leading to and following the collision, however, were largely disputed. Defendant’s version of events are as follows: Defendant testified that she took one capsule of non-drowsy Dayquil for a slight runny nose at approximately 6:00 a.m. on the day of the crash and could not remember if she took a second capsule at lunch that day. She explained that she took Dayquil in the past and did not suffer side effects. Defendant testified that she left work at the Upper Room Bible Academy in New Orleans East at 3:05 p.m. and was headed to Sam’s Club in Kenner. Defendant explained that she was driving west on Interstate 10 in the left lane when she glanced in her rearview mirror and observed a black SUV right on her rear bumper flashing its high beams. Defendant moved to the right lane to allow the black SUV to pass, but the black SUV instead positioned itself directly in front of her and slammed on its brakes. Defendant testified that she moved to the middle lane to avoid the black SUV, but the black SUV again moved in front of her, forcing defendant to slam on her brakes. She | ^testified that the force of having to slam on her brakes caused everything in her vehicle to hit the floor.

Defendant testified that the driver of the black SUV made an obscene hand gesture to her by putting up her middle finger and explained that she feared the driver would pull a gun and shoot at her car because of how crazy the black SUV was driving. She testified that she began to feel very warm and the back of her neck tight. She stated that she could not catch her breath and thought she might be having a heart attack. Defendant testified that the next thing she remembered was a boom sound and then her air bags inflated. She stated that she felt like she was floating, and it did not seem real. Defendant further testified that the car was smoking and there was a bad odor in the vehicle. Defendant finally guided herself over to the right and saw the Loyola exit. She testified that her head and chest were hurting and she bent down to look for her phone.

Defendant stated that she realized something had happened because her air bags deployed, but she did not know whether something hit her or if she hit something. She thought the woman in the black SUV possibly hit her. Defendant testified that from the time she became conscious of her surroundings and the time she pulled over, she did not notice anyone following her. Defendant then called 911.

Defendant eventually exited her vehicle and went to the trunk of her car to get an [539]*539aspirin from her purse, but did not recall if she took the aspirin. She testified that she noticed a man in a white truck parked behind her, but she did not pay much attention to him.

Defendant testified that she did not know anything about the Toyota Sienna or the Buick LeSabre, and had no conscious memory of striking either vehicle. She further stated that she did not learn that three people were killed in the crash | Buntil after she was transferred to the Gretna jail and saw the news story on television.

Lisa Bradley testified at trial for the defense that she, too, was driving on Interstate 10 heading west through Kenner when she witnessed the crash. Ms. Bradley testified she was travelling in the center lane when defendant and a black SUV came along her right-hand side fairly fast. Ms. Bradley testified that it appeared that it was perhaps teenagers playing cat and mouse, and that the vehicles were weaving and bobbing in and out of traffic. Ms. Bradley testified that the black SUV was travelling approximately 80 — 85 miles per hour chasing the defendant. She stated that it appeared that defendant was trying to get away from the black SUV. Ms. Bradley testified that she observed a vehicle cross the median and get struck by a white pickup truck, but did not see the impact that caused the vehicle to cross the median. Ms. Bradley also called 911 and gave a statement to police.

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State v. Banks, 128 So. 3d 534, 13 La.App. 5 Cir. 41, 2013 WL 5850822, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 2203 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

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