State v. Barbain

179 So. 3d 770, 2015 La.App. 4 Cir. 0404, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2215, 2015 WL 6750317
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 4, 2015
DocketNo. 2015-KA-0404
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 179 So. 3d 770 (State v. Barbain) 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. Barbain, 179 So. 3d 770, 2015 La.App. 4 Cir. 0404, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2215, 2015 WL 6750317 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinions

ROSEMARY LEDET, Judge.

I Jn this criminal appeal, the defendant, Derek Barbain, seeks review of his convictions and sentences for sexual battery, aggravated rape, and aggravated incest. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.1

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On October 21, 2011, Mr, Barbain was charged by a three count grand jury indictment with the'following:

h* The sexual battery of T.B.,2 from May 1,2005. through July'81, 2005, in violation of La. R.S. 14:48.1;
• The aggravated rape of T.B., from . March 1, 2006 to March. 19, 2007,-in violation of La. R.S. 14:42; and
• The aggravated incest of T.B. from March 20, 2007 to July 29, 2011 in violation of La. R.S. 14:78.1.3

On October 25, 2011, Mr. Barbain was arraigned; and he pled not guilty. On that same date, the' district court granted defense counsel’s request to schedule a mental competency hearing.

On November 10, 2011, Mr. Barbain was interviewed by Dr. Sarah DeLand and Dr. Harminder Malik. On November 15, 2011, [774]*774a mental competency hearing was held. Accepting the doctors’ recommendation, the district court found Mr. Barbain competent to stand trial.

On May 2, 2012-, the district court granted Mr. Barbain’s motion to withdraw his right to jury trial and to invoke his right to trial by judge.

On January 11, 2013, the State filed a notice of intent to offer evidence of similar crimes, wrongs, or acts involving previous sexually assaultive behavior or acts by the defendant at the time of trial.under La. Code of Evidence Article 412.2.

| sAfter several continuances, trial was scheduled to commence on August 12, 2013. On the morning of trial, the district court denied Mr. Barbain’s request for a continuance and denied Mr. Barbain’s counsel’s motion to withdraw.4 In addition, despite defense counsel’s objections, the district court judge stated that he would allow the State to introduce evidence pursuant to La. C.E. art. 412.2.5 On that same date, a bench trial commenced. On August 13, 2013, the trial concluded; the district court judge found Mr. Barbain guilty as charged on all three counts.

Mr. Barbain’s counsel requested a mental competency hearing before the district court heard, post-trial motions and conducted sentencing. On February 6, 2014, a mental , competency hearing was held at which. Dr. Michael Blue testified. Accepting Dr. Blue’s recommendation,, the district court found Mr. Barbain | .^incompetent for post-trial motions and sentencing.6 On October 9, 2014, the district court held another competency hearing, at which Dr. Thomas Oden testified. Accepting the recommendation of Dr. Oden, the district court found Mr. Barbain [775]*775competent to proceed with post-trial motions and sentencing. .

On November 18, 2014, Mr. Barbain filed a motion for new trial. On December 8, 2014, the district court denied Mr. Bar-bain’s motion for new trial and granted his motion for appeal. On December 9, 2014, the district court sentenced Mr. Barbain to ten years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for sexual battery; life imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for aggravated rape; and ten years at hard labor for aggravated incest, all to be served concurrently and with credit for time served. This appeal followed.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

T.B., the victim, was- born on March 20, 1994. Her mother, L.B., started dating Mr. Barbain in the summer of 2000. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Barbain and his daughter, D.R., moved in with L.B. and her children, T.B. and C.R. In 2005, after moving to the Willowbrook Apartments in New Orleans,, Mr. Barbain touched T.B.’s genitals over her clothes and ins'erted his finger into her vagina.

IsOn July 30,2005, L.B. and Mr. Barbain were married. After Hurricane Katrina struck the New Orleans area in August of 2005, the family temporarily relocated to Texas. In 2006, the family moved back to New Orleans into a leased house on Haynes Boulevard, near Crowder Boulevard. Before moving in, Mr. Barbain asked T.B. if she wanted to view the house before anyone else. While at the house, Mr. Barbain undressed T.B. and had vaginal intercourse with her. After the family moved into the residence, Mr. Barbain continued having sex — vaginal, and oral— with T.B.

C.R., T.B.’s brother, routinely checked on his mother at night due to her back problems. On many occasions, he observed Mr. Barbain entering T.B.’s bedroom. C.R. witnessed Mr. Barbain exiting T.B.’s room an hour or two later with a big Koolaid smile on his face. On one occasion, while Mr. Barbain was babysitting T.B. and C.R., he touched T.B.’s breasts, vagina, and butt before positioning himself on top of her. C.R. entered the room and witnessed Mr. Barbain on top of T.B. in bed having sex. Mr. Barbain explained that he and T.B. were wrestling and or-'' dered C.R. to leave the room.

Between 2007 and 2008, the family moved to a residence on Haynes Boulevard, near Bullard Avenue. Mr. Barbain continued having sexual intercourse with T.B. During this time, Mr. Barbain frequently sent C.R. to the store. While C.R. was out of the house, Mr. Barbain would touch her inappropriately. T.B. also testified that she would awaken at night to see Mr. Barbain .standing over her touching himself.

RThe abuse continued throughout 2009 and 2010, after the family moved to a residence on Vanderkloot Avenue in New Orleans. By this time T.B. was around sixteen years old, anc( she knew what Mr. Barbain was doing to her was wrong. The abuse became less frequent. Mr. Barbain however attempted to continue the abuse by promising T.B. money and gifts. In response, T.B. started acting out, talking back to her mother and Mr. Barbain, and getting in altercations with them.

T.B. initially did not confide in anyone about the abuse. She was embarrassed and afraid to tell her mother out of fear that her mother’s depression would cause her to harm herself. T.B. testified that her father, Julius Ivery,7 had a bad tem[776]*776per; she was afraid he would have physically hurt Mr. Barbain if she disclosed the abuse.

' On July 29, 2011, T.B. was in a heated altercation with her mother and Mr. Barbain regarding her disrespectful attitude. When Mr, Barbain picked T.B. up from work that afternoon, he attempted to give her á bracelet as an apology. Not wanting Mr. Barbain to touch her, T.B. refused to accept the bracelet. Upon returning home, an altercation ensued when L.B. learned that T.B. did not accept the bracelet. After the altercation with her mother, T.B. called Mr. Ivery and asked that he come get her.

After Mr. Ivery arrived at T.B.’s house on Vsinderkloot Avenue, they went for a drive. Mr. Ivery noticed that T.B. was very emotional and crying. He asked T.B. if her mother hit her of if someone touched her; T.B. responded that she was touched. When he inquired tether, T.B. stated that she did not want to explain. Mr. Ivery testified that he knew instantly that she meant she was touched sexually, but he refused to ask her any tether questions. Ho returned to the residence to‘ speak with L.B. and Mr. Barbain. Mr. Ivery informed L.B. of what T.B. disclosed. Meanwhile, Mr. Barbain left the area.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
179 So. 3d 770, 2015 La.App. 4 Cir. 0404, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 2215, 2015 WL 6750317, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-barbain-lactapp-2015.