State v. Boudreaux

662 So. 2d 22, 1995 WL 553350
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 20, 1995
Docket95-KA-153
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 662 So. 2d 22 (State v. Boudreaux) 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. Boudreaux, 662 So. 2d 22, 1995 WL 553350 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

662 So.2d 22 (1995)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
David BOUDREAUX.

No. 95-KA-153.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

September 20, 1995.

*23 Bruce G. Whittaker, Staff Appellate Counsel 24th Judicial District, Indigent Defender Board, Gretna, for Defendant/Appellant David P. Boudreaux.

John M. Mamoulides, District Attorney, Leigh Anne Wall, Assistant District Attorney, Research & Appeals 24th Judicial District, Parish of Jefferson, Gretna, for Appellee State of Louisiana.

Before GOTHARD, CANNELLA, JJ., and CHEHARDY, J. Pro Tem.

CANNELLA, Judge.

Defendant, David Boudreaux, appeals his conviction of aggravated rape and sentence to life imprisonment without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence. We affirm the conviction, amend the sentence and affirm the sentence as amended.

In 1993, David Boudreaux was charged by grand jury indictment with three 1992 sexual crimes against his eight year old daughter. Count one was aggravated rape, a violation of La.R.S. 14:42, Count two was molestation of a juvenile, a violation of La.R.S. 14:81.2, and Count three was aggravated oral sexual battery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:43.4. Defendant pled not guilty. On June 10, 1993, a sanity hearing was held and the trial court found that defendant was incompetent to assist his counsel. Defendant was committed to the Feliciana Forensic Facility for evaluation and testing. On March 24, 1994, defendant was found legally sane and competent to assist his counsel at trial. Several pre-trial motions were filed, including a "Motion to Recuse Judge [sic]". This motion was denied by the trial court and reallotted to another court for a hearing. The motion was taken up and denied.

Additionally, the state filed a notice of its intent to introduce evidence of "Bad Acts To Show Knowledge, System [sic] Intent under LA Evidence Code Article 404B." A Prieur[1] hearing was held to determine whether the evidence of other crimes, the testimony of defendant's other minor daughter, could be used against him. Following the hearing, the trial court ruled that the testimony was admissible. On the same day the state amended the indictment and dismissed Counts 2 and 3.

Defendant filed several pro se motions, including a motion requesting that he be named co-counsel. This motion was denied on April 28, 1994. Although there is no minute entry reflecting a change in this ruling, the transcript indicates that the defendant served as co-counsel at trial. At the end of trial, the jury returned the verdict of guilty as charged of aggravated rape. After appropriate delays, defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence with credit for time served.[2]

In 1987, defendant was convicted of aggravated battery. That offense involved the sexual and physical torture and rape of defendant's mentally ill wife, who was temporarily home from a hospital. Defendant was sentenced to serve ten years at hard labor.[3]*24 In May of 1992, defendant was released from prison based upon diminution of sentence (good time release) and went to live with his mother in Gretna, Louisiana. At the time, the children's grandmother, defendant's mother, had custody of his three children, fourteen and eight year old daughters, and a six year old son. According to the testimony, within a few weeks of moving into the home, defendant molested his two daughters. The alleged incidents occurred during the night while the grandmother was either asleep or away at her job. The acts became known when the child told her grandmother of the abuse and subsequently told her aunt, defendant's sister. The aunt took the child to a doctor for an examination ten days later and law enforcement authorities were notified. The physical examination of the child was inconclusive, but revealed that her hymen was stretched. The examining doctor testified that this finding was consistent with an act of penal penetration of the child's vagina. Although the doctor stated that the child did not tell her that she fell from her bicycle a few days before the examination, she stated such a fall would not have caused the trauma which she found on examining the child.

There was testimony by the child as to the events by video interview. The examining doctor, the investigating officers and the aunt and grandmother state that the child informed them of the acts of fondling and penetration by defendant. The victim's older sister testified that she was also molested in the same way during the same period of time by defendant. Defendant produced evidence that the child told "stories", had engaged in masturbation and that her sister was having emotional problems.

On appeal, defendant asserts that the trial judge erred in admitting into evidence proof of prior alleged sexual misconduct against another child. He also contends that his motion for recusal should have been granted. Defendant also asks for patent error review.

In his first assignment of error, defendant contends that the trial judge erred in allowing the victim's older sister to testify about defendant's sexual misconduct against her, under La.C.E. art. 404(B) and State v. Prieur, 277 So.2d 126 (La.1973). Specifically, defendant contends (1) that the testimony was not used to prove defendant's motive, intent, lustful disposition, plan or system, (2) that there was no basis for the introduction of this testimony, and (3) that it was only used to prove that defendant had a bad character.

The state argues that the evidence was used to show defendant's system and plan and was not used to show defendant's bad character. It further contends that the evidence of prior sexual misconduct with another child was relevant to show defendant's lustful disposition "which in turn is relevant to show his motive and intent." In particular, the state points out that the testimony showed that the child fell from her bike a few days prior to the examination which raised the question of whether the child's injuries were caused by the fall or from being molested. The state asserts that the evidence of the molesting of the older child would rebut any defense of accident or mistake or lack of intent.

The evidence of other crimes committed by a defendant, unrelated to the charged offense, is not admissible to prove defendant's bad character for the purpose of showing that defendant acted in conformity with such bad character. However, other crimes evidence is admissible for other purposes, "such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake or accident, or when it relates to conduct that constitutes an integral part of the act or transaction that is the subject of the present proceeding." La.C.E. art. 404B; State v. Hanks, 593 So.2d 971, 973 (La.App. 5th Cir.1992). In child abuse cases, the evidence of sex crimes with a child other than the victim can be used to show motive, system, opportunity and plan, using the guidelines set forth in State v. Prieur, 277 So.2d 126 (La.1973). State v. Hanks, 593 So.2d at 974; State v. DeRoche, 629 So.2d 1267, 1270-1273 (La.App. 5th Cir.1993).

In Prieur, the Louisiana Supreme Court stated:

[8] When the State intends to offer evidence of other criminal offenses under *25 the exceptions outlined in R.S. 15:445 and 446:

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Bluebook (online)
662 So. 2d 22, 1995 WL 553350, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-boudreaux-lactapp-1995.