State v. Bozeman

951 So. 2d 1171, 2007 WL 257858
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 30, 2007
Docket06-KA-679
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 951 So. 2d 1171 (State v. Bozeman) 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. Bozeman, 951 So. 2d 1171, 2007 WL 257858 (La. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

951 So.2d 1171 (2007)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Leonard BOZEMAN.

No. 06-KA-679.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

January 30, 2007.

*1172 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Twenty-Fourth Judicial District, Parish of Jefferson, Terry M. Boudreaux, Andrea F. Long, Donald A. Rowan, Jr., Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Bruce G. Whittaker, Attorney at Law, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, Louisiana, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges CLARENCE E. McMANUS, WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD, and FREDERICKA HOMBERG WICKER.

WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD, Judge.

This is defendant's second appeal. As a result of his first appeal, this Court vacated defendant's conviction and sentence for armed robbery, finding that the trial court erred in denying defendant's challenge for cause during jury selection, and this Court remanded the matter for a new trial.[1]State v. Bozeman, 03-897 (La. App. 5 Cir. 1/27/04), 866 So.2d 1029, writ denied, 04-0497 (La.7/2/04), 877 So.2d 141. On remand, the trial court conducted a hearing to determine whether or not defendant would be permitted to call an expert in eyewitness identification at trial. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court ruled that testimony from defendant's expert would not be admitted at trial. Defendant sought review of this ruling, but writs were denied by this Court on November 30, 2004 and by the Louisiana Supreme Court on April 1, 2005. State v. Bozeman, 04-3194 (La.4/1/05), 897 So.2d 601.

On July 26, 2006, defendant entered a plea of guilty pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, 27 L.Ed.2d 162 (1970) and, pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), he reserved his right to appeal the trial court's pre-trial ruling. Defendant was sentenced to twenty-five years at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. He now comes before this Court on his second appeal.

FACTS

The facts of this case were previously set forth in State v. Bozeman, supra at 1031, as follows:

At approximately 11:00 p.m. on August 10, 2002, Samantha Lore was working at an E-Z Serve on Metairie Road when a man, later identified as defendant, Leonard *1173 Bozeman, came to the counter with two small bottles of Gatorade. After Ms. Lore rang up the drinks, Leonard Bozeman pointed a gun at her and said, "put the money in the bag, b* * * *." Ms. Lore testified that Leonard Bozeman specifically demanded twenty-dollar bills, but Ms. Lore stated that she did not have any so she proceeded to give him five-dollar bills. She explained that he made her lift the cash register drawer to make sure there were no twenty-dollar bills under it. He then took all the loose change from the drawer, counting it as he took it.
Leonard Bozeman started to move toward the door, but turned back and demanded Kool cigarette cartons. Ms. Lore testified that there were no cartons so she gave him all the loose packs she could find. Leonard Bozeman left the store taking the money, cigarettes, and several pairs of sunglasses.
Ms. Lore testified that she immediately called the police and her manager. She explained that when the police arrived, she gave the officer a description of the perpetrator. About a week later, the police came to her home and showed her a photographic lineup. She testified that she identified Leonard Bozeman out of the photographic lineup as the person who robbed her because "it was definitely him." Ms. Lore again positively identified Leonard Bozeman in court as the perpetrator three separate times during her testimony.

DISCUSSION

On appeal, defendant argues that the trial court erred in excluding the testimony of his expert pertaining to eyewitness identification, which effectively hampered his right to present a defense. He argues that expert testimony was needed to assist the jury in judging the evidence; namely, the reliability of the victim's identification which was the only issue in dispute. Defendant acknowledges that the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled against the admission of expert testimony on eyewitness identification in State v. Stucke, 419 So.2d 939 (La.1982), but he contends that it is time to revisit the rationale of the old jurisprudence.

The State asserts that this Court already ruled on this issue when it denied defendant's writ application on November 30, 2004. It contends there have been no new factual developments in the case or new jurisprudence that would require reconsideration of the prior ruling. Alternatively, the State argues that the Louisiana Supreme Court recently reaffirmed its position against the admissibility of expert eyewitness identification testimony in State v. Higgins, 03-1980 (La.4/1/05), 898 So.2d 1219, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 126 S.Ct. 182, 163 L.Ed.2d 187 (2005). It also maintains the trial court did not abuse its wide discretion in excluding the expert testimony under Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993).

The record shows that a Daubert hearing was conducted on September 24, 2004 to determine the admissibility of the testimony of defense expert, Dr. John Brigham, pertaining to eyewitness identification. Dr. Brigham testified he was a professor of psychology at Florida State University and that he had spent the last 25 years focusing his research on the factors that affect the accuracy of eyewitness memory. He stated that he has published several articles on the subject and has received several research grants, including one from the National Institute of Justice to study eyewitness memory.

*1174 Dr. Brigham explained that research on eyewitness identification started in the 1970's. He testified about the various studies conducted and the statistical information gathered. He stated that from these studies he has learned that eyewitness memory is different from ordinary memory. Dr. Brigham then discussed factors that affect the reliability of eyewitness memory.

On cross-examination, Dr. Brigham admitted he has not always been allowed to testify about his studies. He stated he has been accepted as an expert 23 times in various courts across the country and denied expert status 30 to 40 times. He testified that studies on eyewitness memory and identification are widely accepted within the scientific community but acceptance varies from state to state in the legal realm.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial judge ruled that Dr. Brigham's testimony was inadmissible. The trial judge explained that the testimony would confuse the jury more than it would assist them. He further stated the Code of Evidence prevents the admission of this type of testimony.

Thereafter, defendant filed an application for supervisory writs with this Court. This Court denied the writ stating, "On the showing made, we find no reason to exercise our supervisory jurisdiction." Defendant then filed a writ application with the Louisiana Supreme Court, which was denied by a vote of four to three. On July 26, 2006, defendant pled guilty under North Carolina v. Alford, supra, and State v. Crosby, supra, reserving his right to appeal the trial court's pre-trial ruling.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Louisiana v. Devion D Taylor
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2025
State of Louisiana Versus Byron Franklin
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2024
State of Louisiana v. Gladue Joseph Istre
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2024
State of Louisiana Versus Darren K. Lloyd
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2022
State v. Robinson
102 So. 3d 922 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)
State v. Price
66 So. 3d 495 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State v. Langley
61 So. 3d 747 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State of Louisiana v. Ricky Joseph Langley
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011
State v. Quinn
38 So. 3d 1102 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State of Louisiana v. Marcus Quinn, Sr.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State v. Young
35 So. 3d 1042 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
951 So. 2d 1171, 2007 WL 257858, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-bozeman-lactapp-2007.