State v. Brumley

700 So. 2d 876, 97 La.App. 5 Cir. 104, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2245, 1997 WL 572949
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 17, 1997
DocketNo. 97-KA-104
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 700 So. 2d 876 (State v. Brumley) 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. Brumley, 700 So. 2d 876, 97 La.App. 5 Cir. 104, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2245, 1997 WL 572949 (La. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

| iROBERT J. BURNS, Judge Pro Tem.

The defendant, Steven Brumley, appeals from his two convictions of simple burglary and his conviction of attempted simple burglary, claiming the following: (1) that the evidence was insufficient with respect to one of the simple burglary convictions, (2) that he received ineffective assistance of counsel, and (3) that he received excessive sentences on all three convictions. We affirm the convictions and sentences. We decline to consider the ineffective assistance of counsel claims, reserving to the defendant the right to bring these claims in a post-conviction petition.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The defendant, Steven Brumley, was charged as follows:

l2Charge Disposition
Count I — R.S. 14:62, Simple Burglary of Cobbler Shop Guilty of Simple Burglary
Count II — R.S. 14:62, Simple Burglary of Vehicle Belonging to Christopher Joseph Not Guilty
Count III — R.S. 14:62, Simple Burglary of Lee Trailer Home Guilty of Simple Burglary
Count IV — R.S. 14:27:62, Attempted Simple Burglary of Stone Home Guilty of Attempted Simple Burglary

A jury of six unanimously found the defendant guilty as to counts one, three and four, and not guilty as to count two. The defendant filed a motion for new trial, which the trial court denied. The defendant waived all delays and was thereafter sentenced to ten years at hard labor for each of the simple burglary convictions and to six years at hard labor for the attempted simple burglary conviction. The trial judge specified that the sentences were to run concurrently. The defendant filed a motion to reconsider his sentences, which was denied by the trial court. The defendant has appealed to this Court.

FACTS — COUNT I — BURGLARY OF THE COBBLER SHOP1

At the jury trial held on August 14, 1996, Mr. Varice Markey testified for the state. [878]*878On direct examination, Mr. Markey testified that he had known the defendant for about four years prior to October 10, 1995. Mr. Markey identified the defendant in court as the person he saw standing in the Cobbler Shop on the | anight of the burglary. At approximately 1:00 a.m., Mr. Markey left his house on his bicycle to go to the store for some ice cream. He heard a crash coming from the Cobbler Shop, immediately looked towards the shop, noticed that the glass front door had been broken, and saw the defendant and another male standing inside the Cobbler Shop. Mr. Markey continued riding his bicycle until he reached the store, where he called the police to notify them of the crime in progress. As Mr. Markey bicycled back to his house, he saw the defendant and another male running towards some railroad tracks.

Mr. Markey claimed that he was at his house before he ever saw or spoke to an officer. Mr. Markey also claimed that Deputy Smith came to his house, asked whether Mr. Markey could identify the perpetrators and took Mr. Markey down the street to identify the perpetrators. Mr. Markey testified that the police had caught the other male whom he had seen standing inside the Cobbler Shop, but that they did not catch the defendant.

Contrary to his testimony on direct examination, Mr. Markey testified on cross examination that he called the police after he got home from buying ice cream at the store. Mr. Markey also testified that as he passed the Cobbler Shop, he saw the other male perpetrator holding a brick in his hand. Mr. Markey did not know this other male and was not able to identify him by a name or otherwise. Mr. Markey testified that he was approximately fifteen (15) yards away from the Cobbler Shop when he saw the defendant standing inside the shop. He testified that although there were no lights on inside the Cobbler Shop, he was still able to see the defendant and his accomplice because lights were lit around the ^exterior of the shop. He claimed that the lighting outside the Cobbler Shop was not poor.

Mr. Markey admitted that he had been convicted of so many crimes, he could not specifically remember them. After prompting by the defendant’s attorney, Mr. Markey admitted the following convictions: (1) May 26, 1993, resisting an officer, (2) May 26, 1993, urinating in public, (3) June 13, 1994, disturbing the peace, (4) December 22, 1993, theft of less- than $100.00, (5) February 8, 1995, criminal damage to property belonging to another, specifically a broken window, (6) March 8, 1995, simple battery, and (7) July 26, 1995, unauthorized use of a movable of less than $1,000.00. Mr. Markey admitted that he was still on probation. Mr. Markey admitted that he used to have an alcohol problem, but claimed that he was sober on October 10, 1995. He denied having broken the window of the Cobbler Shop. He also did not know whether the defendant and/or the other male had taken anything from the shop.

Mr. Medina, the owner of the Cobbler Shop, testified that the defendant had not had his permission to be in the Cobbler Shop.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE-COBBLER SHOP BURGLARY

The defendant was convicted of simple burglary, in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:62, which provides in pertinent part:

Simple burglary is the unauthorized entering of any dwelling, vehicle, watercraft, or other structure, movable or immovable, with the intent to commit a felony or any theft therein....

The defendant specifically claims that the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was the Igindividual responsible for the burglary of the Cobbler Shop. The defendant argues that the jury, as trier of fact, could not have believed the testimony of Varice Markey.

In one of its most recent decisions, the Louisiana Supreme Court explained the legal analysis applicable to a claim of insufficient evidence as follows:

An appellate court reviewing a claim of insufficient evidence must determine that the trial evidence, whether direct or cir-[879]*879eumstantial, or a mixture of both, viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, was sufficient -to convince a rational trier of fact that all of the elements of the crime have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); ... if the appellate court finds that no rational trier of fact, viewing all the evidence from a pro-prosecution standpoint, could have found guilt begond a reasonable doubt, the conviction cannot constitutionally stand. Id. (Emphasis added).

State v. Hawkins, 96-0766, p. 7 (La.1997), 688 So.2d 473, 479. See also State v. Styles, 96-897 (La.App. 5 Cir. 3/25/97), 692 So.2d 1222. In Hawkins, two state witnesses claimed that they saw the defendant kill the victim and then throw the victim’s wallet into some nearby bushes. As in the instant case, the defendant claimed that the testimony of these witnesses was so flawed and unreliable that a rational jury could not have returned a guilty verdict. The supreme court held that, the evidence was sufficient, explaining as follows:

In the instant case, the jury made credibility determinations and accepted the testimony of the witnesses as true. This Court cannot say that the jury’s determination was irrational.

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Related

State v. Vasquez
729 So. 2d 65 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Richards
713 So. 2d 514 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)

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Bluebook (online)
700 So. 2d 876, 97 La.App. 5 Cir. 104, 1997 La. App. LEXIS 2245, 1997 WL 572949, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brumley-lactapp-1997.