State v. Buckenberger

984 So. 2d 751, 2008 WL 399309
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 8, 2008
Docket2007 KA 1422
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 984 So. 2d 751 (State v. Buckenberger) 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. Buckenberger, 984 So. 2d 751, 2008 WL 399309 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

984 So.2d 751 (2008)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Christopher M. BUCKENBERGER.

No. 2007 KA 1422.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

February 8, 2008.

*753 Walter Reed, District Attorney, Covington, LA, Kathryn W. Landry, Baton Rouge, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee, State of Louisiana.

Prentice L. White, Baton Rouge, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Christopher M. Buckenberger.

Christopher M. Buckenberger, Angola, LA, Defendant/Appellant, Appearing pro se.

Before CARTER, C.J., PETTIGREW and WELCH, JJ.

CARTER, C.J.

The defendant, Christopher M. Buckenberger, was charged by amended bill of information with one count of attempted second degree murder, a violation of La. R.S. 14:27 and 14:30.1 (Count I); one count of attempted forcible rape, a violation of La. R.S. 14:27 and 14:42.1 (Count II); one count of second degree kidnapping, a violation of La. R.S. 14:44.1 (Count III); and two counts of public intimidation, violations of La. R.S. 14:122 (Counts IV and V). He pled not guilty on all counts and, following a jury trial, was found guilty on all counts by unanimous verdict. Thereafter, the State filed a habitual offender bill of information against the defendant, alleging in regard to Count I that he was a fourth or subsequent felony habitual offender.

On Count I, the defendant was sentenced to twenty-five years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. On Count II, he was sentenced to twenty years at hard labor, with the court recommending that he should not be eligible for diminution of sentence for good behavior. On Count III, he was sentenced to twenty years at hard labor, two years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. On each of Counts IV and V, the defendant was sentenced to five years at hard labor. The court ordered that all sentences imposed run concurrently with each other, and the defendant was given credit for time served.

The defendant moved for reconsideration of sentence on Counts I-V, but the motion was denied. His motions for arrest of judgment and a new trial also were denied. Following a hearing, the defendant was adjudged a third-felony habitual offender in regard to Count I, the sentence previously imposed on Count I was vacated, and he was sentenced on Count I to be imprisoned for the remainder of his natural life, without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

The defendant appeals, designating one counseled and five pro se assignments of error. In his sole counseled assignment of error, the defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence offered to support his convictions on Counts I, II, and III. In his pro se assignments of error, the defendant challenges: (1) the refusal to stay his trial "for recusal purposes;" (2) the denial of his right to a speedy trial; (3) the lack of probable cause to file the bill of information; (4) the denial of effective assistance of counsel; and (5) the denial of his right of confrontation because the victim did not testify at trial. For the reasons that follow, *754 we affirm the conviction, habitual offender adjudication, and sentence on Count I, and the convictions and sentences on Counts II-V.

FACTS

During the afternoon of February 22, 2006, Michael Shane Stephens was fishing at the Madisonville Boat Launch. He saw a woman, later identified as the victim, C.G.,[1] get out of a car and squat beside it. Stephens testified that he saw the defendant "attempting to run [the victim] over several times" with the car. Stephens also heard the defendant tell the victim, "[a]s soon as I catch you, I'm going to kill you." The defendant chased the victim for five or ten minutes in his vehicle. After she went between some parked vehicles, the defendant continued the chase on foot, ultimately catching the victim and slamming her to the ground. The victim was bleeding from the top of her head, her face, and her shoulder. Stephens attempted to use his cellular telephone to summon help and told another bystander to get the police.

Madisonville Police Officer Hayward Jarrell arrived at the scene and found the defendant on top of the victim in his vehicle. The defendant had his hands around the victim's neck. The victim's shirt was pulled over her head, exposing her breasts, and the defendant's pants were down, exposing his bare buttocks. The victim was hysterical, and her face, elbows, and knees were bleeding.

The defendant was handcuffed. He began kicking and spitting and told Officer Jarrell and Stephens, "I'm going to kill all of you all[.] . . . I done twelve years at Angola, and I'll be — I'm going to kill you all. I'm not scared of you all."

The victim told Officer Jarrell that she had met the defendant in Shreveport. She traveled with him to Bogalusa and stayed with him for a short period of time, but she had become a hostage because he threatened to kill her if she tried to leave him. The victim also told Officer Jarrell that the defendant had tried to run over her with his car, and after he caught her, he knocked her to the ground, dragged her to his car by her hair, and was taking her clothes off when he was interrupted. Officer Jarrell detected the odor of alcohol on both the victim's and the defendant's breaths. However, he did not believe that the victim was intoxicated because her speech was not slurred.

Over defense objection, the State also presented records and testimony concerning the defendant's commission of forcible rape against C.L.[2] on November 1, 1981, and against L.H.[3] on November 9, 1981. C.L. testified that on November 1, 1981, she agreed to give the defendant a ride in her car after he told her his friend had his car keys and he needed a ride to the friend's home to get them. After directing C.L. to a secluded area, the defendant told her to stop the vehicle so he could use the bathroom. When the defendant returned to the car, he demanded that C.L. exit the vehicle. When she refused, the defendant grabbed her by the hair and began hitting her. After forcing C.L. out of her car, the defendant raped her.

L.H. testified that in November of 1981, she agreed to give the defendant a ride in her car after he told her his car had been towed away. After directing L.H. to a *755 secluded area, the defendant told her to stop the vehicle so he could use the bathroom. When the defendant returned to the car, he told L.H. that it was "[t]ime for us to have sex." When L.H. refused to have sex with the defendant, he started strangling her and hitting her. When L.H. begged the defendant to release her, he told her to stop begging or he would kill her. The defendant then raped L.H. in her car.

The defendant also testified at trial. He conceded he had previously been convicted of simple escape, forcible rape, second degree battery, and sexual battery. However, he denied attempting to kill and rape the victim in connection with the instant offenses. The defendant claimed he and the victim had been staying together at the Sportsman Inn in Bogalusa and had been working together. He claimed on the day of the incident, he fell asleep after he and the victim had been drinking in his car. He claimed he woke up when the victim got out of his car and slammed the door. The defendant stated the victim was intoxicated and was upset because he was unable to have sex with her due to his erectile dysfunction, a condition from which he claimed he had suffered since 1975. The defendant explained the pants he was wearing were too big for him and would fall down if he got out of the car, so he was following the victim with his car.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
984 So. 2d 751, 2008 WL 399309, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-buckenberger-lactapp-2008.