State v. Busby

653 So. 2d 140, 1995 WL 144806
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 5, 1995
DocketCR94-1354
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 653 So. 2d 140 (State v. Busby) 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. Busby, 653 So. 2d 140, 1995 WL 144806 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

653 So.2d 140 (1995)

STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Richard L. BUSBY, Defendant-Appellant.

No. CR94-1354.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

April 5, 1995.

*142 Asa Allen Skinner, Leesville, for State.

James Earl Calhoun, Natchitoches, John K. (Mike) Anderson, Leesville, for Richard Busby.

Before THIBODEAUX, DECUIR, and AMY, JJ.

THIBODEAUX, Judge.

The defendant, Richard L. Busby, appeals a jury verdict of guilty of two counts of molestation of a juvenile in violation of La. R.S. 14:81.2. He was sentenced to consecutive 10 and 5 year terms on each count and a fine of $5,000.00 on the second count.

We affirm.

FACTS

On October 30, 1993, the Vernon Parish Sheriff's Office was notified by the Office of Human Development of a report of sexual abuse on three small children. The children were Donald Samuel Waltman, seven years old, Joanie Lynn Waltman, six years old, and Elizabeth Nicole Waltman, four years old. They are the children of twenty-four year old Bonnie Lou Waltman Sykes of Leesville. The children were alleged to have been sexually and physically abused by Ms. Sykes' boyfriend, Richard Busby, eighteen years old. Dr. Thomas Griffin of DeRidder performed a physical examination of the three children and concluded that all three children had been physically and sexually abused. The children were placed in foster care.

Statements from the children indicated Richard Busby sexually abused them by making Donald perform oral sex on him, and by fondling the vaginal areas of Joanie and Elizabeth.

I. Failure To Continue The Trial Or Order A Mistrial

In these assignments of error, defendant contends the trial court erroneously failed to continue the trial or order a mistrial based on the state's failure to disclose exculpatory material and the trial judge's failure to inspect evidence that may have been exculpatory.

Brian McGuire, an investigator for the Vernon Parish Office of Community Services, testified that he had videotaped the interviews of the minor victims. He did not send the tapes to the district attorney's office nor did anyone from that office question him about tapes. His summary of the interviews on OCS Form 44 indicates that the interviews were taped. The state did not have these tapes in its possession and did not intend to use them during the trial.

The defense moved for a continuance to prepare a defense which might involve the use of the tapes and asked for a mistrial. His argument was that the state knew of the tapes' existence; therefore, it should have made the tapes available to him for review and proffer to the judge to determine if they were exculpatory.

The OCS Form 44 was admitted into evidence and the transcript of the interviews was reviewed by the trial judge before trial began. The judge denied the continuance and request for a mistrial on the basis that the interviews revealed no information exculpatory to the defendant.

The trial judge was correct.

*143 Article 718 of the Code of Criminal Procedure requires the state to relinquish to a defendant for examination or copying any tangible materials that are in its possession or control and which are favorable or intended for use at trial.

The videotapes were within the control and custody of the Office of Community Services and, by extension, the district attorney's office had control, custody, and possession of them. However, the inquiry does not end there. More is required for the prosecution to have to turn over the tapes. Since the state never intended to use the tapes as evidence, the defendant couches his argument on subsection (1) of Article 718, i.e., the videotapes were favorable to him and relevant and material to his guilt or punishment.

Our circuit discussed this issue in State v. Brossette, 634 So.2d 1309, 1317 (La.App. 3rd Cir.1994):

The defense is entitled, upon request, to evidence which is favorable to the accused, where the evidence is material to guilt. Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). The rule has been expanded to include evidence which impeaches the testimony of a witness, where the reliability or credibility of the witness may be determinative of guilt or innocence. Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972); State v. Cobb, 419 So.2d 1237 (La.1982). The court may conduct an in camera inspection to determine the nature of the requested material. La.C.Cr.P. art. 718; State v. Cobb, supra at 1241. In State v. Thorne, 526 So.2d 1227 (La.App. 3rd Cir.), writ denied, 532 So.2d 174 (La.1988), we held that the requirements of Brady were satisfied when the trial judge conducted an in camera inspection and pointed out to the defense counsel any exculpatory information.

The trial judge's denial of an in camera inspection of the videotapes was based on his having previously read the transcript of the interviews. His decision that there was no exculpatory information contained in the videotapes was not based solely on the OCS Form 44.

The supreme court in State v. Ray, 423 So.2d 1116, 1119 (La.1982) explained:

However, the failure of the state to comply with the discovery procedure will not automatically command reversal. Rather, we must review the record for a determination of whether any prejudice which may have resulted from the non-compliance caused the trier of fact to reach the wrong conclusion. State v. Mitchell, 412 So.2d 1042 (La.1982); State v. Davis, 399 So.2d 1168 (La.1981); State v. Strickland, supra [, 398 So.2d 1062 (La.1981)]; State v. Statum, 390 So.2d 886 (La.1980), cert. denied, 450 U.S. 969 [, 101 S.Ct. 1489, 67 L.Ed.2d 619] [(1981)].

Defense counsel viewed the videotapes and has yet to explain how the outcome of the trial would have been different had a continuance been granted to defense. The only "exculpatory" evidence he refers to in his brief is that, when McGuire attempted to interview the youngest child, Elizabeth Nicole Waltman, she did not respond. This fact is not exculpatory. The two counts for which defendant was convicted involved the two other children. The lack of testimony from the four-year-old is hardly relevant to the issue of defendant's guilt regarding the other two children. Additionally, that Elizabeth Nicole Waltman did not respond in the interview was expressed in the OCS Form 44 which defense counsel had. Thus, he was aware before he saw the videotapes that Elizabeth Nicole Waltman had been non-responsive in the interview. Defendant provides no other evidence of exculpatory information contained in the tapes. The defense attorney was permitted to review the videotapes in question over the lunch break. Thus, there was no need for anin camera inspection of the videotapes by the trial judge when defense counsel himself reviewed the tapes.

These assignments are without merit.

II. Hearsay Testimony

Here, the defendant argues the trial court erred in allowing two (2) witnesses, Mr. Brian McGuire and Dr. Thomas E. Griffin, III, to give hearsay testimony. The hearsay complained of related to statements made by the alleged victim, "Elizabeth Nicole Waltman" *144 in count 3, which was later dismissed on the state's motion.

The defense counsel made numerous objections during Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
653 So. 2d 140, 1995 WL 144806, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-busby-lactapp-1995.