State v. Campbell

657 So. 2d 152, 1995 WL 254785
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided May 3, 1995·No. 94-1268·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

657 So.2d 152 (1995)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Billy CAMPBELL and Wilson Campbell, Defendants-Appellants.

No. 94-1268.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

May 3, 1995.

Allen Bruce Rozas, Mamou, for State of Louisiana.

Christopher Brent Coreil, Ville Platte, for Wilson Campbell and Billy Campbell.

John Larry Vidrine, Ville Platte, for Billy Campbell.

Before DOUCET, C.J., and YELVERTON and WOODARD, JJ.

DOUCET, Chief Judge.

By a Bill of Indictment filed February 16, 1994, Billy Campbell was charged with one count and Wilson Campbell with two counts of jury tampering, violations of La.R.S. 14:129. The case was tried to a jury over two days, July 25 and 26, 1994. The jury found both defendants guilty of attempted jury tampering. This appeal followed the denial by the trial court of motions for a new trial and for arrest of judgment filed by both defendants.

FACTS

This case arose from another proceeding, State v. Terry Campbell, CR94-1140, a second-degree murder prosecution. Defendant Billy Campbell is Terry Campbell's brother; defendant Wilson Campbell is their uncle.

On December 6, 1993, the murder trial of Terry Campbell began. Before jury selection was completed, the trial was suspended due to the death of the mother of one of the defense attorneys. On January 10, 1994, jury selection resumed. After court proceedings on January 11, the defendants went to Campbell's Landing, a community of camps supervised by their employee, Ray Ortego. Apparently, they looked for him at his bait shop first, then Billy Campbell checked nearby at Ortego's daughter's house and found him there. Wilson Campbell then asked Ortego to call Roy Chamberlain, one of the jurors, to ask for help with the jury. Ortego called and left a message at Chamberlain's house; when Chamberlain returned the call, Ortego relayed Campbell's request. Chamberlain hung up, called his attorney, and then called the presiding judge.

The trial judge conducted a hearing the next morning, and, after testimony from *153 Chamberlain and Ortego, declared a mistrial. Terry Campbell was subsequently re-tried, found guilty, and sentenced to mandatory life.

After the mistrial was declared, it was learned that Wilson Campbell had called Butch Marcantel, a cousin of another juror, Shane Marcantel. Like Chamberlain, Marcantel declined to help the Campbells, and contacted the district attorney about the call.

A grand jury indicted both men for jury tampering, a violation of La.R.S. 14:129. After a two-day trial, the jury found the defendants guilty on all counts of attempted jury tampering. The trial judge sentenced each man to two (2) years with the Department of Corrections, plus costs and fines. Both defendants now appeal raising nine assignments of error. As we find sufficient error in assignment of error number eight to mandate reversal of both convictions, we will not address any other issues.

LAW AND DISCUSSION

By this assignment, both defendants allege the trial court erred in denying their motions for arrest of judgment. More to the point, they argue the crime for which they were convicted, "attempted jury tampering," does not exist. Both defendants rely upon State v. Eames, 365 So.2d 1361, 1363 (La.1978), which states:

If the definition of another crime includes attempt to do something, the attempt statute, R.S. 14:27, cannot be employed for then a defendant would be charged with an attempt to attempt to do an illegal act.

La.Code Crim.P. art. 859(5) sets forth the grounds for an arrest of judgment:

The court shall arrest the judgment only on one or more of the following grounds:
The verdict is not responsive to the indictment, or is otherwise so defective that it will not form the basis of a valid judgment.

Thus, the defendants argue the verdict was not responsive to the indictment, as the crime of "attempted jury tampering" does not exist.

We note the defendants failed to object to the jury charge when it was given. La.Code Crim.P. art. 801 states at paragraph 2:
A party may not assign as error the giving or failure to give a jury charge or any portion thereof unless an objection thereto is made before the jury retires or within such time as the court may reasonably cure the alleged error. The nature of the objection and grounds therefor shall be stated at the time of objection. The court shall give the party an opportunity to make the objection out of the presence of the jury.

La.Code Crim.P. art. 841(A) states:

An irregularity or error cannot be availed of after verdict unless it was objected to at the time of occurrence. A bill of exceptions to rulings or orders is unnecessary. It is sufficient that a party, at the time the ruling or order of the court is made or sought, makes known to the court the action which he desires the court to take, or of his objections to the action of the court, and the grounds therefor.

The caselaw consistently supports these requirements. See, e.g., State v. Dobson, 578 So.2d 533 (La.App. 4 Cir.), writ denied, 588 So.2d 1110 (La.1991), overruled, 625 So.2d 217 (La.App. 4 Cir.), reinstated, 625 So.2d 220 (La.App. 4 Cir.1993). As the state observes in its brief, articles 801 and 841 were written to prevent defendants from "gambling" on the jury's verdict, then raising error if the verdict is adverse.

However, the foregoing does not save the state's case against the defendants. Failure to make a contemporaneous objection to a nonresponsive verdict does not preclude objection in a motion for arrest of judgment. State v. Foret, 479 So.2d 526 (La.App. 1 Cir.1985).

A search for caselaw dealing with jury tampering has unearthed no information on this statute. However, as the defense points out, an "attempt to attempt" a crime is not a punishable offense under Eames:

An attempt is an inchoate offense. The crime of attempt is designed to punish certain activity which was not completed— incipient criminal activity. It depends for its existence on a "specific intent to commit a crime." R.S. 14:27. If the definition of another crime includes the attempt to do *154 something, the attempt statute, R.S. 14:27, cannot be employed, for then a defendant would be charged with an attempt to attempt to do an illegal act. The reporter's comment to R.S. 14:27 makes this clear:
`This section is in accord with the general common law concept of attempt. An attempt to commit any crime is an offense, whether the offense attempted be a felony or merely a misdemeanor. Clark and Marshall, Law of Crimes (4th ed. 1940) 153, s 113. Since there can be no such thing as an attempt to commit an attempt, there can be no attempt to commit either an aggravated assault or a simple assault. Those offenses are themselves in the nature of attempts to commit a battery. See Clark and Marshall, supra, 156, s 114(d).'

See also 28 La.L.Rev. 543, 544 (1968), footnote 115:

"There is no such thing as attempted conspiracy. The courts refuse to apply the principle of the inchoate crime of attempt to other inchoate crimes. Note, 9 La.L.Rev. 413 (1949)."
9 La.L.Rev. 413 was a case note on State ex rel. Clarence Duhon v. General Manager, Louisiana State Penitentiary, No. 39,091, July 20, 1948, in which this court approved without discussion the release on a writ of habeas corpus of one who had been convicted of attemp

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