State v. Carter

131 So. 3d 153, 2013 La.App. 4 Cir. 0074, 2013 WL 6503315, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 2581
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided December 11, 2013·No. No. 2013-KA-0074·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

JAMES F. McKAY III, Chief Judge.

|, After a review of the record before this Court, we have ascertained two errors patent. As such, we affirm the defendant’s conviction as to Count 1, but vacate the defendant’s sentence and remand the matter for resentencing consistent with this opinion. As to Count 2, we reverse the defendant’s conviction and sentence.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On August 9, 2011, the State charged the defendant with one count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm (Count 1), a violation of La. R.S. 14:(27)64.3, and one count of discharging a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence (Count 2), La. R.S. 14: 94F.

On May 29, 2012, the jury found the defendant guilty of attempted armed robbery with a firearm and guilty of attempted illegal use of a weapon.

On May 31, 2012, the court called back two jurors for questioning concerning a line drawn through the words “during a violent crime” on the verdict sheet pertaining to Count 2. As a result of the questioning, the court determined that the correct verdict as to Count 2 was guilty of attempted illegal use of a weapon during a violent crime.

|2On August 16, 2012, the court sentenced the defendant to eighteen years without parole, probation or suspension of sentence on the conviction for attempted armed robbery with a firearm and to five years without parole, probation or suspension of sentence for attempted illegal use of a firearm during a crime of violence, ordering that the sentences be served concurrently. That same day, the defense orally noticed its intent to appeal.

STATEMENT OF FACT

New Orleans Police Department Detective Kelly Morel responded to a shooting in the 2500 block of St. Ann Street on May 27, 2011. She arrived on the scene just before 7:00 p.m. to find Officer Liz Garcia speaking with the victim, who had not been injured. The victim identified his assailant as Dominique, a fellow student at Clark High School. The victim told the officers that Dominique wore a white T-shirt, cargo pants, white Nike socks and gray Converse low-top tennis shoes. Detective Morel learned that Dominique attempted to take the victim’s cell phone and fired a gun at him. Detective Morel related the information she obtained from the victim to the lead investigator.

Detective Matthew McQueen was the lead detective on this case, which he determined involved attempted armed robbery and illegal discharge of a weapon. On May 31, 2011, Detective McQueen did a verbal follow-up investigation with the victim and learned that the defendant, Dominique Carter, played on the Clark High School football team. With this information, Detective McQueen obtained a photograph of Dominique Carter, and he compiled a six-person photo lineup from which the victim positively identified the defendant as his assailant. The victim signed and dated the back of the defendant’s photograph. After the victim viewed the six-photo lineup, Detective McQueen displayed a single picture of the |3defendant to the victim. Again, the victim identified the defendant as the assailant. Detective [157] McQueen secured an arrest warrant for the defendant for attempted armed robbery.

The victim testified that he was nineteen years old and currently a senior at Renew Accelerated High School. Prior to attending Renew, he was a student at Clark High School along with the defendant. The victim said that in May 2011 he had an Evo cell phone, which his mother gave him.

The victim related that on the afternoon of May 27, 2011, he left his home on Salce-do Street to return a shirt to Urban Outfitters. He walked on Orleans Avenue speaking on his cell phone. As he approached Broad Street, he noticed the defendant and two of the defendant’s friends walking toward him. They passed one another; however, the defendant and his friends turned around, and they began to follow the victim. When the victim crossed the street, the defendant and his friends crossed the street and continued to follow. As the victim turned onto Roche-blave Street, the defendant caught up to him and demanded the victim’s cell phone. The victim refused to surrender his phone and picked up a brick for protection. As he did so, the defendant drew a gun and pointed it in the victim’s face. The victim continued walking toward an area where he heard people talking. He walked toward the voices and realized that one of the people talking on a porch on St. Ann Street was his mother’s friend, Ms. Danky Buckner, and members of her family. The defendant asked the victim if he was going to call for help. The victim walked on. When the victim was about ten feet ahead of the defendant, the defendant shot at him and ran away. The victim ran into a nearby house. The police were called, and the victim gave them all the information concerning the | defendant’s clothing and how he knew the defendant. Subsequently, the police video recorded him identifying the defendant from the photo lineup.

Ms. Jeannetta Scott, the victim’s mother, testified that on the afternoon of May 27, 2011, the victim called and told her that a group of boys attempted to rob him of his cell phone at gunpoint. Ms. Scott confirmed that at that time, the victim had a new I-phone, which he purchased with money she gave him. Ms. Scott identified the victim’s phone at trial.

Ms. Denise Buckner lived in the 2500 block of St. Ann Street at the time of this incident. She testified that she knew the victim and that he knew her as “Danky.” Ms. Buckner, some family members and friends were sitting on her porch when she first noticed the victim at the intersection of St. Ann and Rocheblave Streets. He was walking and holding his cell phone, a shopping bag and a brick. After the victim passed her house, a young black male stood in front of her house and fired two or three shots at the victim. As the shooter ran, Ms. Buckner called the victim into her house, and Epiphany Smith called 911. The police investigated the shooting. Ms. Buckner could not identify the shooter.

The defendant testified that in 2011, he was an eleventh grade student at Joseph S. Clark Senior High School. On May 27, 2011, he, Mike and Cory went to play basketball at a playground on St. Ann Street. The victim arrived at the playground with a bag. The defendant did not see the victim with a phone. The victim played basketball with the defendant and the others for about an hour and then left the area before the others. As the defendant gathered his belongings, he noticed that his cell phone was missing. Two young boys, who had been watching the group play basketball, told the defendant that the victim took his phone. The defendant, Mike and Cory followed the victim to retrieve the defendant’s cell hphone. The [158] group caught up with the victim in front of Ms. Buckner’s house. As the defendant and Cory approached, the victim picked up a brick and started yelling for someone to call the police. The victim continued to walk away. Cory shot at the victim one time, and then the defendant and. Cory ran away.

During re-direct examination, the defendant stated that he did not tell the police that Cory was the shooter because they did not ask him that question. The defendant also related that at the time of this trial, Mike was in jail and Cory was deceased.

ERRORS PATENT

After reviewing the record, we determined that there is an error patent concerning the rendition of the verdict on Count 2 of the indictment. The error will be discussed in Assignment of Error Number 3.

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State v. Carter, 131 So. 3d 153, 2013 La.App. 4 Cir. 0074, 2013 WL 6503315, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 2581 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

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