State v. Christy

593 So. 2d 1322, 1991 WL 310782
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 27, 1991
DocketKA 90 1846
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 593 So. 2d 1322 (State v. Christy) 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. Christy, 593 So. 2d 1322, 1991 WL 310782 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

593 So.2d 1322 (1991)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Darryl CHRISTY.

No. KA 90 1846.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 27, 1991.

*1323 Bryan Bush, Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge by Susan Kreston, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff/appellee.

Office of the Public Defender, Baton Rouge, for defendant/appellant.

Before COVINGTON, C.J., and SAVOIE and LeBLANC, JJ.

LeBLANC, Judge.

The defendant, Darryl Christy, was charged in a single bill of information with *1324 six counts of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling, in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:62.2. He pled not guilty and elected trial by jury. At the trial, at the close of State's case, the prosecutor dismissed count five because the victim could not be located. Thereafter, the defendant was found guilty as charged of the remaining five counts. He received five consecutive sentences of five years at hard labor; each sentence included one year without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The defendant was given credit for time served. On appeal, the defendant alleges twelve assignments of error, as follows:

1. The trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion to quash.

2. The trial court erred in overruling an objection made by the defense.

3. The trial court erred in overruling an objection made by the defense.

4. The trial court erred in overruling an objection made by the defense.

5. The trial court erred in overruling an objection made by the defense.

6. The trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion for a mistrial.

7. The trial court erred in allowing State Exhibit 6 to be admitted into evidence over the defendant's objection.

8. The trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion for a mistrial.

9. The trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion for a mistrial.

10. The trial court erred in overruling a defense objection to comments made by the prosecutor during rebuttal closing argument.

11. The trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion for post verdict judgment of acquittal.

12. The trial court erred in imposing excessive sentences and in failing to comply with the sentencing guidelines of La.C.Cr.P. art. 894.1.

Assignments of error numbers two and twelve were not briefed on appeal and, therefore, are considered abandoned. Uniform Rules—Courts of Appeal, Rule 2-12.4.

At the trial, the State proved that the defendant committed four separate burglaries of inhabited dwellings (counts one through four) located on El Scott Avenue in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. These four offenses were committed between January 13 and September 5, 1989. The victim of each burglary testified as to the items missing and the fact that the defendant had not been authorized to enter. The particular sheriff's deputy who investigated each burglary also testified about the recovery of fingerprints. Finally, the State's fingerprint expert identified the defendant's fingerprints from the latent prints recovered at the scene of each burglary. The facts relating to the charge in count six will be more fully discussed herein under Assignment of Error No. 11.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NOS. ONE, NINE, AND TEN:

In assignment of error number one, the defendant contends the trial court erred in denying his motion to quash for misjoinder, or, alternatively, motion to sever offenses. In assignment of error number nine, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a mistrial, made during the prosecutor's rebuttal closing argument. In assignment of error number ten, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in overruling an objection to the prosecutor's rebuttal closing argument. All of these assignments of error relate to the trial court's failure to quash the bill of information or sever the offenses.

La.C.Cr.P. art. 493 provides:

Two or more offenses may be charged in the same indictment or information in a separate count for each offense if the offenses charged, whether felonies or misdemeanors, are of the same or similar character or are based on the same act or transaction or on two or more acts or transactions connected together or constituting *1325 parts of a common scheme or plan; provided that the offenses joined must be triable by the same mode of trial.

La.C.Cr.P. art. 495.1 provides:

If it appears that a defendant or the state is prejudiced by a joinder of offenses in an indictment or bill of information or by such joinder for trial together, the court may order separate trials, grant a severance of offenses, or provide whatever other relief justice requires.

A motion for severance is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court, and its ruling should not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of an abuse of discretion. State v. Johnson, 464 So.2d 447, 449 (La. App. 1st Cir.), writ denied, 468 So.2d 1202 (La.1985). In ruling on a motion for severance, factors which the trial court should consider in determining whether or not prejudice may result from joinder include the following: whether the jury would be confused by the various counts; whether the jury would be able to segregate the various charges and the evidence; whether the defendant could be confounded in presenting his various defenses; whether the crimes charged would be used by the jury to infer a criminal disposition; and finally, whether, especially considering the nature of the charges, the charging of several crimes would make the jury hostile. State v. Washington, 386 So.2d 1368, 1371 (La.1980).

The Louisiana Supreme Court has held that there is no prejudicial effect from the joinder of two or more offenses when the evidence of each offense is relatively simple and distinct, although such evidence might not have been admissible in separate trials of the offenses because, with a proper charge, the jury can easily keep the evidence of each offense separate in its deliberations. State v. Celestine, 452 So.2d 676, 680 (La.1984). Reviewing the trial court's charge to the jury, there can be no doubt that the jury was aware that the defendant was charged with five separate offenses, each requiring a separate verdict. Of course, the jury was given five separate lists of responsive verdicts (one for each count) and five separate verdict forms (one for each count).

The facts of these offenses were relatively simple and were similar. All five burglaries involved inhabited dwellings on El Scott Avenue. For each offense, the State introduced the testimony of the particular sheriff's deputy who investigated that offense and recovered fingerprints therefrom. In counts one through four, the State produced the testimony of each victim, who explained what was taken from his or her residence and also stated that the defendant had not been authorized to enter. In count six, although the State did not present the testimony of the victim, it did present the testimony of the next door neighbor who actually heard the burglary taking place and called the police. Finally, the State presented the testimony of the fingerprint expert, Martha Hilburn, who identified the defendant's fingerprints in connection with each particular offense. Furthermore, we note that the defendant has not made an argument that the joinder of these offenses confounded any type of defense to a particular charge. In fact, the defendant did not testify, nor did the defense produce any evidence.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
593 So. 2d 1322, 1991 WL 310782, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-christy-lactapp-1991.