State v. Clark

558 So. 2d 665, 1990 WL 15778
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 21, 1990
DocketKA 89 0362
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 558 So. 2d 665 (State v. Clark) 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. Clark, 558 So. 2d 665, 1990 WL 15778 (La. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

558 So.2d 665 (1990)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Louis L. CLARK.

No. KA 89 0362.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

February 21, 1990.

*667 Bryan Bush, Dist. Atty. by Don Wall, Asst. Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge, for plaintiff/appellee.

Johnny Wellons, Baton Rouge, for defendant/appellant.

Before CARTER, SAVOIE AND ALFORD, JJ.

ALFORD, Judge.

Louis L. Clark was indicted by the East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury for second-degree murder, a violation of La.R.S. 14:30.1. He was tried by a jury, which convicted him as charged. The trial court imposed the mandatory penalty of life imprisonment at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. Defendant appealed, urging nine assignments of error.

Defendant was charged with the murder of Alex Williams. The victim had been romantically involved with Clemenstine Clark, defendant's wife, for several years. Defendant shot the victim with a rifle after he discovered his wife and the victim together in the 69th Street park, where Clemenstine Clark worked. The victim was seated in his vehicle, a white van, at the time he was shot. In a statement taken shortly after the incident, defendant claimed that he shot the victim because he saw the victim reach under the seat of the van and he feared the victim planned to assault him. At trial, defendant testified that he shot the victim because the victim tried to run over him with the van.

DENIAL OF NEW TRIAL

By his first four assignments of error, defendant submits that the trial court erred by denying his motion for a new trial. In assignment of error number one, defendant contends the court's ruling prohibiting him from introducing evidence of the victim's violent character was erroneous and, therefore, he was entitled to a new trial. In assignments of error two and three, defendant argues that the court erred by denying his motion for new trial based upon newly discovered evidence. In assignment of error number four, defendant complains of the trial court's ruling denying his motion for new trial in which he claimed a state witness gave perjured testimony.

EVIDENCE OF VICTIM'S VIOLENT PROPENSITY

During the trial, defendant sought to introduce evidence of the victim's reputation for violence. Out of the presence of the jury, defendant took the stand and testified that, after he saw the victim with his wife and "had a few words" with him, the victim told him to "wait a damn minute" and reached under the seat of the vehicle. Defendant claimed he ran to his wife's car (to which she had apparently fled at the beginning of the encounter), grabbed the keys to unlock the trunk, and removed his gun. As he retrieved the rifle, he saw the van veer toward him and heard the victim "hollering." Then he shot the victim. On cross-examination, defendant admitted that the van had veered from him as it neared him.

After the defendant's testimony, the court ruled that defendant had not established that the victim made an overt act toward defendant and, therefore, he had not laid a sufficient foundation to bring forth evidence of the victim's character. Defendant now claims that an overt act was established through his testimony that the victim chased him through the park; and the court erred by ruling that he could *668 not introduce evidence of the victim's violent character.

La.R.S. 15:482 provides for the introduction of evidence of the character of the victim of an offense in certain limited situations. "In the absence of evidence of hostile demonstration or of overt act on the part of the person slain or injured, evidence of his dangerous character or of his threats against [the] accused is not admissible." Former La.R.S. 15:482 [repealed and reenacted in La.C.E. art. 404(A)(2) ]. This rule has been interpreted as requiring a foundation that the victim made a hostile demonstration or an overt act against the accused at the time of the incident, of such character as to create in the mind of a reasonable person the belief that he is in immediate danger of losing his life or suffering great bodily harm. State v. Williams, 410 So.2d 217 (La.1982); State v. Burton, 464 So.2d 421 (La.App. 1st Cir.), writ denied, 468 So.2d 570 (La.1985).

Herein, the only evidence that the victim had made an overt act against defendant at the time of the shooting was the testimony of defendant at trial. Defendant's wife, Clemenstine, testified that she saw the van coming toward her car; however, her testimony did not reflect she perceived this action as an overt act, and she claimed that she did not actually see the conflict. Defendant's trial testimony was contradicted by at least two state witnesses, Ida Mae Moore and Dontay Vessell, both of whom observed the incident and testified that defendant was armed when he emerged from his car when he first drove into the park. Moreover, in a statement taped by investigating officers shortly after the incident, defendant made no mention of the victim's attempt to run over him with the van. Thus, we find no error in the court's determination that defendant's testimony establishing an overt act at the time of the incident was not credible; and, therefore, we find no error in the court's ruling denying defendant's motion for a new trial on this ground. Accordingly, this assignment of error has no merit.

NEWLY DISCOVERED EVIDENCE

In assignment of error number two, defendant submits that the trial court erred by denying his motion for a new trial in which he claimed that he discovered after the trial that one of the state's witnesses, Dontay Vessell, was severely mentally retarded and had difficulty comprehending events. In assignment of error number three, defendant submits the trial court erred by denying his motion for a new trial based upon his discovery after the trial that Dontay Vessell was under the influence of drugs on the day of the incident. In assignment of error number four, defendant claims the trial court erred by denying his motion for a new trial after he established that Ida Mae Moore, one of the state's witnesses, lied during her trial testimony.

Dontay Vessell, who was fifteen years of age of the time of trial, testified that he was in the park and observed the altercation. His testimony was essentially corroborated by the testimony of Ida Mae Moore.

At the hearing on defendant's motion for a new trial, he presented the testimony of Leona Deloach, an employee of the East Baton Rouge School Board, who related the results of various academic comprehension tests which Dontay Vessell had taken at Baker Middle School. Ms. Deloach testified that he "was deemed with an exceptionality [sic] of educationally handicapped being resource [sic] in three major courses, math, language arts, and reading." She related that he attended special classes in those areas, but attended regular science, social studies, physical education, and elective classes. Ms. Deloach further related that, although Dontay could not read well, tests revealed that his vision was normal; and he could observe incidents and relate what he saw. Ms. Deloach specifically testified that Dontay Vessell is not severely mentally retarded.

Defendant also presented the testimony of Dontay Vessell's mother, Gail Vessell. Ms. Vessell testified that her son did not have difficulty comprehending things that he saw and events that were related to him.

*669 Finally, defendant called Dontay Vessell. Defendant asked him if he knew who was the President of the United States or the Governor of the State of Louisiana, and Dontay was unable to answer.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
558 So. 2d 665, 1990 WL 15778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-clark-lactapp-1990.