State v. Clark

687 So. 2d 470, 1996 WL 709472
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided December 11, 1996·No. CR95-1354·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

687 So.2d 470 (1996)

STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Eliza CLARK, Defendant-Appellant.

No. CR95-1354.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 11, 1996.

*471 Michael Harson, Lafayette, Keith A. Stutes, Asst. Dist. Atty., for the State.

G. Paul Marx, Lafayette, for Eliza Clark.

Before KNOLL, WOODARD and DECUIR, JJ.

KNOLL, Judge.

This criminal appeal addresses the State's use of impeachment evidence to rebut defendant's testimony on his own behalf that he was not the person involved in the charged *472 offense and that he never possessed a sawed-off shotgun, the weapon used in the present offense. At issue is the propriety of the State's use of a video tape of defendant, Eliza Clark, using a sawed-off shotgun in an armed robbery which occurred prior to the present offense.

The State charged the defendant, Eliza Clark, by bill of information with one count of armed robbery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:64. The defendant filed a written plea of not guilty in which he waived formal arraignment. After a two-day trial, a twelve member jury found the defendant guilty as charged. Subsequently, the sentencing court sentenced the defendant to 15 years at hard labor. Approximately two years later, the trial court granted the defendant, who was then unrepresented, an out-of-time appeal. After the out-of-time appeal was granted, we ordered the district court to hold a hearing at which the defendant was advised of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation. Although defendant stated he did not want to be represented by counsel, the trial court referred defendant to the Indigent Defender's Office for the appointment of counsel. Defendant now appeals his conviction, alleging one assignment of error.

FACTS

On March 2, 1992, the defendant, together with several other individuals, entered a Cracker Barrel store in Lafayette. The defendant, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, ordered the store clerk to open the cash register and put the money in a paper bag. After giving defendant the money, as the clerk escaped through the store door, and defendant fled. Shortly thereafter, the police apprehended the defendant. After defendant's arrest, the store clerk from the Cracker Barrel identified the defendant as the armed robber.

REBUTTAL IMPEACHMENT EVIDENCE

The defendant contends that the trial court erred in allowing the State to impeach his trial testimony through the introduction of a video tape and testimony of a robbery victim in an unrelated crime. Before addressing defendant's argument, we will detail the facts which framed the State's introduction of the video tape.

During its case-in-chief the State questioned the store clerk, Joe Mata, about the weapon used to rob the Cracker Barrel, and introduced State's Exhibit 3, a sawed-off shotgun he identified as being very similar to the weapon used the night of the robbery.

At the close of the State's case-in-chief, defendant chose to testify in his own defense. During direct examination of defendant, the following colloquy occurred between defense counsel and the defendant:

Q: Mr. Clark, do you own any weapons?
A: No, I don't.
Q: You saw this weapon that was exhibited here?
A: No, I didn't.
Q: Did you see it in court?
A: I seen it in court.
Q: Did you ever see that weapon before?
A: No, I didn't.
Q: Are you positive?
A: I'm positive.
Q: You don't know who owns it?
A: No, I don't.
Q: Did you use it that night?
A: I couldn't use it. I didn't have it. No, I didn't.
Q: Did you ever lay hands on that weapon?
A: No, I didn't.

On cross-examination, the State asked the defendant, "... is it your testimony today that you've never had this gun in your possession at any time, either on March 2nd, 1992 or any time before or after that?" Defendant responded, "I never had that gun." The defendant further testified that he was not the person who committed the robbery.

After the conclusion of the defendant's presentation of evidence, the State introduced rebuttal impeachment testimony. In particular, the State introduced a video surveillance tape of an armed robbery which took place on February 16, 1992, at a Complete Stop store in Lafayette, approximately two (2) weeks before the armed robbery in *473 question. The State questioned Richard Perez, the store clerk at the time of the February 16th robbery, about the identification of the person who robbed the store and the type of weapon used in the robbery. Perez stated that the robber was armed with a small sawed-off shotgun, and identified State's Exhibit 3 as being identical to the weapon used in the February 16th robbery. The State then asked Perez if the individual who held the gun in the February 16th robbery was in the courtroom. Perez, pointing to the defendant, replied, "Right over there in the green shirt." Perez further testified that a surveillance video was made of the February 16th robbery. Perez stated that he viewed the video and that it accurately portrayed the events that occurred. When the State moved for the introduction of the tape into evidence for the jury to see, defense counsel objected, stating:

I've reviewed the tape as well, and I would object to the introduction of this tape for the following nonexclusive reasons: Namely, number 1, that whatever is viewed in that film may represent a crime allegedly being occurred, but it hasn't been proved to the satisfaction and no crime has been charged against an individual in which this particular individual was either found guilty or charged or pled guilty to it. Secondly, viewing this film for whatever purpose would prejudice the jury and inflame the jury against this accused. And, of course, furthermore, Your Honor, the objects in there, he may resemble the individual, but that doesn't prove without a doubt that the weapon in the film is the same as the weapon which is here nor does it show the individual in the film is the same individual. There are no identification features. And that's the basis for objecting to the introduction of this viewing by the jury.

In response to defense counsel's argument, the State elaborated as follows:

[T]he limited purposes in this case are that the defendant testified that he had never possessed or even seen, for that matter, that gun any time prior to or after March 2nd, 1992. And the evidence is simply being introduced solely for the effect of impeaching his testimony on the question of his knowledge of the gun, as well as it may go to the identification issue that may be involved in this case.

After carefully considering the defense objection and the State's response, the trial court admitted the video into evidence, stating:

Well, the court has to look at the probative value versus the prejudicial effect that it may have on the jury in considering whether or not to allow this impeachment evidence. Key issues in the case are identification of the defendant and the defendant's defense that he had never seen the weapon. So that makes the identity of the weapon ...

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State v. Clark, 687 So. 2d 470, 1996 WL 709472 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

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