State v. Conner

996 So. 2d 564, 2008 WL 4489773
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 1, 2008
Docket2008-KA-0473, 2008-K-0345
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 996 So. 2d 564 (State v. Conner) 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. Conner, 996 So. 2d 564, 2008 WL 4489773 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

996 So.2d 564 (2008)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Tyrone CONNER.

Nos. 2008-KA-0473, 2008-K-0345.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

October 1, 2008.

*565 Keva Landrum-Johnson, District Attorney, David S. Pipes, Jr., Assistant District Attorney, New Orleans, LA, for Appellee, State of Louisiana.

John Harvey Craft, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Tyrone Conner.

(Court composed of Judge MAX N. TOBIAS, JR., Judge EDWIN A. LOMBARD, Judge PAUL A. BONIN).

MAX N. TOBIAS, JR., Judge.

On 10 March 2004, the state charged Tyrone Conner ("Conner") in a seven count bill of information with one count of carjacking (count 1), a violation of La. R.S. 14:64.2; two counts of purse snatching (counts 2 and 3), violations of La. R.S. 14:65.1; and four counts of burglary (counts 4, 5, 6, and 7), violations of La. R.S. 14:62. At his arraignment on 3 March 2004, Conner pled not guilty to all counts.

On 16 December 2005, the trial court began a hearing on the defense's motions to suppress and for preliminary hearing, but on 21 March 2005, the defense waived motions and the state amended the count of carjacking (count 1) to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a violation of La. R.S. 14:68.4. Thereafter, defense counsel waived the remaining outstanding motions a second time, and the matter was set for trial.

On 12 December 2006, Conner was tried on counts 5 and 7. The jury found him not guilty as to count 5 and guilty of attempted burglary as to count 7. On 29 November 2007, the trial court sentenced Conner to one year in the Department of Corrections. On 30 November 2007, the state multiple billed Conner, charging him as a quadruple offender.

On 13 December 2007, the trial court found Conner to be a triple-offender, vacated his original sentence and re-sentenced him to ten years at hard labor in the Department of Corrections. Conner then proceeded to a bench trial on the remaining counts (counts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6) of the indictment. The defendant moved for mistrial, which was granted.

On 7 January 2008, Conner moved for an appeal.

On 17 January 17, 2008, the state filed a new multiple bill, again alleging that Conner was a quadruple offender. It appears *566 from the record on appeal that the trial court interpreted the multiple bill as a motion to reconsider the defendant's habitual offender status and denied the "motion" on 1 February 2008.

On 11 February 2008, the state dismissed count 6 of the indictment.[1]

On 25 March 2008, the state filed a writ application with this court under docket number 2008-K-0345, challenging Conner's status as a triple offender. In an order issued 25 April 2008, this court consolidated the writ application with this appeal.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

New Orleans Police Department Sergeant Justin Crespo ("Crespo") investigated an auto burglary that occurred on 6 November 2003 at the intersection of Airline Drive[2] and Monroe Street in New Orleans. Based on interviews with Ms. Shawn Thomas, the owner of the vehicle, and a Ms. Aucoin (Ms. Thomas' niece and passenger in the vehicle at the time of the incident), Crespo developed Conner as a suspect in the crime. Crespo compiled a photographic lineup, including a picture of the accused and presented it on 18 November 2003 to Ms. Thomas and her niece, both of whom identified Conner as the person who smashed the vehicle's window. Subsequent thereto, Crespo obtained an arrest warrant for Conner.

Ms. Thomas, her niece, and Ms. Thomas' baby (all passengers in her vehicle) stopped at the red light at the intersection of Airline Drive and Monroe Street. Ms. Thomas' niece screamed, and as Ms. Thomas turned to look, she saw the defendant smash the window of her vehicle and stick his head into the car. Ms. Thomas accelerated away from the scene and later determined that the "baby bag," that had been on the seat next to her, was missing. Several days after the incident, Ms. Thomas went to the police station to view a photographic lineup. She identified Conner as the perpetrator from the photo lineup.

New Orleans Police Department Officer Kristie Harper ("Harper") investigated an auto burglary that occurred on 23 December 2003 at approximately 4:40 p.m. Harper interviewed Ms. Tiffany Ryan, the owner of the vehicle, and developed Conner as a suspect in that burglary. Ms. Ryan was sitting in her car stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of South Claiborne Avenue and Earhart Boulevard in New Orleans. A man broke the passenger side front window and grabbed Ms. Ryan's purse as it sat on the seat next to her. Ms. Ryan managed to hold onto her purse as her assailant attempted to enter her vehicle and take the purse from her. When the traffic ahead of her moved, she accelerated away from the intersection. Ms. Ryan identified Conner as the perpetrator from a photo lineup compiled by Harper. Based on the identification, Harper obtained a warrant for the defendant's arrest. Incident to the investigation of this incident, Harper seized a hat that fell off the suspect into Ms. Ryan's vehicle. The officer identified the hat in court.

ERRORS PATENT

A review for errors patent on the face of the record reveals none.

DEFENDANT'S ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER 1

In his first assignment of error, Conner argues that because the appellate record *567 does not indicate which of the counts of the bill of information he was tried and convicted of, he has been denied his right to appeal the sufficiency of the evidence.

The minute entry and trial transcript in the record do not reflect which count (5 or 7) was presented to the jury as "count one" and which was presented as "count two". However, the state's supplementation of the record with the transcript of the reading of the bill of information to the jury at the start of trial clarifies the issue and renders this assignment moot. The transcript indicates that the first count presented to the jury was the simple burglary of Ms. Ryan's vehicle, which is listed as count 5 of the bill of information, and that the second count presented was the simple burglary of Ms. Thomas' vehicle indicated as count 7 of the bill. Conner was acquitted of count 5, the simple burglary of Ms. Ryan's vehicle, and was found guilty of the lesser included offense of attempted simple burglary of Ms. Thomas' vehicle.

This court set out the standard for reviewing convictions for sufficiency of the evidence in State v. Ragas, 98-0011 (La. App. 4 Cir. 7/28/99), 744 So.2d 99, as follows:

In evaluating whether evidence is constitutionally sufficient to support a conviction, an appellate court must determine whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Green, 588 So.2d 757 (La.App. 4 Cir.1991). However, the reviewing court may not disregard this duty simply because the record contains evidence that tends to support each fact necessary to constitute the crime. State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305 (La.1988). The reviewing court must consider the record as a whole since that is what a rational trier of fact would do. If rational triers of fact could disagree as to the interpretation of the evidence, the rational trier's view of all the evidence most favorable to the prosecution must be adopted.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
996 So. 2d 564, 2008 WL 4489773, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-conner-lactapp-2008.