State v. Cyriak

684 So. 2d 42, 1996 WL 638201
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided November 6, 1996·No. CR96-661·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

684 So.2d 42 (1996)

STATE of Louisiana, Plaintiff—Appellee,
v.
Daniel Ray CYRIAK, Defendant—Appellant.

No. CR96-661.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

November 6, 1996.

*44 Charles F. Wagner, District Attorney, for the State.

John Michael Lawrence, New Orleans, for Daniel Ray Cyriak.

Before THIBODEAUX, COOKS, and GREMILLION, JJ.

THIBODEAUX, Judge.

The defendant, Daniel Ray Cyriak, was convicted of attempted indecent behavior with a juvenile in violation of La.R.S. 14:81 and La.R.S. 14:27 and sentenced to three years and six months at hard labor. A habitual offender bill was filed by the state. After finding the defendant to be a third felony offender, the court vacated Mr. Cyriak's sentence and imposed a seven year sentence at hard labor, to be served without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.

The defendant sought to delay the habitual offender proceedings and sought the appointment of a sanity commission. That request was denied.

The defendant now appeals his conviction and sentence, assigning twelve assignments of error. Assignments of error 3, 5, 6, and 8-11 are abandoned; 7 and 12 will be discussed together. We affirm his conviction but vacate his sentence and remand to the trial court to make a determination of whether reasonable grounds exist to doubt Mr. Cyriak's mental capacity to proceed. If none exists, the trial court may then proceed with the sentencing of the defendant.

FACTS

On September 15, 1994, Gwendolyn Chew had a party at her residence in Alexandria, Louisiana. The victim, eleven years old at the time, was spending the night at Ms. Chew's and was sleeping in a back bedroom with Ms. Chew's daughters, Allison and Chantelle. The victim testified that the defendant entered the bedroom where she was sleeping and put his hands under her covers and began fondling her buttocks. The victim testified that the defendant threatened to kill her if she screamed. Ms. Chew's daughter, Allison, corroborated the victim's story. Larry Smith testified that he discovered the defendant standing in the back bedroom between the beds in which the girls were sleeping and told him to leave. Ms. Chew heard the victim scream and ran to the bedroom. The victim informed Ms. Chew of what had happened. The defendant eventually left Ms. Chew's residence and the police were later summoned.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

By this assignment of error, defendant contends the trial court erred in denying defendant's challenge for cause as to the following prospective jurors: Patricia Tillett, Lee McKeithen, Susan Duncan, Phillip Bordelon, Jr., Peggy Bordelon and Warren Hill Iles.

Although the defendant mentions the names of several prospective jurors, the defendant discusses only the trial court's denial of his challenge for cause concerning prospective juror, Warren Hill Iles.

During the jury selection process, the defendant exercised all six peremptory challenges. Defendant requested a challenge for cause as to prospective juror Warren Iles as Mr. Iles had a son currently facing charges in the Ninth Judicial District. The court denied defendant's request to which the defendant objected.

The defendant asserts there is the possibility that Mr. Iles' concern about his son's case could cause him "partiality toward the state by trying to improve his son's situation by supporting the state's case." Defendant is not concerned that the state would "repay" a guilty verdict by helping Mr. Iles' son, but that Mr. Iles might believe that a guilty verdict would enable his son to get favorable treatment from the state.

Mr. Iles stated he would not have any tendencies to lean towards the state or the defendant and there was no reason why he *45 could not give both the defendant and the state a fair and impartial trial. Mr. Iles was not even sure if his son was being prosecuted by the District Attorney's Office. Mr. Iles felt his son's situation would not affect his judgement in the present case and he would not feel uncomfortable sitting as a juror.

Article 797 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure provides in pertinent part:

The state or the defendant may challenge a juror for cause on the ground that:
(1) The juror lacks a qualification required by law;
(2) The juror is not impartial, whatever the cause of his partiality. An opinion or impression as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant shall not of itself be sufficient ground of challenge to a juror, if he declares, and the court is satisfied, that he can render an impartial verdict according to the law and the evidence;
(3) The relationship, whether by blood, marriage, employment, friendship, or enmity between the juror and the defendant, the person injured by the offense, the district attorney, or defense counsel, is such that it is reasonable to conclude that it would influence the juror in arriving at a verdict;

* * *

No error was committed by the trial court. The theory advanced by the defendant as to Mr. Iles' impartiality is speculative at best. There was no evidence presented that the District Attorney in the present case was prosecuting Mr. Iles' son.

A trial judge is vested with wide discretion in ruling on a challenge for cause, and his ruling should not be disturbed on appeal unless a review of the entire voir dire reveals the trial judge abused his discretion. State v. Cross, 93-1189 (La.6/30/95); 658 So.2d 683. Without any concrete evidence to the contrary, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling as it did.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2

Defendant contends the trial court erred in denying his Batson challenge as to Derek Lydell Turner, a prospective juror excused by the state.

During the jury selection process the state excused Derek Turner, a black male, from serving on the jury by use of a peremptory challenge. The defendant objected, and contends the state failed to show any "race-neutral" reasons for the challenge. Defendant's motion for a Batson challenge was denied by the trial court. The court found there was not "anything that would alert the court that there was any exclusion on race and or gender, sex, or whatever. The state within its allowable challenges challenged Mr. Turner. The state does not have to give a reason, it was a peremptory challenge."

The defendant cites the rule that the state's peremptory challenges may not be based solely upon the potential juror's race. Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). La.Code Crim.P. art. 795(C). The state acknowledges this rule, but cites State v. Collier, 553 So.2d 815 (La.1989), which held that a defendant has the initial burden to establish a prima facie case of purposeful discrimination. Under Purkett v. Elem, ___ U.S. ___, 115 S.Ct. 1769, 131 L.Ed.2d 834 (1995), once the opponent of a peremptory challenge has made out a prima facie case of racial discrimination, the burden shifts to the proponent of the challenge to give a race neutral explanation. Once such an explanation is tendered, the trial court must then decide whether the opponent of the peremptory challenge has proven purposeful racial discrimination. Under Elem, the reason will be deemed race-neutral, unless the explanation has an inherently discriminatory intent. Purkett v. Elem, ___ U.S. at ___, 115 S.Ct. at 1771.

In State v. Green,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

State v. Cyriak, 684 So. 2d 42, 1996 WL 638201 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

684 So. 2d 42 (State v. Cyriak) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

State v. Cretian
238 So. 3d 473 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2018)
State v. Duhon
224 So. 3d 1 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2017)
State of Louisiana v. Robert Leroy McCoy
218 So. 3d 535 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2016)
State v. Carter
84 So. 3d 499 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 2012)
State v. Black
33 So. 3d 1025 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010)
State of Louisiana v. Richard W. Black
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2010
State v. Baylor
998 So. 2d 800 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. Robinson
975 So. 2d 853 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. Normand
896 So. 2d 98 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004)
State of Louisiana v. John Joseph Normand
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2004
State v. Jason
820 So. 2d 1286 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2002)