State v. Declouet

52 So. 3d 89, 9 La.App. 5 Cir. 1046, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1372, 2010 WL 3989889
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 12, 2010
DocketNo. 09-KA-1046
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 52 So. 3d 89 (State v. Declouet) 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. Declouet, 52 So. 3d 89, 9 La.App. 5 Cir. 1046, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1372, 2010 WL 3989889 (La. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD, Judge.

|2On March 9, 2007, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging Defendant, Alfred Declouet, with four counts of armed robbery in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:64, specifically referencing in the bill of information that the dangerous weapon used in the commission of the robbery was a firearm, per LSA-R.S. 14:64.3.1 Counts one, two and three related to an incident that occurred on August 28, 2006. Count four related to an incident that occurred on October 14, 2006. Defendant pled not guilty to all counts at arraignment on March 12, 2007. Defendant filed a Motion to Suppress Statement and Identification, which was denied by the court on May 13, 2008.

On January 21, 2009, Defendant proceeded to trial before a twelve-person jury [94]*94on all four counts. On the same day, the State amended the bill of |sinformation, noting an entry of nolle prosequi as to co-defendant, Gary Woods, on all counts. Additionally, Defendant filed a Motion in Limine seeking to prohibit reference to Defendant’s assertion of his 5th and 6th Amendment rights, which was granted in part and denied in part on January 22, 2009. On January 28, 2009, the jury found Defendant guilty of armed robbery on counts one, two and three, and returned a verdict of not guilty as to count four.

Defendant filed a Motion for New Trial on March 19, 2009, which was denied by the court. Sentencing delays were waived, and on March 19, 2009, Defendant was sentenced to 22 years at hard labor in the Department of Corrections on each of the three counts, to be served consecutively. The State filed a multiple offender bill of information on the same day, and Defendant denied the allegations therein. At a hearing on September 24, 2009, Defendant admitted to being a second felony offender. The trial court vacated Defendant’s original sentence on count one, and imposed an enhanced sentence of 49½ years’ imprisonment at hard labor, without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence on count one, in accordance with LSA-R.S. 15:529.1, to run concurrently with all sentences being served and with each count. Defendant filed a written motion for appeal, which was granted on March 31, 2009.

FACTS

On August 26, 2006, Gary Woods and Michael Declouet, Defendant’s cousin, were at a house located at 1331 Port Street when they received a call from Defendant. Defendant told Gary and Michael that he had a job for them, and that he would pay them each $1,500 if they helped him rob a recording studio called Studio 440. According to Defendant, the studio was being targeted by an acquaintance of Defendant’s who wanted to open his own recording studio and eliminate the competition. According to the plan developed by Defendant, RMichael and Defendant were supposed to enter Studio 440 armed with guns and remove the recording equipment. In order to avoid suspicion in the event they were stopped by the police, Defendant designated Gary, who had a driver’s license and insurance, to be the driver.

When the three perpetrators arrived at Studio 440, Michael and Defendant exited the vehicle and headed toward the studio. Shortly thereafter, they saw a white Chevy Tahoe pull up in front of the studio. The driver of the Tahoe exited the vehicle and entered Studio 440. At this point, Michael and Defendant advised Gary that they would need him to accompany them inside because they did not know how many people were in the studio. Gary, Michael and Defendant approached the side door of the studio and knocked.

Because Defendant had been to the studio the night before under the pretext of inquiring about studio time, the three perpetrators were let into the studio. There were three other people inside when Defendant, Michael and Gary arrived, including the owner of the studio, Christopher Villagran, and two of his clients, Kernel Reynolds and Cory Singer. Defendant and Mr. Villagran had a short conversation about studio time, and Defendant, Michael and Gary subsequently moved towards the door as if they were going to leave the studio. At this point, Defendant and Michael pulled guns on the victims.

Mr. Reynolds tried to grab the gun from Michael and a struggle ensued. Defendant, Michael and Gary were able to subdue Mr. Reynolds, and Michael retrieved a gun that was in Mr. Singer’s possession and gave it to Gary. The three victims [95]*95were searched, stripped of their cell phones and cash, and ordered to get down on the ground. Mr. Singer was ordered to bind Mr. Villagran and Mr. Reynolds with duct tape. Afterwards, one of the perpetrators taped Mr. Singer’s hands behind his back. All three perpetrators wore gloves during the robbery.

IsAfter the victims were bound and placed in a recording booth, the perpetrators put the recording equipment into large, black garbage bags. The perpetrators asked the victims who owned the Chevy Tahoe and, after Mr. Singer said it belonged to him, forced Mr. Singer to give them his keys. The perpetrators loaded the equipment into the Chevy Tahoe and left the studio. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Villagran called the police.

Sergeant Larry Dyess of the Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office, Robbery Division, participated in the investigation of the robbery at Studio 440. When the officers arrived, the victims provided details about the robbery and gave descriptions of the perpetrators. During the initial victim interviews, Mr. Villagran and Mr. Singer described one of the perpetrators as having three gold teeth and being the tallest of the three. Mr. Villagran also described the tallest perpetrator, the one who initially asked about recording time, as the ringleader of the group. At trial, Michael confirmed that Defendant was the tallest of the three perpetrators and the only one with gold teeth.

Approximately four months after the robbery, the police presented photographic lineups to Mr. Villagran, Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Singer. Mr. Villagran and Mr. Reynolds were unable to identify anyone from the lineups presented to them. Mr. Singer identified Defendant, Michael Declouet and Gary Woods as the three perpetrators of the Studio 440 robbery. Mr. Singer also identified Defendant as the tall perpetrator with the gold teeth. Mr. Singer testified at trial that he was one hundred percent certain that the people he identified in the photographic lineups were the people who participated in the robbery.

After he presented the photographic lineup to Mr. Singer, Sergeant Dyess obtained arrest warrants for Defendant, Michael Declouet and Gary Woods in connection with the Studio 440 robbery. Defendant was ultimately interviewed by | ¡^Sergeant Dyess and Detective David Mascaro, the officer investigating an armed robbery at Auto Zone in which Defendant had also been developed as a suspect, at the detective bureau. Prior to the interview, Sergeant Dyess read Defendant his rights and Defendant signed a Rights of Arrestee or Suspects Form.

Michael Declouet and Gary Woods ultimately pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by threats of violence, a HOBBS Act violation, in connection with the robbery of Studio 440 and a number of other robberies. Both were incarcerated in federal prison at the time Defendant proceeded to trial. Michael Declouet was serving a sentence of 20 years imprisonment and Gary Woods had been sentenced to 18 years.

DISCUSSION

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
52 So. 3d 89, 9 La.App. 5 Cir. 1046, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 1372, 2010 WL 3989889, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-declouet-lactapp-2010.