State v. Dennis

777 So. 2d 569, 2000 WL 1828272
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 13, 2000
Docket00-KA-182
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 777 So. 2d 569 (State v. Dennis) 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. Dennis, 777 So. 2d 569, 2000 WL 1828272 (La. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

777 So.2d 569 (2000)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Chadwick DENNIS.

No. 00-KA-182.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

December 13, 2000.

*570 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Thomas J. Butler, Terry M. Boudreaux, Allison Monahan, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, LA, Counsel for the State.

Kenneth J. Beck, Harvey, LA, Counsel for appellant.

Court composed of Judges CHE HARDY, McMANUS and H. CHARLES GAUDIN, Judge Pro Tempore.

McMANUS, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

On December 1, 1998, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Chadwick Dennis, with one count of aggravated battery in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:34. At his arraignment on December 7, 1998, Defendant pled not guilty.

On December 10, 1998, Defendant filed a motion to suppress confession, identification and evidence. On April 13, 1999, a hearing was held on Defendant's motion to suppress. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court denied Defendant's motion to suppress the identification. The trial court also held that the State could use defendant's statement.

On April 21, 1999, a six-member jury was selected and trial was held. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found Defendant guilty as charged.

On September 24, 1999, Defendant filed a motion for new trial. On June 28, 1999, the trial court heard Defendant's motion for new trial and denied the motion. On November 12, 1999, the trial court sentenced Defendant to imprisonment at hard labor for a term of ten years. Defendant gave oral notice of appeal during sentencing on November 12, 1999 and filed a written motion on November 16, 1999.

FACTS[1]

This case involves a shooting that occurred on August 12, 1998. The shooting took place on Walker Neal Avenue in River Ridge. The shooting was precipitated by an argument between Sean Fisher and Antonio Fenderson. This argument concerned Tabitha Phillips, Fenderson's girlfriend, and Fisher's next door neighbor.

On August 12, Fenderson went to Fisher's to talk to him. While Fenderson was *571 at the Fisher house, an argument erupted between Fenderson, Fisher and Fisher's mother. At this point, Fenderson returned to Phillips' house. Fisher also left after the initial argument and went to his grandmother's house.

Later that night Fisher returned home with his brother-in-law. When he arrived, Fenderson and Defendant were standing outside. Defendant asked which of the two men was Sean, and Fisher stated that he was Sean. When Fisher told Defendant who he was, Defendant shot him. After shooting Fisher, Defendant fled the scene. Fisher later identified Defendant's picture in a photographic lineup, and Defendant was arrested.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE

As his first assignment of error, Dennis argues that it was error for the trial court to allow the State to present an officer's recollection of an oral statement of Mr. Dennis, when that remembrance was different to that which was previously disclosed to the defense. Defendant argues that he should be granted a new trial because the State failed to inform Defendant prior to its introduction at trial of the substance of an oral statement given by Defendant after his arrest. The State responds that Defendant was adequately informed of the substance of the oral statement and alternatively that there was no prejudice if the notice to Defendant was insufficient.

Defendant's argument centers on an oral statement made by Defendant to Deputy Frank Guttuso after Defendant's arrest. Defendant argues that the State failed to comply with LSA-C.Cr.P. art.716 in using his statement. LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716 provides in pertinent part that:

C. Upon motion of the Defendant, the court shall order the District Attorney to inform the Defendant of the substance of any oral statement which the state intends to offer in evidence made by the Defendant, whether before or after arrest, in response to interrogation by any person then known to the Defendant to be a law enforcement officer.

LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716(C).

The statement at issue was the subject of a motion to suppress by Defendant. During the suppression hearing, Deputy Guttuso testified to the substance of the statement as follows:

That he did not do the shooting, that he was always blamed for things that happened in the neighborhood back there. He was aware of the shooting, but he denied any involvement in that shooting. And he was aware that there was a vehicle that was similar to his that was seen fleeing the area.

At trial Deputy Guttuso testified concerning the oral statement given by Defendant as follows:

He stated that he did not do the shooting and that he was not involved. He was not in the area. He stated that everybody knows him in that neighborhood and every time something happens he gets blamed for it. I asked him, well why would people blame you for a shooting —a serious crime like that and he had no answer to that. He stated—I asked him if he knows the last time he had spoken to his cousin Antonio Fenderson and he stated a couple of days or the day before the actual shooting had occurred. They had talked about sports. He stated that he knew—I asked him if he knew about, if he had heard about the shooting and he stated yes, he had heard about it. He had heard that there was a red Altima or maroon Altima that had left the scene and that he has a car like that.

During this testimony, Defendant objected on the grounds that the deputy's trial testimony was different from his testimony at the motion to suppress. Defendant also requested a mistrial which was *572 denied.[2]

On appeal, Defendant argues that the State failed to inform him of the substance of the oral statement as required by LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716(C) because Deputy Guttuso's testimony at trial went beyond the information provided during the hearing on the motion to suppress.

It is noted at the outset that LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716 requires that the substance of an oral statement be turned over to a defendant by order of the court upon motion by defendant. In the present case, Defendant did not make a motion under LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716. Defendant did file a discovery motion, but that motion simply acknowledged that there would be open file discovery and did not specifically request any discoverable material. Consequently, without a discovery motion by Defendant, we can only find that the State was not required under LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716 to provide Defendant with the substance of the oral statement.

In addition to Defendant's failure to file a discovery motion, it appears that the State did comply with the requirements of LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716(C). The Louisiana Supreme Court examined the disclosure required under LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 716(C) in State v. Hooks, 421 So.2d 880 (La.1982). In Hooks, the Defendant argued that the State had failed to provide him with the substance of an oral statement. The Louisiana Supreme Court noted that the state had informed the Defendant that, "the gist of the statement was that the death of the child was accidental in nature and was generally exculpatory." State v. Hooks, 421 So.2d at 885. The Supreme Court found that:

All that is required for notice under the Article is the substance of the statement made. Substance is defined as "the essential element" or "essence" of a thing, and in this case, this requirement has been met.

State v. Hooks, 421 So.2d at 885-886.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
777 So. 2d 569, 2000 WL 1828272, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dennis-lactapp-2000.