State v. Egana

792 So. 2d 931, 2001 WL 856463
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 30, 2001
Docket01-KA-100
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 792 So. 2d 931 (State v. Egana) 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. Egana, 792 So. 2d 931, 2001 WL 856463 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

792 So.2d 931 (2001)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Denaud EGANA.

No. 01-KA-100.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

July 30, 2001.

*933 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux Thomas J. Butler, Vincent Paciera, Jr., Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, LA, Attorneys for Plaintiff/Appellee.

J. Rodney Baum, Louisiana Appellate Project, Baton Rouge, LA, Attorney for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges EDWARD A. DUFRESNE, Jr., SOL GOTHARD, and CLARENCE E. McMANUS.

GOTHARD, J.

Defendant, Denaud Egana, appeals his conviction and sentence on a charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine in violation of LSA-R.S. 40:967 A. For reasons that follow, we affirm.

Defendant was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine by bill of information on February 12, 1998. He was arraigned on July 17, 1998, and pled not guilty. Defendant filed various pretrial motions, including motions to suppress the evidence, identification, and confession. The trial court denied the motions to suppress the evidence and confession. On March 2, 1999, the court heard and denied the motion to suppress the identification and the motion to quash. On that day, defendant applied for supervisory writs from the court's ruling. State v. Egana, 99 K 239. This court denied writs.

Defendant was tried by a jury of twelve on March 2, 1999. On that day, the jury returned a verdict of guilty as charged. On March 23, 1999, defendant filed a motion for new trial in proper person, which was argued and denied on April 12, 1999. On the same day the court sentenced defendant to serve ten years at hard labor. The trial court then granted defense counsel's motion to withdraw as counsel of record.

*934 On April 21, 1999 defendant, appearing in proper person, filed a "Notice of Intention to Apply for Supervisory Writ of Certiorari." In the motion, defendant notified the trial court of his intention "to apply to the Court of Appeal, 5th Circuit, State of Louisiana, for supervisory writ of certiorari/appeal, from the denial of motion for a new trial rendered by this Court on April 12, 1999."

This court dismissed defendant's original appeal as untimely. State v. Egana, 99-1127 (La.App. 5 Cir. 2/29/00), 758 So.2d 881. Defendant filed an application for supervisory writs in the Louisiana Supreme Court, challenging this court's dismissal of his appeal. The Supreme Court granted writs. State v. Egana, 00-0636 (La.3/31/00), 758 So.2d 808. In a per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court directed this court to review defendant's filings of April, 1999, and August, 1999 to determine whether they satisfied the requirements of a timely appeal under the State's jurisprudence. State ex rel. Egana, 00-2351 (La.9/22/00), 771 So.2d 638.

On January 3, 2001, this court issued an order remanding the case to the district court for the purpose of entering an out-of-time appeal. On January 5, 2001, the district court issued an order granting defendant an out-of-time appeal, and appointing counsel to represent him. Defendant subsequently filed an appeal in this court, raising three assignments of error.

FACTS

On November 6, 1997, Jefferson Parish narcotics agent Kyle Pierce was assigned to attempt undercover drug buys in a high crime area in Avondale as part of an ongoing investigation. Agent Billy Matranga acted as Pierce's backup officer. Pierce's car was outfitted with audio and video equipment in order to record any transactions that might take place, and to allow Matranga to monitor Pierce's activities.

At about noon, Pierce approached defendant, Denaud Egana. He told defendant he needed a "twenty," a street term meaning two rocks of crack cocaine. Defendant responded that he could take Pierce to get drugs, but that he needed a "bite" himself. By this defendant meant that he wanted to keep some of the crack for his own use. Defendant had Pierce follow him to a nearby house. Pierce gave defendant $40.00 and waited in his vehicle while defendant went inside the house. Defendant returned with two rocks of crack. He gave one to Pierce and kept one. The transaction was videotaped.

Pierce met with Matranga and other backup officers at a pre-arranged location. He gave Matranga the crack[1] and the videotape. Matranga testified that defendant was not arrested at that time because an arrest would have jeopardized the ongoing investigation.

Later that afternoon, Matranga assembled a photographic lineup which included a picture of defendant. At 5:30 p.m. that day, Matranga showed the lineup to Pierce. Pierce identified defendant as the man from whom he had purchased crack five hours earlier. Pierce also identified defendant in court as the man who had sold him crack cocaine.

The videotape of the drug transaction was played for the jury at trial. It corroborates Pierce's testimony of how the transaction took place.

ANALYSIS

In brief to this court defendant assigns three errors. In the first he contends *935 that the trial court should have suppressed the photographic lineup because it was unreliable and because he was prejudiced by the State's failure to provide the lineup to him before the day of trial.

Defendant complains that the State was unable to refute his claim that the photograph of him included in the lineup was taken after the day the instant offense was committed. Defendant testified at the motion hearing that he believed the photograph was one taken on December 11, 1997, when he was arrested on a counterfeiting charge. It was defendant's assertion that the photograph of him included in the lineup was not in existence on November 6, 1997, the date the photographic lineup was shown to Pierce, and that the identification testimony was therefore not credible.

The State argued that the photograph was from an arrest made prior to the day the instant offense occurred. There is no marking on defendant's photograph to show when it was taken. However, Agent Matranga testified at the motion hearing that he obtained defendant's photograph from the Bureau of Identification (B of I) on the day of the offense.

A defendant who seeks to suppress an identification must prove both that the identification itself was suggestive and that there was a likelihood of misidentification as a result of the identification procedure. State v. Prudholm, 446 So.2d 729, 738 (1984); State v. Payne, 00-1171 (La.App. 5 Cir. 12/13/00), 777 So.2d 555, 558-559. Fairness is the standard of review for identification procedures, and reliability is the linchpin in determining the admissibility of identification testimony. Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 97 S.Ct. 2243, 2253, 53 L.Ed.2d 140 (1977). The factors to be considered in assessing reliability, as set out in Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 93 S.Ct. 375, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972), are: 1) the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime; 2) the witness' degree of attention; 3) the accuracy of the prior description of the criminal; 4) the level of certainty demonstrated at the confrontation; and, 5) the time between the crime and the confrontation. See also, Manson v. Brathwaite, supra. In evaluating the defendant's argument, the reviewing court may consider all pertinent evidence adduced at the trial, as well as at the hearing on the motion to suppress the identification. State v. Clennon, 98-1370 (La.App.

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Bluebook (online)
792 So. 2d 931, 2001 WL 856463, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-egana-lactapp-2001.