State v. Fisher

380 So. 2d 1340
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 28, 1980
Docket64872
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 380 So. 2d 1340 (State v. Fisher) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Fisher, 380 So. 2d 1340 (La. 1980).

Opinion

380 So.2d 1340 (1980)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Helen FISHER.

No. 64872.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

January 28, 1980.
Rehearing Denied March 3, 1980.

*1341 James Miguez and Carl A. Leckband, Jr., Lake Charles, for defendant-appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Leonard K. Knapp, Jr., Dist. Atty., Charles W. Richard, Evelyn Oubre, Abbott J. Reeves, Asst. Dist. Attys., for plaintiff-appellee.

MARCUS, Justice.

Helen Fisher was charged by the grand jury in the same indictment with two separate counts of second degree murder in violation of La.R.S. 14:30.1. After trial by jury, defendant was found guilty as charged as to both counts and was sentenced on each conviction to imprisonment at hard labor for life without eligibility for parole, probation or suspension of sentence for a period of forty years. The court expressly directed that the sentences be *1342 served concurrently. On appeal, defendant relies on eight assignments of error for reversal of her convictions and sentences.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

Defendant contends the trial judge erred in denying her motion to suppress her confession. She argues that her confession was not free and voluntary because of her depressed condition at the time it was made. She further argues that the trial judge improperly placed the burden of proving the voluntariness of her confession on her rather than the state.

Defendant's trailer was consumed by fire during the early morning hours of Sunday, October 29, 1978. The fire caused the deaths of her husband and son. Immediately after the fire, defendant was hospitalized and treated for smoke inhalation. The next day (Monday), she was released into police custody and during an interview with the police that afternoon she orally admitted setting the fire.

A suppression hearing was conducted prior to trial.[1] E. J. Welborn, district supervisor for the office of fire protection, Arthur Ogea and Harvey Boyd, both deputy sheriffs, testified that they were present at the time defendant's statement was taken. They stated that, after having been fully advised of her constitutional rights as well as that she was being investigated for murder, defendant admitted setting fire to the trailer by placing a cigarette in some towels in the bathroom. She indicated that she understood her rights and stated that she did not want an attorney. They stated that defendant was calm, alert and cognizant of her surroundings during the interview which lasted about fifteen to twenty minutes, although she did cry a bit toward the end of the interview. They further stated that defendant did not have any problem recalling facts at the time. Finally, while admitting she set the fire, she refused to give a written statement.

Defendant testified that, while she recalled leaving the hospital (about noon on Monday) and being transported to jail, she suffered a loss of memory from that time until that evening when she spoke to her attorney. She claimed to have no recollection of the interview with the police on Monday afternoon at which time she allegedly admitted setting the fire.

Dr. Gilles R. Morin testified that he examined defendant on February 3, 1979 (some three months after the confession) for the purpose of determining her mental capacity to proceed with trial. He found defendant to be depressed at that time. He stated that persons in such a condition, while hearing the words and being cognizant of their surroundings, would not understand their rights because of not caring about what was going on about them.

Dr. Harper F. Willis, Jr., testified at trial that he examined defendant on February 5, 1979, for the purpose of determining her mental capacity to proceed with trial. He found her to be in a state of grief over the deaths of her husband and son rather than depressed at that time. He stated that, while it was possible that a person in circumstances similar to those of defendant might not understand questions, if such a person was behaving in a "normal fashion without any kind of mental aberration," she would know what she was saying.

Dr. Michael E. Cormier testified at trial that he treated defendant for smoke inhalation during her stay at the hospital. He stated that at the time of her release on October 30, 1978 (same day defendant allegedly confessed), she was physically healthy, alert and oriented. Moreover, she understood his remarks, responded to questions and displayed no signs of visible grief; she was not crying or hysterical.

*1343 Before a confession may be introduced in evidence, the state has the burden of affirmatively proving that it was free and voluntary and was not made under the influence of fear, duress, intimidation, menaces, inducements or promises. La.R.S. 15:451; La.Code Crim.P. art. 703(C). It must also be established that an accused who makes a confession during custodial interrogation was first advised of his Miranda rights. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). A confession need not be the spontaneous act of the accused and may be obtained by means of questions and answers. La.R.S. 15:453. The admissibility of a confession is in the first instance a question for the trial judge. His conclusions on the credibility and weight of testimony relating to the voluntariness of a confession for the purpose of admissibility will not be overturned on appeal unless they are not supported by the evidence. State v. Hutto, 349 So.2d 318 (La.1977); State v. Adams, 347 So.2d 195 (La.1977); State v. Ross, 343 So.2d 722 (La. 1977).

In the instant case, although the trial judge misstated the law at the suppression hearing as to who had the burden of proving the voluntariness of the confession, he noted in a per curiam to this assigned error that the "[s]tate had met its burden of proof concerning the voluntary nature of all confessions made by the accused." After reviewing the record, we reach the same conclusion. Hence, the trial judge did not err in denying defendant's motion to suppress her confession.

Assignment of Error No. 1 is without merit.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2

Defendant contends the trial judge erred in denying her motion for a continuance of the pretrial suppression hearing based on the absence of a witness.

On February 28, 1979, immediately prior to the commencement of the suppression hearing, defendant filed a motion for a continuance based on the absence of Dr. Harper F. Willis, Jr., a psychiatrist, who had examined defendant and had been subpoenaed to testify at the hearing.

Pretermitting consideration of whether defendant exercised due diligence in procuring Dr. Willis' attendance at the hearing (although the suppression hearing had been fixed twenty days in advance, defendant did not attempt to subpoena Dr. Willis until two days prior to the hearing), we do not find that defendant was prejudiced by the denial of the continuance. Dr. Gilles R. Morin, a qualified psychiatrist who examined defendant within days of Dr. Willis' examination of defendant, testified at the suppression hearing concerning defendant's depressed condition. The absent witness, Dr. Willis, testified at trial; his testimony was substantially the same as that of Dr. Morin. Moreover, we considered Dr. Willis' testimony in determining that the trial judge did not err in denying defendant's motion to suppress her confession (see discussion in Assignment of Error No. 1).

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380 So. 2d 1340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fisher-la-1980.