State v. Glaze

439 So. 2d 605
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 11, 1983
Docket83 KA 0119
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 439 So. 2d 605 (State v. Glaze) 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. Glaze, 439 So. 2d 605 (La. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

439 So.2d 605 (1983)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Regina GLAZE.

No. 83 KA 0119.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

October 11, 1983.

*606 Ossie Brown, Dist. Atty. by Thomas Damico, Asst. Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellee.

Frank Saia, Asst. Public Defender, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellant.

Before SHORTESS, LANIER and CRAIN, JJ.

SHORTESS, Judge.

Regina Glaze, defendant, was indicted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Grand Jury and charged with the second degree murder of Dennis Foshee, in violation of La.R.S. 14:30.1. After a trial by jury, she was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. She has appealed her conviction and sentence.

Defendant has assigned twelve errors; however, only six were briefed. Pursuant to Rule 2-12.4 of the Uniform Rules of the Court of Appeal, assignments of error numbers 1, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 are considered abandoned. State v. Trevathan, 432 So.2d 355 (La.App. 1st Cir.1983).

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2

Defendant argues that she was denied her constitutional right to an impartial trial and to full voir dire as guaranteed by article I, § 16 and § 17, Louisiana Constitution of 1974, when the court denied her challenge for cause of prospective juror Edward J. Sweeney. During voir dire, he expressed some reservations about his ability to fairly consider defendant's right not to testify as guaranteed by the fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Defense counsel attempted to exercise a peremptory challenge on Sweeney as per La.C.Cr.P. 799, apparently relying on the court reporter's count of defendant's previous peremptory challenges. The State objected, noting that according to its count, defendant had exhausted all of her peremptory challenges. A tally made by the court and counsel verified that defendant had, indeed, previously used twelve challenges. The court reporter noted her error. Defense counsel then challenged Sweeney for cause because Sweeney knew that he was not acceptable to defendant and would therefore be a hostile juror. The State accepted Sweeney. The trial judge interrogated Sweeney out of the presence of eleven jurors who had been already accepted to determine if Sweeney could render an impartial verdict according to the law and evidence presented at trial in accordance with La.C.Cr.P. 797(2). After the court's examination, defendant's challenge for cause was denied.

The trial court should sustain a challenge for cause despite a prospective juror's professed impartiality if his answers reveal facts from which bias, prejudice or inability to follow the law may be reasonably implied. State v. Albert, 414 So.2d 680 (La.1982); State v. Lewis, 391 So.2d 1156 (La.1980). In this regard, defendant need only show two things to obtain reversible error: (1) that the trial judge erred in refusing to sustain a challenge for cause by defendant, and (2) that defendant exhausted all of his peremptory challenges. State v. Monroe, 366 So.2d 1345, 1347 (La.1978). The trial judge is vested with broad discretion *607 in ruling on a challenge for cause, and his ruling will not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse of that discretion. State v. Sugar, 408 So.2d 1329 (La. 1982); State v. Labostrie, 358 So.2d 1243 (La.1978).

We have already noted that defendant exhausted all of his peremptory challenges. We need only determine whether the trial judge abused his discretion in finding that Sweeney could render an impartial verdict according to the law and evidence. In reviewing Sweeney's examination on voir dire, we note that he originally expressed some difficulty with the legal principle of law that the defendant does not have to testify. When asked if he understood the law and if under oath would accept it and apply it, he said "I think I can." The court asked him to state "not just what you think," but if he could apply the law under oath. Sweeney replied that he thought he could disregard his doubts and apply the law. Sweeney further stated that he felt he could be fair to both defendant and the State. He stated that he understood that defendant had a right not to testify.[1] He said that he could give both sides a fair trial. Upon further questioning by the trial judge, subsequent to defendant's erroneous peremptory challenge, Sweeney declared under oath that he could base his verdict solely on the evidence and the law. He further stated that he would convict defendant if the State convinced him beyond a reasonable doubt of defendant's guilt, but, on the other hand, would find for defendant if the State failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

After carefully examining the record, we cannot say that the trial judge abused his discretion in believing that Sweeney could render an impartial and fair verdict according to the law and evidence. This assignment of error has no merit.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NOS. 3, 5 and 7

Defendant consolidated these assignments of error for purposes of argument, as they all involve hearsay statements admitted into evidence over her objection. We also will treat them together. Defendant argues that the court erred in admitting into evidence certain incriminating statements made by her some five days to three weeks prior to the commission of the crime. She contends that the State's reliance on the state of mind exception to the hearsay rule is misplaced because of remoteness of the statements from the crime. Robin Melvin testified that some days before the shooting defendant said that before she would see him with anyone else she would see him dead. Susan Tumlin testified that 4 to 5 days before the shooting defendant was at her house and they talked about her relationship with Dennis. When asked what she would do if they broke up, defendant said she might cry and scream, might shoot herself or him, or might just say okay and leave. Tumlin also testified that about three weeks before the shooting, defendant acted out a pantomime where she shot Dennis with a gun.

Several Louisiana cases have held that the time interval between the utterance offered in evidence and the commission of the crime was too long to hold such utterance admissible under res gestae. See, for example, State v. Burge, 362 So.2d 1371 (La.1978); State v. Noble, 342 So.2d 170 (La.1977). These cases are relied on by defendant in her brief. See also La.R.S. 15:447, 448.

However, the record reveals that the trial judge relied primarily on State v. Moses, 367 So.2d 800 (La.1979) and State v. Leming, 217 La. 257, 46 So.2d 262 (1950), when he allowed into evidence the hearsay statements made by defendant prior to the commission of the crime. These statements were offered by the State to show defendant's state of mind and motive or intent to commit the crime in question. La.R.S. 15:446. In Leming, the trial court admitted into evidence testimony indicating that the *608 accused made a statement to the effect that she intended to have the deceased's husband no matter what the cost to get him. This statement was made by the defendant 23 days before the wife was killed. The Supreme Court said:

The purpose of this evidence was to show motive for the killing on the part of the defendant and the evidence of prior acts, declarations and threats of the accused, though not part of the res gestae is admissible when it substantially tends to establish motive or intention of the accused to commit the crime. 46 So.2d at 274.

In State v. Flood, 301 So.2d 637 (La.1974),

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Bluebook (online)
439 So. 2d 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-glaze-lactapp-1983.