State v. Gordon

582 So. 2d 285, 1991 WL 91064
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 16, 1991
DocketKA 90 0869, KA 90 0870
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 582 So. 2d 285 (State v. Gordon) 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. Gordon, 582 So. 2d 285, 1991 WL 91064 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

582 So.2d 285 (1991)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Willie James GORDON.

Nos. KA 90 0869, KA 90 0870.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 16, 1991.

*287 Bryan Bush, Dist. Atty., Office of the Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge by James Murray, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff/appellee.

Trudy Avants, Baton Rouge, for defendants/appellants.

Before SAVOIE, CRAIN and FOIL, JJ.

CRAIN, Judge.

The defendant, Willie James Gordon, and a co-defendant, Melvin Toomer, were charged by grand jury indictment with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, and *288 armed robbery, in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42, 14:44, and 14:64, respectively. They pled not guilty and the cases were severed for trial. Toomer was tried separately and is not a party to the instant appeal. After trial by jury, the defendant was found guilty as charged on all three counts. Subsequently, he was adjudicated a second felony habitual offender. The defendant received concurrent sentences of life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for the aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping convictions. For the armed robbery conviction (which was the only conviction enhanced by the habitual offender adjudication), the defendant received a consecutive sentence of one hundred ninety-eight years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. The defendant has appealed, alleging seven assignments of error.

FACTS

At approximately 7:30 p.m. on February 11, 1989, the victim, an adult female, parked her car behind the Baton Rouge Little Theatre, located in the Bon Marche Mall, and began walking to the rear entrance of the theatre. She was approached by two black males. Although she ignored them and continued walking, the older man (later identified as the defendant) pulled a gun and the two men forced her into her car. The defendant drove her car, the victim was seated in the middle, and the other perpetrator (later identified as Melvin Toomer) sat in the right, front passenger seat. They drove to a dead-end street near Melrose Elementary School, where they took turns raping the victim vaginally. As one raped her, the other kept a lookout. Afterwards, they placed the victim in the trunk of her car and drove around while openly discussing whether or not to kill her.

After driving around for approximately twenty minutes, they returned to the same location near Melrose Elementary School, where Toomer raped the victim a third time. Thereafter, the perpetrators began discussing money. They had already taken the victim's diamond earrings and $10.00 from her purse. She informed them that she could get money from her bank using her money machine card. The perpetrators agreed that, if she could secure $200 for them, they would allow her to leave in her car. However, if she only got $100 from the money machine, they would let her go, but they would take her car. They drove the victim to her bank, where she was able to obtain only $100 from the money machine. Thereafter, she gave the perpetrators the $100; and they dropped her off in the Bon Marche parking lot behind the theatre. They informed her that if she told anyone what had happened, they would "trash" her car. The victim went inside the theatre, informed a friend what had happened, and was immediately taken to Woman's Hospital. The police were also summoned.

Later that evening, the defendant and Toomer were spotted driving the victim's vehicle, and a chase ensued. The perpetrators stopped, exited the victim's vehicle, and fled on foot. At one point, one of them fired upon pursuing officers in the Tall Timbers Apartments. After an extensive manhunt which lasted approximately sixteen hours, Toomer was arrested. An address book (State Exhibit 2) found in his possession listed the defendant's name and address. The defendant was arrested shortly thereafter.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR NOS. ONE AND THREE:

In assignment of error number one, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in overruling his objection to testimony regarding the search warrant. In assignment of error number three, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress physical evidence seized during execution of that warrant.

At the motion to suppress hearing on July 14, 1989, Detective Bryan White testified that, while questioning Melvin Toomer, he noticed that Toomer had placed a wet address book on the table to dry out. Det. White opened the address book and, on the first page, he observed the name Willie *289 Gordon and a Baton Rouge address. Remembering that the victim had informed him that the younger assailant (Toomer) referred to the older assailant (defendant) as "Willie," Det. White inquired if the Willie Gordon listed in the address book was Toomer's accomplice in these offenses; and Toomer replied in the affirmative. This information was contained in the affidavit of probable cause in support of the search warrant. Additionally, Det. White testified that latent fingerprints removed from the victim's car were matched to both Toomer and the defendant. This additional information was also included in the affidavit of probable cause in support of the search warrant.

After the above testimony by Det. White, the State introduced into evidence State Exhibit 2, an arrest warrant for the defendant, and State Exhibit 3, a search warrant for the defendant's residence. At this point, the defense objected on the basis that the State had failed in its burden to prove the sufficiency of the affidavit in support of the search warrant. Apparently, the defendant was arguing that further testimony, or other evidence, was required in order to establish probable cause before the search warrant could be introduced into evidence. However, the trial court correctly noted that, once the search warrant was introduced into evidence, the defense had the burden of proof to attack it on the basis of lack of probable cause. See La.C.Cr.P. art. 703 D; State v. Harris, 444 So.2d 257, 260 (La.App. 1st Cir.1983), writ denied, 445 So.2d 1234 (La.1984). Therefore, State Exhibit 3 was properly introduced into evidence; and the trial court correctly denied the defendant's objection on this basis.

A search warrant may issue only upon probable cause established to the satisfaction of a judge, by the affidavit of a credible person, reciting facts establishing the cause for issuance of the warrant. La. Const. Art. 1, § 5; La.C.Cr.P. art. 162. Probable cause exists when the facts and circumstances within the affiant's knowledge, and of which he has reasonably trustworthy information, are sufficient to support a reasonable belief that an offense has been committed and that evidence or contraband may be found at the place to be searched. State v. Revere, 572 So.2d 117, 128 (La.App. 1st Cir.1990); State v. Smith, 546 So.2d 538, 541 (La.App. 1st Cir.), writ denied, 552 So.2d 393 (La.1989).

In his third assignment of error, the defendant contends that the evidence seized at the time of his arrest (his gun, clothes, and shoes) should have been suppressed because the search warrant was issued without probable cause. Specifically, he contends that the information in the affidavit in support of the search warrant was hearsay and was not determined to be reliable.

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Bluebook (online)
582 So. 2d 285, 1991 WL 91064, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gordon-lactapp-1991.