State v. Grubbs

644 So. 2d 1105, 1994 WL 583107
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 25, 1994
Docket93-KA-2559
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 644 So. 2d 1105 (State v. Grubbs) 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. Grubbs, 644 So. 2d 1105, 1994 WL 583107 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

644 So.2d 1105 (1994)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Leonard A. GRUBBS.

No. 93-KA-2559.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

October 25, 1994.

*1109 Eve Barrie Masinter, McGlinchey Stafford Lang, New Orleans, for appellant, Leonard A. Grubbs.

Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Susan M. Erlanger, Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for appellee, State.

Before BARRY, JONES and LANDRIEU, JJ.

BARRY, Judge.

The defendant was convicted of two counts of aggravated rape (R.S. 14:42), two counts of aggravated kidnapping (R.S. 14:44), and two counts of aggravated crime against nature (R.S. 14:89.1). He was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole for each count of aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping and fifteen years at hard labor without benefit of parole for each count of aggravated crime against nature, the sentences to run concurrently.

Defendant's convictions and sentences were affirmed in an unpublished errors patent opinion, State v. Grubbs, 515 So.2d 677 (La.App. 4th Cir.1987), and he was subsequently granted this out-of-time appeal under Lofton v. Whitley, 905 F.2d 885 (5th Cir.1990). We affirm.

FACTS

On August 4, 1986 T.G. and P.R. (males, ages 14 and 15) were visiting New Orleans with P.R.'s parents.[1] That evening the two boys walked in the French Quarter and met the defendant and his friend, Benjamin Roethell. Both boys testified that defendant and Roethell initiated a conversation and asked if they wanted marijuana. The boys agreed and voluntarily accompanied the men to the defendant's apartment several blocks away. The men and boys smoked one joint at the apartment. Roethell said he needed to do laundry and left. The defendant left the apartment on the pretense of obtaining more marijuana. Within three minutes the boys decided to leave but the defendant returned with a gun and forced them to stay.

The defendant ordered both boys to undress and they complied. T.G. and P.R. both testified that the defendant tied their hands and for the next two to three hours he performed oral and anal sex and forced them to perform oral sex on him and on each other. T.G. testified that the defendant held a knife to T.G.'s penis, bit his testicles and threatened him with a shock stick if he did not comply. T.G. testified the defendant held the knife against his chest and performed anal sex on him.

P.R. corroborated T.G.'s testimony. P.R. said the defendant held a knife to P.R.'s genitals, forced P.R. to perform oral sex on him and that defendant performed oral and anal sex on both victims.

The boys stated that the defendant told them to bathe. At about 2:00 a.m. he escorted them out of the apartment, through the locked front gate and pointed the way back to their hotel.

The boys returned to the hotel and informed P.R.'s mother what transpired. P.R.'s father was out looking for the boys. The police were contacted and the boys led the officers to defendant's apartment. The boys positively identified the defendant and Roethell.

Roethell testified for the State. He said the defendant asked him to leave the apartment because he wanted to "hit up on," i.e., have sex with the boys. Roethell stated that he left the apartment and looked through a window and saw the defendant point a gun at the boys. He said the defendant borrowed the gun from his neighbor Wayne David.

Physical examinations of the boys revealed no seminal fluid or spermatozoa. Dr. Michael Grieb, the emergency room physician who performed the examinations, noted a small abrasion on T.G.'s penile shaft and inflammation around P.R.'s anus. Dr. Grieb testified that a bath often destroys evidence of rape.

The defendant testified that he met the boys in the French Quarter and offered to smoke pot with them at his apartment. He claimed that the boys attempted to steal his pot and he borrowed David's gun. The defendant *1110 said he prevented the boys from stealing the pot and the boys offered to have sex with him. He claimed that T.G. made overtures toward him and the three had oral sex. Defendant denied that he used force or engaged in anal sex.

ILLEGALLY LENIENT SENTENCE

Our review of the record reveals an error patent. A sentence under LSA-R.S. 14:42, 14:44 and 14:89.1 is required to be without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The trial court failed to state that the sentences were to be served without the benefit of probation or suspension of sentence. However, on appeal this Court will not correct an error favorable to a defendant where the issue is not raised by the State. State v. Fraser, 484 So.2d 122 (La.1986); LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 882.

BRADY INFORMATION

Defendant contends a mistrial should have been granted because the State failed to disclose exculpatory evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963).

At the Preliminary Examination, Detective Mason Spong testified that he investigated the incident and that the boys reported that the defendant forced them to his apartment with an implied weapon.

T.G. testified on the first day of trial that he and P.R. voluntarily followed defendant and Roethell to the defendant's apartment and smoked marijuana and the defendant used a gun to prevent them from leaving. He stated that he and P.R. initially lied to the police because they did not want to disclose that they went to smoke marijuana. P.R. corroborated T.G.'s testimony on the second day of trial. The record does not contain the grand jury testimony.

The morning of the second day of trial, the defense sought a mistrial claiming that T.G.'s conflicting testimony constituted Brady material withheld by the State. Alternatively, the defense requested an in camera review of the grand jury testimony for possible exculpatory evidence. The trial court stated it would conduct an in camera inspection, then denied the defense motion. The record does not show whether the in camera inspection was made. Defendant argues that the boys' grand jury testimony is material because it could have impeached their trial testimony.

In Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. at 87-88, 83 S.Ct. at 1197, the United States Supreme Court held that "the suppression of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or punishment." See also LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 718. That rule has been expanded to include evidence which impeaches the testimony of a witness, where the reliability or credibility of the witness may be determinative of guilt or innocence. Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 153-55, 92 S.Ct. 763, 766, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972). Evidence is material if there is a "`reasonable probability' that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. A `reasonable probability' is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome." United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 3383, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985); State v. Knapper, 579 So.2d 956, 959 (La.1991).

There is no duty to provide defense counsel with unlimited discovery.

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Bluebook (online)
644 So. 2d 1105, 1994 WL 583107, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-grubbs-lactapp-1994.