State v. GT, JR.

71 So. 3d 394, 2011 WL 2327260
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 15, 2011
Docket10-1469
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 71 So. 3d 394 (State v. GT, JR.) 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. GT, JR., 71 So. 3d 394, 2011 WL 2327260 (La. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinions

GREMILLION, Judge.

11Defendant, G.T., Jr., pled no contest to the rape of his half-sister. The record before us alleges that Defendant had sex with the victim while she was under the influence of alcohol and unaware of his actions. The victim had consumed several shots of alcohol that evening and had passed out. The next morning, the victim experienced pain in her vaginal and anal areas and was told by Defendant that she had fallen down several times. However, the victim became suspicious that she had been raped. She continued to experience pain, and she eventually went to the hospital, where a rape kit was performed. Through DNA analysis, the sperm found in her vagina was determined to be that of Defendant.

Defendant was indicted by a grand jury with simple rape, a violation of La.R.S. 14:43(A)(1). Defendant entered a plea of no contest to the charge in exchange for the dismissal of a third DWI charge and misdemeanor charges of improper lane use and no driver’s license in possession in an unrelated docket number. As part of the plea agreement, the State also agreed not to charge Defendant as a habitual offender. Thereafter, Defendant returned to court, where he amended his no contest plea to add that the plea was also made pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), to preserve his right to contest the trial court’s denial of his oral motion to declare unconstitutional the majority verdict law.

Defendant was sentenced to twenty years at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, to be served consecutively to any other sentence he may be serving. Then, a “Motion to Withdraw No Contest Plea and Set Aside Conviction, Sentence, and Sex Offender Registration, or Alternatively, for 12Resentencing” was filed with the trial court. Following a hearing, the motion to withdraw the plea or amend the sentence was denied.

Defendant now appeals, asserting that his no contest plea should have been withdrawn based on three errors: 1) he may not have pled as he did if he had properly understood how many jurors would sit in judgment, as well as how many guilty votes would be required for a conviction; 2) his plea may have been different if he had been advised that he would not be sentenced as a habitual offender; and, 3) he would have reconsidered his plea had he been advised that he would be subject to sex offender registration.

He faults his counsel for not properly explaining the composition of the jury, and for advising him that he was facing a potential habitual offender sentence. Moreover, he says his counsel was ineffective. He faults the trial court for not properly or timely advising him as to his sex offender registration requirement.

MAJORITY VERDICT

Defendant argues that his no contest/Crosby plea is both constitutionally infirm and was entered on the advice of counsel that was either wholly incorrect or given without proper consideration of the facts in this case. As a result, Defendant asserts he was denied the right to effective assistance of counsel.

As noted by this court in State v. Christien, 09-890, p. 7 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/3/10), 29 So.3d 696, 701:

[397]*397A claim for ineffective assistance of counsel is properly raised in an application for post-conviction relief because this allows the trial court to order a full evidentiary hearing on the matter. State v. Burkhalter, 428 So.2d 449 (La.1983). However, where the record contains sufficient evidence to decide the issue, and the issue is raised by an assignment of error on appeal, it may be considered by the appellate court. State v. Tapp, 08-1262 (La.App. 3 Cir. 4/1/09), 8 So.3d 804; See also State v. James, 95-962 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/14/96), 670 So.2d 461.

See also State v. Jones, 09-1453 (La.App. 3 Cir. 8/11/10), 45 So.3d 1136, writs denied, 10-504 (La.2/18/11), 57 So.3d 328, 10-2132 (La.2/18/11), 57 So.3d 330.

The second circuit in State v. Kinsey, 42,935, p. 9 (La.App. 2 Cir. 2/13/08), 976 So.2d 315, 320-321, said of ineffective assistance of counsel claims:

The right of a defendant in a criminal proceeding to the effective assistance of counsel is mandated by the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. State v. Wry, 591 So.2d 774 (La.App. 2d Cir.1991). A claim of ineffectiveness of counsel is analyzed under the two-prong test developed by the United States Supreme Court in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984).
To establish that his attorney was ineffective, the defendant first must show that counsel’s performance was deficient. The assessment of an attorney’s performance requires his conduct to be evaluated from counsel’s perspective at the time of the occurrence. A reviewing court must give great deference to trial counsel’s judgment, tactical decisions and trial strategy, strongly presuming he has exercised reasonable professional judgment. State v. Moore, 575 So.2d 928 (La.App. 2d Cir.1991).
Second, the defendant must show that counsel’s deficient performance prejudiced his defense. This element requires defendant to establish that but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, there is a reasonable probability the outcome of the trial would have been different. Strickland, supra; State v. Pratt, 26,862 (La.App.2d Cir.4/5/95), 653 So.2d 174, writ denied, 95-1398 (La.11/3/95), 662 So.2d 9.

See also State v. C.S., 10-507 (La.App. 3 Cir. 11/17/10), 50 So.3d 983.

At a hearing held two days after the no contest plea was accepted by the trial court, it advised Defendant of the sex offender notification requirements. After-wards, defense counsel orally moved to challenge the constitutionality of the majority verdict law and to amend Defendant’s no contest plea, making it also a Crosby plea to preserve the issue for appeal. Defense counsel stated that Defendant could be convicted by a vote of ten out of twelve jurors, rather than a unanimous jury, and that |4this majority verdict law was unconstitutional. The trial court denied the motion and amended the plea without objection from the State.

Defendant now contends on appeal that he was misinformed by defense counsel with regard to the majority verdict law. In the motion to withdraw his plea, Defendant did not claim that his plea was based on the possibility of being convicted by only ten of twelve jurors. The issue, however, was raised at the hearing on Defendant’s motion to withdraw his plea. The State indicated that the law was not applicable to the instant case because a six-person jury, which required a unanimous vote for a conviction, was mandated. Defense counsel agreed that it was not an issue and stated that it was not the main [398]*398predicate for Defendant’s plea. He explained:

[I]t was one of the things that was on my mind at the time. And I said so on the record. I didn’t file any motion against the majority verdict law in this case, but I probably would have tried to do it if we were going to try it. And you would have denied it because it’s a unanimous jury of six persons.

The record clearly indicates that Defendant’s trial counsel incorrectly advised him that he could be convicted of simple rape by a majority verdict and encouraged him to enter a no contest/Crosby

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State v. GT, JR.
71 So. 3d 394 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
71 So. 3d 394, 2011 WL 2327260, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gt-jr-lactapp-2011.