State v. Head

598 So. 2d 1202, 1992 WL 96122
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 28, 1992
Docket92-KA-90
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 598 So. 2d 1202 (State v. Head) 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. Head, 598 So. 2d 1202, 1992 WL 96122 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

598 So.2d 1202 (1992)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Jessie S. HEAD.

No. 92-KA-90.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

April 28, 1992.

*1203 John M. Mamoulides, Dist. Atty., Dorothy Pendergast, Asst. Dist. Atty., Gretna, for plaintiff-appellee.

Ginger Berrigan, I.D.B., Gretna, for defendant-appellant.

Before GAUDIN, DUFRESNE and CANNELLA, JJ.

DUFRESNE, Judge.

The defendant, Jesse S. Head, was charged with one count of aggravated rape, LSA-R.S. 14:42, one count of attempted first degree murder, LSA-R.S. 14:27 and 14:30, and one count of aggravated burglary, LSA-R.S. 14:60. He pled not guilty and filed a Motion to Suppress Confession, Identification and Physical Evidence which were denied after a hearing. The defendant was tried by a jury and found guilty as charged on all three counts. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension on the aggravated rape charge, fifty years at hard labor on the attempted first degree murder charge, and thirty years at hard labor on the aggravated burglary charge. The judge additionally ordered the sentences to run consecutively and afforded Head credit for time served.

This appeal followed and the defendant alleges two assignments of error:

1. The trial court erred in denying defendant's motion to suppress physical evidence.
2. The defendant's conviction of attempted first degree murder constituted double jeopardy and must be vacated.

FACTS

On March 12, 1991, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Rosa Mendez, an international student, was dressing for class when she heard a knock at the door. Because she was not expecting anyone she looked through the peephole. The young man outside identified himself as a repairman. Since there had been repairs being conducted in the area of her apartment the previous day she did not doubt the truth of the statement and slightly opened the door. The man outside shoved the door fully *1204 open, knocking Ms. Mendez to the ground, entered and shut the door behind him. Before Ms. Mendez could recover her balance the man had straddled her, put a knife to her throat, and ordered her not to shout. Terrified, Ms. Mendez disobeyed the command and began screaming for help. The attacker stabbed her several times until she quieted and then dragged her across the efficiency apartment to a closet area. Although Ms. Mendez attempted to engage her attacker in conversation and determine the motive for the assault, he only ranted that all women, including her, were "bitches." During his tirade he continued to stab at Ms. Mendez and positioned her body with her legs above the head. He removed her pants and underwear and despite her pleas to be left alone, he anally raped her.

Following the rape, the attacker taunted the victim and demanded money and dragged her by the hair around the apartment in a search for valuables. As she struggled and attempted to explain that she had no money, he continued his frenzied attack on her and inflicted several more knife wounds. After fainting a few times, she regained consciousness and called 911. After a few moments, the police arrived and brought her to the hospital.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

DENIAL OF MOTION TO SUPPRESS

In this assignment, defendant asserts that since his initial stop and detention was without probable cause or reasonable suspicion, all evidence obtained as a result was inadmissible, including the physical evidence seized pursuant to the search warrant. Defendant further argues that the photographic identification and his statement should be suppressed because of the illegality of the initial stop.

Deputy Greg Gardner of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office was the first officer to arrive on the scene. When he entered the apartment, he saw blood everywhere. He then proceeded to check the apartment for weapons and also for any other individuals. After his search turned up negative, he attempted to calm the victim and to get a physical description of the perpetrator. The victim described the suspect as a white male, slight build, light complexion, mustache, blue jeans, blue T-shirt and a plaid shirt worn over the T-shirt. Officer Gardner then broadcast this description over the police radio at approximately 9:05-9:10 a.m.

While on patrol Deputy Edward Ducos of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office heard a description of the perpetrator broadcast which basically matched a description he had received earlier that morning after responding to a domestic dispute involving defendant and his girlfriend. He proceeded back to the location where he received this original information and observed the described vehicle pulling into the parking lot. Deputy Ducos drove up behind the vehicle, exited his unit, and approached defendant's car. When defendant opened the door, Deputy Ducos noticed next to the seat, a small paring knife with a red substance on it. He also saw a red plaid shirt and a blue shirt with a red substance on them, which appeared to be blood. During their encounter the defendant was very belligerent and combative; however, Deputy Ducos finally subdued defendant with the assistance of two other officers. At this point, defendant was taken into custody.

Detective David Schafer of the personal violence section of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, also testified regarding his involvement in the case. Detective Schafer first went to the Deep South Motel on Airline Highway, the place defendant was stopped. When he arrived, he observed a light blue T-shirt and a plaid shirt on the front seat of the vehicle. None of the evidence was removed or touched at this time. After retrieving the car keys, Detective Schafer instructed Deputy Pond to have the vehicle towed to the criminal investigations bureau and further instructed that no one be allowed to enter the vehicle. Detective Schafer then proceeded to Charity Hospital where the defendant had been taken, and retrieved the clothing that defendant was wearing (blue jeans) as evidence.

Detective Schafer then returned to the criminal investigations bureau and prepared a search warrant for the vehicle. *1205 When he executed the search warrant, he recovered the two shirts and a knife. Detective Schafer prepared a second search warrant in order to obtain hair and blood samples from defendant. At 8:55 p.m., the body warrant was executed at East Jefferson Hospital and the samples were then transported to the Jefferson Parish Crime Lab.

At trial, there was a joint stipulation between the prosecutor and defense counsel that the tests conducted by Pamela Williams, an expert in the field of forensic biology, on defendant's tennis shoes, jeans, knife, and blue shirt, revealed that the items contained the victim's blood.

Lieutenant Susan Rushing of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office testified that she conducted a photographic lineup at East Jefferson Hospital to determine if the victim could make an identification. Lieutenant Rushing displayed, one by one, six color photographs, all with similar characteristics. When the victim observed photograph number 4, she took the officer's hand, grabbed and shook the picture, and told the officer that he was the subject. The victim finished looking at all the photographs, but stood firm in her original identification.

The victim testified at the suppression hearing that she was shown a photographic lineup in the hospital and that she positively identified photograph number 4, that of defendant, as the perpetrator.

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Bluebook (online)
598 So. 2d 1202, 1992 WL 96122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-head-lactapp-1992.