State v. Henderson

648 So. 2d 974, 1994 WL 696664
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 14, 1994
Docket94-KA-286
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 648 So. 2d 974 (State v. Henderson) 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. Henderson, 648 So. 2d 974, 1994 WL 696664 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

648 So.2d 974 (1994)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Harrell HENDERSON A/K/A Henderson Harrell, Jr.

No. 94-KA-286.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

December 14, 1994.

*975 Bruce G. Whittaker, Indigent Defender Bd., Gretna, for appellant/defendant Harrell Henderson A/K/A Henderson Harrell, Jr.

John M. Mamoulides, Dist. Atty., Terry M. Boudreaux, Asst. Dist. Atty., Research and Appeals, Gretna, for appellee State.

Before KLIEBERT, BOWES and CANNELLA, JJ.

CANNELLA, Judge.

Defendant, Harrell Henderson, Jr. a/k/a Henderson Harrell, Jr., was convicted by a jury of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling pursuant to La.R.S. 14:62.2.[1] Following *976 his conviction, defendant was sentenced to ten years at hard labor with credit for time served, the first year without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. The state then filed a bill of information under La.R.S. 15:529.1, alleging defendant to be a second felony offender. Following a contradictory hearing on January 27, 1994, defendant was convicted of being an habitual offender and sentenced to eighteen years at hard labor with the first year to be served without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. Defendant appeals from the sentence as excessive and cites all errors patent. We affirm the conviction of defendant of simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling and his conviction as an habitual offender, vacate his sentence and remand for resentencing.

At trial, the victim, Richard Steward, testified that at midday on August 17, 1992, he arrived at his home in Metairie to eat lunch. He observed a black ten-speed bicycle parked under a neighbor's window from which the screen had been removed. He proceeded to the rear door of his apartment and saw that the sliding glass door was open approximately eighteen inches. When he pushed back the curtains and looked in, he saw an individual, subsequently identified as defendant, standing at the kitchen table. The victim testified that defendant was "tinkering" with some items on the kitchen table. In defendant's right hand, the victim thought he saw what appeared to be a screwdriver. When defendant turned and faced him, Steward ran to his car to get a large crescent wrench. After retrieving the wrench, he watched defendant jump the fence next to his apartment and ride off on the black bicycle. Steward unsuccessfully chased defendant. He then ran to the street where he flagged down a police officer, told him what had happened and gave him a description of the perpetrator. Upon returning to his apartment, Steward noticed that several items, including his VCR, a jar of money, a nintendo and some telephones had all been removed from their proper place and had been put on the kitchen table. Steward testified that he did not give anyone permission to enter his home. Steward identified defendant as the perpetrator both in court and in a pre-trial photographic line-up.

At trial, Detective Daniel Wright of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office testified that he conducted a follow-up investigation into the burglary. As part of his investigation, he reviewed the latent fingerprint report prepared by Captain Merril Boling of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. This led him to defendant as a possible suspect. Detective Wright met with the victim and conducted a photographic line-up in March of 1993. Steward immediately identified defendant as the subject he observed inside his residence. Based on this information, Deputy Wright arrested defendant while he was working on a black bicycle.

At trial, Captain Merril Boling was accepted as an expert in the lifting and identification of latent fingerprints. He testified in accordance with his report and positively identified the fingerprints lifted from the VCR as having been made by defendant.

After the state rested, defendant testified in his own behalf. Defendant stated that his name was Henderson Harrell and he denied any involvement in the burglary. He admitted that the bicycle was his, acquiring it in December of 1992 at the Jefferson Parish Flea Market. He claimed that he had a full beard at the time of the incident.

On appeal, defendant first asserts that the trial court imposed a vindictive and excessive sentence. He secondly assigns any and all errors patent.

At the conclusion of the habitual offender hearing, it was brought out that prior to defendant's trial, the state offered defendant a plea bargain wherein he would receive a sentence of six and one-half years and would not be multiple billed. Defendant refused the plea and chose to go to trial. After defendant went to trial and was sentenced, the state decided to file a multiple bill. Concerning the multiple bill, the state offered defendant a sentence of fifteen years and also offered to drop defendant's two pending criminal charges in exchange for his guilty plea to the multiple bill. Defendant also refused this offer.

*977 Now, defendant contends that the eighteen year sentence, imposed on him after his refusal to accept the plea bargains was vindictive. Defendant specifically contends that:

The record herein reveals two marked increases in sentence: from six and one-half years to 10 years for going to trial; from 15 years to 18 years for requiring an habitual offender hearing. The record likewise suggests that no new relevant information was developed in the course of the trial or hearing to warrant the attendant increases. The lack of a basis for the increase is particularly apparent for the increase on the multiple bill.

It is initially noted that defendant did not file a motion to reconsider sentence in the district court as required by LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 881.1:

A. (1) Within thirty days following the imposition of sentence or within such longer period as the trial court may set at sentence, the state or the defendant may make or file a motion to reconsider sentence.
(2) The motion shall be oral at the time of sentencing or in writing thereafter and shall set forth the specific grounds on which the motion is based.
B. If a motion is made or filed under Paragraph A of this Article, the trial court may resentence the defendant despite the pendency of an appeal or the commencement of execution of the sentence.
C. The trial court may deny a motion to reconsider sentence without a contradictory hearing.
D. Failure to make or file a motion to reconsider sentence or to include a specific ground upon which a motion to reconsider sentence may be based, including a claim of excessiveness, shall preclude the state or the defendant from raising an objection to the sentence or from urging any ground not raised in the motion on appeal or review.

In the present case, defense counsel did orally object at the time the sentence was imposed, but made a general objection and did not set forth any specific grounds. Failure to specifically object generally precludes the issue for appellate review. See State v. Singleton, 614 So.2d 1242 (La.1993) and 614 So.2d 1243 (La.1993), appeal after remand, 625 So.2d 691 (La.App. 1st Cir.1993), writ denied, 93-2750 (La. 1/13/94 631 So.2d 1163; State v. Mims, 619 So.2d 1059 (La.1993), appeal after remand, 626 So.2d 856 (La.App. 2nd Cir.1993), writ denied, 93-2933 (La. 2/11/94) 634 So.2d 373; State v. Yeager, 93-699 (La.App. 5th Cir. 1/25/94) 631 So.2d 1206. However, in State v. Allen, 93-838 (La.App. 5th Cir.

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Bluebook (online)
648 So. 2d 974, 1994 WL 696664, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-henderson-lactapp-1994.