State v. Higgins

198 So. 3d 135, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 1203, 2016 WL 3415403
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 22, 2016
DocketNo. 50,654-KA
StatusPublished

This text of 198 So. 3d 135 (State v. Higgins) 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. Higgins, 198 So. 3d 135, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 1203, 2016 WL 3415403 (La. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

STONE, J.

_JjThe defendant, George Edward Higgins, pled guilty to attempted aggravated rape and sexual battery. The defendant received a sentence of 50 years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for the attempted aggravated rape conviction. For the sexual battery conviction, the defendant was sentenced to serve 50 years, with 25 years to be served without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively with credit given for time served. The defendant appeals, urging the trial court erred in accepting his guilty pleas without rendering a final disposition as to his insanity issues. For the following reasons, we vacate the defendant’s guilty pleas and sentences and remand the case for a sanity hearing.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The defendant, his wife, Michelle Higgins, and the juvenile victim, K.H.,1 lived in a one-room storage building in the defendant’s parents’ backyard. On September 20, 2013, K.H. told her paternal grandparents, Fred and Joyce Higgins, that the defendant had beaten K.H. with a power cord. After observing red marks on K.H. Joyce notified the Richland Parish Sheriffs Office. On or about the same day the Delhi Police Department received a call from a counselor at the community recreation center in Monroe, Louisiana, in reference to K.H. According to the counsel- or, K.H. informed a friend she was going to commit suicide because her dad was 12sexually assaulting her. The officers went immédiately to KH.’s school and observed marks and bruises on K.H. They also saw a mark on K.H.’s lower legs where the defendant had kicked her and a scar on her thigh where the defendant had shot her with a BB gun.

After the defendant was arrested, an investigator with the Richland Parish Sheriffs Office and an investigator with the Department of Children and Family Services met with K.H. K.H. told the investigator she had suffered continuous sexual molestation at the hands of the defendant since she was eight years old. She stated the last incident of rape occurred a few days before the authorities were contacted. K.H. further indicated that the defendant threw things at her, punched her in the head with his fist, performed oral sex on her mother while forcing K.H. to watch, made her watch pornography [137]*137inside the one-room storage building, -and forced her to watch the defendant and his wife have sexual intercourse. The defendant also subjected K.H. to other emotional abuse, repeatedly telling her that he wished she was never born.

Shortly after his arrest, the defendant admitted to having sex with his daughter, K.H., but indicated that actual intercourse had begun only a year prior to his arrest. The defendant corroborated much of what K.H. told the police, including the fact that the last time he had sex with the then 15-year-old victim was about one week prior to his arrest. The defendant gave various accounts of his abuse of K.H. and never denied the sexual nature of their relationship. The defendant also admitted to kicking, hitting, and beating K.H. with a power cord.

|aOn December 12, 2013, a grand jury indicted the defendant for aggravated rape, aggravated incest, and aggravated-battery. On January 8, 2014, the defendant was arraigned and counsel was appointed. At the arraignment, the defendant pled not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity to all charges. On February 7, 2014, defense counsel filed a motion to determine the defendant’s mental competency both at the present time and at the time of the offenses. Counsel requested the trial court appoint a sanity commission and then make a determination about the defendant’s competency. On that same date, the trial court signed an order appointing two doctors to examine the defendant and render reports concerning his mental condition at the time of the alleged offenses, his capacity to understand the proceedings against him, and his ability to assist in his defense.

The trial court minutes reflect the defendant appeared in court with his attorney on May 14, 2014, July 9, 2014, August 27, 2014, November 5, 2014, and January 7, 2015. On each of these dates, the scheduled “pretrial conference” was upset and refixed for a later date. In the meantime,- the record reflects that on February 26, 2014, the state responded to the defendant’s motion for discovery and filed its own motion for discovery. The record also contains a November 19, 2014, pro se motion from the defendant- asking for a new attorney, and a second motion for discovery, filed by defense counsel on December 10,2014.

On March 12, 2015, the state gave the defendant notice, per La. R.S. 15:440.1, of its intent to use as evidence a video interview with KH. On March 13, 2015, the defendant appeared in court with counsel and entered pinto a plea agreement. The state agreed to reduce the aggravated rape charge to' attempted aggravated rape and the aggravated incest charge' to sexual battery, with a sentence imposed per La. R.S. 14:43.1(C)(2). The state dismissed the aggravated battery charge in éxchange for the defendant’s guilty plea to the reduced charges. The parties agreed the defendant would be senténced following a presentence investigation report.

The defendant’s capacity to proceed was not explicitly discussed during the Boykin colloquy, although this exchange occurred:

Court: Do you have any physical, mental, or emotional problems that would keep you from understanding what we’re doing here today?
Defendant: No, ma’am..
Court: The Court finds that the defendant is competent to enter this guilty plea and waive his constitutional rights, freely, voluntarily and intelligently.

The trial court then advised the defendant of his rights. After the defendant waived his rights and-the trial court was satisfied [138]*138with his waiver, the court accepted the defendant’s guilty pleas.

Once the presentence investigation was completed, the defendant returned for sentencing. The trial court reviewed the defendant’s social history, noting that he dropped out of school in ■ the ninth grade and had only sporadic employment. The court further noted the defendant had previously been diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety disorder and was prescribed medications, but quit taking the prescribed medications because he thought they were not working. The defendant read to the court a prepared statement in which he expressed regret over the pain he caused his family and that he was sorry for everything he had done.

IsAfter reviewing the relevant factors under La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1, the trial court sentenced the defendant to 50 years at hard labor, without the benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence, for the attempted aggravated rape conviction. For the sexual battery conviction, the court sentenced the defendant to 50 years at hard labor, 25 years of which would be served without probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The trial court ordered the sentences be served consecutively and the defendant was given credit for time served. A motion to reconsider sentence was filed on behalf of the defendant arguing his sentence was excessive: The trial court denied the motion. This appeal followed.

LAW AND DISCUSSION

In his first assignment of error, the defendant contends the trial court erred in accepting his- guilty pleas without first determining whether he had the mental capacity to proceed.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Nomey
613 So. 2d 157 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1993)
State v. Johnson
166 So. 3d 1170 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2015)
State v. Thomas
91 So. 3d 1207 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
198 So. 3d 135, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 1203, 2016 WL 3415403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-higgins-lactapp-2016.