State v. Hill

714 So. 2d 814, 1998 WL 237223
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 26, 1998
Docket30552-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 714 So. 2d 814 (State v. Hill) 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. Hill, 714 So. 2d 814, 1998 WL 237223 (La. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

714 So.2d 814 (1998)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Tracy HILL, Appellant.

No. 30552-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

May 13, 1998.
Opinion Clarifying Decision on Rehearing June 26, 1998.

John Michael Lawrence, Assistant Indigent Defender, Shreveport, for Appellant.

Richard Ieyoub, Attorney General, James M. Bullers, District Attorney, Whitley Graves, Assistant District Attorney, for Appellee.

Before NORRIS, BROWN and PEATROSS, JJ.

NORRIS, Judge.

Originally indicted for aggravated rape, La. R.S. 14:42, Tracy Hill pled guilty to the reduced charge of sexual battery, R.S. 14:43.1. The District Court imposed the maximum sentence of 10 years at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, suspension of sentence, or eligibility for good time, and denied a motion to reconsider. Hill now appeals his sentence as excessive. We note error patent in the Boykin proceedings. State v. Godejohn, 425 So.2d 750 (La.1983); State v. Watts, 550 So.2d 711 (La.App. 2 Cir.1989). Accordingly, we vacate the guilty plea, set aside the conviction and sentence, and remand the case for further proceedings.

At the Boykin hearing, the court advised Hill that his guilty plea to sexual battery carried a maximum sentence of 10 years at hard labor. The court did not advise him that any sentence imposed would be without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence, and without eligibility for good time. The record does not show that anyone else advised him of this mandatory aspect of the sentence. R.S. 14:43.1 C.

Before entering a guilty plea, the defendant must be advised of, and must waive, his constitutionally guaranteed right to a jury trial, right of confrontation, and right against compulsory self-incrimination. *815 Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969); State ex rel. Jackson v. Henderson, 260 La. 90, 255 So.2d 85 (1971). Moreover, the entry of a guilty plea must be knowing and voluntary on the defendant's part. State v. Nuccio, 454 So.2d 93 (La.1984); Kennedy v. Maggio, 725 F.2d 269 (5 Cir.1984). Advising the defendant of certain facts beyond the Boykin "triad of rights" bears on the knowing and voluntary nature of the plea. State ex rel. LaFleur v. Donnelly, 416 So.2d 82 (La.1982).

In LaFleur, the Supreme Court discussed the effect of a district court's failure to inform the defendant that a firearms sentence, R.S. 14:95.1, necessarily excluded probation, parole or suspension of sentence. The Court stated:

It is important to explain to the accused the elements of the offenses with which he is charged and the rights he is waiving by pleading guilty thereto. * * * However, it is probably much more important to the defendant's decision (about whether to plead guilty) that he understand the maximum penalty exposure.
In this case a detailed account of the possible sentences by the trial court could have prevented any misunderstanding with regard to parole eligibility on the firearms charge. A full explanation of the sentence provided for an offense by the legislature seems particularly important when, as part of the penalty of the offense, parole eligibility is denied, because the accused may be far more concerned about the possibilities for early release than any abstract right to confront his accusers at trial.
(Citations omitted.)

The Supreme Court has never reversed LaFleur or retracted its rationale; however, it has on occasion stated that the Boykin "triad of rights" has not been expanded. See, e.g., State v. Nuccio, supra. Notably, the issue in Nuccio was not failure to advise the defendant that he could not get parole; rather, it was failure to advise that his guilty plea could be used as a basis for the filing of future multiple offender bills under R.S. 15:529.1. The court held that this failure did not vitiate the knowing and voluntary nature of the plea. The court did not disturb the principles of LaFleur.

This court has consistently followed LaFleur and vacated the plea when the record shows that the defendant was not informed of the sentencing range and of the "without benefit" provision. See, e.g., State v. Smith, 513 So.2d 544 (La.App. 2 Cir.1987).[1] Even when the District Court has properly explained the sentencing range and the "without benefit" provision, we have reiterated that this is required for a knowing, voluntary plea.[2]

On certain occasions we have quoted the passage from State v. Nuccio, supra, to state that Boykin "triad of rights" has never been expanded.[3] Notably, however, in all of these cases the "without benefit" provision was clearly set forth in the Boykin colloquy, either by the prosecutor or defense counsel. None of them involve what occurred in the instant case, viz., a total failure to advise the defendant that his sentence for sexual battery would be without benefit.

The legislature has recently acted to clarify the jurisprudence concerning the knowing and voluntary nature of guilty pleas by enacting La.C.Cr.P. art. 556.1. La. Acts.1997, No. 1061. This article provides, in pertinent part:

A. In any criminal case, the court shall not accept a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, without first addressing the defendant personally in open court and informing *816 him of, and determining that he understands, all of the following:
(1) The nature of the charge to which the plea is offered, the mandatory minimum penalty provided by law, if any, and the maximum possible penalty provided by law.

According to the comments, art. 556.1 is intended to clarify the law by incorporating the essence of F.R.Cr.P. art. 11, which requires the court to advise the defendant of any mandatory minimum penalty, the maximum possible penalty, and "the effect of any special parole term." Article 556.1 became effective on August 15, 1997, so obviously the District Court did not utilize it at the instant guilty plea, which occurred on March 11, 1997. See State v. Newman, 97-797 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1/28/98), 707 So.2d 122. However, the article is interpretive, embracing LaFleur, supra, and validating this court's analysis in State v. Smith, supra, and its progeny. Thus the article informs and guides our consideration of the instant case.

In light of these considerations we conclude that the District Court's failure to advise Hill that his maximum 10-year sentence must be "without benefit" is reversible error. State ex rel. LaFleur v. Donnelly, supra, State v. Smith, supra, and La.C.Cr.P. art. 556.1. The guilty plea is therefore vacated, the conviction and sentence set aside, and the case remanded for further proceedings.

GUILTY PLEA VACATED; CONVICTION AND SENTENCE SET ASIDE; CASE REMANDED.

BROWN, J., dissents with reasons.

BROWN, Judge, dissenting.

Defendant, Tracy Hill, does not seek to have his guilty plea set aside. He questions only the excessiveness of his sentence. In fact, when sentenced, defendant rejected the idea that his plea should be withdrawn:

THE COURT:
The record will speak for itself. You know, I really think, Mr.

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

Related

State of Louisiana v. Wendell Joseph Bienvenu
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011
State v. Cummings
79 So. 3d 386 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2011)
State v. White
756 So. 2d 652 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
State v. Johnson
750 So. 2d 471 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2000)
State v. Herrington
749 So. 2d 862 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Flanagan
744 So. 2d 718 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Madison
743 So. 2d 920 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Whiddon
741 So. 2d 797 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Stiles
733 So. 2d 612 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Youngblood
740 So. 2d 687 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Cochran
734 So. 2d 1247 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Sebastien
730 So. 2d 1040 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Jackson
734 So. 2d 54 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1999)
State v. Anderson
720 So. 2d 355 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)
State v. Thomas
714 So. 2d 159 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)
State v. Clay
714 So. 2d 123 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
714 So. 2d 814, 1998 WL 237223, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hill-lactapp-1998.