State v. Hoffman

345 So. 2d 1
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedApril 26, 1977
Docket58480
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 345 So. 2d 1 (State v. Hoffman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hoffman, 345 So. 2d 1 (La. 1977).

Opinion

345 So.2d 1 (1977)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Rayfield HOFFMAN.

No. 58480.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

February 28, 1977.
On Rehearing April 26, 1977.

Clyde D. Merritt, Orleans Indigent Defender Program, New Orleans, for defendant-appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Louise S. Korns, Geraldine S. Veazey, Brian G. Meissner, Asst. Dist. Attys., for plaintiff-appellee.

DIXON, Justice.

On May 5, 1975 Rayfield Hoffman was found guilty by a jury of attempted aggravated rape. The crime occurred between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. on December 25, 1974.

The victim lived alone in a one room apartment. She was in her bathrobe at about 6:00 o'clock in the morning when the defendant broke into her room and forced her to her bed. During the rape the defendant lost consciousness. The victim escaped to a nearby restaurant where she called the police. Upon their arrival, the police found the defendant asleep on the victim's bed, naked except for underwear shorts around his knees, and a hammer in the bed near his feet.

On this appeal defendant argues Assignments of Error Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8. The other assignments of error were neither briefed nor argued and are thereby considered abandoned. State v. Matthews, 292 So.2d 226 (La.1974); State v. Edwards, 261 La. 1014, 261 So.2d 649 (1972).

Assignment of Error No. 3

In this assignment defendant seems to argue that the names of the veniremen who were called on voir dire were not selected indiscriminately and by lot, and that C.Cr.P. 784 was violated. That article provides:

*2 "In selecting a panel, names shall be drawn from the petit jury venire indiscriminately and by lot in open court and in a manner to be determined by the court."

The record before us does not reflect a violation of article 784, and does not make clear defendant's complaint. Defense counsel seemed to have attempted to bargain for a copy of information of the past performance of jurors which, defense counsel said, was in the hands of the prosecutor. The per curiam of the trial judge merely points out that the jury venire was selected a week before the trial, and that it is shared with other sections.

The State seems to indicate that State v. Bradford, 298 So.2d 781 (La.1974) approved the practice of which defendant seems to complain. Bradford made no such holding. If it were true that the names of the veniremen were not drawn from the petit jury venire list indiscriminately and by lot in open court, there would be a serious defect in the trial. However, the record before us does not reveal such a violation.

There is no merit to Assignment of Error No. 3.

Assignment of Error No. 4

While the jury was being selected, defendant moved as follows: "Under Art. 788, when the State and Defense accept a juror we ask that they be immediately sworn."

The trial court denied the motion and stated that all jurors would be sworn together before the trial began. Article 788 provides:

"After the examination provided by Article 786, a prospective juror shall be tendered first to the state, which shall accept or challenge him. If the state accepts the prospective juror, he shall be tendered to the defendant, who shall accept or challenge him. When a prospective juror is accepted by the state and the defendant, he shall be sworn immediately as a juror. This article is subject to the provisions of Articles 795 and 796."

Article 795 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides that peremptory challenges may be made by the State at any time before the juror is accepted by the State, and by the defendant at any time before the juror is sworn.[1] Because of these provisions, a not unreasonable practice has developed on voir dire examination in which the State will "tentatively" accept a juror until after the panel has been completed, at which time the defense, with a full jury box before it, will exercise peremptory challenges. This procedure gives some latitude to the State, and is generally thought to give an advantage to the defendant, who need not exercise his peremptory challenges until after the State has accepted jurors.

Nevertheless, the practice is contrary to the provisions of C.Cr.P. 788. When requested by defense counsel, the trial judge must require that prospective jurors be tendered first to the State which shall accept or challenge, and then to the defendant, who must accept or challenge. The statutory system is a fair one, and, unless its provisions are waived by the parties, must be enforced.

However, defendant does not point to any prejudice he has suffered, nor to any advantage gained by the State from this error. Although there is obviously a violation of a statutory provision, the practice complained of has not affected the right of the accused to a fair and impartial trial, and is not a violation of a substantial right of the accused. Therefore, the assignment of error is not ground for reversal.

Assignments of Error Nos. 6 and 7

In Assignment of Error No. 6 the defendant complains that it was error for the court to provide the jury with a list of *3 responsive verdicts which included attempted aggravated rape and simple rape, because there was no evidence to support either verdict. Assignment of Error No. 7 complains of the denial of the defendant's motion for a new trial and in arrest of judgment because of a "total lack of evidence supporting the defendant's conviction."

In brief defendant seems to argue that the United States Supreme Court in Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 325, 96 S.Ct. 3001, 49 L.Ed.2d 974 (1976), disapproved Louisiana's responsive verdict system, which lacked standards to guide the jury in selecting the lesser included offenses of which they might find the defendant guilty. The defendant argues that, if the State's evidence is believed, it would support only a finding of aggravated rape; if the State's evidence is not believed (and the defendant testified that he had not raped the victim), the defendant must be found not guilty.

The trial judge had no alternative but to submit to the jury the list of responsive verdicts. The responsive verdicts fixed by statute (C.Cr.P. 814) for aggravated rape include attempted aggravated rape and simple rape. Roberts v. Louisiana found the death penalty in Louisiana unconstitutional, not the responsive verdict system.

It is true that there is an element of intellectual confusion in certain of the responsive verdicts. (For instance, manslaughter is a responsive verdict to first degree and second degree murder. See State v. Cooley, 260 La. 768, 257 So.2d 400 (1972).

Nevertheless, no constitutional bar has been suggested which would invalidate the responsive verdict system used in Louisiana. Since the trial judge was required by statute to submit the responsive verdicts to the jury, and was not prohibited by the Constitution, the defendant cannot complain, and there is no merit in his argument.

The argument in the motion for a new trial and the motion in arrest of judgment that there was no evidence of attempted aggravated rape is simply a play on words. There was not only an attempt; the attempt was successful. There was evidence of every element of aggravated rape, and the defendant cannot complain that the jury did not find him guilty of as severe a crime as they might have.

Assignment of Error No. 8

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Bluebook (online)
345 So. 2d 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hoffman-la-1977.