State v. Isaac

544 So. 2d 531, 1989 WL 55445
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided May 10, 1989·No. 89-KA-40·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

544 So.2d 531 (1989)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Glennile ISAAC.

No. 89-KA-40.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

May 10, 1989.

*532 Randell O. Lewis, Luling, Attorney for defendant-appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Harry J. Morel, Jr., Dist. Atty., Kurt F. Sins, Gregory C. Champagne, Asst. Dist. Attys., Hahnville, for the State.

Before BOWES, GAUDIN and DUFRESNE, JJ.

BOWES, Judge.

Defendant Glennile Isaac appeals his conviction and sentence for attempted aggravated rape.

On February 16, 1988, an eight year old boy was assaulted while riding his bicycle in a wooded area near his home in Boutte, Louisiana. The child was grabbed from behind and unsuccessfully tried to escape. The assailant forced the boy to perform fellatio on him and then stripped the child and anally raped him. Before escaping, the boy was again forced to perform oral sex and was severely beaten by the rapist. *533 Upon his escape, the child ran to his home and was taken to the hospital. Police took a statement from him that night, after which the child was released following treatment.

On the following day, the boy was brought to the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Department, at which time a videotape interview was conducted with him by juvenile officers. Following the interview, the victim was shown photographs of possible suspects. After viewing several hundred photos, the victim identified the defendant, Glennile Isaac, as the rapist. Mr. Isaac was subsequently arrested and, following a physical lineup in which the child again identified him as the perpetrator, the defendant was indicted and subsequently tried on a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42, Aggravated Rape. Following trial, the jury found Isaac guilty of attempted aggravated rape and the trial court sentenced him to 20 years at hard labor. Isaac appeals his conviction on the following assignments of error:

1. The court below erred in admitting the videotape of the minor victim because his statement was made in response to leading questions, a violation of the statutory safeguards governing the admissibility of the videotape of an oral statement.
2. The evidence related to the physical lineup should not have been admitted where the state failed to reveal in its opening statement that such evidence would be introduced.
3. Where it is unclear whether an eight year old understood the importance of the oath to testify truthfully, the court erred in permitting the child to testify.
4. Where it is certain that the jury rendered a compromise verdict, the court erred in failing to grant either a new trial or a post judgment motion for acquittal, especially where the court stated that the court itself had reasonable doubts.

Assignment of Error Number 1—The Videotape Interview

The defendant argues that the videotape should not have been admitted because it violates the conditions enumerated in LSA-R.S. 15:440.5. That statute governs admissibility into evidence of the videotape of an oral statement made by a child fourteen years of age or under and reads as follows:

15:440.5. Admissibility

A. The videotape of an oral statement of the child made before the proceeding begins may be admissible into evidence if:
(1) No attorney for either party was present when the statement was made;
(2) The recording is both visual and oral and is recorded on film or videotape or by other electronic means;
(3) The recording is accurate, has not been altered, and reflects what the witness or victim said;
(4) The statement was not made in response to questioning calculated to lead the child to make a particular statement;
(5) Every voice on the recording is identified;
(6) The person conducting the interview of the child in the recording is present at the proceeding and available to testify or be cross-examined by either party;
(7) The defendant or the attorney for the defendant is afforded an opportunity to view the recording before it is offered into evidence; and
(8) The child is available to testify.
B. The admission into evidence of the videotape of a child as authorized herein shall not preclude the prosecution from calling the child as a witness or taking the child's testimony outside of the courtroom as authorized in R.S. 15:283. Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit the defendant's right of confrontation.

The defendant avers specifically that condition number four was violated, in that the police officers who interviewed the victim asked a number of leading questions. A transcript of the video was introduced, as well as the tape itself. A review of the transcript of the tape reveals that some of the questions asked by the interviewer *534 could be regarding as "leading questions." However, such does not render the videotape inadmissible under all the facts and circumstances of this case.

The requirement precluding leading questions is designed to help assure accuracy. State v. R.C., 494 So.2d 1350 (La.App. 2 Cir.1986).

Here defendant had access to and did review the tape prior to trial. The child victim was present in court and subject to full cross-examination. The court in State v. Feazell, 486 So.2d 327 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1986), writ denied, 491 So.2d 20 (La.1986), considered the issue of competency of a videotape of a child victim in which some leading questions had been asked (under LSA-R.S. 15:440.4 dealing with competent evidence). There the court found:

Leading questions are ordinarily prohibited when propounded to one's own witness unless such witness is unwilling or hostile. LSA-R.S. 15:277. However, it is well settled that an exception is usually made when questioning a young child. State v. Kelly, 456 So.2d 642 (La. App. 2nd Cir.1984), writ denied, 461 So.2d 312 (La.1984); State v. Kahey, 436 So.2d 475 (La.1983); State v. Bolton, 408 So.2d 250 (La.1981); State v. Francis, 337 So. 2d 487 (La.1976). Furthermore, notwithstanding the general rule against leading questions, the matter is largely within the discretion of the trial court and in the absence of palpable abuse of that discretion resulting in prejudice to the accused, a finding of reversible error is not warranted. State v. Kelly, supra; State v. Francis, supra.

The court there found that the leading nature of the questions constituted harmless error "especially since the defense viewed the videotape prior to trial and cross-examined the child during trial."

We agree with the analysis of the Third Circuit and extend that reasoning to include the issue of leading questions under R.S. 15:440.5 involving admissibility of such videotapes. Therefore, because the defendant here did cross-examine the child and did view the tape prior to trial, we find that to whatever extent the questions of the interviewer were leading, the error is harmless. There was no abuse of discretion on the part of the trial court in admitting the videotape into evidence. This assignment of error is without merit.

Assignment of Error No. 2—The Physical Lineup

In the State's opening remarks, the district attorney discussed the identification by the victim of the defendant's photograph at the police station. No reference w

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State v. Isaac, 544 So. 2d 531, 1989 WL 55445 (La. Ct. App. 1989).

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