State v. James

627 So. 2d 203, 1993 La. App. LEXIS 3503, 1993 WL 474339
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 18, 1993
DocketNo. 93-KA-0144
StatusPublished

This text of 627 So. 2d 203 (State v. James) 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. James, 627 So. 2d 203, 1993 La. App. LEXIS 3503, 1993 WL 474339 (La. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinions

LOB RANO, Judge.

Defendant, Norris James, was charged by grand jury indictment with two counts of first degree murder, a violation of Louisiana Revised Statute 14:30.

Defendant was arraigned on March 24, 1981 and pled not guilty to both counts. The trial court ordered a lunacy hearing. On August 11, 1981 defendant was found insane and unable to assist counsel. A second lunacy hearing was conducted on May 25, 1982 and defendant was found sane and competent. On September 24, 1982, defendant withdrew his former plea of not guilty and entered a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.

Trial was held on January 17-18, 1983. Defendant was found guilty as charged on both counts. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision as to the sentence. Thus, the trial court sentenced defendant to life imprisonment without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence on each count to run concurrently. Defendant’s convictions and sentences were affirmed in an errors patent appeal. State v. James, 463 So.2d 742 (La.App. 4th Cir.1985). On June 14, 1991, defendant, pursuant to Lofton v. Whitley, 905 F.2d 885 (5th Cir.1990), was granted a new appeal.

FACTS:

On February 22, 1981, Sandra James, defendant’s estranged wife and her two children from a previous marriage, were residing at 3038 St. Roch Avenue. Defendant was residing with his parents. Mrs. James, her children and a few friends were in the house. [205]*205Joseph Perique, a friend of Mrs. James had agreed to fix a broken window. Mrs. James, Perique and Mrs. James’ two daughters, Troy and Shelly Jones were in the kitchen. Joseph Jones, Mrs. James’ son, was playing in the back yard when he noticed defendant walking toward the house. Joseph shouted to his mother that defendant was outside. Defendant walked in and out of the yard several times before entering the house through the kitchen door. Joseph followed defendant into the house. Once inside the house defendant and Mrs. James began to argue. Defendant demanded to know the identity of Perique and the reason he was in the house. Mrs. James told Perique not to answer. Defendant then shot Mrs. James in the chest with a .38 caliber revolver he had hidden in the pocket of his coat. Defendant then approached Perique, said something to him and then shot Perique. As Perique lay on the floor, defendant shot him again. Defendant then fled to Texas where he attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the abdomen.

Sandra James died of a single gunshot wound to the chest which penetrated the aorta and caused her to bleed to death. Pe-rique sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder which was superficial in nature and one to the chest. The shot to the chest penetrated the heart and liver causing Pe-rique to bleed to death.

Both Drs. Kenneth Ritter and Ignacio Medina, psychiatrists who had examined defendant testified that defendant knew right from wrong at the time of the killings.

Defendant appeals his convictions and sentences asserting the following assignments of error:

1) The evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction of first degree murder on count one as the evidence failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had the specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm upon Sandra James.
2) The evidence was insufficient in count one to sustain the conviction because the mitigating factors of manslaughter had been established by a preponderance of the evidence.
3) The evidence was insufficient in count two to sustain the conviction because the mitigating factors of manslaughter had been established by a preponderance of the evidence.
4) The trial court erred in failing to grant a challenge for cause for prospective juror Thomas Holden.
5) The trial court gave an erroneous jury instruction with respect to the definition of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR 1, 2 AND 3:

The standard for reviewing a claim of insufficient evidence is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Jacobs, 504 So.2d 817 (La.1987); State v. Fuller, 414 So.2d 306 (La.1982).

Nevertheless, the reviewing court may not disregard its duty to consider whether the evidence is constitutionally sufficient simply because the record contains evidence that tends to support each fact necessary to constitute the crime. State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305 (La.1988). The reviewing court is not permitted to consider just the evidence most favorable to the prosecution but must consider the record as a whole since that is what a rational trier of fact would do. Mussall, supra. If rational triers of fact could disagree as to the interpretation of the evidence, the rational trier’s view of all the evidence most favorable to the prosecution must be adopted. Mussall, supra. The fact finder’s discretion will be impinged upon only to the extent necessary to guarantee the fundamental protection of due process of law. Mussall, supra.

Defendant was convicted of first degree murder. First degree murder is:

“... the killing of a human being:
(3) When the offender has a specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm upon more than one person;”

[206]*206Specific intent is “that state of mind which exists when the circumstances indicate that the offender actively desired the physical criminal consequences to follow his act or failure to act.” La.R.S. 14:10; State v. Lindsey, 543 So.2d 886 (La.1989), cert. denied, Lindsey v. Louisiana, 494 U.S. 1074, 110 S.Ct. 1796, 108 L.Ed.2d 798 (1990). Intent may be inferred from the circumstances. Specific intent is an ultimate legal conclusion to be resolved by the finder of fact. State v. Govan, 593 So.2d 833 (La.App. 4th Cir.1992), writ denied, 600 So.2d 654 (La.1992); State v. Rayford, 476 So.2d 961 (La.App. 1st Cir.1985). A specific intent to kill can be inferred from someone pointing a gun at close range and pulling the trigger. State v. Williams, 383 So.2d 369 (La.1980), cert. denied, Williams v. Louisiana, 449 U.S. 1103, 101 S.Ct. 899, 66 L.Ed.2d 828 (1981); State v. Procell, 365 So.2d 484 (La.1978), cert. denied, Procell v. Louisiana, 441 U.S. 944, 99 S.Ct. 2164, 60 L.Ed.2d 1046 (1979).

Defendant argues, in the alternative, that the evidence, at best, supports a finding of manslaughter, not first degree murder. The applicable portion of the manslaughter statute (La.R.S. 14:31) relied on by defendant provides:

“(1) A homicide which would be murder under either Article 30 (first degree murder) or Article 30.1 (second degree murder), but the offense is committed in sudden passion or heat of blood immediately caused by provocation sufficient to deprive an average person of his self control and cool reflection.

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Cage v. Louisiana
498 U.S. 39 (Supreme Court, 1990)
Sullivan v. Louisiana
508 U.S. 275 (Supreme Court, 1993)
State v. Govan
593 So. 2d 833 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1992)
State v. Jacobs
504 So. 2d 817 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1987)
State v. Williams
383 So. 2d 369 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1980)
State v. Mussall
523 So. 2d 1305 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1988)
State v. Berniard
625 So. 2d 217 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1993)
State v. Williams
457 So. 2d 610 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1984)
State v. Brown
496 So. 2d 261 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1986)
State v. Dobson
578 So. 2d 533 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1991)
State v. Lombard
501 So. 2d 889 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1987)
State v. Camp
571 So. 2d 195 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1990)
State v. Sylvester
400 So. 2d 640 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1981)
State v. Rayford
476 So. 2d 961 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1985)
State v. Procell
365 So. 2d 484 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1978)
State v. Lombard
506 So. 2d 504 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1987)
State v. Fuller
414 So. 2d 306 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1982)
State v. Dobson
588 So. 2d 1110 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
627 So. 2d 203, 1993 La. App. LEXIS 3503, 1993 WL 474339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-james-lactapp-1993.