State v. James

32 So. 3d 993, 2009 La.App. 4 Cir. 1188, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 258, 2010 WL 681423
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 24, 2010
Docket2009-KA-1188
StatusPublished
Cited by45 cases

This text of 32 So. 3d 993 (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, 32 So. 3d 993, 2009 La.App. 4 Cir. 1188, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 258, 2010 WL 681423 (La. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinions

MICHAEL E. KIRBY, Judge.

\,STATEMENT OF CASE

The state charged appellant, Herbert James, with two counts of sexual battery in violation of La. R.S. 14:43.1.1 He entered a not guilty plea and waived motions. On October 29, 2008, the district court denied appellant’s motion to quash. He then proceeded to trial before the judge and was found guilty as charged. His subsequent motion for new trial was denied and, after waiving delays, appellant was sentenced on each count to serve nine years at hard labor without benefit of parole, to run concurrently. His motion for appeal was granted.

Because we find the evidence at trial was sufficient to warrant a conviction and that the trial was timely within the parameters of La.C.Cr.P. art. 578 et seq., we affirm appellant’s conviction and sentence.

[995]*995 STATEMENT OF FACT

The female victim was eleven years old when the alleged sexual batteries occurred.2 Appellant was her mother’s boyfriend; they had dated for approximately eight months. The victim’s mother worked at a local department store and was often unable to pick her children up from school. When this happened, appellant would sometimes pick the children up, fix them dinner, and help with their homework.

The first count of sexual battery is alleged to have occurred between March and September of 2003 at a home on Bunker Hill Road. The victim lived there with her mother, grandmother, and siblings. Appellant did not live with the family. On the day of the first incident appellant picked the victim and her brothers up from school. When they arrived home, appellant told the boys to take a nap. The victim went into her mother’s bedroom where her infant sister was sleeping, and she watched television. Appellant was also in the bedroom, lying on the bed. Appellant called the victim over to her and pulled his “stuff’ out by unzipping his pants. He then proceeded to put baby oil on his penis, grabbed the victim’s hand, placed her hand on his penis, and made her hand move. Afterwards, the victim left and went to the bathroom.

The second incident is alleged to have occurred on November 10, 2003 and happened at the family’s new home. After arriving home from school, the victim took a bath. Appellant told her to put on a skirt and she complied by putting on a skirt, shirt, and underwear. The victim then went into the living room, where her sister was sleeping. Appellant was lying on the sofa. He called her to him, picked |sher up and placed her next to him on the sofa. Appellant told her to take off her underwear, and he pulled his pants and underwear down. He tried to put his penis inside of her but had only placed the tip next to her when the phone rang and he got up. During cross-examination, the victim stated that appellant also rubbed her chest. She denied wearing a nightgown.

The next day the victim told her grandmother and cousin. The grandmother took her to the social worker at school. The grandmother and social worker accompanied her to visit a doctor.

Thereafter, the victim was taken to a child advocacy center on December 12, 2003, where she was interviewed for forty-five minutes by Joan Williams. The tape was played during trial.

Appellant testified that about the same time as the second incident occurred, he was called by staff at the victim’s school. Her brothers were at school, but the staff was unable to locate the victim. The school later called him and told him that the victim had been found. She was supposedly in the boy’s bathroom with some boy.

Appellant testified that he specifically remembered November 10, 2003. He said the victim’s mother was home that day and that the two of them were watching a movie. The victim later joined them. Appellant adamantly denied all of the allegations.

ERRORS PATENT

None.

\ .ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER 1

By his first assignment of error, appellant argues that the evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction because the inconsistencies between the victim’s [996]*996statements and her testimony at trial were so great that it rendered her testimony incredible. The statements to which he refers were those made by the victim to four assistant district attorneys.

Appellant’s argument is not as to the proof of the particular elements of the offense. Indeed, the victim’s testimony at trial supports the convictions for sexual battery. Rather, appellant argues that the victim’s testimony was not credible because of inconsistencies between her earlier statements and her testimony at trial. He notes seven inconsistencies in particular: (1) whether she was wearing a skirt or a nightgown when he attempted to penetrate her; (2) whether he made her lie down with him or get on top of him when he attempted to penetrate her; (3) whether or not he actually penetrated her; (4) whether he took his pants off or just pulled them down; (5) whether there was a pistol present; (6) whether he entered the mother’s bedroom before or after she entered; and (7) whether she saw her brother outside her mother’s bedroom.

Conflicting statements as to factual matters relate to the weight of the evidence, not its sufficiency. State v. Jones, 537 So.2d 1244, 1249 (La.App. 4 Cir.1989). Such a determination rests solely with the trier of fact who may accept or reject, in whole or in part, the testimony of any witness. Id. A trier of fact’s determination as to the credibility of a witness is a question of fact entitled to great weight, and its determination will not be disturbed unless it is clearly contrary to the evidence. State v. Vessell, 450 So.2d 938, 943 (La.1984). In this case the |5trial court’s credibility determination is not contrary to the evidence especially when compared with the following two cases.

The first case, State v. Galindo, 2006-1090 (La.App. 4 Cir. 10/3/07), 968 So.2d 1102, writ denied, 2007-2145 (La.3/24/08), 977 So.2d 952, involved an eight-year old victim, E.M. She and her' friend, M.M., accused the defendant of touching E.M. inappropriately; M.M. initially alleged that the defendant blew a raspberry on E.M.’s bare buttocks whereas E.M. alleged that he touched her vagina on several occasions. E.M. later adopted the story told by M.M.; however, both girls recanted their raspberry story to prosecutors the day before trial. However, at trial the girls reverted to their pre-recantation raspberry story. In finding that the evidence was sufficient, this court stated:

The strongest support for the appellant’s argument that the evidence was insufficient was the admissions of M.M. and E.M. that, on the day before the trial, they told the prosecutors that the defendant had never blown a raspberry on E.M.’s butt. The girls then indicated at trial that he had. However, the girls were questioned at length about the discrepancies in their statements to the prosecutors and their trial testimony. The jury was able to observe the demeanor of the girls, as well as view the videotaped statement which E.M. had given, and apparently found her credible. Contrary to the appellant’s argument, the victim’s testimony was not so suspect as to render it invalid. Thus, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the jury could legitimately find beyond a reasonable doubt that the appellant committed the crime of sexual battery.

Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
32 So. 3d 993, 2009 La.App. 4 Cir. 1188, 2010 La. App. LEXIS 258, 2010 WL 681423, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-james-lactapp-2010.