State v. Jeanlouis

683 So. 2d 1355, 1996 WL 653797
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 6, 1996
DocketNo. CR96-474
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 683 So. 2d 1355 (State v. Jeanlouis) 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. Jeanlouis, 683 So. 2d 1355, 1996 WL 653797 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

| WOODARD, Judge.

Defendant appeals conviction of second degree murder, asserting the trial court erred in not granting his motion for a new trial, denying a challenge for cause of a biased juror, and allowing the introduction of prejudicial evidence. We affirm.

FACTS

On October 26, 1993, Ursula Bruno was stabbed at the intersection of Simcoe and Twelfth Streets in Lafayette, Louisiana. She was taken to a local hospital where she died. The police located four individuals who claimed to have been at the scene where the stabbing occurred, including Pamela Smothers, an eyewitness to the incident. While none of the other three witnesses could give a positive identification of the assailant, Smothers testified that she saw the defendant, Gregory Jeanlouis, stab Bruno. Smothers testified that defendant stabbed Bruno because he mistook her for one of a number of individuals who had robbed him earlier that evening. Also admitted into evidence was a tape recording which was given to the Lafayette City Police by Trooper Dirk Bergeron, an officer with the Louisiana State Police. The tape contained a recording of a traffic stop in which defendant made incriminating statements admitting to killing an unnamed woman in Lafayette.

laA jury trial was held on February 5-7, 1996, and defendant was convicted of second degree murder. On February 7,1996, defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. It is from this conviction that defendant appeals.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

Defendant claims the following assignments of error:

(1) The trial court erred in denying a challenge for cause of a biased juror.
(2) The trial court erred in admitting ambiguous evidence which was not probative of any material fact and which was highly prejudicial.
(3) The evidence, considered in the light most favorable to the prosecution, fails to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of second degree murder.

LAW

Challenge op Juror for Cause

Defendant’s first assignment is that the trial court erred in not granting a challenge for cause for a prospective juror. To prove there has been error warranting reversal of the conviction and sentence, defendant need only show: (1) erroneous denial of a challenge for cause; and (2) the use of all his peremptory challenges. State v. Cross, 93-1189 (La.6/30/95), 658 So.2d 683. In this case, Jeanlouis had twelve peremptory challenges available and used all twelve. He can, therefore, raise the issue of erroneous denial. State v. Gibson, 505 So.2d 237 (La.App. 3 Cir.1987).

La.Code Crim.P. art. 797 provides, in pertinent part, that a defendant may challenge a juror for cause on the grounds that:

(2) The juror is not impartial, whatever the cause of his impartiality. An opinion or impression as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant shall not of itself be sufficient ground of challenge to a juror, if he declares, and the court is satisfied, that he can render an impartial verdict according to the law of the evidence;
la(3) The relationship, whether by blood, marriage, employment, friendship, or enmity between the juror and the defendant, the person injured by the offense, the [1358]*1358district attorney, or defense counsel, is such that it is reasonable to conclude that it would influence the juror in arriving at a verdict.

The true test of a juror’s qualification to serve is his or her ability to judge impartially based on the evidence adduced at trial, as gleaned from the totality of responses given at voir dire. State v. Williams, 410 So .2d 217 (La.1982). A challenge for cause should be granted, even when a prospective juror declares his ability to remain impartial, if the juror’s responses as a whole reveal facts from which bias, prejudice or inability to render judgment according to law may be reasonably implied. State v. Jones, 474 So.2d 919 (La.1985); State v. Smith, 487 So.2d 802 (La.1983). In determining the impartiality of a juror, the trial judge has wide discretion, and his or her ruling will not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse. State v. Gintz, 438 So.2d 1230 (La. App. 3 Cir.1983); Gibson, 505 So.2d at 237. Furthermore, a charge of bias may be removed if the prospective juror is rehabilitated. Id. Typically, jurors are not trained in the law. They often have preconceived ideas as to what the law requires, or which witnesses have more credibility. Because of this, they are questioned by the trial court, not only in reference to their possible partiality, but also as to their ability to put aside that partiality and render an impartial verdict according to the evidence and instructions given to the court. A challenge for cause is often unwarranted where a prospective juror at first expresses an opinion prejudicial to the defendant, but upon further inquiry demonstrates the ability and willingness to decide the case impartially by listening to the evidence and following the trial court’s instructions. State v. Heard, 408 So.2d 1247 (La.1982); State v. Bates, 397 So.2d 1331 (La.1981). In the present case, Jeanlouis asserts that the juror in question, juror Furman, could not be impartial. He bases this assertion on Furman’s responses during voir dire and his friendship with individuals in law enforcement. He further asserts evidence of Furman’s hearing problem as a cause for removal. We will discuss both these contentions in turn.

Mr. Bull, Jeanlouis’ attorney, questioned the jurors as to whether they would be inclined to believe a police officer more than someone else. The following dialogue took place between Bull and Furman:

I4A. I think it’s pretty much common knowledge that police officers are to respect and uphold the law, and that generally what they say is right. You know, if I was to look at that sheriff and he was to tell me something, I would generally believe him.
Q. So would you give more weight and credibility to the testimony of—
A. Well, I would think that just in our society, isn’t it just generally accepted that a police officer carries more weight than you convicted felon would, for instance, because he’s a role model?
Q. You have to tell me how that affects you.
A. Well, yeah, I feel that way.

Later in voir dire, the trial judge also questioned Furman:

Q. Okay, but I need to ask you this question — and also, to answer your question, Mr. Furman, no, the law does not give a police officer any more credibility than any other person.
A. (Mr. Furman) Oh, no, I didn’t think it gives him more credibility.

After this exchange, the trial judge explained that each witness is presumed to tell the truth, and that jurors should listen to, and weigh all the testimony before deciding what had or had not been proven. The trial judge went on to question Furman more in depth:

Q. Okay. Now, Mr. Furman, I think you said you might believe a police officer over another witness. Is that correct?
A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
683 So. 2d 1355, 1996 WL 653797, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jeanlouis-lactapp-1996.