State v. Jeansonne

931 So. 2d 1258, 2006 WL 1476145
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 31, 2006
Docket06-263
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 931 So. 2d 1258 (State v. Jeansonne) 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. Jeansonne, 931 So. 2d 1258, 2006 WL 1476145 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

931 So.2d 1258 (2006)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Al Jerome JEANSONNE, Jr.

No. 06-263.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

May 31, 2006.

*1259 Laura Marie Pavy, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, LA, for Defendant/Appellant, Al Jerome Jeansonne, Jr.

James C. Downs, District Attorney — Ninth Judicial District, Ada T. Gerald Henderson, Alexandria, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellee, State of Louisiana.

Court composed of JOHN D. SAUNDERS, ELIZABETH A. PICKETT, and JAMES T. GENOVESE, Judges.

GENOVESE, Judge.

On January 12, 2005, Al Jerome Jeansonne, Jr. was charged with simple rape, a violation of La.R.S. 14:43. On October 5, 2005, following a trial by jury, Defendant was convicted as charged. Defendant then filed a motion for new trial, which was denied by the trial court. Defendant waived sentencing delays, and the trial court sentenced him to imprisonment at hard labor for twenty years, without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence.

Defendant appeals, claiming insufficient evidence to support his conviction, excessive sentence, and all errors patent. For the following reasons, Defendant's conviction and sentence are affirmed, and Defendant's sentence is amended to reflect that diminution eligibility is denied pursuant to La.R.S. 15:537.

FACTS

W.A.,[1] the victim, was fifteen years of age at the time of the offense. He is mentally and physically handicapped. W.A. testified that he lived with his mother, her boyfriend, his brother, and his sister. He identified Defendant as a neighbor.

W.A. stated that Defendant performed anal intercourse on him while in a clubhouse behind his home. He also stated that he told his sister, his aunt, and his brother about what had happened.

After W.A. told his aunt about the rape, she contacted his mother. On October 28, 2004, W.A.'s mother filed a complaint with the Alexandria Police Department. W.A. informed the police that Defendant had raped him. He was subsequently interviewed at the Child Advocacy Center and was also examined by a physician, who concluded that the victim exhibited signs of anal penetration. It is noted that the physical examination was performed more than forty-eight hours after the reported rape. The record does not indicate whether a rape kit examination was performed.

ERRORS PATENT

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed for errors patent on the face of the record. After reviewing the record, we note that there is one error patent.

The trial court erred in failing to deny Defendant diminution eligibility under La. R.S. 15:537(A). That statute requires that diminution of sentence be denied to all offenders who are convicted of, or plead guilty to, sex offenses, including simple rape (the present offense). The statute is not clear, however, as to whether it is a *1260 mandate to the trial court to deny diminution of sentence, or it is a mandate to the Department of Corrections to implement the denial. In State v. G.M.W., Jr., 05-391, 05-392 (La.App. 3 Cir. 11/2/05), 916 So.2d 460, we held that La.R.S. 15:537 is clearly a directive to the trial court, and the trial court's failure to comply with La.R.S. 15:537 renders the sentence illegally lenient:

At the outset, we note that, at sentencing, the trial court stated that it was denying the Defendant eligibility for diminution of sentence in accordance with La.R.S. 15:571.3(C)(4)(E). The trial court had no authority to deny the Defendant diminution of sentence under the statute cited; however, the trial court was required to deny the Defendant diminution eligibility under La.R.S. 15:537(A), which requires that diminution of sentence be denied to all offenders who are convicted of or plead guilty to sex offenses, including aggravated incest. We note that the second paragraph of La.R.S. 15:537 is clearly directed to the sentencing court, and the trial court's failure to include a denial of diminution of sentence thereunder renders Defendant's sentences illegally lenient. Pursuant to State v. Williams, 00-1725 (La.11/28/01), 800 So.2d 790 and La. Code Crim.P. art. 882, this court is authorized to recognize and correct illegally lenient sentences. Thus, we amend the Defendant's sentences to reflect that diminution of sentence is denied pursuant to La.R.S. 15:537 rather than La. R.S. 573.3 as stated by the trial court.

Id. at 461.

Abiding by this court's holding in G.M.W., we find the simple rape sentence imposed in the present case is likewise illegally lenient because the trial court failed to deny diminution of sentence pursuant to La.R.S. 15:537. As did the court in G.M.W., we amend Defendant's simple rape sentence to reflect that his diminution eligibility is denied pursuant to La.R.S. 15:537. Since the correction does not involve sentencing discretion, a remand is not necessary. State v. Gregrich, 99-178 (La.App. 3 Cir. 10/13/99), 745 So.2d 694. However, this matter will be remanded and the trial court instructed to make a notation in the minutes reflecting the amendment.

Additionally, we note that the victim was not identified by name or initials in the bill of information. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 473 provides:

When the name of the person injured is substantial and not merely descriptive, such as when the injury is to the person, as in murder, rape, or battery, the indictment shall state the true name of the victim or the name, appellation, or nickname by which he is known. If the name, appellation, or nickname of the victim is not known, it is sufficient to so state and to describe him as far as possible. In stating any name of a victim it is sufficient to state a surname, a surname and one or more given names, or a surname and one or more abbreviations or initials of a given name or names.

In this case, the District Attorney could not publicly disclose the victim's name or identity because the victim was a minor and the victim of a sex offense; however, he could have used "initials, abbreviations, or other forms of indefinite descriptions" on public documents to prevent public disclosure of the name. See La.R.S. 46:1844(W)(1) and La.R.S. 46:1844(W)(3).

In the following excerpt from State v. Thompson, 00-1808, p. 1 (La.2/2/01), 781 So.2d 1221, 1222, the supreme court characterized La.R.S. 46:1844(W)(1) as an exception to La.Code Crim.P. art. 473:

*1261 As amended by 1999 La. Acts 783, La.R.S. 46:1844(W)(1) prohibited at the time of discovery proceedings in this case any judicial officer or district attorney from making public disclosure of the name and identity of a minor under the age of 18 years at the time of the commission of any offense. The statute thus provided an express and specific exception to the general rule of [La. Code Crim.P.] art. 473 that "[w]hen the name of the person injured is substantial and not merely descriptive, such as when the injury is to the person, as in murder, rape, or battery, the indictment shall state the true name of the victim or the name, appellation, or nickname by which he is known."

Therefore, there is no error patent to be recognized as a result of the District Attorney not identifying the victim by name or initials in the bill of information.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
931 So. 2d 1258, 2006 WL 1476145, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jeansonne-lactapp-2006.