State v. Jeffers

623 So. 2d 882, 1993 WL 310824
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 22, 1993
Docket25100-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 623 So. 2d 882 (State v. Jeffers) 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. Jeffers, 623 So. 2d 882, 1993 WL 310824 (La. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

623 So.2d 882 (1993)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Samuel Tyrone JEFFERS, Appellant.

No. 25100-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

August 18, 1993.
Rehearing Denied September 16, 1993.
Opinion on Denial of Rehearing September 22, 1993.

*884 Indigent Defenders Office by David R. McClatchey, Shreveport, for appellant.

Richard Ieyoub, Atty. Gen., Baton Rouge, Paul J. Carmouche, Dist. Atty. and Hugo A. Holland, Jr., Asst. Dist. Atty., Shreveport, for appellee.

Before NORRIS, HIGHTOWER and VICTORY, JJ.

HIGHTOWER, Judge.

In response to his plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, a jury convicted Samuel Jeffers of two counts of armed robbery, LSA-R.S. 14:64. After adjudicating him a third felony offender as to only Count One and reviewing a presentence investigation report, the trial court imposed consecutive terms of 133 and 66 years of hard labor imprisonment. Defendant now appeals, relying upon 11 of his 14 assignments of error. We remand after affirming both convictions and the 66-year sentence, and vacating the multiple offender adjudication and the corresponding longer term of incarceration.

FACTS

During the twilight hours of October 10, 1991, at the corner of Madeline and Norton Streets in the Mooretown area of Shreveport, defendant drew a handgun and demanded Corwin Brossett's valuables. After relinquishing seven rings, a necklace, and his own pistol, Brossett quickly departed the crime scene. Upon arriving at his aunt's home, he contacted the police and identified his malefactor by a street name, "Tray Dog." Several days later, at the police station, Brossett confirmed this designation by selecting Jeffers from a photographic lineup.

On October 14, 1991, also at dusk, upon encountering Cedric Thomas at the same intersection, defendant again brandished a weapon and directed the young man to surrender his jewelry. On this occasion, unsatisfied with taking earrings and a wallet, Jeffers even demanded clothing. Eventually, clad only in his socks, the victim fled down the street to his grandmother's house. The following day, upon noticing the culprit once more situated at the previously-mentioned street corner, Thomas called the police to facilitate a capture. In addition to confirming identity at the arrest scene, this complainant later specified defendant as the robber at trial.

DISCUSSION

Motion for Continuance— Sanity Commission

Jeffers contends in his first assignment that the trial court erred in denying, during a hearing on various motions, his request for a continuance to allow the appointment of a sanity commission.

On July 6, 1992, at the hearing in question, defense counsel stated that defendant's condition had deteriorated so that he could no longer assist in preparing a defense. Thus, announcing an intention to file a motion for appointment of a sanity commission, the attorney sought to continue the other proceedings scheduled for that day, pending resolution of the lunacy matter. However, based on the information at hand, including prior observations of defendant during several court appearances and verbal reports from custodial personnel, the trial judge noted no reason to doubt that competency existed. Nonetheless, the court allowed defendant until July 10, the end of the week, to file the motion for a sanity commission and, also, offered to authorize any subpoenas needed to facilitate the collection of additional evidence. When no such motion later appeared of record, trial began on July 13, 1992.

*885 Hence, while granting approximately four days to file a sanity commission motion, the trial court declined to continue proceedings for that purpose. Defense counsel failed to object to this ruling contemporaneously, and, of course, may not now so complain on appeal. LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 841; State v. Brown, 552 So.2d 612 (La.App.2d Cir.1989), writ denied, 558 So.2d 581 (La. 1990).

Furthermore, in assailing the trial court's refusal to appoint the sanity commission on July 6, defendant relies upon the bizarre behavior he exhibited later during trial (see discussion on restraints, infra), rather than that information previously available. The appointment of a sanity commission is not a perfunctory matter or a ministerial duty of the trial court, and is not guaranteed to every accused in every case. State v. Lott, 574 So.2d 417 (La.App.2d Cir.1991), writ denied, 580 So.2d 666 (La.1991). Even the fact that a defendant's capacity to proceed is called into question by formal motion does not, for that reason alone, require an order for a mental examination. LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 643. State v. Lott, supra; State v. Goins, 568 So.2d 231 (La.App.3d Cir.1990), writ denied, 573 So.2d 1117 (La.1991). Given the presumption of sanity, before the court is required to appoint a lunacy commission, the defendant bears the burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that reasonable grounds exist to doubt his mental capacity to proceed. State v. Bickham, 404 So.2d 929 (La.1981); State v. Goins, supra. The trial judge's determination in such a matter is entitled to great weight on appeal and will not be set aside absent a clear abuse of discretion. State v. Bickham, supra.

At the time of the July 6 hearing, the trial court logically based its decision on prior dealings with defendant and a psychiatric report, relayed by prison authorities, labeling Jeffers as a malingerer. Indeed, custodial officials recounted that the accused acted strangely only in the presence of authority figures, and behaved normally when alone or with other inmates. Thus, no reasonable doubt of mental capacity having been shown, this assignment of error lacks merit.[1]

Motion for Severance

Almost four months before trial, defendant moved to sever the two counts of armed robbery,[2] contending that the crimes lacked the similarity necessary for joinder and that jury confusion would result. In his third assignment of error, Jeffers complains of the denial of that motion.

Of course, two or more offenses may be charged in separate counts of a bill of information if the offenses are of the same or similar character and triable by the same mode of trial. LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 493. If prejudice to the defendant would result from such a joinder, the court may order separate trials, grant a severance of offenses, or provide whatever other relief justice requires. LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 495.1.

However, the defendant bears a heavy burden of proof when he alleges prejudicial joinder of offenses. State v. Smith, 600 So.2d 745 (La.App.2d Cir.1992). A motion for severance is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court, and the ruling should not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse of discretion. Id.; State v. Kelly, 576 So.2d 111 (La.App.2d Cir.1991), writ denied, 580 So.2d 666 (La.1991). In determining if joinder may result in prejudice, a trial court should consider whether the jury would be confused by the various counts; whether the jury would be able to segregate the various charges and evidence; whether the defendant could be confounded in presenting his various defenses; whether the crimes charged would be used by the jury to infer a criminal disposition; and, finally, whether, especially considering the nature of the charges, the charging of several crimes would make the jury hostile. Id. A *886 severance need not be granted if prejudice may be effectively avoided by other safeguards. State v.

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Bluebook (online)
623 So. 2d 882, 1993 WL 310824, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jeffers-lactapp-1993.