State v. Kinsel

783 So. 2d 532, 2001 WL 300343
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 28, 2001
Docket00-KA-1610
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 783 So. 2d 532 (State v. Kinsel) 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. Kinsel, 783 So. 2d 532, 2001 WL 300343 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

783 So.2d 532 (2001)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
John M. KINSEL.

No. 00-KA-1610.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

March 28, 2001.

*533 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, for Plaintiff-Appellee Rebecca J. Becker, Assistant D.A., Terry Boudreaux, Assistant D.A., Donald A. Rowan, Jr., Assistant D.A., Gregory Kennedy, Assistant D.A.

James A. Williams, Gretna, LA, for Defendant-Appellant Kevin V. Boshea, Davidson S. Ehle, III, Michelle H. Hesni.

Panel composed of Judges DUFRESNE, CANNELLA and McMANUS.

DUFRESNE, Chief Judge.

The Jefferson Parish Grand Jury returned an indictment charging defendant, John Kinsel, with a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42, in that he did commit aggravated rape of A.M., a person under the age of twelve years, from November 1992 through October 1995. The matter initially proceeded to trial in February of 1998; however, pursuant to a defense motion, the trial judge declared a mistrial. A new trial was held August 30 through September 1, 1999. After considering the evidence presented, the jury found defendant guilty as charged. Following the denial of his motion for new trial, the judge sentenced defendant to the mandatory term of life imprisonment at hard labor without *534 benefit of parole, probation, or suspension. Defendant now appeals.

FACTS

The victim, A.M., was twelve years old at the time of trial. She testified that, from the time that she was six years old until she was nine years old, the defendant, her mother's boyfriend, raped her both anally and vaginally, on numerous occasions. The sexual abuse first began in Monroe, Louisiana, and continued when her family moved to various residences in Jefferson Parish. The specific details of these offenses will be discussed in Assignment of Error Number Two, relating to the sufficiency of the evidence.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE

In his first assigned error, defendant argues that the trial court erred in allowing evidence of other crimes.

At trial, the victim testified that when she was six years old, she, her mother, and her siblings all resided at her grandmother's home near Monroe, Louisiana. At the time, defendant was living with them also. A.M. stated that one day, after playing outside, she came indoors to use the restroom, whereupon she accidently walked in on defendant "sitting on the toilet." A.M. insisted that she would use the other bathroom, but defendant told her instead to "come in." Defendant instructed A.M. to remove her pants, and subsequently raped her anally. Defendant told her not to tell anyone. On another occasion at the Monroe residence, A.M. stated that defendant told her other siblings to take a nap. Defendant then took A.M. into the bedroom, raped her anally, and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Defendant now complains that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of the Monroe sexual abuse because the state failed to comply with the procedural requirements of written notice and a pretrial hearing required by State v. Prieur, 277 So.2d 126 (La.1973) and LSA-C.E. art. 404B.

LSA-C.E. art. 404B(1) states:

Except as provided in Article 412, evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake or accident, provided that upon request by the accused, the prosecution in a criminal case shall provide reasonable notice in advance of trial, of the nature of any such evidence it intends to introduce at trial for such purposes, or when it relates to conduct that constitutes an integral part of the act or transaction that is the subject of the present proceeding.

A review of the record shows that defendant asked the state during discovery in this matter about its intent to introduce similar "bad acts" of defendant in order to prove "system, knowledge, and intent." The state replied that it had no Prieur evidence. The record does not reflect that the state amended its discovery response relative to this issue prior to trial. The record further shows that the state did not file a notice of intent to use other crimes evidence pursuant to LSA-C.E. art. 404B. In addition, the trial court did not conduct a pre-trial hearing on the admissibility of other crimes evidence.

However, not every violation of pre-trial procedures, including Prieur violations, requires reversal. Before a defendant can complain of such a violation, he must show prejudice. State v. Pardon, 97-248 (La.App. 5 Cir. 10/15/97), 703 So.2d *535 50, writ denied, 97-2892 (La.3/20/98), 715 So.2d 1207.

In the present case, we find that defendant failed to prove that he was prejudiced by these procedural violations.[1] Although the state did not provide defendant with formal notice, defendant was well aware of the evidence against him, including the Monroe allegations of sexual abuse. The record reflects that defendant was familiar with the videotaped interview that the victim gave at the Children's Advocacy Center, in which she first described the sexual abuse which occurred in Monroe as well as various locations in Jefferson Parish. Defense counsel also had notice of this information from defendant's first trial which ended in a mistrial. Despite the fact that the state did not comply with the procedural requirements of State v. Prieur and LSA-C.E. art. 404, we find that the trial court did not err in allowing the other crimes evidence. See State v. Acliese, 403 So.2d 665 (La.1981), where the Louisiana Supreme Court held that evidence of prior rapes or attempted rapes by defendant of the victim was properly admitted. This assigned error is without merit.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER TWO

In this second assigned error, defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence used to convict him of aggravated rape. He points to conflicting evidence presented at trial as well as the lack of corroborating evidence to support the victim's allegations.

The constitutional standard for testing the sufficiency of the evidence, enunciated in Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979), requires that a conviction be based on proof sufficient for any rational trier of fact, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, to find the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Ortiz, 96-1609 (La.10/21/97), 701 So.2d 922, cert. denied, 524 U.S. 943, 118 S.Ct. 2352, 141 L.Ed.2d 722 (1998).

In the present case, defendant was charged with aggravated rape. That offense is defined in LSA-R.S. 14:42, which provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

A. Aggravated rape is a rape committed upon a person sixty-five years of age or older or where the anal or vaginal sexual intercourse is deemed to be without lawful consent of the victim because it is committed under any one or more of the following circumstances:
* * * *
(4) When the victim is under the age of twelve years. Lack of knowledge of the victim's age shall not be a defense.

At trial, the victim, A.M., testified that defendant's sexual abuse of her began when she was six years old in Monroe, Louisiana. From Monroe, A.M. and her family moved to a home on Mason Street in Gretna, Louisiana. A.M.

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Bluebook (online)
783 So. 2d 532, 2001 WL 300343, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kinsel-lactapp-2001.