State v. Kirkley

470 So. 2d 1001
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 29, 1985
DocketKA 84 1290
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 470 So. 2d 1001 (State v. Kirkley) 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. Kirkley, 470 So. 2d 1001 (La. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

470 So.2d 1001 (1985)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
James Henry KIRKLEY.

No. KA 84 1290.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 29, 1985.
Rehearing Denied June 27, 1985.
Stay Order Denied July 22, 1985.

*1003 Ossie Brown, Dist. Atty. by Dennis Weber, Asst. Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellee.

Walton J. Barnes, II, Zachary, for defendant-appellant.

*1004 Before WATKINS, CRAIN and ALFORD, JJ.

ALFORD, Judge.

James Henry Kirkley was charged by grand jury indictment with aggravated rape and aggravated burglary, violations of LSA-R.S. 14:42 and 14:60, respectively. Defendant pled not guilty and, following trial by jury, was convicted as charged on each count. The trial court sentenced defendant to a term of life imprisonment without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence on the aggravated rape conviction and to a concurrent 20 year sentence for the aggravated burglary conviction.[1]

Defendant brings this appeal urging 22 assignments of error:

1. The trial court erred in failing to suppress evidence of a line-up in which defendant was forced to participate without aid of counsel.
2. The trial court erred by allowing in evidence certain physical and tangible objects without a proper foundation thereby prejudicing defendant. These items included, but were not limited to, hair samples and fingerprints.
3. The trial court erred in failing to grant a motion for mistrial when Lt. Duane Jones, a state witness, made an improper and prohibited reference to defendant's past criminal record.
4. The trial court erred in allowing the verdict to stand when no corroborative evidence of the victim's testimony was presented to show the existence of any aggravating circumstances which would result in a finding of guilty of aggravated rape or aggravated burglary.
5. The trial court erred in allowing the state to improperly impeach a defense witness, Robert Matthews, by allowing the state to dwell upon circumstances surrounding the criminal record of that witness. This improperly enlarged the scope of impeachment, thereby creating undue prejudice in the minds of the jurors.
6. The trial court erred by denying defendant's motion for new trial on the ground that the state failed to establish the factual proof constitutionally required for a finding of guilt.
7. The trial court erred in failing to order alternative relief requested in the motion for new trial. That relief consisted of a request for reduction of the verdict to forcible rape and/or simple burglary.
8. The trial court erred in failing to grant a motion for new trial on the grounds of double jeopardy as defendant was convicted of two offenses by the same indictment.
9. The trial court erred in failing to grant defendant's motion in arrest of judgment as the statute charging defendant with aggravated rape was unconstitutionally vague.
10. The trial court erred in failing to grant defendant's motion in arrest of judgment based on double jeopardy.
11. The trial court erred in failing to give special jury instructions requested by the defense.
12. The trial court erred in allowing testimony which attempted to establish foundation for the introduction of physical evidence by use of witnesses who were not properly qualified to collect the samples sought to be introduced.
13. The trial court erred by admitting in evidence a window screen without foundation or without establishing chain of evidence.
14. The trial court erred by admitting certain items of clothing in an in globo *1005 exhibit (state exhibit no. 5) without proper foundation being laid for each of the items of clothing.
15. The trial court erred by allowing introduction of a photograph of a pickup truck which was irrelevant and immaterial.
16. The trial court erred by admitting a photographic line-up which included defendant (state exhibit no. 7). Appropriate foundation for admissibility of said photograph was not established, and defendant was compelled to participate in the line-up without benefit of counsel.
17. The trial court erred by admitting into evidence a written motion to compel the surrender of bodily substances from defendant (state exhibit no. 13). That pleading was inadmissible on its face and created improper influence on the jury.
18. The trial court erred by admitting in evidence vials of defendant's blood (state exhibit nos. 14 and 19) without proper foundation and without the appropriate chain of evidence.
19. The trial court erred by admitting rape kit no. 1-60 (state exhibit no. 16) as an in globo exhibit without properly identifying each item or establishing the chain of evidence.
20. The trial court erred by admitting in evidence head hair, pubic hair and saliva allegedly taken from defendant and a written request for scientific analysis (state exhibit nos. 17 and 18).
21. The trial court erred by allowing unidentified fingerprints (state exhibit no. 25) in evidence. These fingerprints were not established as belonging to or being made by defendant.
22. The trial court erred by admitting palm prints in evidence as the state failed to establish a proper chain of evidence.

Testimony at trial indicated that during the early morning hours of March 13, 1984, a single woman, who resided alone, was awakened by a male intruder clad only in a shirt and socks. While holding a knife at the woman's throat, the intruder forced the woman to disrobe and submit to sexual intercourse. Thereafter the woman was forced to lay in a prone position on her bed while the intruder contemplated her fate aloud. The woman was raped a second time and then directed by her assailant to a bathroom where she was ordered to remain in the shower until he had an opportunity to depart.

Police officers were summoned to the scene shortly after the incident had concluded. The crime scene was secured and the point of entry, a window opening into the victim's dining room, was dusted and photographed for latent fingerprints.

When questioned by police about any noteworthy events prior to the attack, the victim related that a man operating a black and silver truck with red stripes had driven by her home about two weeks prior to the incident and had directed a flirtatious remark at her while she worked in her yard. The victim also noted that she had later seen that same truck parked at a neighbor's house.

As part of his follow-up investigation of the incident, Lt. Duane Jones of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's office determined the municipal address and the identity of the occupants of the neighboring home where the victim had seen the truck parked. One of the persons listed at that address was defendant, whose fingerprints were on file with law enforcement agencies. By comparing defendant's known fingerprints with latent fingerprints gathered from the crime scene, Louisiana State Police crime laboratory personnel positively identified defendant as the individual whose fingerprints were found at the point of entry of the victim's home.

Based on that information, an arrest warrant was procured and defendant was arrested in St.

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Bluebook (online)
470 So. 2d 1001, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kirkley-lactapp-1985.