State v. Lobo

106 So. 3d 1187, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 271, 2012 WL 6603394, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 1665
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided December 18, 2012·No. No. 12-KA-271·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

FREDERICKA HOMBERG WICKER, Judge.

|2On October 25, 2011, this Court affirmed defendant’s conviction for sexual battery in violation of La. R.S. 14:43.1 but remanded the matter for a ruling on defendant’s previously filed motion to reconsider sentence. Defendant now appeals the trial court’s denial of that motion, claiming that his eight-year sentence is unconstitutionally excessive. We affirm.

Statement of the Case

On March 8, 2010, a six-person jury found defendant, Cesar Lobo, guilty of sexual battery in violation of La. R.S. 14:4s.!.1 On March 18, 2010, the trial court sentenced defendant to eight years imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. On March 26, 2010, defendant filed a motion to reconsider sentence. Defendant appealed his conviction and sentence Land on October 25, 2011, this Court affirmed his conviction but remanded the matter to the trial court for a ruling on defendant’s outstanding motion to reconsider sentence. State v. Lobo, 11-51, pp. 2-3 (La.App. 5 Cir. 10/25/11), 77 So.3d 427, 430, writ denied, 11-2586 (La.3/30/12), 85 So.3d 117.

On October 31, 2011, the trial court denied defendant’s motion to reconsider sentence. On November 3, 2011, in a nunc pro tunc order, the trial court sentenced defendant to eight years imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. This timely appeal follows.2

Factual Background

The factual background developed at trial was provided in this Court’s previous opinion:

On June 6, 2009, the victim, A.R.3, (born in Mexico), C.E., the victim’s boyfriend, (from Honduras), and Mr. Lobo, [1190] (Mr. C.E.’s uncle [sic]4), agreed that they, along with others, attended a party at A.R. and C.E.’s Kenner apartment.
A.R. testified that day Mr. Lobo, his wife and his young daughter were pres-ente ] [a]long with Mr. Lobo’s sister, and his sister’s husband as well as a friend. According to A.R. and C.E., some of the other partygoers, including Mr. Lobo, began playing card games; however, A.R. (the victim) did not participate because she left the party to go to sleep. According to A.R., she left at 11:00 p.m.
It is undisputed that people were also drinking at the party. A.R. admitted that she drank “three daiquiri bottles” throughout the night, but she was not intoxicated. A.R. further explained that she slept in the dark with the light off, and a thick blanket she threw over the window to further |4darken the room. When she went to sleep for the night, she left her bedroom door open. A.R. stated that there was one upstairs and one downstairs bathroom and people at the party were using the upstairs bathroom throughout the night. In addition, she and C.E. testified that there was a bottle of liquor in the bedroom where she was asleep.
Subsequently, the victim woke with Mr. Lobo on top of her. Her pajamas were no longer on, her pants were down by her knees, and Mr. Lobo was “abusing [her].” She specifically stated that Mr. Lobo was “penetrating [her] vagina,” and that she was menstruating at the time. She further explained that she was sleeping “profoundly,” and she did not know why or when Mr. Lobo entered her room, or how long he was in the room before she awoke. When she felt someone kissing her, she initially thought it was her boyfriend, because he was the only person who enters her bedroom or touches her. But, she realized it was not her boyfriend when she touched his arm, because her boyfriend was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and Mr. Lobo was wearing a long-sleeved shirt. She then told Mr. Lobo he was not C.E. and threw him off of her. She testified that she had not given Mr. Lobo consent to touch her vagina.
C.E. testified that Mr. Lobo left the card table and went to the upstairs bathroom and later returned. Then, Mr. Lobo left the table again, without telling anyone where he was going. At some point, Mr. Lobo’s wife expressed concern about his whereabouts. L.L., (Mr. Lobo’s sister), D.D., (Mr. Lobo’s wife) and J.E.B. (Mr. Lobo’s brother-in-law) testified that they attended the party and Mr. Lobo was absent from the card game less than five minutes.
C.E. stated that when C.E. was looking for Mr. Lobo, C.E. heard a thump when he (C.E.) was walking towards the stairs. “[They] couldn’t find [Mr. Lobo] anywhere, and his car was still there, and [C.E.’s room] was the last place to look.”
| sA.R. and C.E. testified that C.E. came up the stairs, and opened the then locked bedroom door with a key. C.E. testified that when he entered the darkened bedroom and turned on the lights, he saw Mr. Lobo on the floor trying to pull up his pants, including his underwear. A.R. and C.E. stated that Mr. Lobo then said: “hit me, hit me.” In his statement to the police, Mr. Lobo admitted saying that and explained that he felt he had failed his uncle.
[1191] C.E. admitted that he did not see Mr. Lobo on top of the victim and he did not know what happened in the room before he walked in. C.E. threw Mr. Lobo out of the apartment.
A.R. testified that after the incident, C.E. placed the bedding sheets and A.R.’s clothes, which had blood on them, in a bag. A.R. and C.E. testified that, they did not call the police on the night of the incident because of family concerns. In addition, A.R. stated that she did not call immediately because everyone was blaming her. However, C.E. and A.R. stated that they went to two churches for help and thereafter called the police.
A.R. specifically testified that she did not give Mr. Lobo permission to touch her. The incident continues to affect her. C.E. testified that A.R. was in shock after the incident. A.R. testified that she fears the dark and now locks rooms within the apartment, something she never did before.
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State v. Lobo, 106 So. 3d 1187, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 271, 2012 WL 6603394, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 1665 (La. Ct. App. 2012).

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