State v. MacKens

803 So. 2d 454, 2001 WL 1659241
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 28, 2001
Docket35,350-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 803 So. 2d 454 (State v. MacKens) 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. MacKens, 803 So. 2d 454, 2001 WL 1659241 (La. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

803 So.2d 454 (2001)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Gregory G. MACKENS, Appellant.

No. 35,350-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

December 28, 2001.

*457 Amy C. Ellender, Baton Rouge, Counsel for Appellant.

Richard Ieyoub, Attorney General, Jerry L. Jones, District Attorney, John Michael Ruddick, Assistant District Attorney, Counsel for Appellee.

Before STEWART, GASKINS and CARAWAY, JJ.

CARAWAY, J.

The defendant was tried and convicted for the second degree murder of his ex-wife, in violation of La. R.S. 14:30.1. He was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor. The defendant appeals, contesting the sufficiency of the evidence, and the trial court's failure to suppress four statements which he made to the police. For the reasons below, defendant's conviction is affirmed.

Facts

During the early morning hours of August 18, 1998, Officer Orville Doster ("Officer Doster") of the Union Parish Sheriffs Department was dispatched to the Farmerville Hospital. At the hospital, the defendant, Gregory G. Mackens ("Mackens"), told Officers Doster and Dewayne Lenard ("Officer Lenard") that he stabbed himself. Mackens suffered from multiple stab wounds and cut wrists. At this time, the officers did not advise Mackens of his Miranda rights. Mackens told the officers that his ex-wife was with him earlier. He also told the officers that he tried to commit suicide off of Hwy. 34, and that he threw the knife into a wooded area. The officers suspected that Mackens' wounds were not self-inflicted.

Mackens was then transferred to E.A. Conway Hospital ("Conway Hospital") in Monroe. Officer Richard Giddens ("Officer Giddens"), from the Ouachita Parish Sheriffs Department, was dispatched to Conway Hospital regarding Mackens' self-inflicted wounds. Officer Giddens advised the defendant of his Miranda rights and questioned him along with Sergeant Mark Mashaw. Mackens told these officers that he stabbed himself while he was alone.

Sgt. Mashaw stated that Mackens said that although his ex-wife was not with him at the time he stabbed himself, they had been in a fight earlier in the evening. Mackens gave the officers his ex-wife's address, a description of where he stabbed himself, and where he disposed of the knife. The Ouachita officers likewise suspected that Mackens' wounds were not self-inflicted. The officers left Conway Hospital to find Mackens' ex-wife, the knife, and a possible crime scene. The police found Donna Mackens' ("Donna's") body in a sand pit off of Hwy. 34. Mackens *458 was then arrested on August 20, 1998, for his ex-wife's murder.

At trial, the defendant testified that he had plans to go out with Donna on the evening of August 17, 1998, after she got off of work. He testified that he arrived at her place of employment, Contrary Mary's bar, about noon. Mackens stated that he and Donna drank and played pool all afternoon. He further testified that Donna was upset, because she wanted him to drop pending charges against her.[1] Mackens claims that they left the bar and drove down Hwy. 34 to talk. The two argued in the car as he drove. Then Mackens pulled over to the side of the road in a sand pit area to talk. He stated that Donna got out of the car and went around to the driver's side. He claimed to have exited the car with a knife and showed it to Donna to scare her. Mackens asserts that Donna told him to put the knife up, and that he then gave it to her. At this point, Mackens maintains that Donna stabbed him twice, and that one stab wound was to his lung. Mackens stated that the two struggled while he attempted to get the knife away from Donna. Mackens remembered stabbing Donna twice.

Ernest Roy Thibodeaux ("Thibodeaux") testified at trial that he was at Contrary Mary's bar on August 17, 1998, and saw a big man following Donna. Thibodeaux could not identify the "big man" as the defendant. Thibodeaux further testified that after Donna left the bar, he heard her screaming and saw the "big man" roughing her up, cutting her, shaking her, and beating her. Thibodeaux said that Donna and the man spoke for about five minutes, and she kept shaking her head, "no."

Eddie Joy Donovan ("Donovan") testified at defendant's trial. She relieved Donna as bartender at approximately 4:00 p.m. on August 17, 1998. Donovan testified that a person, who she understood to be Donna's ex-husband, arrived about five to ten minutes after her arrival. However, she could not identify Mackens at trial as the person she saw at the bar. Donovan further testified that the man she saw had a very angry look on his face. The man told Donna to shut up, and that he was tired of being stood up. Donovan also stated that Donna was nervous and upset, and that the man followed her out of the bar.

Donna Henderson ("Henderson") testified that she was driving by Contrary Mary's bar between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. on August 17, 1998. Henderson saw a blonde-headed woman being forced into a car by a "big man," but she could not see the people's faces. She testified that the vehicle was a grey-colored, little, two-door car, possibly a Mazda. In Mackens' testimony, he stated that he was driving a grey Mazda on that date.

In addition to Mackens' two statements given on August 18, two other statements were revealed at trial. Officer Lenard testified that he and Lieutenant Jay Via ("Lt. Via") spoke to Mackens on August 20, 1998 at Conway Hospital. Officer Lenard testified that Lt. Via advised Mackens of his Miranda rights before Mackens gave a statement. Lt. Via also testified that Mackens understood his rights and agreed to speak with the officers. After taking Mackens' statement, the officers arrested defendant.

*459 Lt. Via and Officer Johnny Lucas ("Officer Lucas") took another statement from Mackens on August 26, 1998, again after advising him of his Miranda rights. Lt. Via testified that this statement was the same in substance as the one given on August 20, 1998.

Dr. Stephen Hayne ("Dr. Hayne"), a stipulated forensic pathologist expert, performed Donna's autopsy. The autopsy revealed that Donna died from a total of five stab wounds and one slash wound. Dr. Hayne testified that there was a total of nine stab wounds, which included penetrating wounds to the chest, three stab wounds to the left lung, one to the heart, and another to the right lung. The slash wound was found across the front surface of Donna's neck. Dr. Hayne stated that he found defensive posturing injuries on Donna's right and left upper extremities. He further testified that it appeared that Donna was beaten first, then stabbed several times. In addition, Dr. Hayne testified that it was unlikely that Donna ever had control of the knife, and it was unlikely that the knife was taken from her as Mackens claimed, due to a lack of bruising on Donna's palms.

Although Mackens denied telling the police that Donna never got control of the knife, Officer Lenard testified that in Mackens' August 20, 1998 statement, the defendant said that Donna never got control of the knife.

Mackens waived trial by jury and, after a bench trial, was found guilty of second degree murder by the trial judge.

Discussion

Sufficiency of the Evidence

In his first assignment of error, Mackens argues that the evidence was insufficient to negate the possibility that the killing in this case was justifiable homicide. Also, Mackens argues that there was insufficient evidence to find that he had the requisite specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
803 So. 2d 454, 2001 WL 1659241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mackens-lactapp-2001.