State v. McLelland

860 So. 2d 31, 2003 WL 22342825
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 15, 2003
Docket03-KA-498
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 860 So. 2d 31 (State v. McLelland) 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. McLelland, 860 So. 2d 31, 2003 WL 22342825 (La. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

860 So.2d 31 (2003)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Dustin McLELLAND.

No. 03-KA-498.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

October 15, 2003.

*33 Margaret S. Sollars, Thibodaux, Louisiana, for Appellant.

Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Appellate Counsel, Juliet Clark, Counsel of Record on Appeal, Kia Habisreitinger, Trial Counsel, Martin Belanger, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, for Appellee.

Panel composed of Judges JAMES L. CANNELLA, THOMAS F. DALEY and SUSAN M. CHEHARDY.

JAMES L. CANNELLA, Judge.

The Defendant, Dustin McLelland, appeals from his conviction of attempted aggravated rape and sentence of 45 years imprisonment at hard labor, and from his conviction of attempted aggravated crime against nature and sentence of five years imprisonment at hard labor. We affirm and remand.

On December 20, 2001, the Defendant was indicted by a grand jury for aggravated rape of a juvenile, a violation of La. R.S.14:42, and aggravated crime against nature against a juvenile, a violation of La.R.S. 14:89.1. A sanity hearing was conducted and the Defendant was found competent to stand trial. On November 18, 2002, the Defendant was tried by a 12 person jury and found guilty of attempted aggravated rape and attempted aggravated crime against nature. On December 5, 2002, the trial judge sentenced the Defendant to 45 years imprisonment at hard labor on the attempted aggravated rape conviction, and five years imprisonment at hard labor on the attempted crime against nature conviction.[1]

For five years prior to the date of this incident, Estelle Watts (Watts) and M.N.,[2] the victim's mother, were friends. Watts is the mother of three minor children, including the Defendant, Dustin McLelland, who was 17 years old at the time of this incident. The Defendant dropped out of high school and helped his mother by working around the house and babysitting. The Defendant babysat with his younger siblings (ages eight and three) and with J.B., M.N.'s five-year-old daughter.

In the fall of 2001, M.N. was preparing to take J.B. to the babysitter's house and the child indicated that she did not want to go. M.N. found this strange because J.B. had loved being able to go to the babysitter's house. When questioned, the child told her mother "Dustin hurt me, mommy, Dustin hurt me real bad." The child indicated that Dustin hurt her "noogie" and "coochie" (i.e., vagina). J.B. told her mother that Dustin put his "peanut" (i.e., penis) there and in her mouth, hurting her. She also said that he put it by her butt and she screamed so he stopped, but that he then put her on the floor and made her do it.

M.N. did not immediately alert the police because she was friends with Watts and she contacted her to see if they could handle the matter. A month later, when no action was taken by Watts, M.N. contacted the police. After the police became involved, M.N. and J.B. went to the Jefferson Parish Detective's Office where they met with Detective Kelly Jones, the Supervisor *34 of the Personal Violence Unit of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (JPSO). Officer Jones found J.B. to be withdrawn and afraid during the interview. However, she reported that the Defendant hurt her in her "coochie" and her "butt." The child thereafter explained by pointing to her vaginal and rectal areas.

On November 1, 2001, the Defendant was arrested by the JPSO. He was transported to the Detective Bureau following the arrest where he met with Detective Edward Klein who advised him of his constitutional rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 1612, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). The Defendant gave an audio taped statement in which he admitted to engaging in sexual relations with the child about five to ten times over a two week period, approximately three months before the statement date. The Defendant indicated that he removed the child's clothes and, while in the bathroom, he partially penetrated her anus twice. He also admitted to rubbing her vaginal area with his hand and the tip of his penis. Additionally, he admitted rubbing lotion on the victim's legs and placing his penis between her legs before ejaculating onto the floor. The taped confession was submitted into evidence and played for the jury. They also received a transcription of the statement

On November 6, 2001, M.N. and J.B. met with Omalee Gordon, a forensic interviewer with the Gretna Police Department, at the Child Advocacy Center. J.B. agreed to the taped interview. She recounted the sexual abuse she had previously relayed to her mother and the investigating officer. The taped interview was later played at trial.

On November 20, 2001, M.N. and J.B. were seen by Dr. Scott Benton, an expert in Pediatric Forensic Medicine and the director of the Children's Risk Evaluation Center. During the interview, J.B. told Dr. Benton that, when she went to the Defendant's house, he took off his clothes and her clothes and made her lay down. According to J.B., the Defendant put his "peanut" in her "nookie" and her "butt" and stated that these actions hurt her. She said that the Defendant put lotion on his penis and that "white" came out of his penis. She also told Dr. Benton that the Defendant told her that he had "booga [sic] monsters." According to Dr. Benton, the child denied being abused by anyone else.

Dr. Benton conducted a physical examination and found the child's hymen intact and no other abnormal findings. Dr. Benton explained that the delay in reporting could explain the lack of physical findings. He noted that the vagina, mouth, and anus are mucosal tissue, and have excellent healing properties. He also testified that penetration into the vagina may occur without damage to the hymen, because of its doughnut shape and elasticity. He stated that the breaking of the hymen can depend on the force exerted. He added that the application of lubricant could have helped avoid damage during insertion.

Both the audio taped confession and the child's taped interview were admitted into evidence and played for the jury. The jury also received a transcription of the Defendant's statement.

On appeal, the Defendant contends that the trial judge erred by allowing the admission of his confession into evidence. He also asserts that the sentences imposed are excessive, and that his counsel was ineffective by failing to object or make a motion for reconsideration of the excessive sentences.

SUPPRESSION OF THE CONFESSION

The Defendant first contends that his custodial statement to police was inadmissible *35 because it was not freely given. He contends that he was induced to give the statement because of police promises of leniency and restoration of his freedom.

At the hearing on the motion to suppress a statement or confession, the State bears the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt the free and voluntary nature of the confession. La.C.Cr.P. art. 703(C); State v. Hills, 354 So.2d 186, 188 (La.1977). Before the prosecutor may introduce a statement or confession into evidence, it must be shown that the statement or confession did not result from fear, duress, intimidation, menace, threats, inducements or promises. La.R.S. 15:451; State v. Lucky, 96-1687, p. 16 (La.4/13/99), 755 So.2d 845, 855, reh'g denied, (La.9/17/99), 755 So.2d 861, cert. denied, 529 U.S. 1023, 120 S.Ct. 1429, 146 L.Ed.2d 319 (2000); State v. Blank, 01-564, p. 6 (La.App. 5th Cir.11/27/01), 804 So.2d 132, 136.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
860 So. 2d 31, 2003 WL 22342825, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mclelland-lactapp-2003.