State v. Miller

637 So. 2d 1115, 1994 WL 187851
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 17, 1994
Docket93-KA-1096
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 637 So. 2d 1115 (State v. Miller) 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. Miller, 637 So. 2d 1115, 1994 WL 187851 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

637 So.2d 1115 (1994)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Lee MILLER.

No. 93-KA-1096.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

May 17, 1994.

*1116 Harry Connick, Dist. Atty., Frederick A. Menner, Jr., Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for appellee.

Ginger Berrigan, Gravel, Brady & Berrigan, New Orleans, for appellant.

Before CIACCIO, WARD and ARMSTRONG, JJ.

CIACCIO, Judge.

Defendant, Lee Miller, was convicted of forcible rape and simple kidnapping, violations of R.S. 14:42.1 and R.S. 14:45, respectively. On count one, forcible rape, he was sentenced as a second offender to serve forty-five years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, or good time. As to count two, simple kidnapping, he was sentenced to five years at hard labor, to run consecutively with the sentence in count one. Defendant appeals his conviction and sentence.

The victim, K.W., testified that he was playing basketball near his grandmother's house on August 12, 1991. He stated that the defendant approached him and offered him $2.00 if he would help change a light fixture. After agreeing, he was led by the defendant to an abandoned house where they entered through the back door. The light fixture was located in the ceiling, and the defendant offered to give him a "boost". Instead of boosting him up, the defendant told K.W. to lie down. The defendant's mood became angry. He closed the door and informed the victim that there was nowhere to run. The defendant removed each of their pants, rubbed moisturizer on the victim's buttocks, and proceeded to have anal intercourse with the victim. The defendant told the victim that he would beat him if he did not stop crying. Before leaving the scene, the defendant told the victim that he was going to find out where he lives.

K.W. ran to his grandmother's house where he called his mother. The police were also called. Upon arriving at the grandmother's house, the police took the victim back to the abandoned house.

*1117 Sergeant Thomas O'Shaughnessy of the New Orleans Police Department testified that the back door of the house was unsecured. Found on the floor of the room where the incident occurred was a set of keys. The perpetrator was described as a black male, between the ages of twenty and thirty years old, approximately six feet tall and 150 pounds, with black hair combed straight back, a spotty beard and stained, yellowish teeth. He was wearing a purple and blue shirt with white stripes and blue jeans. A crime scene technician was called to the scene to take photos. No fingerprints were lifted from the scene and no attempt was made to match the keys to any lock associated with the defendant. On August 14, 1991, Sergeant O'Shaughnessy transported the victim to a composite artist to compile a drawing of the perpetrator.

The victim's mother, L.W., took him to the Medical Center of Louisiana (Charity Hospital) to be examined. Dr. Michael McGoohan performed the rape examination on K.W. He stated that the rectal exam was positive in that there was a tear in the anus, the area around the anus was red and swollen, and that the sphincter tone had decreased. Otherwise, there were no bruises or cuts on the victim and no blood or sperm were found.

Roughly one week after the incident, August 18, 1991, K.W. was again playing basketball outside his grandmother's house when he saw the defendant walking down the street. He testified that he immediately recognized the defendant's face and ran to his relatives, claiming that the defendant was the person who had attacked him. K.W. remained at the house while his mother, aunt, and aunt's boyfriend followed the defendant in two separate automobiles. They also called the police.

Both the mother and aunt testified that the defendant was walking alone at first. He then came upon a young boy on Galvez Street whom he spoke to, and he and the boy walked off together. They continued walking up and down the streets of the area, and returned to Galvez Street. At that point, the defendant left the boy standing on the neutral ground and started to cross the street; however, the police arrived and he was arrested. The arresting officers recovered a brown bag from the defendant containing a new jar of vaseline and light fixtures.

The defendant was taken to the police station. The victim was accompanied to the police station by his family where he made a one-on-one identification of the defendant. The victim cried when he saw the defendant at the station.

Lee Miller, the defendant's father, testified. He stated that he was a barber and that in late May, his son had a "Jerri" curl put in his hair. He also stated that the treatment for the curl irritated his son's skin and that he cut the curl out, leaving his son's hair approximately one inch in length. He testified that his son does not grow a beard because it grows in spots, and that his son was very clean, walking around with a comb and toothbrush in his pocket.

Ms. Willie Blackman also testified that the defendant was a very clean person. The defendant worked for Ms. Blackman taking care of her ill son. She stated that when the defendant first began working for her in early June, he had a "Jerri" curl, but that he cut it off approximately three weeks prior to his arrest. She said that the defendant was always clean shaven and that she would see him on occasion put vaseline in his hair and on his skin. She also testified that the defendant carried a toothbrush with him and frequently brushed his teeth.

The defendant denied raping and kidnapping K.W. He stated that the first time he ever saw the victim was on the day he was arrested. He confirmed that he had a "Jerri" curl early in the summer which he cut short after the oil irritated his skin. He denied ever wearing his hair combed straight back and ever having a beard. He testified that he was doing some work on his grandmother's apartment and that he used vaseline in his hair and on his body to keep paint from staining his skin. He stated that he brushes his teeth four to six times a day.

When asked where he was going on the day he was arrested, the defendant stated that he was heading over to a friend's house. He said that he was walking erratically through the neighborhood because people *1118 were yelling at him and cars were following him. When asked about the young boy he was walking with, the defendant stated that the child came up to him and asked for a quarter, and that there was a woman with him who he presumed was the child's mother.

A review of the record shows one errors patent. On the forcible rape conviction, the relator was sentenced as a second offender to forty-five years at hard labor without benefit of parole or good time. Neither R.S. 14:42.1 or R.S. 15:529.1, the two statutes under which the defendant was sentenced, provides for the denial of good time, although as a multiple offender the defendant may be ineligible under R.S. 15:571.3. This Court has held that a trial court may not deny a defendant good time credits even though he may be ineligible by law. State v. Melancon, 536 So.2d 430 (La.App. 4th Cir.1988). The trial court erred in denying the defendant good time.

In his first assignment of error, defendant argues that the trial court erred in refusing to declare a mistrial after the trial judge made a comment to K.W., the chief prosecution witness, in the presence of the jury. At the close of the victim's testimony, defense counsel heard the trial judge tell K.W., "you did a good job".

In support of his argument, the defendant relies on State v. Cook, 485 So.2d 606 (La.App.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
637 So. 2d 1115, 1994 WL 187851, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-miller-lactapp-1994.