State v. Morgan

367 So. 2d 779
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJanuary 29, 1979
Docket62797
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 367 So. 2d 779 (State v. Morgan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Morgan, 367 So. 2d 779 (La. 1979).

Opinion

367 So.2d 779 (1979)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Tommie Lee MORGAN.

No. 62797.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

January 29, 1979.

*780 Lee E. Ineichen, Jr., Monroe, for defendant-appellant.

William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., Louise S. Korns, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

*781 SUMMERS, Chief Justice.[*]

Defendant Tommie Lee Morgan was charged with and convicted of first degree murder in violation of Article 30 of the Criminal Code. After a sentencing hearing the jury recommended life imprisonment, and he was sentenced accordingly. On this appeal four assignments of error are urged for reversal of the conviction and sentence.

Accompanied by Wilfred Davis and Eddie Lee Johnson defendant Morgan entered Mc-Donald's restaurant on Canal Street in New Orleans about 8:35 on the evening of January 10, 1978. The three men inquired about possible employment and asked to speak to the Manager, Warren Grillette. When the Manager came forth defendant asked him for a job. The Manager replied they were not hiring at this time, but would be next week, suggesting that defendant return at that time. Defendant then demanded a job "now" and pulled his gun. Then, according to the interrogation of Christine Murray, an employee,

A. ". . . When he pulled out the gun Warren [Grillette the victim] pushed the gun over, and said, "Get that plaything out of here," and Warren pushed him on the side. And I said "Warren, that's not no play gun." So when he pulled the gun out, and his partners said, "What's wrong with you—"

Q. Who said, "What's wrong?"

A. His two partners did, hollered at him.

Q. And then what happened?
A. After that he just shot Warren."

Warren expired in Charity Hospital about six weeks later from the shot in his chest.

Assignment 1: Defendant contends that the trial judge erroneously allowed the prosecutor to impeach the testimony of defense witness Donald Gordon on cross-examination by use of a prior inconsistent statement.

During the trial Donald Gordon was called as a defense witness. On direct examination he testified that on the night of the shooting, January 10, 1978, he attended a party on Martin Luther King Boulevard or Erato Street, at which defendant was present. Defendant was drinking beer and became somewhat intoxicated; his talk was slurred as he left the party to go home and lay down. Eddie Lee Johnson was also at the party and had a pistol at the time. Gordon had never seen defendant with a pistol.

On cross-examination the prosecutor asked Donald Gordon whether he remembered giving a statement to Detective Ronald Brink and Pat Fricke around 8:30 on the evening of January 21, 1978, while he was in parish prison. At this point defense counsel objected that the statement had not been brought into question. The trial judge sustained the objection and when the prosecutor inquired if he could impeach Gordon with the statement the trial judge ruled that he would permit impeachment if the proper predicate was established. Defense counsel then objected that the State could not impeach its own witness, to which the trial judge responded that the defense, not the State, had called the witness Gordon to the stand.

The prosecutor then interrogated Gordon, establishing that he had given a statement to Detectives Brink and Fricke around 8:30 p. m. on January 21, 1978, in the parish prison. In that statement Gordon said that he saw defendant Morgan, Davis and Johnson on the night of the shooting. At that time they said they were going to rob a McDonald's restaurant. Later that night Gordon saw them again and "they said they robbed the man at McDonald's and they shot him," and at the party that night he "heard Tommy say that he shot a man in McDonald's."

Defense counsel argues that the impeachment was beyond the permissible scope of cross-examination because there had been no mention of the written statement on direct examination, and that a proper foundation had not been laid for the prior contradictory statement.

*782 Neither of these defense contentions has merit. The scope of cross-examination is not limited to matters referred to on direct examination. By statute in this State when a witness has been sworn and has testified to any single fact in his examination in chief he may be cross-examined upon the whole case. La.Rev.Stat. 15:280; State v. Weathers, 320 So.2d 895 (1975); State v. George, 346 So.2d 694 (La.1977); State v. Polk, 258 La. 738, 247 So.2d 853 (1971); State v. Richardson, 258 La. 62, 245 So.2d 357 (1971).

The credibility of a witness may be impeached by proof of any statement made by him contradictory to his testimony if he is first asked whether he has made such a statement, and his attention is called to the time, place and circumstances, and to the person to whom the prior statement was made, in order that the witness may have an opportunity of explaining that which is prima facie contradictory. If the witness does not distinctly admit making such a statement, evidence that he did make it is admissible. La.Rev.Stat. 15:493; State v. Williams, 362 So.2d 530 (La.1978); State v. Klein, 351 So.2d 1158 (La.1977).

In the instant case the proper foundation for the impeachment of the witness was established, and there was no error in the ruling of the trial judge allowing the prosecutor to impeach the witness' testimony.

Assignment 2: Defendant contends that the trial judge erred when the District Attorney was allowed to introduce evidence of a photographic lineup when the lineup was highly suggestive and led to an irreparable mistaken in-court identification prejudicial to defendant.

The photographic identification was unduly suggestive, according to the defense contention, because only four photographs were used, when ten should have been exhibited to the witnesses. In addition photographs of more than one suspect were used. It is further submitted that there was no adequate independent basis for the in-court identification. United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 87 S.Ct. 1926, 18 L.Ed.2d 1149 (1967); Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199 (1967); United States v. Johnson, 147 U.S.App.D.C. 31, 452 F.2d 1363 (1971) and United States v. Boston, 508 F.2d 1171 (2d Cir. 1974), are relied upon to support defendant's contention.

Relying upon the principles announced in Wade and Stovall supra, defendant filed a motion in advance of trial to suppress the identification. A hearing was held on that motion and, finding no taint in the photographic lineup, the trial judge denied the motion to suppress the photographic identification of the defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
367 So. 2d 779, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-morgan-la-1979.