State v. Murray

117 So. 3d 130, 12 La.App. 3 Cir. 378, 2013 WL 1317330, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 630
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 3, 2013
DocketNos. 12-378, 12-379
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 117 So. 3d 130 (State v. Murray) 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. Murray, 117 So. 3d 130, 12 La.App. 3 Cir. 378, 2013 WL 1317330, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 630 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

SAUNDERS, Judge.

|! Defendant, Tyrone A. Murray, was indicted on April 15, 2010, for the aggravated rape of D.A., a violation of La.R.S. 14:42, under docket number 155970.1 D.A. was under the age of thirteen at the time. Defendant was also indicted for oral sexual battery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:43.3, under docket number 155971. He was charged under docket number 155972 with molestation of a juvenile, a violation of La.R.S. 14:81.2.

On May 17, 2011, Defendant pled guilty to the reduced charge of molestation of a juvenile under docket number 155970 and to oral sexual battery under docket number 155971 pursuant to North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, 27 L.Ed.2d 162 (1970). Defendant steadfastly maintained his innocence but stated he wished to enter a guilty plea as being in his best interest. The trial court found Defendant was making a knowing and intelligent decision in his best interest and accepted the plea.

The original charge of molestation of a juvenile filed under docket number 155972 was nolle prossed. Further, the State agreed not to charge Defendant as a multiple offender. The trial court sentenced Defendant to twenty-five years at hard labor, without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence on each count, without diminution for good behavior, and with the sentences to run concurrently.

Defendant then filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea on June 27, 2011. Defendant’s pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea alleged solely (and erroneously) that La.Code Crim.P. art. 559(B) permitted him to withdraw the plea within thirty days of sentencing. At the hearing of the motion to withdraw the plea, defense counsel expanded the motion to include the argument that ^notification of registration as a sex offender “has to be explained to the defendant in writing before the sentence is handed down.”

The trial court denied the motion on December 13, 2011. He found Defendant did not show the Boykin colloquy was defective, and Defendant made “a knowing and intelligent appearance in his boykin [sic] examination.” The trial court held Defendant “failed to provide ... any legal basis” on which to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea.

Defendant filed these two separate appeals in this court and asked for them to be consolidated. However, this court dismissed the appeal of docket number 155971 because the docket number was not included on the motion for appeal. State v. Murray, 12-378 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/23/12), 92 So.3d 591, writ granted, case remanded, 12-1414 (La.12/14/12), 104 So.3d 419. Defendant applied for writs with the Louisiana Supreme Court challenging the dismissal of his appeal.

This court withheld ruling on the appeal of docket number 155970 pending the supreme court’s ruling. On December 14, 2012, the supreme court reinstated Defendant’s appeal of docket number 155971 and [133]*133remanded the matter with instructions to consolidate the two appeals. Id. This court consolidated the matters on January 14, 2013, per the supreme court’s instructions.

Defendant now appeals his convictions on grounds his guilty plea was not knowingly and intelligently made, he was not advised of the requirements regarding sex offender registration and notification. Finally, Defendant asserts that the trial court erred in denying the motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

ERRORS PATENT:

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed by this court for errors patent on the face of the record. After reviewing the record, we find that there are no errors patent.

JoFACTS:

Defendant pled guilty to oral sexual battery and molestation of a juvenile involving D.A., a child under the age of thirteen.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1:

The first assignment of error in Defendant’s consolidated appeals alleges he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea because the State failed to establish a factual basis for the charges as required by Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, when the trial court accepted his plea.

Defendant argues his “best interest” plea was not made knowingly and intelligently. Thus, it is constitutionally infirm and must be set aside. He contends the plea was invalid because the State failed to establish a factual basis for the charge as required by Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, when the trial court accepted his plea. This court may consider this argument even though Defendant did not raise it in his motion to withdraw because of the constitutional nature of the claim. State v. Farris, 10-644 (La.App. 3 Cir. 12/8/10), 53 So.3d 537 (citing State v. Jordan, 98-101 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/3/98), 716 So.2d 36).

The Supreme Court held in Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160, that a defendant may enter a plea of guilty while still maintaining his innocence of the charge. An Alford plea puts the trial court on notice that it needs to make a judicial finding of a significant factual basis for the plea. State v. Sutton, 04-88 (La.App. 8 Cir. 7/7/04), 879 So.2d 419, unit denied, 04-2617 (La.6/24/05), 904 So.2d 730. This court has held an Alford plea puts the trial court “on notice that a substantial basis of guilt must be placed into the record.” State v. J.S., 10-1233, p. 2 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/11/11), 63 So.3d 1185, 1188 (citing State v. Villarreal, 99-827 (La.App. 5 Cir. 2/16/00), 759 So.2d 126, 129, writ denied, 00-1175 (La.3/16/01), 786 So.2d 745).

14At the plea hearing in the case at bar, the trial court never asked the State to put a factual basis for the charge on the record. The trial judge discussed the meaning of the original and reduced charges and the potential sentences for each. The trial court determined Defendant believed the plea was in his best interest. Toward the end of the hearing, the trial court stated:

Okay. The state claims that through a grand jury indictment that during the last half of two thousand nine you did commit acts of molestation of a juvenile and oral sexual battery upon a juvenile with the initials D.A. who was under thirteen years of age. Do you understand that is the claim being made in the indictment by the grand jury?

Defendant responded, “[y]es, sir.” The trial court then accepted the best interest plea, noted Defendant’s waiver of sentencing delays, and imposed sentence.

In State v. Guilbeau, 11-99 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/22/11), 71 So.3d 1020, the defendant [134]*134was charged with two counts of second degree battery. At the plea hearing on both charges, the defendant mentioned he was struck first, before he hit anyone. This court determined that statement was sufficient to raise the defense of justification and thereby “put the trial court on notice that a more detailed factual basis was needed to support the plea.” Id. at 1029.

This court “conditionally affirmed [the defendant’s conviction and sentence] on the evidence in the record on appeal.” Id. at 1030. Accordingly, the panel in

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
117 So. 3d 130, 12 La.App. 3 Cir. 378, 2013 WL 1317330, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 630, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-murray-lactapp-2013.