State v. Myers

888 So. 2d 1002, 2004 La.App. 4 Cir. 1219, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 2865, 2004 WL 2709988
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 3, 2004
DocketNo. 2004-K-1219
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 888 So. 2d 1002 (State v. Myers) 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. Myers, 888 So. 2d 1002, 2004 La.App. 4 Cir. 1219, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 2865, 2004 WL 2709988 (La. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

ON APPLICATION FOR REHEARING

I, TERRI F. LOVE, Judge.

Applicant, Robert Myers, was convicted of two counts of manslaughter and sentenced to twenty years imprisonment on each count. On appeal this court reversed the trial court on both counts, but the Supreme Court affirmed the reversal of one conviction and reversed the second, remanding the issue. This court affirmed the convictions. Myers filed an application for post-conviction relief. At the hearing on the merits, the trial court denied Myers application and this timely writ application followed. Myers appeals the trial courts denial of his application for post conviction relief. We find the trial court did not err in denying relator’s application for post-conviction relief.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The defendant, Robert Myers (“Myers”), was indicted for the manslaughter of New Orleans Police Officer Joseph Thomas and the manslaughter of Jessie Lopez (“Lopez”), violations of La. R.S. 14:31. The indictment charged that the manslaughter was committed during the perpetration of a felony, specifically a violation of the Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. After trial by jury, Myers was found guilty as charged and was sentenced to twenty years at hard labor on each count with the sentences to run concurrently. On appeal this court reversed Myers’ convictions and sentences based on insufficiency of evidence and the | ^inapplicability of the felo[1006]*1006ny-murder doctrine. State v. Myers, 97-2401 (La.App. 4 Cir. 5/26/99), 735 So.2d 935, writ granted, 99-1849 (La.12/17/99), 751 So.2d 865. The Supreme Court affirmed this court’s . decision reversing. Myers’ conviction and sentence relating to Lopez, reversed this court’s decision reversing the conviction and sentence relating to Officer Thomas, and remanded the matter to this court for consideration of the assignments of error not reached before.1 State v. Myers, 99-1849 (La.4/11/00), 760 So.2d 310 (on rehearing). On remand this court affirmed Myers’ convictions and sentences.2 State v. Myers, 97-2401 (La.App. 4 Cir. 12/6/00), 773 So.2d 884, writ denied, 2001-0343 (La.1/11/02), 807 So.2d 224.

On January 10, 2003, Myers filed an application for post-conviction relief. On January 24, 2003, Section “H” of the trial court recused itself, and the case was re-allotted to Section “A.” On August 15,. 2003, a supplemental application for post-conviction relief and memorandum were filed. On March 30, 2004, the state filed a response. On March 31, 2004, a hearing on the application was held, and Myers filed a memorandum in support of his ineffective assistance of counsel claim. On June 17, 2004, oral argument was held, and the trial court denied Myers post-conviction relief. This timely writ application followed.

The following facts are taken from this court’s second opinion:

Evidence at trial established that the New Orleans Police Department received information over its narcotics hotline that a “cuban male” was selling, crack cocaine at 1118 St. Andrew Street in New Orleans. On 13July 18, 1996, detectives from the narcotics unit set up a surveillance of the house at that address. Detective Keith Fredericks was assigned primary responsibility for the surveillance, and watched the house from a position directly across the street. Detectives Paul. Toye and Joseph Thomas also conducted surveillance from a different location. All three detectives observed a second male arrive at the residence on a bicycle at approximately 8:15 p.m. The second male was wearing a dark T-shirt and jeans, and was later identified as defendant. Defendant entered the residence using a key. .
The- detectives did not observe any narcotics activity prior to defendant’s arrival. However, about fifteen minutes after defendant entered the residence, they saw a woman approach the house and knock on the door. Defendant answered the. door and had a conversation .with the woman. She handed him what appeared to be U.S. currency and he retrieved an object from inside the house and handed it to her. The detectives observed two other individuals approach the house and make similar transactions. They did not observe any other males fitting the vague description given by the police dispatcher on the [1007]*1007premises at any time during their surveillance.
Detectives’ [sic] Toye and Thomas sought a search warrant based on the tip from the narcotics hotline and on their own observations of what appeared to be narcotics activity. A search warrant was obtained at 10:09 p.m. Approximately eight officers proceeded to defendant’s residence to execute the warrant. Upon their arrival, they observed an unknown male, later identified as Jessie Lopez, sitting on the front steps. As soon as Lopez saw the officers, he ran inside the house and locked the door behind him. Detectives Toye, Thomas, Michael Harrison, and Gabriel Favoroth pursued Lopez inside the house after announcing themselves as police officers and forcing open the door with a battering ram.
Detective Harrison apprehended Myers in the den. Detective Harrison ordered him to the floor [sic] and defendant cooperated. Detectives Toye and Thomas proceeded to the rear of the house, where they observed a closed bedroom door with light shining from underneath it. Believing that Lopez had fled into that bedroom, Detective Thomas opened the door. Lopez immediately fired two shots, one of which hit Detective Thomas in the chest. Detective Thomas backed out of the doorway and [¿fell to the ground in the hallway. At that point, Detective Toye could see that Lopez had barricaded himself between the bed and wall and was hiding behind a bucket. When Lopez continued to fire, Detective Toye shot and killed Lopez. Detective Wilson, a fellow officer [sic] took Thomas to the hospital. Detective Thomas died about an hour later at the hospital.
The case was re-classified as a homicide investigation once Lopez was determined to be dead at the scene. Sergeant Cynthia Patterson of the homicide division took charge of the investigation. She and Detective Donald Nides conducted a search of the residence. In the bedroom where Lopez was killed they found a .25 caliber automatic weapon and several empty shells near his body. In that same room they also found eight rocks of crack cocaine wrapped in individual packages, and various drug paraphernalia including syringes, razor blades, and a crack pipe. The officers also discovered some Vicodin pills hidden inside an eyeglass case on the bedside table. In several rooms, including the den where defendant was apprehended, they found loose marijuana and partially smoked marijuana cigarettes.
Peter Richarme testified that he managed the duplex at 1116-1118 St. Andrew Street for his mother. He rented the downstairs apartment to defendant, and defendant subsequently brought in Lopez as a roommate. At defendant’s request, the receipt for the June 1996 rent was made to defendant, but the receipt for the July 1996 rent was made to Lopez. Mr. Richarme stated that on the two or three occasions he had visited the property, both defendant and Lopez were there. To his knowledge, defendant and Lopez were both living there up until the day of the shooting.
The tenants of the upstairs apartment, Kirk Hooter and Tammy Smelley, also testified. They both stated that defendant had originally lived with Lopez downstairs, but that he had moved upstairs due to a falling out with Lopez.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Howard
106 So. 3d 1038 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2012)
State v. Champ
991 So. 2d 1143 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. Williams
977 So. 2d 160 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2008)
State v. Jackson
947 So. 2d 115 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
888 So. 2d 1002, 2004 La.App. 4 Cir. 1219, 2004 La. App. LEXIS 2865, 2004 WL 2709988, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-myers-lactapp-2004.