State v. Nogess

729 So. 2d 132, 1999 WL 112314
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 3, 1999
Docket98-KA-0670
StatusPublished
Cited by62 cases

This text of 729 So. 2d 132 (State v. Nogess) 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. Nogess, 729 So. 2d 132, 1999 WL 112314 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

729 So.2d 132 (1999)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Gary NOGESS & Edward E. Thomas.

No. 98-KA-0670.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

March 3, 1999.

*133 Harry F. Connick, District Attorney, Susan Erlanger Talbot, Assistant District Attorney, Orleans Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana, Counsel for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Yvonne Chalker, Louisiana Appellate Project, New Orleans, Louisiana, Counsel for Defendant/Appellant.

Elizabeth W. Cole, Stephen J. Belessis, Law Clerk, Tulane Law Clinic, New Orleans, Louisiana, Counsel for Defendant/Appellant.

Court composed of Judge STEVEN R. PLOTKIN, Judge JAMES F. McKAY III, Judge DENNIS R. BAGNERIS, Sr.

PLOTKIN, Judge.

Defendants Gary Nogess and Edward Thomas were charged by bill of information on December 10, 1996, with armed robbery, a violation of La. R.S. 14:64. Defendants pled not guilty. The trial court denied motions to suppress the evidence and identification on June 18, 1997. Following a bench trial on October 27, 1997, defendants were found guilty of simple robbery. On November 25, 1997, defendants were sentenced to serve three years in the Department of Corrections with credit for time served.

FACTS

On November 4, 1996, at approximately 10:46 p.m., the New Orleans police responded to a call of an armed robbery in the 2900 block of Tulane Avenue. The victim was robbed in her driveway in the 200 block of South Dupree Street as she exited her car. She testified that one of the perpetrators, who she identified as Gary Nogess, held a gun to her head and quietly instructed her to give him her belongings. The other perpetrator, who she identified as Edward Thomas, appeared to be scanning the area as a look-out during the perpetration of the robbery. After giving her attackers her purse *134 and cellular phone, the victim yelled to her parents to call the police. She stated the offenders were driving away from the scene in a red vehicle and she followed them in her car approximately one half of a block behind them. She witnessed them turn into the Le Petit Motel in the 600 block of South Dupree Street. They exited their vehicle and walked up to the second floor and entered a room. The victim then used a pay phone across the street to call the police.

Shortly thereafter, the police arrived in the area of the Le Petit Motel. Some of them proceeded to the motel, while others interviewed the victim at the pay phone. The police that interviewed the victim obtained a description of the perpetrators. She told them they were two males, one with a small build, light-skin, wearing a light blue jacket and a cap, the other, with a stocky build, dark-skin, wearing a jacket and blue sweatshirt with a cap.

As the other police officers approached the motel, defendant Nogess was exiting his room, followed shortly thereafter by defendant Thomas. The police asked Nogess who was driving the red vehicle. Nogess testified he admitted that he had been driving the car with Thomas as his passenger. The defendant's matched the description given by the victim. The police informed the defendants then that they were under arrest for armed robbery. Nogess said that when police asked him if he lived in the motel room he said, "officer, you can search the car, you can search the room, you can search everything."

Police officers at the scene entered the motel room from which defendants exited in order to ensure there were no other perpetrators. Defendant Nogess's light blue jacket was retrieved from off of the bed in the room. The black jacket worn by defendant Thomas was seized from inside of the car. The other clothing described by the victim was still being worn by the defendants and was also seized from the defendants subsequent to their arrests.

The victim identified both defendants at the scene as the men who robbed her. The gun used in the robbery and the victim's belongings were not found pursuant to searches of the room, the red car, and along the route taken by defendants from the victim's house to the motel.

ERRORS PATENT

A review of the record reveals no errors patent.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1 — NOGESS

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 2 — THOMAS

By his assignment of error number one, defendant Nogess argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the identification and his motion for acquittal. By his assignment of error number two, defendant Thomas argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the identification.

Identification

The victim identified both defendants in a one-on-one identification made shortly after she was robbed. In State v. Hunter, 92-2535 (La.App. 4 Cir. 4/13/95), 654 So.2d 781, writ denied, 95-1217 (La.10/6/95), 661 So.2d 464, this court stated, "One-on-one identifications are generally not favored but are permissible when justified by the overall circumstances, particularly when the accused is apprehended within a relatively short period of time after the crime has been committed and has been returned to the crime scene." citing, State v. Walters, 582 So.2d 317 (La.App. 4 Cir.1991), writ denied, 584 So.2d 1171 (La.1991). In order to suppress an identification, a defendant must prove that the identification itself was suggestive and that there was a substantial likelihood of misidentification as a result of the identification procedure. State v. Gurley, 565 So.2d 1055, 1062 (La.App. 4 Cir.1990), writ denied, 575 So.2d 386 (La.1991); citing, State v. Smith, 499 So.2d 340 (La.App. 4 Cir.1986), writ denied, 503 So.2d 14 (La.1987).

The U.S. Supreme Court in Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 97 S.Ct. 2243, 53 L.Ed.2d 140 (1977), as adopted by the Louisiana Supreme Court in State v. Prudholm, 446 So.2d 729, 738 (La.1984), enunciated five factors that are to be considered in determining the likelihood of misidentification as a result of the identification procedure: (1) the *135 witness's opportunity to view the defendant at the time the crime was committed; (2) the degree of attention paid by the witness during the commission of the crime; (3) the accuracy of any prior description; (4) the level of the witness's certainty displayed at the time of identification; and (5) the length of time elapsed between the crime and the identification. The trial court's determination on the admissibility of identification evidence is entitled to great weight and will not be disturbed on appeal in the absence of an abuse of discretion. State v. Bickham, 404 So.2d 929 (La.1981).

Defendant Nogess points to State v. Valentine, 570 So.2d 533, 535 (La.App. 4 Cir.1990), where two victims were present when an officer was contacted via radio and informed that a suspect had been apprehended. The officer said to the victims: "We have someone we want you to see, to see if this is, in fact, the person who robbed you." 570 So.2d at 537. The victims subsequently identified that suspect. In that case, the defendant argued that, because the victims overheard the radio call, they were predisposed to identify him. This court found that the statement by the officer seemed to point out that the suspect might not be the perpetrator, thereby balancing any potential bias resulting from the witnesses overhearing the radio call. In addition, the court also noted, "Indeed, by the very nature of a one-on-one identification occurring soon after a crime, there is a possibility that the suspect could be the perpetrator."

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Bluebook (online)
729 So. 2d 132, 1999 WL 112314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-nogess-lactapp-1999.