State v. Page

28 So. 3d 442, 8 La.App. 5 Cir. 531, 2009 La. App. LEXIS 1924, 2009 WL 3766339
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 10, 2009
Docket08-KA-531
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 28 So. 3d 442 (State v. Page) 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. Page, 28 So. 3d 442, 8 La.App. 5 Cir. 531, 2009 La. App. LEXIS 1924, 2009 WL 3766339 (La. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

MARC E. JOHNSON, Judge.

1 {.Defendant, David Page, was indicted by a Jefferson Parish Grand Jury on March 15, 2007, and charged -with second degree murder in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:30.1. Defendant pleaded not guilty and filed several pre-trial motions, including motions to suppress his statement and the evidence, which were denied after a hearing. He proceeded to trial on October 16, 2007. After a three-day trial, a unanimous 12-person jury found defendant guilty as charged. Defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. This timely appeal follows.

On appeal, defendant was originally represented by Bruce Whittaker with the Louisiana Appellate Project, who filed an Anders brief, pursuant to Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967), asserting he had failed to find any non-frivolous issues to raise on appeal. Thereafter, defendant filed a pro se supplemental brief raising five assignments of error. Prior to oral ^arguments, current retained counsel, Kevin Boshea, filed a Motion to Enroll as appellate counsel and a Motion to File a Supplemental Brief, which were both granted. Thereafter, Mr. Boshea filed a supplemental brief asserting two assignments of error. Because there are now assigned errors, the issues raised in Mr. Whittaker’s Anders brief will not be addressed.

FACTS

Approximately 11:59 p.m. on January 4, 2007, Deputy Leon James, of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene of a shooting at the Villa D’Ames apartment complex in Marrero. He observed a black and gold taxi parked in the parking lot still running with both of its rear doors open and a white male slumped over the driving wheel. Emergency medical services arrived, and Deputy James helped remove the victim from the cab. Deputy James noticed the victim, Moneir Gindy, had a gunshot wound to the right side of his body. The victim was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. A later autopsy revealed the victim died of a gunshot wound to his right chest that la *446 cerated his liver. The victim’s wallet and $186 cash were found on his person, but his left front pants pocket was turned out with nothing in it.

David Garrison testified that he had known “Moon,” the victim, for approximately five years and used his cab services five days a week while working as a D J in a club in the French Quarter. Around 11:00 p.m. on the night of the murder, Garrison called Moon for a ride from the Bywater area on the eastbank to the Villa D’Ames apartment where his girlfriend lived. Moon picked Garrison up and drove him to the apartment complex. Garrison testified that he and Moon had a conversation about pills before he got out of the cab. In particular, Garrison explained Moon always had pills, his cousin took pills, and he was going to see if his cousin, who lived in the apartment complex, wanted any of Moon’s pills. ^Garrison told Moon to wait and exited the cab. While in the parking lot, Garrison saw defendant and “Poppa” talking. After leaving the cab, Garrison ran into his girlfriend, Te-nille Williams, who was returning from the store, and the two went to his cousin’s apartment where they started arguing. Garrison called Moon’s cell phone to tell him he was coming back, but Moon had left his cell phone at home. Garrison and Williams continued their argument, at which time they heard a gunshot. Williams immediately looked out of the window, heard sirens, and saw police arrive on the scene. Meanwhile, Garrison left the apartment complex.

Although no witnesses came forward on the night of the murder, the police learned within 24 hours, through a confidential informant, of witness, Kecia Blair, who ultimately led them to develop defendant and Darnell Junior as suspects. Blair testified she lived in the ground floor apartment of the building near the murder scene. She stated that on the night of the murder, she was standing at the window that overlooks the parking lot when she saw the cab pull up and Garrison get out. Blair testified that after the cab sat for approximately five to ten minutes, her phone rang and she turned to answer it. When she returned to the window, she saw defendant and Junior enter the back seat of the cab.

Blair stated she felt the cab sat too long so she went to the back of the apartment to get her brother, at which time she heard gunshots. She immediately returned to the window and saw defendant and Junior walking away at a fast pace.

Blair testified she did not go to the police that night but rather told a friend of hers what she saw. She stated the police contacted her the next day, and she gave a statement. Blair identified the perpetrators as “Big Fot” and “Poppa” and showed the police where each lived. She subsequently identified defendant as “Big Fot” and Junior as “Poppa” in a photographic lineup.

| ¡thereafter, the police obtained arrest warrants for defendant and Junior. Defendant was arrested six days after the murder. After waiving his rights, defendant gave a taped statement admitting he was at the scene next to the cab, but that “Poppa” shot the victim. Defendant explained he was coming from a girl’s house when they all went in the Villa D’Ames complex. He stated he saw Junior retrieve a long camouflage gun from the bushes, walk up to the cab driver and ask for money. According to defendant, when the driver refused to give Junior money, Junior pulled the trigger. Defendant denied he or Junior entered the cab at anytime.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE

. The Verdict is Contrary to the Law and the Evidence

*447 PRO SE ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER THREE

Insufficiency of Evidence

DISCUSSION

By these two assignments of error, defendant argues the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for second degree murder. 1 In particular, defendant asserts the evidence failed to show he was the perpetrator of the crime. He contends the identification of him by State witness, Kecia Blair, was unreliable, and specifically challenges her credibility because of issues between her family and his. He also contends there was no scientific evidence, such as fingerprints, DNA, or shotgun residue, or physical evidence to implicate him as the perpetrator. Defendant maintains the evidence against him was circumstantial, and the State failed to exclude every reasonable hypothesis of innocence, namely that either David Garrison or Darnell Junior was the perpetrator.

| fiThe standard of review for the sufficiency of the evidence to uphold a conviction is whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could conclude that the State proved the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). In addition to proving the statutory elements of the charged offense at trial, the State is required to prove defendant’s identity as the perpetrator. State v. Ingram, 04-551, p.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 So. 3d 442, 8 La.App. 5 Cir. 531, 2009 La. App. LEXIS 1924, 2009 WL 3766339, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-page-lactapp-2009.