State v. Parker

270 So. 3d 759
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 1, 2019
Docket18-797
StatusPublished

This text of 270 So. 3d 759 (State v. Parker) 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. Parker, 270 So. 3d 759 (La. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

PERRET, Judge.

*761In this criminal appeal, David Billy Parker, Jr., ("Defendant") appeals his convictions of armed robbery and of false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon. For the following reasons, we hereby affirm Defendant's convictions. We vacate Defendant's sentence for false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon, and we remand the case for resentencing with the trial court being instructed to specify whether the sentence for false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon is to be served with or without hard labor. Defendant's sentence for armed robbery is affirmed as amended to reflect that it is to be served at hard labor, and it is affirmed as amended. Additionally, the trial court is directed to correctly inform Defendant of the provisions of La.Code Crim.P. art. 930.8 at resentencing.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY:

On September 5, 2014, Defendant held his victim captive at gunpoint during an armed robbery of Advance America. On February 23, 2016, Defendant was charged with armed robbery with a firearm, a violation of La.R.S. 14:64.3 ; armed robbery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:64 ; and false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon, a violation of La.R.S. 14:46.1. The State amended the bill on October 19, 2017, to merge the count of armed robbery with the count of armed robbery with a firearm.

Trial began on January 23, 2018. Defendant moved for a mistrial on January 24, 2018, based on the testimony of witnesses Belinda Richard and Diana Brown. The trial court denied the motion at the conclusion of the hearing and denied Defendant's request to stay the proceedings pending a writ application to this court. This court denied Defendant's writ application on the showing made because it "[did] not contain all of the testimony and evidence that is or could be pertinent to the motion for mistrial[.]"State v. Parker , 18-64 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1/26/18) (unpublished opinion). This court also noted Defendant had an adequate remedy on appeal.1 Id.

The jury found Defendant guilty of armed robbery and of false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon. Defendant filed motions for new trial and for a post-verdict judgment of acquittal on March 13, 2018; the motion for new trial included an argument for mistrial. The trial court denied the motions on March 14, 2018.

The trial court sentenced Defendant to seventy-five years without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence for armed robbery and to ten years for false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon. The trial court ordered the sentences to run consecutively to each other and consecutively to prior sentences in another case for a total of 140 years in jail, with credit for time served.

ERRORS PATENT:

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, all appeals are reviewed for errors patent on the face of the record. After reviewing the record, we find there are three errors patent.

First, the court minutes of sentencing indicate Defendant was sentenced to ten years in the Louisiana Department of Corrections on the false imprisonment conviction; however, the sentencing transcript does not indicate this. "[W]hen the minutes and the transcript conflict, the transcript prevails." State v. Wommack , 00-137, p. 4 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/7/00), 770 So.2d 365, 369, *762writ denied , 00-2051 (La. 9/21/01), 797 So.2d 62. Because the sentencing transcript indicates the trial judge did not designate whether this sentence was imposed with or without hard labor, we find the sentence is indeterminate. Accordingly, we vacate Defendant's sentence for false imprisonment with a dangerous weapon and the case is remanded for resentencing with the trial court being instructed to specify whether the sentence is to be served with or without hard labor. State v. Roberson , 06-1568 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/2/07), 956 So.2d 736, writ denied , 07-1243 (La. 12/14/07), 970 So.2d 531.

Next, a hard labor sentence was required for Defendant's conviction of armed robbery. La.R.S. 14:64. As above, the court minutes indicate this sentence is to be served in the Louisiana Department of Corrections, but the transcript does not so indicate. The failure to impose the sentence at hard labor rendered it illegally lenient. State v. Loyden , 04-1558 (La.App. 3 Cir. 4/6/05), 899 So.2d 166. Thus, pursuant to La.Code Crim.P. art. 882, we amend the sentence to reflect that it is to be served at hard labor. See State v. Matthew , 07-1326 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/28/08), 983 So.2d 994, writ denied , 08-1664 (La. 4/24/09), 7 So.3d 1193.

Finally, the trial court failed to properly advise Defendant of the prescriptive period for filing an application for post-conviction relief. The trial court informed Defendant that he had two years from "today" (sentencing) to file an application. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 930.8 provides the defendant has two years after the conviction and sentence become final to seek post-conviction relief. Accordingly, we hereby direct the trial court to correctly inform Defendant of the provisions of La.Code Crim.P. art. 930.8 at resentencing.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER ONE:

Defendant contends the trial court abused its discretion in denying his motion for mistrial after cross-examination revealed the District Attorney's Office conducted a photo lineup with two eyewitnesses on the morning before they testified at trial, and the prosecutor failed to disclose the matter or correct the matter during a bench conference.

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Related

State of Louisiana v. David Billy Parker, Jr.
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2020

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Bluebook (online)
270 So. 3d 759, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-parker-lactapp-2019.