State v. Patterson

922 So. 2d 1195, 2006 WL 224126
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 31, 2006
Docket05-KA-560
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 922 So. 2d 1195 (State v. Patterson) 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. Patterson, 922 So. 2d 1195, 2006 WL 224126 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

922 So.2d 1195 (2006)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Edward C. PATTERSON.

No. 05-KA-560.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

January 31, 2006.

*1197 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Twenty-Fourth Judicial District, Parish of Jefferson, Terry M. Boudreaux, Anne Wallis, Frank Brindisi, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Holli Herrle-Castillo, Louisiana Appellate Project, Marrero, Louisiana, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges CLARENCE E. McMANUS, WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD, and SAM A. LeBLANC, III, Pro Tempore.

WALTER J. ROTHSCHILD, Judge.

A Jefferson Parish grand jury returned an indictment charging the defendant, Edward C. Patterson, with aggravated rape, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42. The defendant pled not guilty at arraignment. After a hearing, the trial court granted the State's motion to introduce, pursuant to LSA-C.E. art. 412.2, evidence that defendant had previously been convicted of simple rape. The defendant proceeded to trial on November 18, 2004 before a twelve-person jury, which unanimously found the defendant guilty as charged.

The defendant filed a motion for post-verdict judgment of acquittal and a motion *1198 new trial, which were denied. Thereafter, the trial judge sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. This timely appeal follows.

FACTS

N.W., who was in the eleventh grade at the time of trial, testified that she had turned 14-years-old in May of 2002. She testified that the defendant raped her on June 5, 2002 while she was at home alone at her residence located at 2024 Pailet in Harvey.[1] On the previous evening, the defendant had stopped by the residence and visited with the victim's mother, Ms. W., and Ms. W.'s female cousin. Around 9:00 p.m., the victim arrived home from swimming at a friend's house. Shortly thereafter, Ms. W. and her cousin left the house with the defendant. According to Ms. W., the plan was for the defendant to obtain crack cocaine in exchange for sex with the two women at a hotel. The defendant drove to the Eastbank of New Orleans, near University Hospital and asked the two women to get out of the car because the crack supplier did not want anyone else to come to his house. After a while, the two women became uncomfortable and decided to hitchhike back to the Westbank. Before doing so, however, Ms. W. telephoned her sister's house and asked her nephew, Kendrel, to check on N.W.

When Kendrel arrived at the house, he knocked on the door, but didn't get an answer. Kendrel peered through the bedroom window and saw a man on top of a female "humping" her. Kendrel struck the window, trying to get someone to answer the door. It was sometime after midnight when Ms. W. arrived at the house. Kendrel was beating on the door of the house. Kendrel informed Ms. W. what he had seen. Ms. W. went to her bedroom window and saw the defendant on top of her daughter, holding her legs up. According to Ms. W., N.W. was screaming. When Ms. W. unlocked the front door and entered the house, she saw the defendant, who was naked, come running out of the room. Ms. W. went to comfort her frightened daughter, who was not wearing any clothes. Kendrel followed the defendant, who had his clothes in his hand, and asked him where he was going. The defendant dropped his clothes and a knife. He picked up his clothes and the knife, which he pointed at Kendrel, threatening to kill him if Kendrel came near. Then, the defendant drove off in his car and the police were called. Deputy Cade was one of the responding officers to the victim's residence. It was stipulated that Deputy Cade would testify if called that his report indicated that N.W. stated that the defendant put his penis into her vagina and raped her until her mother came home.

At trial, N.W. explained the events that occurred following her mother's departure. After her mother left, she took a bath, put on her nightclothes, and lay in her mother's bed. She heard a knock on the door and saw that the defendant was there. He told her that her mother was down the street and was on her way to the house. Because N.W. had seen him there earlier with her mother, she allowed the defendant to enter the house. He went to the restroom and she went back to her mother's bedroom to sleep. When the defendant exited the bathroom, he was naked. He asked her if she wanted to have sex in exchange for $100, and she said no. The defendant held a knife to her throat and told her to remove her clothes. He told her that he would kill her if she screamed. *1199 N.W. said she did not scream because she was afraid that he would kill her. After she removed her clothes, the defendant told her to get on top of him, but changed his mind and got on top of her. While holding the knife to her throat, he held her legs up and tried to force his penis inside of her vagina. When she asked him why he was doing this to her, he replied that her mother had "sold" her to him for $100 worth of crack. N.W. said she did not believe him and was crying and squirming. N.W. said she heard Kendrel outside, but the defendant told her not to say anything. N.W. tried to find the knife that her mother usually kept under her pillow, but it was not there. The defendant attempted to make her kiss him, but she told him that she did not know how to kiss. N.W. testified that defendant had difficulty entering her vagina. However, she said that his penis went approximately one inch inside of her vagina. She also said that she was a virgin until that day.

At trial, Ms. W. acknowledged that she had omitted telling the police that she had gone across the river with the defendant to obtain crack. She said that she had since turned her life around and decided to reveal all of these details to the prosecutor a few days before trial. She also denied that she gave the defendant permission to have sex with N.W.

Dr. Caplan, an expert in the fields of Obstetrics and Gynecology, testified that he examined the victim in the early morning hours of June 5, 2002 at Lakeside Hospital. The hospital admission form was introduced into evidence. According to the nurse's observation note, the victim related that she did not think the perpetrator "went in. He couldn't get it in." Dr. Caplan testified that the victim was visibly upset when he interviewed her. While she initially answered negatively when Dr. Caplan asked if she was penetrated, she immediately answered that she really did not know. Dr. Caplan said that N.W. told him she did not know if the perpetrator ejaculated, but stated that the perpetrator was not wearing a condom. According to Dr. Caplan, the victim's exterior genitalia appeared normal and appropriate for a 14-year-old girl. Dr. Caplan inspected the opening into the vagina, noted that there were no visible tears, and noted it appeared "virginal." However, Dr. Caplan did not perform a full pelvic examination because the victim did not allow it. Dr. Caplan observed a scratch on the victim's neck, which the victim said was from a knife. According to Dr. Caplan, the mark appeared to be consistent with having been made by a knife.

Later that day, Detective Zanotelli interviewed the victim, her mother, and Kendrel. Kendrel supplied the police with the license plate number of the vehicle the defendant was driving. The police compiled a photographic lineup containing the defendant's photograph, and all three witnesses positively identified defendant. Thereafter, the defendant was arrested and he gave a recorded statement to the detective.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
922 So. 2d 1195, 2006 WL 224126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-patterson-lactapp-2006.