State v. Pennywell

139 So. 3d 587, 13 La.App. 3 Cir. 1376, 2014 WL 1805359, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 1209
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 7, 2014
DocketNo. 13-1376
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 139 So. 3d 587 (State v. Pennywell) 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. Pennywell, 139 So. 3d 587, 13 La.App. 3 Cir. 1376, 2014 WL 1805359, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 1209 (La. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

KEATY, Judge.

| defendant, Tony Garnell Pennywell, appeals his convictions for two counts of aggravated rape and three counts of aggravated incest. For the following reasons, we affirm the convictions for both counts of aggravated rape and for two counts of aggravated incest. We vacate the conviction and sentence for the remaining count of aggravated incest, render a judgment of guilty of attempted aggravated incest, and remand to the trial court for sentencing thereon. We further instruct the trial court to amend the sentences imposed to reflect that all are to be served at hard labor.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Defendant was charged with three counts of aggravated rape, violations of La.R.S. 14:42, and three counts of aggravated incest, violations of La.R.S. 14:78.1, upon his granddaughter, T.W.1 Defendant entered pleas of not guilty to all charges. Following trial, the jury returned verdicts of guilty on two counts of aggravated rape. On the third count of aggravated rape, the jury found Defendant guilty of the responsive verdict of sexual battery, a violation of La.R.S. 14:43.1. The jury also found Defendant guilty of all three counts of aggravated incest.

A motion for post-verdict judgment of acquittal or alternative motion for new trial was subsequently filed in open court and was denied. On the same date, Defendant was sentenced to serve life imprisonment without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence for each count of aggravated rape. Defendant was also sentenced to serve twenty-five years without benefit of probation, parole, |2or suspension of sentence for sexual battery and for each count of aggravated incest. The twenty-five-year sentences were ordered to run consecutively.

Defendant is now before this court asserting one assignment of error. Defendant contends that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions for aggravated rape and aggravated incest.2

ERRORS PATENT

In accordance with La.Code Crim.P. art. 920, this court reviews all appeals for errors patent on the face of the record. After reviewing the record, we have discovered one error patent regarding Defendant’s sentence.

The crimes of which Defendant was convicted, including aggravated rape, sexual battery, and aggravated incest, all require a hard labor sentence. Although the court minutes indicate the trial court ordered the sentences imposed to be served at hard labor, the sentencing transcript does not so indicate. “[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, writ denied, 00-2051 (La.9/21/01), 797 So.2d 62. Accordingly, the sentences imposed in this case are illegally lenient. See State v. Loyden, 04-1558 (La.App. 3 Cir. 4/6/05), 899 So.2d 166. We instruct the trial court to amend Defendant’s sentences to reflect that they be served at hard labor. The trial court is also instructed to make a notation in the minutes reflecting the amendment. La.Code Crim.P. art. 882.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

In his only assignment of error, Defendant contends that the evidence presented [590]*590at trial was insufficient to find him guilty of aggravated rape and aggravated incest.

| sThe standard of review for a sufficiency of the evidence claim is “whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979) (emphasis in original); State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305 (La.1988). An appellate court does not re-weigh the evidence or assess the credibility of witnesses. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305. Determining the weight of the evidence is a question of fact, reserved for the fact-fínder, and we will only infringe on that function to the extent necessary to meet the Jackson standard. State v. Silman, 95-0154 (La.11/27/95), 663 So.2d 27.

State v. Bethley, 12-844, p. 2 (La.App. 3 Cir. 2/6/13), 107 So.3d 834, 837, writ denied, 13-570 (La.8/30/13), 120 So.3d 263.

Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:41 defines rape as follows:

A. Rape is the act of anal, oral, or vaginal sexual intercourse with a male or female person committed without the person’s lawful consent.
B. Emission is not necessary, and any sexual penetration, when the rape involves vaginal or anal intercourse, however slight, is sufficient to complete the crime.
C. For purposes of this Subpart, “oral sexual intercourse” means the intentional engaging in any of the following acts with another person:
(1) The touching of the anus or genitals of the victim by the offender using the mouth or tongue of the offender.
(2) The touching of the anus or genitals of the offender by the victim using the mouth or tongue of the victim.

The jury convicted Defendant of two counts of aggravated rape. Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:42 defines aggravated rape, in pertinent part:

A. Aggravated rape is a rape committed upon a person ... where the anal, oral, or vaginal sexual intercourse is deemed to be without lawful consent of the victim because it is committed under any one or more of the following circumstances:
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|4(4) When the victim is under the age of thirteen years. Lack of knowledge of the victim’s age shall not be a defense.

The jury also convicted Defendant of three counts of aggravated incest. Louisiana Revised Statutes 14:78.1 defines aggravated incest, in pertinent part:

A. Aggravated incest is the engaging in any prohibited act enumerated in Subsection B with a person who is under eighteen years of age and who is known to the offender to be related to the offender as any of the following biological, step, or adoptive relatives: child, grandchild of any degree, brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, uncle, aunt, nephew, or niece.
B. The following are prohibited acts under this Section:
(1) Sexual intercourse, sexual battery, second degree sexual battery, carnal knowledge of a juvenile, indecent behavior with juveniles, pornography involving juveniles, molestation of a juvenile or a person with a physical or mental disability, crime against nature, cruelty to juveniles, parent enticing a child into prostitution, or any other involvement of a child in sexual activity constituting a crime under the laws of this state.
(2) Any lewd fondling or touching of the person of either the child or the [591]*591offender, done or submitted to with the intent to arouse or to satisfy the sexual desires of either the child, the offender, or both.

Investigator Stephen Phillips with the Rapides Parish Sheriffs Office testified that Defendant’s date of birth was April 1, 1965, and that he was over eighteen years old at the time the offenses occurred.

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Bluebook (online)
139 So. 3d 587, 13 La.App. 3 Cir. 1376, 2014 WL 1805359, 2014 La. App. LEXIS 1209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-pennywell-lactapp-2014.