State v. Simmons

996 So. 2d 1177, 2008 WL 4736784
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided October 28, 2008·No. 08-KA-269·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

996 So.2d 1177 (2008)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Allen SIMMONS.

No. 08-KA-269.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

October 28, 2008.
Rehearing Denied December 1, 2008.

*1178 Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Terry M. Boudreaux, Thomas J. Butler, Laura Schneidau, Assistant District Attorneys, Gretna, Louisiana, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Katherine M. Franks, Louisiana Appellate Project, Abita Springs, Louisiana, for Defendant/Appellant.

Panel composed of Judges MARION F. EDWARDS, SUSAN M. CHEHARDY, and MADELINE JASMINE.

*1179 MADELINE JASMINE, Judge Pro Tempore.

The defendant, Allen Simmons, has appealed his conviction of second degree murder for the murder of his 18-year old stepdaughter, Latoya Williams. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.

FACTS

At trial, Sylvia Williams testified that at the time of the murder in June of 2004, there were several family members living in her house at 3841 Deer Run Drive in Harvey, Louisiana. These included her daughter, Latoya Williams, her daughter, Shontrice Mosely, and her young children, her nephews, Sky and Desmond, and her 14 year old son, Irwin. The defendant, Albert Simmons, her ex-husband, was still living with her in June of 2004.

Ms. Williams testified that on June 14, 2004, the date of the murder, she took the defendant to work, leaving her house at 6:30 a.m. She returned home to dress for work and before she left, the defendant returned to the house, due to rain canceling his job. Ms. Williams testified that her oldest daughter, Shontrice, drove her to work.

Shontrice Mosely testified that in 2004 she lived at 3841 Deer Run Lane. She corroborated her mother's testimony that she drove her mother to work on June 14, 2004. Ms. Mosely testified that she returned home and went back to bed. She testified that she last saw Latoya Williams on the morning of June 14, 2004, when she was preparing a bottle for her baby. Ms. Mosely testified that she left for work at about 12:15 p.m., leaving her children, her cousins, Latoya, and the defendant in the house. Ms. Mosely explained that as was her custom, she called the house later that afternoon to check on her children. She testified that she had a bad feeling because no one answered the telephone, despite her repeated calls. After making about 50 calls, her two-year old son finally answered the telephone around 4:30 p.m. Ms. Mosely returned home and saw her son in the window, crying. As she unlocked the front door with her key, she saw what she thought was a spill next to the refrigerator. Over the banister, she saw a puddle of blood.

Ms. Mosely testified that she knew something was not right so she ran to a neighbor's house and called the police, explaining that she was too scared to retrieve her children from the house. Ms. Mosely testified that while waiting outside, she saw the defendant and her cousin, Sky Cooper, walking up the street. She testified that the defendant was wearing a bloody shirt and was covered with scratches. Ms. Mosely testified that she expressed concern for Latoya and the defendant said "I hope nothing happened to her" and "I hope she's not dead." She fell in Sky Cooper's arms and cried. The police retrieved her children from inside the house.

Desmond Williams testified that in June of 2004, he lived with his aunt, Sylvia Williams, on Deer Run in Harvey. He testified that about 4:00 a.m. on June 14, 2004, he and Sky were picked up by a van and brought to work on sanitation trucks. Sometimes he and Sky worked on the same truck; however, on this particular day they did not work on the same truck. Mr. Williams testified that when he returned home from work at approximately 1:00 p.m., he spoke briefly to Latoya. Mr. Williams testified that when he entered the hall bathroom to take a shower, he saw the defendant in the master bedroom; however, following his shower, he did not see the defendant in the house. He testified that he did not know if defendant was still in the house when he left.

Sky Cooper testified that he also lived with his aunt, Sylvia Williams, on Deer Run during this time. He testified that he *1180 was picked up for work on the morning of June 14, 2004. He was given a ride home, but when he got to the house after work he could not get in. Mr. Cooper explained that he did not have a key to the house and usually the garage door was left open if no one was home. The door was locked on this particular day. Mr. Cooper testified that he sat outside to wait and saw the defendant walking in the grass, coming from the back yard. Mr. Cooper testified that the defendant looked shaken up and related that he had been robbed by knife point in the park. Mr. Cooper testified that defendant's hand was cut and he was bleeding. Mr. Cooper testified there was blood on defendant's shirt. Defendant asked Mr. Cooper to go with him to look for the alleged robbers. Mr. Cooper explained that they did not see the robbers in the park, so they went to a convenience store to get a snack. When they returned to the house, Shontrice ran out, crying and saying that there was blood inside the house. The police were at the house. Mr. Cooper testified that he was concerned about the blood on defendant so he asked the police to speak privately with him. Mr. Cooper testified that he told police that the defendant had been bleeding and possibly had something to do with the matter.

Deputy Terry Green, testified that he in 2004, he was employed with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office (JPSO), and responded to an emergency call by a resident stating there was blood in a house. Deputy Green testified that upon entering the house, he saw blood in the kitchen that appeared to be "everywhere." He testified that he saw a pair of shorts and underwear near the back door and observed a trail of blood, which he followed to a closet. Deputy Green explained that as he opened the door of the closet, he saw an arm from underneath a piece of clothing and a blanket, covered in blood, was in a pile on the floor. The victim was covered by the blanket; she did not appear to be breathing and was not moving. Deputy Green testified that the victim was nude from the waist, wearing only socks on her feet. Deputy Green also saw blood in the master bedroom and bathroom.

Deputy Green testified that when he went outside the residence, the defendant asked to speak to him. During this conversation, Deputy Green observed blood on the defendant's shirt and cuts on his hands. The defendant explained his cuts and bloody shirt by telling the police that he had just been injured in an armed robbery. The defendant told police that he did not report the armed robbery. The defendant was taken to the detective bureau for questioning.

Detective Jeffrey Rodrigue, the lead detective in this investigation, oversaw the collection of physical evidence at the scene, including a knife covered with what appeared to be blood. Detective Rodrigue testified that from viewing the evidence, it was clear that a struggle had taken place. A substance that appeared to be blood was seen in the foyer, hallway, kitchen, den, and on the curtains covering the sliding door in the back of the house. Detective Rodrigue identified sketches and photographs of the crime scene, as well as evidence taken from the scene on the night of the murder. These included a large kitchen knife, a pair of shorts and panties that were covered with blood, and another pair of shorts. There was a palm print on a kitchen cabinet. Due to the poor lighting, the cabinet was cut and the print was taken to the inves

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State v. Simmons, 996 So. 2d 1177, 2008 WL 4736784 (La. Ct. App. 2008).

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