State v. Skipper

737 So. 2d 872, 97 La.App. 4 Cir. 2209, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 1529, 1999 WL 332764
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 5, 1999
DocketNo. 97-KA-2209
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 737 So. 2d 872 (State v. Skipper) 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. Skipper, 737 So. 2d 872, 97 La.App. 4 Cir. 2209, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 1529, 1999 WL 332764 (La. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

J^BAGNERIS, Judge.

On August 25, 1994, Albert Skipper, defendant, and co-defendant Anthony Thomas were charged by grand jury indictment with aggravated rape and second degree kidnapping. The admissibility of a statement by Skipper, a photo identification procedure of Thomas, evidence under the La. C.E. art. 412(B) exclusion of the rape shield law and sufficiency of the bill of particulars were considered at motion hearings, which were held on November 14, 1994, December 19, 1994 and January 27,1995.

The trial court determined that Skipper’s statement and the photo identification of Thomas were admissible. The defense motion relative to Article 412(B) was considered withdrawn due to the unavailability of a witness.

The defendants’ cases were severed for trial. On July 25, 1995, Skipper elected a bench trial. At the conclusion of the trial, the court found Skipper guilty of the lesser offense of forcible rape on count one. The court found Skipper guilty as charged on the kidnapping count.

On August 1, 1995, Skipper was sentenced on count one to serve forty years at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence, and on count two to serve ten years at hard labor, to run concurrently with the sentence on count one.1

Neither Skipper nor his counsel sought an appeal following sentencing. On | ¡April 29, 1997, the trial court treated an application for post-conviction relief as a motion for out-of-time appeal, granted the appeal and appointed the Louisiana Appellate Project to represent Skipper. The record was lodged with this court.

FACTS

On June 23, 1994, at about 11:00 p.m., the victim accepted a ride with two men she knew from her neighborhood. She had just come out of the convenience store at Tulane and Broad, when the defendant, [874]*874Albert Skipper, driving a van, offered to take her the two or three blocks to her home. Anthony Thomas and Albert Skipper asked the victim if she would like to take a ride with them. The victim said she would, but that she could not be gone for long. As they drove around uptown, the victim told Skipper to take her home. Skipper responded that she was not going anywhere because she was with “two crooks and two thieves.”

Nevertheless, the victim thought they were taking her home until she saw that they were approaching the Carrollton Avenue ramp onto 1-10. The victim told Skipper they were passing up her house. At that point, Thomas jumped in the backseat, grabbed her and said, “This bitch is trying to get out.” Skipper then drove to an abandoned area, where Thomas ripped off the victim’s clothes and forcibly raped her. The two men then swapped places and Thomas drove while Skipper was in the back with the victim. Skipper then threatened the victim with a knife and “ejaculated (sic) her”. Afterward, Thomas was outside of the van, and Skipper let the victim out of the van.

The victim started to run, but Thomas chased her. Thomas fell on top of the victim and began choking her. Thomas took the victim back to the van and told her he was going to have her “on the rocks.” At that point, the victim ran and then jumped into the nearby swamp. Thomas tried to run through the bushes and go after her, but she went further into •the water. The victim swam until she saw two boats behind a house. It was the next morning when the victim swam up to a house. The victim was naked, muddy and crying hysterically.

The victim ran to the steps of the house, but the woman of the house was afraid to let her in. Rather, she called her husband, and asked him what to do. The husband told his wife to call the police, and that he would come home.

A relative of the husband brought over some clothes for the victim. The couple waited with the victim until the police arrived over two hours later. A police officer then took the victim to Charity Hospital for a sexual assault examination.

The victim wrote “Skip” in mud on the doorpost of the house, which was noticed by the couple, but was washed off before the crime lab technicians could take pictures. The victim stated that she smeared the defendant’s name on the doorpost, so that if her attackers followed her and killed her, there would be some evidence.

The medical exam indicated that the victim had had recent and forceful vaginal penetration. The exam further revealed an abrasion from the rocks. However, there were no indications that the victim was cut with a knife on her leg or that her assailants choked her.

Detective Matthew Riles took the victim home from Charity Hospital after her examination. On the way, the victim recognized the van in which she was assaulted and pointed it out to Detective Riles. The victim further pointed out the home of the person “who raped her.” Detective Riles observed someone get out of the van so he called for assistance. Detective Riles circled the block until [ ¿additional police units arrived.

Detective Riles then knocked on the front door, while the district units went around the back. The victim waited in the police car. A young child answered and said there were no adults at home. In the meantime, the officers in the back of the house radioed Detective Riles that they had apprehended a male exiting from the rear of the house.

When Skipper was taken to the front of the house, the victim became hysterical. The victim then identified Skipper as the man who raped her, and he was placed under arrest. Shortly afterward, an adult female arrived at the address and gave the officers permission to search the house, but they found no evidence.

[875]*875The police impounded the van identified by the victim, but they did not search it until they could obtain a warrant. The search of the van likewise revealed no relevant evidence. A second warrant was obtained to permit the taking of photographs, as the crime lab technicians were unavailable during the search with the first warrant.

Detective Riles advised Skipper of his rights. Skipper signed the rights of arres-tee form and made a voluntary statement. Skipper also signed the typed statement. Skipper admitted having intercourse with the victim, but stated that it was consensual in exchange for a rock of cocaine. According to Skipper, he had sex with the victim first and then Thomas had sex with her. Skipper also stated that when Thomas wanted to have anal sex, and they had no more rocks of cocaine, the victim “went crazy.” Skipper further stated that Thomas got rough with the victim, “slapped her and maybe choked her, [he thought].”

Skipper stated that Thomas was driving and parked somewhere near the water. The victim got out and jumped into the water. Skipper stated that he told |5her he would take her home, but she kept swimming deeper into the water. Skipper also stated that Thomas threw the victim’s clothes on the road somewhere. Outside of the statement, Skipper told Detective Riles that they used a glass tube with the rock.

The officers searched the following areas for evidence: Skipper’s house, the van, and the area where they believe the offenses occurred. The officers never found the victim’s clothing or shoes, a glass tube, or the knife that the victim alleged that the defendant held on her.

At the trial, the victim denied having used cocaine with Skipper or swapping sex for drugs. She testified that Skipper and Thomas were drinking wine they had bought at the convenience store that evening.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State Of Louisiana v. Kessler King
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2024

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
737 So. 2d 872, 97 La.App. 4 Cir. 2209, 1999 La. App. LEXIS 1529, 1999 WL 332764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-skipper-lactapp-1999.