State v. Spotville

583 So. 2d 602, 1991 WL 114075
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 28, 1991
Docket90-KA-0907
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 583 So. 2d 602 (State v. Spotville) 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. Spotville, 583 So. 2d 602, 1991 WL 114075 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

583 So.2d 602 (1991)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Darryl SPOTVILLE.

No. 90-KA-0907.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

June 28, 1991.
Writ Denied September 27, 1991.

Harry F. Connick, Dist. Atty., David L. Arena, Asst. Dist. Atty., New Orleans, for plaintiff, appellee.

Sherry Watters, Orleans Indigent Defender Program, New Orleans, for defendant, appellant.

*603 Before BARRY, WILLIAMS and PLOTKIN, JJ.

BARRY, Judge.

The defendant was convicted of second degree murder, La.R.S. 14:30.1, and sentenced to life imprisonment without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. He assigns two errors: (1) the State failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; and (2) he had ineffective counsel.

Leonard Hill testified that between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. on February 18,1989 he was jogging and saw a female body lying on the side of the levee. Detective John Rice arrived at the scene at 10:00 a.m. and saw a white female lying face down. There was blood on both sides of her body and blood several feet away and tire tracks with one heel print on a track.

John Lewis, a bartender at the Bus Stop Lounge, testified that around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. on February 18 a white female, identified as Darnell Ducoing, the victim, walked into the predominantly black bar, drank two beers and talked to the defendant and Joseph Johnson. The defendant, Johnson, and the victim left the lounge and did not return.

At approximately 7:00 p.m. on February 18, 1989 the defendant was taken into custody and informed of his rights. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Reah, read him the rights on the arrestee form. Subsequently the defendant gave a statement to Det. Rice and Det. Brinks was present. The mother and father read the statement to the defendant because he was a slow reader. He made two corrections on pages 4 and 6 and signed the statement along with his parents, who noted that the statement was read to the defendant and he understood.

Det. Rice read the statement at trial. The defendant stated that he left the lounge with, Joe (Johnson), Pookie (Willie Curtis), Jimmy Jordan, the victim, and Nikki (Bradford), a black prostitute, and the victim and they went to Jordan's house to smoke rock cocaine. The defendant said the victim agreed to have sex in exchange for cocaine, but she refused. Johnson and the victim exchanged words. The defendant and Jordan went to the rear of the house and Curtis and Johnson stayed in the front with the victim. Soon after the victim went to the back of the house and was naked from the waist down. She went into the bathroom and Jordan followed.

Curtis left and the defendant went to get Johnson's car. When the defendant returned, Johnson and the victim were coming out of Jordan's house. The defendant said the victim told Johnson not to hurt her anymore. Johnson got into the back seat of the car. The victim voluntarily got into the front seat and the defendant drove. The victim gave directions to her house in Metairie. When the defendant took a wrong turn, she became frightened and tried to knife Johnson (where the knife came from was not known). Johnson grabbed her hand and the knife fell to the seat, but the victim kept kicking the defendant and grabbing the steering wheel. The defendant picked up the knife and stabbed her twice in the left thigh. Johnson grabbed the knife from the defendant and stabbed the victim two or three times ("Joe cut her on the chin"). At that point Johnson told the defendant to take the "little road that the water works use" by the levee and stop.

The victim and Johnson got out and the victim tried to run away. The defendant said that he drove away and left the victim and Johnson fighting on the levee. The defendant claimed he did not touch the victim after stabbing her twice in the leg, and did not intend to kill her. The defendant identified Johnson from a photo lineup.

Nikki Bradford testified that she knew the victim as Darnell or Dorcell Ducoing. She said she met the defendant and Johnson at the Bus Stop Lounge and the victim was already with the men. The victim was a little drunk and crying. She told Bradford that she had been dropped off by several men. Ducoing said that the victim gave Johnson $50 for "powder" and he was going to take her home.

Johnson, Bradford, the defendant and the victim got into the car and Bradford suggested going to Jordan's house because *604 he had the paraphernalia to smoke rock cocaine. The group did not use powder cocaine, so Bradford assumed Johnson and the defendant intended to steal the victim's money. She and Johnson left Jordan's house to purchase cocaine and returned. Johnson smoked first and then asked the victim to try some. She smoked and asked to go to the bathroom. Bradford left the house.

Bradford said she, Johnson and Curtis bought the drugs, not the defendant. When the victim went to the bathroom, Jordan and Curtis made sexually suggestive comments but the defendant said nothing. She stated that the defendant and Johnson were known for being together. She said that before they entered the car Johnson took the victim into the alley to tell her something.

Jordan testified that he saw the defendant on and off the night of February 17-18, 1989. The defendant, Johnson, Bradford and the victim went to his house to smoke cocaine in the early morning hours. He testified that the victim was raped by Johnson. He said the defendant did not rape or harm the victim and the victim willingly left with the defendant and Johnson.

Det. Rice testified that he obtained and executed search warrants on Johnson's car and the houses of Johnson and the defendant. In Johnson's car the police found bloodstained blue jogging pants, a bloodstained gold rug, a piece of bloodstained foam, a piece of blue seat material, a blood sample (taken from the doorpost on the passenger side), and a gray metal box with tools.

From the defendant's residence the police recovered a pair of brown leather work shoes and a pair of black and gray pants. From Johnson's residence the police recovered a pair of black jeans, a shirt, a red plastic car dish, a brown leather boot, a white towel and a knife with a brown wooden handle.

Officer Kruebbe examined the 1976 Oldsmobile which was impounded. He found the right front door could only be opened from the outside. Therefore the victim could not get out. Patricia Daniels, medical technologist at the Coroner's office, stipulated as an expert in analysis and identification of body fluids, testified that the victim's blood was type "O".

Officer Sissen, criminalist stipulated as an expert in the examination of body fluids including blood, stated that the pair of brown work shoes in defendant's house tested positive for blood. The defendant's pants and Johnson's jeans and boot indicated type "O" blood. The leaves near the side of the body had "O" blood. The knife and Johnson's shirt had blood. The red plastic car tray and the towel had "O" blood. The jeans of the victim had "O" blood. The foam rubber from the car was stained with blood. The pair of blue pants and gold carpet had type "O" blood.

Dr. James Elson, stipulated as an expert in forensic pathology, testified that he performed an autopsy on the victim. He stated the cause of death was a blunt trauma to her head (which fractured her skull and lacerated her brain) or multiple stab wounds. Dr. Elson testified there were three stab wounds centered around each side of her neck. There were shallow cuts on her left forearm and hands, two cuts on her left thigh and superficial scratches and shallow cuts on her breasts and her back. There was one shallow stab wound on her back.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
583 So. 2d 602, 1991 WL 114075, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-spotville-lactapp-1991.