State v. Sterling

670 So. 2d 1316, 1996 WL 87192
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 27, 1996
Docket95-KA-673
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 670 So. 2d 1316 (State v. Sterling) 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. Sterling, 670 So. 2d 1316, 1996 WL 87192 (La. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

670 So.2d 1316 (1996)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Stacy STERLING.

No. 95-KA-673.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

February 27, 1996.

*1318 William O'Regan, Assistant District Attorney, Edgard, for Plaintiff/Appellee.

Richard J. Holmes, Laplace, for Defendant/Appellant.

Before BOWES, GAUDIN and GRISBAUM, JJ.

AFFIRMED.

GRISBAUM, Judge.

Defendant, Stacy Sterling, appeals his conviction and sentence in this criminal matter. We affirm.

The state filed a bill of information on March 10, 1994 charging the defendant with aggravated battery in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:34. He pled not guilty at his arraignment. Subsequently, he moved for an appointment of a sanity commission and amended his plea to not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. The district court granted defendant's motion, and appointed Drs. Christy Montegut and Harold Ginzburg to the sanity commission.

After a sanity hearing, the court found defendant incompetent to stand trial and ordered that he receive mental health treatment. The court stayed the proceedings until such time as defendant was competent to assist in his defense. About ten months later on March 8, 1995, the court conducted another hearing after which it found that defendant was competent to proceed. Consequently, the defendant was tried before a jury of six and found to be guilty as charged. The defendant was sentenced to ten years at hard labor with credit for time served. He filed a timely motion for appeal which was granted on the same day by the trial court.

FACTS

The facts revealed at trial show that, at 4:40 a.m. on January 15, 1994, eighteen-year-old Christie Bolding was asleep in her home when she was awakened by a loud noise. She went into her living room to investigate, and discovered that the front door had been removed from its hinges, and defendant, Stacy Sterling, was standing in the doorway. Christie had known defendant most of her life, and he had at one time been her mother's live-in boyfriend. Christie testified at *1319 trial that defendant appeared to be "on something".

She asked defendant what he was doing, and he replied, "Christie, I'm going to kill you." Christie ran to the kitchen and attempted to escape through the back door, unfortunately the door was stuck and could not be opened. The defendant, armed with a knife, followed the victim. A struggle over the knife ensued, causing the victim to sustain a cut to her hand. Before she was able to escape through the front door of her home and get help from a neighbor, the victim had been stabbed a total of six times in the abdominal area, the neck and the breast.

Cheryl Frank, who lives across the street from the victim's house, was awakened by the sounds of screaming and breaking dishes coming from Christie's kitchen. She saw Christie run from the door, and heard her scream for help. Ms. Frank also saw a black man of defendant's height and build leave Christie's front door and walk away at a brisk pace. Christie ran into Ms. Frank's house and collapsed on the floor, after stating that Stacy tried to kill her.

Deputy Walter Stevens of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff's Office was on patrol when he received a call regarding the stabbing. He proceeded to Ms. Frank's house, where he observed Christie lying on the floor. He questioned the victim about her attacker, and she told him Stacy Sterling had stabbed her. Deputy Marchand and Captain Moody also reported to the scene, and provided medical assistance to the victim until an ambulance arrived. The officers then went to Christie's house to investigate.

At 5:20 the same morning, the officers proceeded to defendant's house. He answered the door, and the officers observed that the defendant's right hand was wrapped in a bloody towel. When questioned as to how he had injured his hand, defendant replied that he had cut it while slicing smoked sausage. Defendant then showed them a knife with a broken handle which he said was the one with which he had cut himself. The officers placed defendant under arrest. Deputy Stevens testified that he did not seize the knife because there were several other knives in the defendant's kitchen sink, and it was impossible to determine which one, if any, was the weapon used to stab Christie Bolding.

Joann Bolding, Christie's mother, testified that during the time she had lived with defendant, he had on occasion beaten her and damaged her car. She stated that defendant always carried a knife in his pocket, and had at times threatened her with it. The day before the stabbing, defendant had walked into Joann Bolding's yard and told her, "I'm going to get you." Norma Jean Bardell, Christie's aunt, testified that she had known defendant for most of his life, and knew him to be a violent man.

Defendant's sister, Pier Davis, testified on his behalf. She stated that she had lived with defendant for some time. He had been diagnosed as schizophrenic, and he had received treatment for this condition. When he was not taking his medication, defendant could be angry and depressed.

Christie testified that she did not know why defendant had stabbed her. He had not lived with her mother for two to three years prior to the stabbing. The victim underwent surgery for her injuries, and had a three day hospital stay.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

In brief to this Court, the defendant argues three assignments of error. In the first assignment he asserts that certain photographic evidence was illegally admitted, and unfairly prejudiced the jury. Defendant complains that five photographs of the victim's injuries taken by Norma Jean Bardell were improperly admitted into evidence in that the state did not lay a proper foundation, and the photographs were introduced merely for their prejudicial value.

Photographs which illustrate any fact, shed light upon any fact or issue in the case, or are relevant to describe the person, place or thing depicted are generally admissible. State v. Flowers, 509 So.2d 588 (La. App. 5 Cir.1987). The proper foundation for the admission of a photograph is laid when a witness having personal knowledge of the subject depicted by the photograph identifies *1320 it as such. It is well settled that a photograph need not be identified by the person who took it to be admissible. State v. Glynn, 94-0332 (La.App. 1 Cir. 4/7/95), 653 So.2d 1288, writ denied, 95-1153 (La. 10/6/95), 661 So.2d 464; State v. Hall, 549 So.2d 373 (La. App. 2 Cir.1989), writ denied, 556 So.2d 1259 (La.1990).

The state did, in fact, produce the person who took the photographs in question. Ms. Bardell, the victim's aunt, testified that she took the photos with a "six hundred plus" Kodak camera. Defendant argues that Ms. Bardell's testimony does not clarify when the photographs were taken. In that regard Ms. Bardell testified that she took the photos the day after Christie was released from the hospital, although she could not recall the exact date.

The photographs clearly shed light on the extent of the victim's injuries, a primary issue at trial. In fact, they illustrate the victim's earlier testimony. Ms. Bardell testified that the victim was indeed the person depicted in the photographs, and that the photographs accurately depicted the young woman's injuries.

The photographs in question were properly admitted, and did not unfairly prejudice defendant's case. For the foregoing reasons, this assignment of error is without merit.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
670 So. 2d 1316, 1996 WL 87192, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sterling-lactapp-1996.