State v. Stokes

828 So. 2d 631
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 18, 2002
Docket36,212-KA
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 828 So. 2d 631 (State v. Stokes) 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. Stokes, 828 So. 2d 631 (La. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

828 So.2d 631 (2002)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee
v.
Leonard B. STOKES, Appellant.

No. 36,212-KA.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Second Circuit.

September 18, 2002.

*633 Louisiana Appellate Project, by J. Wilson Rambo, Monroe, for Appellant.

Richard Ieyoub, Attorney General, for Appellee.

Jerry L. Jones, District Attorney, Geary S. Aycock, Assistant District Attorney.

Before WILLIAMS, STEWART and HARRISON (Pro Tempore), JJ.

STEWART, J.

The defendant, Leonard Stokes, was convicted of aggravated rape, and sentenced to life imprisonment, without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence, from which he now appeals. Based on the following, we affirm the defendant's conviction and sentence.

*634 FACTS

On August 7, 1999, M.C. was 16 years old, and living with her mother in West Monroe. At sometime between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., M.C. was followed by the 24 year old defendant while she was walking home. The defendant was riding a bicycle at the time. The defendant asked the M.C. if she would be his "girlfriend." M.C. rejected his advances. M.C. then entered her home, and tried to lock the defendant out, but the lock was broken. Her mother was not at home, and they did not have a phone, so she could call anyone for help. The defendant followed M.C. into her home. Frightened, M.C. demanded that the defendant leave the house. After he refused, M.C. left her home and walked to her brother's home. No one was at her brother's home, so she waited until she thought it was safe to return to her own home. M.C. returned to her home and thought she had locked the door.

As she was sitting on the couch in her living room, she realized that the defendant was standing over her. The defendant refused to leave, and demanded sex. She refused, and began screaming for help. The defendant began wrestling with, hitting, and choking M.C. He told her that he would kill her if she refused. The defendant next pulled M.C.'s jeans and panties down, then pulled his pants down. Next, as testified to by M.C., the defendant first put his finger, then his penis into her vagina. The defendant had forced intercourse with her for about five minutes. M.C. did not think that the defendant used a condom, and did not think that the defendant ejaculated into her.

Afterwards, the defendant pulled his pants up and fled the home. Once the defendant had left, she put her clothes back on and fled to a neighbor's house, where the police were called around 8:10 p.m.

When questioned by the police, M.C. told them that she did not know her assailant, but knew that he lived in the neighborhood. She did not know him by name, but by his street name of "Red." Neighborhood children at the scene told Officer Rodderick Banks that the "Red" he was looking for lived nearby. This was the home of Lennie Biggs, the defendant's father.

Officer Banks, went to investigate and talked to Lennie Biggs, and Roxie Jefferson, the defendant's girlfriend. At trial, the officer testified that the two told him that no "Red" lived at the home. The officer did not pursue the lead any further, and did not write a report on the matter. At trial, Lennie Biggs and Roxie Jefferson, the defendant's girlfriend, both testified that the officer asked if a "Rodney Jefferson" lived there, and they told him no. They further testified that the defendant was in the house, but did not come out of his bedroom while the officer was at the front door. They also testified that they had never heard of the defendant being called "Red."

Both Lennie Biggs and Roxie Jefferson were alibi witnesses for the defendant. Both testified that the defendant was home during the time of the rape. Roxie Jefferson testified that the defendant was home when she came to visit around 6:30 p.m., and they left only to see a movie.

The police took M.C. to E.A. Conway Hospital, where a rape kit examination was performed by Dr. Antonio Pizarro. Dr. Pizarro testified that his examination revealed M.C. to be bleeding from first degree, or superficial, tears on the left and right inside walls of her vagina. Dr. Pizarro testified this injury was consistent with forcible penetration. Dr. Pizarro, performed a chemical cauterization to prevent further bleeding. Dr. Pizarro did not find any other injuries to M.C. Next, M.C. *635 related the same story to the doctor that she told the police, that a man named "Red" came into her house and had forced intercourse with her. The doctor described M.C. as being upset. The "rape kit" evidence obtained by Dr. Pizarro was sent to the North Louisiana Crime Lab for testing.

Detective Jerry Ellerman testified that on August 10, 1999, he went to M.C. with a six-person photographic lineup. The lineup was created by the A.F.I.S. system, and contained a photograph of the defendant and five other men similar in appearance. Both officers testified that M.C. immediately picked out the defendant as the one who had raped her. Based on her identification, an arrest warrant was issued for the defendant. The police then learned that the defendant was in Chicago. Quite some time later, the defendant was arrested in Chicago. He waived extradition, and was returned to Louisiana.

Linda Armstrong, with the North Louisiana Crime Lab, testified that she tested the evidence in the "rape kit." She found no DNA on M.C.'s clothing or the vaginal swabs, other than M.C.'s. She did find traces of P.S.A., or prostate specific antigens, on the crotch area of M.C.'s blue jeans.[1] Ms. Armstrong testified that the only source for P.S.A. was from semen. The P.S.A. sample did not contain enough material to obtain a DNA sample.

On May 30, 2000, the grand jury issued an indictment of aggravated rape, pursuant to La. R.S. 14:42A(4). After the defendant pled not guilty, his counsel filed two motions to quash the indictment. The first motion asserted that the statute listed in the indictment referred to rape of a child under the age of 12 years old, and the M.C. was actually 16 years old at the time of the incident. The second asserted that the indictment was invalid because of systemic discrimination against African-Americans in the selection of the grand jury foreman in Ouachita Parish.

On December 11, 2000, the state filed an "Amended Bill of Information" correcting M.C.'s birth date, and indicting the defendant for aggravated rape, "contrary to the provisions of R.S. 14:42(A)(1) or (2)." The defendant pled not guilty on the same date. Also on December 11, 2000, the defendant filed a "Motion to Suppress the Photographic Lineup," alleging that the lineup was not fair and objective, and that it was unduly suggestive.

A hearing on the motions to quash and suppress was held on July 24, 2001. There was also a hearing to determine whether the defendant would submit to a blood test for DNA purposes.[2] As to the motions to quash, the defendant voluntarily dismissed both since an amended indictment had been filed, correcting the typographical errors, and the new indictment was by a new grand jury with a foreman selected by random selection pursuant to the 1999 amendment to La.C.Cr.P. art. 413. The defendant also agreed to allow a blood sample to be taken for DNA testing purposes.

Testimony was taken on the motion to suppress the photographic lineup. Detective Jerry Ellerman testified that after he had initially interviewed the victim, he developed the name of the defendant as a suspect. This apparently resulted from members of the neighborhood surrounding the defendant's home. After receiving the name, Detective Ellerman put together a *636

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Bluebook (online)
828 So. 2d 631, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-stokes-lactapp-2002.