State v. Tapps

832 So. 2d 995, 2002 WL 31422599
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 29, 2002
Docket02-KA-0547
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 832 So. 2d 995 (State v. Tapps) 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. Tapps, 832 So. 2d 995, 2002 WL 31422599 (La. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

832 So.2d 995 (2002)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Lionel TAPPS.

No. 02-KA-0547.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fifth Circuit.

October 29, 2002.

*997 Phillip E. O'Neill, Gretna, LA, for Lionel Tapps, Defendant-Appellant.

Paul D. Connick, Jr., District Attorney, Twenty Fourth Judicial District Court, Parish of Jefferson, Terry M. Boudreaux, Andrea F. Long, Assistant District Attorneys—Appellate Counsel, Louis Butler, Assistant District Attorney—Trial Counsel, Gretna, LA, for State of Louisiana, Plaintiff-Appellee.

Panel composed of Judges THOMAS F. DALEY, MARION F. EDWARDS and SUSAN M. CHEHARDY.

SUSAN M. CHEHARDY, Judge.

On August 27, 2000, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Lionel Tapps, with forcible rape of a juvenile and one count of second degree kidnapping of a juvenile. On September 28, 2000, he was arraigned and pled not guilty.

After trial, which was held on June 26 and June 27, 2001, the 12-member jury *998 found defendant guilty of forcible rape and the responsive verdict of simple kidnapping. On July 3, 2001, defendant filed a Motion for New Trial. On July 11, 2001, he filed a Motion for Post Verdict Judgment of Acquittal.

On July 19, 2001, after the trial judge denied both post-trial motions, defendant waived sentencing delays. Thereafter, on that same day, the trial judge sentenced the defendant to seven years imprisonment at hard labor on each count to run concurrently. Defendant filed a written motion for appeal that day, which the trial judge granted.

FACTS

In March of 1999, S.A.[1] was living with her mother, sister and brother in an apartment on Tensas Street in Harvey. On or about the morning of March 24, 1999,[2] S.A. woke up about 6:00 a.m., dressed for school and left to catch the bus to school. The bus stop was about 20 buildings from her house.

While S.A. was walking to the bus stop, defendant, who S.A. knew from her aunt's neighborhood, drove up beside her in a black Nissan Sentra. He said hello to her then exited his vehicle. Defendant offered to take S.A. to school, but she refused. Defendant then insisted on taking S.A. to school and pulled S.A. forcefully by her arm toward the car. S.A. entered the car, as did the defendant.

Defendant pulled away from the bus stop and proceeded in a direction away from S.A.'s school. When S.A. told defendant they were going in the wrong direction and asked to go back to her bus stop, the defendant told S.A. they were going to his apartment so that he could get some money. Defendant drove to the Mary Poppins Subdivision, parked in the back of the complex two doors from his apartment, exited the car and went into his apartment. When he returned to the car, he opened the passenger door, grabbed S.A. by the arm, and pulled her toward the apartment. At that point, S.A. tried unsuccessfully to escape.

When she entered the apartment, she could see a young child to her left sitting on the stairs crying. She saw a sofa in the living room. Defendant pushed her onto the sofa but she got up. Defendant then tripped S.A. making her fall to the floor. He threw pillows from the sofa onto the floor. Defendant struggled to remove S.A.'s pants. Although S.A. was crying, telling defendant to stop and pushing on his chest to try to free herself, defendant got on top of her, inserted his penis in her vagina, and engaged in sexual intercourse. The victim estimated that the incident took 15 minutes.

After the rape, defendant told S.A. to get dressed and took her to school. Before letting her out of his car at school, defendant told S.A., "[Y]ou better not tell nobody or else I'm going to get you." S.A. understood this statement to mean that defendant would hurt or kill her if she told anyone. When defendant dropped her off at school that day, S.A. was no longer crying but she was very upset. Because of her fear, S.A. did not tell anyone about the assault.

On April 18, 1999, S.A. spent the night at her aunt's apartment on Crepe Myrtle Street in Harvey. The next morning, S.A. woke up, got dressed for school, and left her aunt's house to catch the bus to school. At first, S.A. was walking to the bus stop, which was about two blocks away from her aunt's house, with Kenneth Jordan, a *999 friend of hers whose aunt also lives in that area. Jordan, however, stopped at his aunt's house on the way to the bus stop.

Shortly after S.A. arrived at the bus stop, defendant drove up in his black Nissan Sentra. Defendant exited the vehicle and grabbed her tightly around the arm. S.A. tried to run, but she could not get away. She was crying when defendant shoved her into his car and sped away down the Westbank Expressway. When defendant stopped for the signal light at the corner of Lafayette Street and the Westbank Expressway, she jumped out of the car and ran towards her school, which is near that intersection. Although S.A. was still upset, she was no longer crying when she reached the school.

School had already taken in when she arrived. When she sought assistance in the school's office, S.A. was referred to Officer Lore. S.A. recounted both incidents to Lore. That day, Lore called Detective Vivian Menchel of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Personal Violence Unit to the school to interview S.A. about the rape. S.A. recounted the incidents to Detective Menchel. S.A. also testified to these incidents at trial.

Because S.A. was able to identify her assailant, Detective Menchel located his address and went to his apartment that afternoon. Before Menchel began the interview, she informed the defendant of his constitutional rights. He also signed a consent to search agreement for his apartment. According to Detective Menchel, the contents and layout of the apartment were consistent with the information supplied by the victim during her interview. The detective also took photographs of defendant's apartment and vehicle. Thereafter, Detective Menchel again advised defendant of his constitutional rights and invited him to give a statement, which he did.

In the statement, which was later introduced at trial, the defendant admitted knowing the victim for a year because his aunt lived on Crepe Myrtle Street in the vicinity of the victim's aunt's house. Defendant said that S.A. appeared to be about 14 years old but she had told him that she was 16 or 18 years old. Defendant stated that he and S.A. were "friends, but not close friends" and they talked on the phone every two or three months.

Defendant stated that he normally went to work at 6:00 a.m. but, on this particular day, he overslept and didn't get to work until 8:15 a.m. Defendant stated that when he worked the 7 o'clock shift, he would frequently see S.A. at the bus stop as she waited for the bus but that he had not seen her at the bus stop in over a year.

Defendant admitted that S.A. had been in his apartment but denied having sexual intercourse with S.A., talking to her about sex, or touching her in a sexual manner. He admitted that he had engaged in sex "hundreds of times" in his living room, in particular, on the living room floor after the sofa pillows had been thrown on the floor, because it was easier than going upstairs. Defendant stated that he had last seen S.A. on Crepe Myrtle Street two weeks before and he last spoke with her by phone four months prior. Defendant admitted that he drove a Nissan Sentra but denied that S.A. had ridden in his car.

Dr. Scott Benton, a forensic pediatrician, saw S.A. at Detective Menchel's referral on May 18, 1999. During the examination, Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
832 So. 2d 995, 2002 WL 31422599, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tapps-lactapp-2002.