State v. Templet

943 So. 2d 412, 2006 WL 2355568
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedAugust 16, 2006
Docket2005 KA 2623
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 943 So. 2d 412 (State v. Templet) 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. Templet, 943 So. 2d 412, 2006 WL 2355568 (La. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

943 So.2d 412 (2006)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Pamela Darlene TEMPLET.

No. 2005 KA 2623.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

August 16, 2006.

*414 Scott M. Perrilloux, District Attorney, Morgan Griggs, Assistant District Attorney, Amite, Counsel for State of Louisiana.

A. Wayne Stewart, Livingston, Counsel for Defendant/Appellant Pamela Darlene Templet.

Before: PARRO, MCDONALD and HUGHES, JJ.

MCDONALD, J.

The defendant, Pamela Darlene Templet, was charged by grand jury indictment with second degree murder (count one), a violation of La. R.S. 14:30.1, and attempted second degree murder (count two), a violation of La. R.S. 14:30.1 and 14:27. She pled not guilty to both charges, and after a trial by jury, was convicted of the responsive offense of manslaughter on count one, a violation of La. R.S. 14:31, and the responsive offense of aggravated battery on count two, a violation of La. R.S. 14:34. The defendant moved for a new trial and for a post-verdict judgment of acquittal. The trial court denied both motions. The defendant was sentenced to imprisonment at hard labor for ten years on count one and one year on count two. The trial court ordered that the sentences run concurrently without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. The defendant now appeals urging three assignments of error as follows:

1. The district court erred by not overturning the decision of the jury where the facts of the case do not support a verdict of guilty to manslaughter in that it is clearly pointed out on the 911 tape that this was either a sudden emergency or self-defense.
2. The district court erred by not overturning the decision of the jury where the indictment incorrectly named the victim Robert Byrd when no evidence was offered regarding a Robert Byrd.
3. The district court erred by not overturning the jury's decision of finding Defendant guilty of aggravated battery on Randy Byrd when the evidence presented at trial reflects that the Defendant may have committed an aggravated assault upon Mr. Byrd, but not an aggravated battery.

Finding no merit in the assigned errors, we affirm the defendant's convictions. *415 Due to patent error, we amend the sentences, and as amended, we affirm the sentences and remand to the trial court with instructions.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

On June 6, 2004, Randy Byrd ("Byrd") spent the evening with a female companion, Juanita Garlington ("Garlington"), in his Denham Springs, Louisiana residence. Sometime around midnight, the defendant, Byrd's ex-girlfriend, arrived at the residence. Byrd opened the door, and the defendant entered. Before leaving the residence, the defendant fired a single shot at Byrd and several shots at Garlington. Garlington was fatally wounded by one of the gunshots. The defendant and Byrd, the only living eyewitnesses to the incident, gave differing accounts of the events leading up to the shootings.

Byrd testified that he and Garlington were asleep in bed when he heard banging on his door. When Byrd looked out of the window to determine the source of the disturbance, he observed the defendant's vehicle in his driveway. Byrd went to the door to try to convince the defendant to go home. By then, the defendant was continuously banging on the door, and yelling, "Open up the door. Open up the door." Byrd opened the door and the defendant rushed in. The defendant repeatedly asked Byrd who was present in the house with him. According to Byrd, the defendant angrily demanded, "Who's your f____ing bitch, where's she at? Bring her out." The defendant then ran down the hall towards the master bedroom, still trying to determine who was in the house. Byrd followed behind her. Garlington, who apparently was hiding, was not observed in the master bedroom. The defendant searched under the bed and then started towards the closet. Byrd pulled her back, preventing her from looking in the closet, and a struggle ensued. According to Byrd, the defendant fell onto the floor, face-first during the struggle. When she got up, the defendant stated, "I'll take care of you f____ers" and headed towards the front door. The defendant ran outside to her vehicle. Byrd yelled to Garlington to stay wherever she was. Shortly thereafter, the defendant returned with a handgun. Byrd unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the defendant from reentering the residence. Inside, the defendant aimed the gun at Byrd and again asked, "Where's your f____ing bitch, where's she at? I'm tired of getting f____d over. I want her. Where's she at?"

At some point thereafter, Byrd successfully disarmed the defendant and gained control of the handgun. He removed the clip from the weapon. Byrd claimed the defendant frantically continued throughout the house in search of Garlington. Byrd eventually managed to calm the defendant and promised to return her handgun if she agreed to leave the residence. The defendant told Byrd that she would leave once he returned the gun. Byrd threw the gun on the bed. The defendant picked up the gun and demanded that Byrd return the bullets. According to Byrd, once the defendant realized that a bullet was left inside the gun, she pointed the gun at Byrd and demanded, "Give me my f____ing bullets." Byrd promised to return the bullets if the defendant would leave. When the defendant stated that she would leave, Byrd threw the bullet clip onto the bed. According to Byrd, he then turned his back to the defendant to look down the hall to see if he saw Garlington. When he turned back, Byrd noticed that the defendant had already placed the clip inside the gun. Byrd asked, "What are you going to do, shoot me?" The defendant, who was standing approximately one and one-half feet from Byrd, nodded her head "yes," *416 raised the weapon, pointed it at Byrd and fired.

Byrd testified that he felt the "concussion of the wind" from the bullet and thought he was hit. He grabbed his side and stumbled down the hall. The defendant followed Byrd as he walked out of the front door and down the steps. Byrd collapsed on the ground near the bottom of the steps. Byrd asked the defendant to come outside and help him. The defendant walked to the front door but did not exit the residence. She removed her cellular telephone, dialed 911 and informed the operator that she just shot a man.

According to Byrd, once the 911 call was completed, the defendant took three steps backwards from her position in the doorway and "bolted" down the hall towards the master bedroom again. Byrd jumped up and attempted to follow her. However, he tripped over the robe he was wearing and fell to the floor. Byrd then heard two shots. He also heard Garlington scream on the second shot. As he moved towards the bedroom, Byrd heard another shot. Fearful, Byrd then turned around, ran back out of the front door and hid near the corner of the house. Shortly thereafter, the defendant emerged from the house and began calling for Byrd. When Byrd did not respond, the defendant entered her vehicle and left. Byrd re-entered the residence to find Garlington lying on the bed in the master bedroom. She had been shot.

In his initial taped statement to the police, Byrd gave the same account of the events except he did not mention ever disarming the defendant or handling the gun. In a subsequent statement, Byrd's account of the events immediately preceding the fatal shooting included his handling of the weapon and bullet clip.

The defendant, on the other hand, provided a totally different account of the events.

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Bluebook (online)
943 So. 2d 412, 2006 WL 2355568, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-templet-lactapp-2006.