State v. Thibodeaux

647 So. 2d 525, 1994 WL 680275
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 7, 1994
Docket94-605
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 647 So. 2d 525 (State v. Thibodeaux) 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. Thibodeaux, 647 So. 2d 525, 1994 WL 680275 (La. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

647 So.2d 525 (1994)

STATE of Louisiana, Appellee,
v.
Tommy THIBODEAUX, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 94-605.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

December 7, 1994.

*526 Frederick Wayne Frey, Paul Peter Reggie, Lake Charles, for the State.

Robert Paul Shelton, Lake Charles, for Tommy Thibodeaux.

Before DOUCET, COOKS and DECUIR, JJ.

DOUCET, Judge.

On October 17, 1991, the defendant, Tommy Thibodeaux, was charged by bill of indictment with aggravated rape of his daughter, Hollie Racca. Following a trial by jury, the defendant was found guilty as charged on February 3, 1992. He was sentenced on March 13, 1992 to serve life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. On February 4, 1994, the defendant was granted an out of time appeal. Defendant filed seven assignments of error in the trial court; however, on appeal, he argues but two assignments consisting of a conglomerate of legal and factual issues. We find no merit to any of his arguments.

FACTS:

In 1991, Hollie Racca of Lake Charles, then eighteen years old, decided she wanted to meet her biological father, the defendant, Tommy Thibodeaux. Thibodeaux's marriage to Hollie's mother had ended when Hollie was very young; she had not seen the defendant in sixteen years. Hollie's mother, Mariel, later married David Racca and the child grew up as Hollie Racca. Mrs. Racca tried to discourage Hollie's interest in her biological father, but Mr. Racca supported it, apparently believing that Hollie was able to make up her own mind.

Hollie arranged a meeting with the defendant at a friend's apartment on August 24, 1991. Thibodeaux was accompanied to the meeting by his sister. After conversation and consumption of some beer and marijuana, Hollie, her father and aunt drove to the Candlelight Inn in Lake Charles. The defendant's sister dropped the other two off at the Inn, and Hollie continued talking with her long-lost father. At some point during the conversation, the defendant began fondling his daughter's breasts. When she protested, he said that since he had not seen her in a long time he "wanted to see how [Hollie had] turned out." As the defendant persisted with his unwelcome conduct, Hollie went to the motel office, arranged to be picked up by a friend and left the Inn.

The next morning, Hollie contacted the defendant again, having decided to "give him a second chance." When Hollie met the defendant at his room at 10:00 a.m., he was drinking but appeared sober to her. They conversed and watched television until David Racca met them at about 5:00 p.m. The three talked, drank beer and ate chicken for about an hour, then Mr. Racca left to go home.

Hollie went outside with Mr. Racca, who asked her if everything was all right and whether she needed anything. She responded that she felt comfortable with the situation, and Mr. Racca went home. When she reentered the room, the defendant asked her about her conversation with Mr. Racca and whether she wanted to leave. Although she said that she thought everything was all right and did not desire to leave, the defendant told her, "[w]ell, you're not gonna go anywhere."

The defendant then asked her to sit down, then lay down on the bed. The defendant, once again began touching her breasts, and Hollie again asked him to stop. He then told her that the only way he could "bust a nut" was if he fondled her breasts. When she pulled his hand down to her stomach and held it there, the defendant told the victim that if she did not allow him to continue fondling her breasts he would hurt her. She still did not acquiesce, so he punched her three times on the left side of her face. He then removed her shirt and tore off her bra. She screamed, but this had no effect.

*527 At that point, he ordered the victim to take off her pants; and when she resisted, he once again raised his fist. The combination of his raised fist and his prior statement to her that he had already killed three people so frightened Hollie that she then allowed him to remove her pants and underwear. The defendant then removed his pants and forced his penis into her vagina. The victim cried and tried to remind the defendant that he was her father, but this had no effect. After about five minutes, he ejaculated inside her.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR:

We note that while the defendant assigned seven (7) errors in the lower court, he conglomerated his allegations into two (2) assignments on appeal. In his conglomeration of legal issues and fact, the defendant has failed to argue Assignments of Error Nos. 2, 4, and 7. It is well settled that failure to argue an assignment of error constitutes waiver of that error. See State v. Lewis, 576 So.2d 1106 (La.App. 3 Cir.), writ denied, 580 So.2d 669 (La.1991). See also Uniform Rules—Courts of Appeal, Rule 2-12.4. Therefore, we deem defendant's assignments of error numbers 2, 4, and 7 abandoned and the same will not be discussed.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

Defendant's first assignment of error reads as follows:

1. The trial court erred in sentencing appellant to life imprisonment at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation and [sic] suspension of sentence when the facts and circumstances warrants [sic] a conviction for the lesser offense.
A. The conviction of aggravated rape should be reduced to a lesser offense the facts and circumstances of this case even if the conviction withstand the charge of the plea to "not guilty by reason of insanity" [sic].
B. There is insufficient evidence that would support a conviction for aggravated rape.

Under this assignment of error, in brief, appellant argues two issues: 1) the excessiveness of the sentence imposed upon the defendant; and 2) that the testimony and evidence presented by the state was insufficient to sustain the defendant's conviction for the crime of aggravated rape.

Defendant was convicted of aggravated rape, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42, which prescribes a mandatory life sentence without benefits. In as much as the sentence is mandatory its imposition cannot be considered excessive.

As to appellant's argument that the verdict is not supported by the evidence adduced, it is well settled that when the issue of sufficiency of evidence is raised on appeal, the critical inquiry of the reviewing court is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, rehearing denied, 444 U.S. 890, 100 S.Ct. 195, 62 L.Ed.2d 126 (1979); State ex rel. Graffagnino v. King, 436 So.2d 559 (La. 1983); State v. Duncan, 420 So.2d 1105 (La. 1982). It is the role of the fact finder to weigh the respective credibility of the witnesses, and therefore the appellate court should not second guess the credibility determinations of the trier of fact beyond the sufficiency evaluations under the Jackson standard of review. See State ex rel. Graffagnino, supra, citing State v. Richardson, 425 So.2d 1228 (La.1983).

In order for the state to obtain a conviction, it must prove all the elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. In the instant case the defendant was charged with aggravated rape, a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:42 which, at the time of the offense, provided in pertinent part as follows:

A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
647 So. 2d 525, 1994 WL 680275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-thibodeaux-lactapp-1994.