State v. Torrence

168 So. 3d 870, 14 La.App. 5 Cir. 819, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 299, 2015 WL 848054
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 25, 2015
DocketNo. 14-KA-819
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 168 So. 3d 870 (State v. Torrence) 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. Torrence, 168 So. 3d 870, 14 La.App. 5 Cir. 819, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 299, 2015 WL 848054 (La. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

SUSAN M. CHEHARDY, Chief Judge.

| ¡¡On appeal, defendant, Jeau Anthony D. Torrence, argues that he was denied effec[873]*873tive assistance of counsel by trial counsel’s failure to enter a guilty plea pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), and thereby reserve defendant’s right to seek appellate review of the denial of his motion to suppress identification. For the reasons that follow, we affirm defendant’s convictions and sentences.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On December 5, 2011, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant with two counts of armed robbery, violations of La. R.S. 14:64.1 Defendant entered a plea of not guilty at arraignment. Defendant’s pretrial motion to suppress identification was denied by the trial court on April 4, 2012.

On June 25, 2012, defendant withdrew his plea of not guilty and pled guilty as charged to both counts. During the plea colloquy, the State provided the following factual basis for defendant’s guilty plea:

On or about October 15, 2011 Jeau Anthony Torrence, Kentrell Robinson, Orlando McKnight and Justin Dadney all went to 2216 |sWilliams Boulevard which is a strip mall where ... is located the Perfections Barber Shop at approximately 9:30 p.m. [A]t that time Mr. Torrence, Robinson, McKnight exited the vehicle while Mr. Dadney remained in the vehicle as a lookout. Those three gentlemen entered the store, each armed with a weapon, either a handgun or an assault [rifle]. At that time they took money from the two victims in this case as well as an Xbox from inside the store. Mr. Dadney during the course of the robbery exited the truck that they arrived at the scene in, to warn the other three that the police were on their way. At that time, all four fled, they were apprehended shortly thereafter .and excepting Mr. McKnight who made good his escape that evening but was apprehended the following morning. Thus completing the offense of the 14:64.

Defendant was sentenced to a term of fifteen years at hard labor on each count without benefit of parole or suspension of sentence, to be served concurrently.2 On June 20, 2014, defendant filed an application for post-conviction relief and was granted an out-of-time appeal on July 24, 2014.

DISCUSSION

On appeal, defendant argues that he was denied effective assistance of counsel by trial counsel’s failure to enter a guilty plea pursuant to State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584 (La.1976), and thereby reserve defendant’s right to seek appellate review of the denial of his motion to suppress identification.

A claim for ineffective assistance of counsel is most appropriately addressed through an application for post-conviction relief, filed in the trial court where a full evidentiary hearing can be conducted, rather than on direct appeal. State v. Francois, 13-616 (La.App. 5 Cir. 1/31/14), 134 So.3d 42, 58, writ denied, 14-431 (La.9/26/14), 149 So.3d 261. However, when the record contains sufficient evidence to rule on the merits of the claim and the issue is properly raised by assignment of error on appeal, it may be addressed in the interest of judicial economy. Id. In the instant case, we find the record [874]*874contains sufficient evidence |4to rule on the merits of defendant’s claim which was properly raised by assignment of error on appeal. Therefore, we will address it on appeal.

A guilty plea normally waives all non-jurisdictional defects in the proceedings prior to the entry of the guilty plea, and precludes review of such defects either by appeal or post-conviction relief. State v. Richardson, 09-715 (La.App. 5 Cir. 2/9/10), 33 So.3d 910, 913, writ denied, 10-526 (La.10/15/10), 45 So.3d 1109. However, in State v. Crosby, 338 So.2d 584, 588 (La.1976), the Louisiana Supreme Court determined that Louisiana courts of appeal may review assignments of error specifically reserved at the time of the guilty plea, “where the trial court accepted the guilty plea so conditioned (which the court had discretion to refuse, if proffered upon such reservation).” A defendant’s failure to reserve his right to appeal under Crosby at the time he enters his guilty plea precludes his right to appeal the trial court’s ruling on a motion to suppress. Richardson, 33 So.3d at 913.

In the instant case, the record is clear that defendant did not enter his guilty plea pursuant to Crosby and so did not reserve his right to seek appellate review of the trial court’s denial of his motion to suppress. Trial counsel’s failure to enter a Crosby plea and reserve this issue for appellate review, defendant contends, deprived him of his right to effective assistance of counsel.

A defendant is entitled to effective assistance of counsel under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, § 13 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974. Francois, 134 So.3d at 58. In order to demonstrate that a defendant has been deprived of his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel, he must show that (1) counsel’s performance was deficient; and (2) the deficient performance prejudiced the defense. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). In order to succeed on a | Kclaim of ineffective assistance counsel, a defendant must satisfy both prongs of this two-part test. Id.

Under the deficiency prong, a defendant must show “that counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the ‘counsel’ guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment.” Strickland, supra. Under the prejudice prong, a defendant must show “that counsel’s errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a fair trial, a trial whose result is reliable.” Id. This requires a defendant to “affirmatively prove prejudice.” Id., 466 U.S. at 693, 104 S.Ct. at 2067. It is not enough for the defendant to show that the errors had some conceivable effect on the outcome of the proceeding. Id. The defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Id., 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome. Id.

In the instant case, to succeed on his ineffective assistance claim, defendant must show that had counsel reserved his right to appeal the suppression ruling, there is a reasonable probability that he would have prevailed on appeal. See State v. Carto, 14-736 (La.App. 5 Cir. 1/14/15), 167 So.3d 836, 841, 2015 WL 316789, at *3 (citing Smith v. Robbins, 528 U.S. 259, 285-86, 120 S.Ct. 746, 764, 145 L.Ed.2d 756 (2000)); see also s Francois, supra, at 59 (holding that “[w]hen the substantive issue that an attorney has not raised is without merit, then the claim that the attorney was [875]*875ineffective for failing to raise the issue also has no merit.”).

Accordingly, to address defendant’s ineffectiveness claim, we must consider the merits of the suppression issue.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State of Louisiana Versus Alexsy Mejia
Louisiana Court of Appeal, 2023

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
168 So. 3d 870, 14 La.App. 5 Cir. 819, 2015 La. App. LEXIS 299, 2015 WL 848054, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-torrence-lactapp-2015.