State v. Trim

107 So. 3d 656, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 115, 2012 WL 4898648, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 1301
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided October 16, 2012·No. No. 12-KA-115·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

CLARENCE E. McMANUS, Judge.

|2On January 26, 2009, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney filed a bill of information charging defendant, Deivon K. Trim,1 with attempted second degree murder of Conway Dennis in violation of LSA-R.S. 14:27:30.1. Subsequently, on August 24, 2010, a superseding bill of information was filed charging Trim2 with attempted first degree murder of Conway Dennis, (who was a witness to the murder of Frankie Williams on October 18, 2008), a violation of LSA-R.S. 14:27:30. After the trial court denied defendant’s motion in limine, allowing the State to introduce evidence that he and Dussett were suspects in the murder of Frankie Williams, defendant went to trial and was found guilty3 as charged. Pursuant to a multiple offender adjudication, defendant was sentenced as a second felony offender to 40 years with the Department of Corrections giving him credit for time served. This appeal followed.

The following facts were adduced at trial. On October 18, 2008, Frankie Williams was murdered at a playground in the 3100 block of Helena Street, in | aKenner, Louisiana. There were no eyewitnesses to the murder; however, Conway Dennis, the victim in this case, told police that he had observed defendant and Dussett near the scene of the murder minutes before.4 Based on the information provided by Dennis, defendant and Dussett were developed as suspects in the murder of Williams. At the time of trial, the murder investigation of Williams was still open.

Approximately one month later, on November 20, 2008, Officer Brad Boyd, a patrol officer with the Kenner Police Department, was dispatched to the 200 block of Clemson Drive in Kenner, Louisiana in response to calls indicating that shots were fired. Detective Jeff Adams of the Kenner Police Department was also dispatched to the scene as the lead detective. Eleven 9 mm shell casings were found scattered along the street and sidewalk as if someone were running and shooting a weapon. Officer Boyd spoke with a resident who had observed two black males in dark clothing, both chasing and firing at another individual who was running further ahead.

The victim in this case, Conway Dennis, (the person who was fired at on November 20, 2008), subsequently contacted headquarters and advised that he wanted to speak to a detective. Detective Adams met with Dennis, who gave a recorded statement to Adams in his police unit. Dennis named defendant and Dussett as the perpetrators who shot at him, and an arrest warrant was obtained.

Defendant subsequently turned himself in to the police on November 25, 2008, and gave a statement denying any involvement or knowledge in reference to the Williams murder or the attempted murder of Dennis. Defendant admitted that he knew Dussett, and declared that they were together three days before. LHowever, Dussett gave a statement after his arrest on the following day claiming the last time he was with defendant was a week before.

In this appeal, defendant Trim alleges that the admission of evidence concerning Frankie Williams’ murder violated the defendants’ right to a fair trial. He further [659] alleges that the evidence was insufficient to support this conviction.

In his second allegation of error, defendant argues that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he shot at the victim, or was involved in the murder of Williams. The State responds that the evidence was sufficient to convict defendant of attempted first degree murder.

When the issues on appeal relate to both the sufficiency of evidence and one or more trial errors, the reviewing court should first determine the sufficiency of the evidence. State v. Hearold, 603 So.2d 731, 734 (La.1992).

The constitutional standard for testing the sufficiency of the evidence 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 beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). Under this standard, a review of a criminal conviction record for sufficiency of evidence does not require the court to ask whether it believes that the evidence at the trial established guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Jones, 08-20 (La.App. 5 Cir. 4/15/08), 985 So.2d 234, 240. Rather, the reviewing court is required to consider the whole record and determine whether any rational trier of fact would have found guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.

“Circumstantial evidence is evidence of facts or circumstances from which one might infer or conclude, according to reason and common experience, the existence of other connected facts.” State v. Kempton, 01-572, p. 7 (La.App. 5 Cir. 12/12/01), 806 So.2d 718, 722. “The rule as to circumstantial evidence is: [ ¿assuming every fact to be proved that the evidence tends to prove, in order to convict, it must exclude every reasonable hypothesis of innocence.” LSA-R.S. 15:438. However, this requirement does not establish a standard that is separate from the Jackson standard, but instead provides a helpful methodology for determining the existence of reasonable doubt. State v. Lathers, 03-941 (La.App. 5 Cir. 2/23/04), 868 So.2d 881, 884. To support the conclusion that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, all evidence, both direct and circumstantial, must be sufficient. Id. (citation omitted).

When the trier of fact is confronted by conflicting testimony, the determination of that fact rests solely with that judge or jury, who may accept or reject, in whole or in part, the testimony of any witness. State v. Bailey, 04-85 (La.App. 5 Cir. 5/26/04), 875 So.2d 949, 955, writ denied, 04-1605 (La.11/15/04), 887 So.2d 476, cert. denied, 546 U.S. 981, 126 S.Ct. 554, 163 L.Ed.2d 468 (2005). In the absence of internal contradiction or irreconcilable conflict with physical evidence, the testimony of one witness, if believed by the trier of fact, is sufficient to convict. State v. Addison, 00-1730, p. 4 (La.App. 5 Cir. 5/16/01), 788 So.2d 608, 613, writ denied, 01-1660 (La.4/26/02), 814 So.2d 549. Further, it is not the function of the appellate court to assess the credibility of witnesses or to reweigh the evidence absent impingement on the fundamental due process of law. Bailey, supra.

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State v. Trim, 107 So. 3d 656, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 115, 2012 WL 4898648, 2012 La. App. LEXIS 1301 (La. Ct. App. 2012).

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