State v. Vedol

113 So. 3d 1119, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 376, 2013 WL 950797, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 471
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 13, 2013
DocketNo. 12-KA-376
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 113 So. 3d 1119 (State v. Vedol) 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. Vedol, 113 So. 3d 1119, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 376, 2013 WL 950797, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 471 (La. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

FREDERICKA HOMBERG WICKER, Judge.

[¡¡Cody Vedol, defendant, was convicted on October 19, 2011 of second degree murder, a violation of La. R.S. 14:30.1, and of being a felon in possession a firearm, a violation of La. R.S. 14:95.1. On appeal, defendant argues that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to convict him of second degree murder and that his sentence for that crime is unconstitutionally excessive in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment. Defendant also argues that his rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were violated when the trial court failed to allow defendant a recess to call a material witness and when the trial court allowed the State to present an expert witness in rebuttal to defendant’s own testimony without allowing defendant the opportunity to present his own witness in surrebuttal. For the reasons below, this Court finds these assignments of error meritless and affirms defendant’s convictions and sentences.

J¿'ACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On August 18, 2009, defendant was standing with five other males in a parking lot between 1116 Tallow Tree Lane and 1117 Orange Blossom Lane in Harvey. That night, defendant encountered Mr. Van Vo and fired several shots at him. One of these shots killed Mr. Vo.

[1122]*1122At trial, defendant testified that Mr. Vo tried to buy drugs from a member of the group. Defendant testified that after Mr. Vo was told that no one in the group was selling, Mr. Vo began to argue with one of the men, Charles Lorio. On cross-examination, defendant stated that it appeared that Mr. Lorio was attempting to rob Mr. Vo. Defendant testified that he attempted to stop this altercation by telling Mr. Lorio to leave Mr. Vo alone. Defendant further testified that at this point Mr. Vo got off his bicycle and came towards he and Mr. Lorio to attack them. Defendant testified that Mr. Vo then threw a rock at him which missed. According to defendant, he was moving away from Mr. Vo when he fired three shots at Mr. Vo.

The State re-called Charles Lorio after defendant testified, Mr. Lorio testified that he did not get into an altercation with Mr. Vo and that Mr. Vo never got off his bicycle. Mr. Lorio also testified that defendant told him that defendant did not mean to shoot Mr. Vo.

Defendant was indicted on December 17, 2009, on one count of second degree murder in violation of La. R.S. 14:30.1 and on one count of possession of a firearm by a felon in violation of La. R.S. 14:95.1. Defendant’s trial began on October 17, 2011 and on October 19, 2011, a jury found defendant guilty on both charges. On the charge of second degree murder, defendant was sentenced to life in prison without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence. On the charge of felon in possession of a firearm, defendant was sentenced to 15 years at hard labor. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently-

L DISCUSSION

First Assignment

In his first assignment of error, defendant argues that the evidence at his trial was insufficient to convict him of second degree murder. He contends that the evidence shows he fired the weapon in self-defense to stop Mr. Vo from advancing in a pursuit he reasonably believed was an attack. Defendant further contends that he did not intend to kill or harm Mr. Vo, and that he only fired the weapon to scare Mr. Vo away. The State responds that the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction, noting that the undisputed evidence not only shows defendant was the aggressor, but that he had the specific intent to kill.

In reviewing the sufficiency of evidence, this Court must determine that the evidence, whether direct, circumstantial, or a mixture of both, viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, was sufficient to convince a rational trier of fact that all of the elements of the crime have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Neal, 00-0674, p. 9 (La.6/29/01), 796 So.2d 649, 657, cert. denied, 535 U.S. 940, 122 S.Ct. 1323, 152 L.Ed.2d 231 (2002).

In cases such as this which involve circumstantial evidence, the trial court must instruct the jury that, “assuming every fact to be proved that the evidence tends to prove, in order to convict, it must exclude every reasonable hypothesis of innocence.” La. R.S. 15:438. This Court is not required to determine whether another possible hypothesis of innocence suggested by the defendant offers an exculpatory explanation of events. Rather, this Court must determine whether the possible alternative hypothesis is sufficiently reasonable that a rational juror could not have found proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Mitchell, 99-3342,5 p. 7 (La.10/17/00), 772 So.2d 78, 83; State v. Washington, 03-1135, p. 4 (La.App. 5 Cir. 1/27/04), 866 So.2d 973, 977.

Second degree murder is the killing of a human being when the killer: 1) has spe[1123]*1123cific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm; or 2) is engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of one of several enumerated felonies, even though he has no intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm. La. R.S. 14:30.1; see State v. Lewis, 05-170, p. 8 (La.App. 5 Cir. 11/29/05), 917 So.2d 583, 589-90, writ denied, 06-0757 (La.12/15/06), 944 So.2d 1277. In this case, the jury was instructed as to both theories: specific intent murder and murder while committing or attempting: armed robbery; first degree robbery; second degree robbery; or simple robbery.

Under the first theory of second degree murder, the State had to prove that defendant had the specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm. Specific intent is “that state of mind which exists when the circumstances indicate that the offender actively desired the prescribed criminal consequences to follow his act or failure to act.” La. R.S. 14:10(1). The determination of specific intent is a question of fact. State v. Durand, 07-4, p. 8 (La.App. 5 Cir. 6/26/07), 963 So.2d 1028, 1034, writ denied, 07-1545 (La.1/25/08), 973 So.2d 753.

Applying the legal principles to the evidence in this case, this Court finds that the State carried its burden of proving that defendant acted with specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm. Defendant admitted that as he was running away from Mr. Vo, he pointed the gun in Mr. Vo’s direction and fired it three times. Specific intent to kill may be inferred from a defendant’s act of pointing a gun and firing at a person. State v. Hoffman, 98-3118, p. 48 (La.4/11/00), 768 So.2d 542, 585, cert. denied, 531 U.S. 946, 121 S.Ct. 345, 148 L.Ed.2d 277 (2000); State v. Batiste, 06-869, p. 6 (La.App. 5 Cir. 4/11/07), 958 So.2d 24, 27. Additionally, Dr. Garcia testified that Mr. Vo was shot in the back, and that the bullet went through the aorta, one of the main branches of the heart, and hit the pulmonary artery, another main trunk of the heart, causing Mr. Vo to bleed to death as a result of that wound. Specific intent to kill may be inferred from the extent and severity of the victim’s injuries. State v. Stacker, 02-768, p. 5 (La.App. 5 Cir. 12/30/02), 836 So.2d 601, 606, unit denied, 03-411 (La.10/10/03), 855 So.2d 327.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
113 So. 3d 1119, 12 La.App. 5 Cir. 376, 2013 WL 950797, 2013 La. App. LEXIS 471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-vedol-lactapp-2013.