State v. Wagster

489 So. 2d 1299
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 28, 1986
DocketKA 85 1234, KA 85 1235
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 489 So. 2d 1299 (State v. Wagster) 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. Wagster, 489 So. 2d 1299 (La. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

489 So.2d 1299 (1986)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Donald WAGSTER. (Two Cases).

Nos. KA 85 1234, KA 85 1235.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

May 28, 1986.

*1300 Bryan Bush, Dist. Atty., Baton Rouge by Kay Bates, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee.

Public Defenders' Office, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellant.

Before GROVER L. COVINGTON, C.J., and LOTTINGER and CRAIN, JJ.

LOTTINGER, Judge.

Donald Wagster was charged by bill of information with one count of armed robbery in violation of La.R.S. 14:64. He pled not guilty and elected trial by jury. A jury found the defendant guilty of simple robbery (a responsive verdict) in violation of La.R.S. 14:65.[1] The state filed a multiple offender bill; and, after a hearing, the defendant was determined to be a third felony offender. The defendant received a sentence of ten years at hard labor. Subsequently, an out of time appeal was granted by the trial court.

In consolidated appeals, No. KA 85 1234 the conviction of simple robbery and NO. KA 85 1235 the multiple offender bill, defendant alleges eighteen assignments of error. Eight assignments of error were not briefed on appeal and are, therefore, considered abandoned. Uniform Rules Courts of Appeal—Rule 2-12.4.

FACTS

The following facts were brought out at trial. On the evening of March 25, 1982, Ms. Mixon telephoned the victim, Morris *1301 Capsuto, and invited him to her apartment. She, her roommate Candace Foster, and Capsuto were to go out "partying" that evening. Ms. Mixon assured Capsuto that her live-in boyfriend, Donald Wagster, had left the apartment and would be gone for the evening.

Mr. Capsuto arrived at her apartment five or ten minutes later and saw Wagster and another man walking around the apartment grounds. Instead of entering the apartment, Capsuto drove to a nearby pay phone and called Ms. Mixon to inquire as to why Wagster had not yet left. She assured Capsuto that Wagster had left earlier and told him he must have been mistaken in his belief that he had seen Wagster.

Capsuto then drove back to Ms. Mixon's apartment and entered it, taking a seat in the living room. The young women excused themselves immediately, stating that they had to finish putting on their makeup in the bathroom. Within a minute or two, the front door opened and a man wearing a ski mask entered. He held a metal can in his hand and sprayed Capsuto with what was believed to be mace. Capsuto tried to exit the front door; but another man, also in a ski mask, held the door shut from the outside.

The man in the apartment struck Capsuto on the head with the can, cutting his scalp. He then backed Capsuto into the bedroom and demanded money. Capsuto gave him $285.00 cash. Meanwhile, the two women were standing nearby, observing the struggle. Capsuto asked them to call the police, but they made no move to do so. The man with the ski mask then asked Capsuto for his jewelry; and, when Capsuto refused, he pulled two gold chains from Capsuto's neck. Capsuto then pushed the man aside, causing him to collide with the second ski masked man (who by now had entered the apartment) and ran out of the front door, yelling that he had been robbed.

The manager's cottage was located several units away from Ms. Mixon's apartment. The manager and her husband testified that they had heard noise coming from the direction of Ms. Mixon's apartment and, shortly thereafter, saw Wagster and another man walking quickly past their cottage. The manager's husband asked Wagster if he knew what had caused the noise, and Wagster informed him that it was he (Wagster) who had been making the noise. Moments later, Mr. Capsuto appeared and informed the manager and her husband that he had been robbed. An off-duty sheriff's deputy, also a resident of the apartment complex, phoned the police. Ms. Mixon and Ms. Foster emerged from their apartment, and Capsuto informed them that he was going to have them arrested for their participation in the robbery. When the police arrived, they arrested Ms. Mixon and Ms. Foster. Wagster turned himself in to the police later that evening.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 1

In this assignment of error, the defendant argues that the trial court erred in overruling a defense objection to irrelevant testimony.

Immediately after the victim, Mr. Capsuto, informed Ms. Mixon and Ms. Foster that he was going to have them arrested, Ms. Mixon answered, "Oh, my, I got cocaine in the apartment." Ms. Mixon then ran back into her apartment.

At trial, Mr. Capsuto testified that Ms. Mixon made the above statement. Defense counsel immediately objected, arguing that the statement was irrelevant and immaterial. After hearing argument outside the presence of the jury, the trial court allowed the statement into evidence. The defendant argues that the trial court erred in so doing. In his brief, the defendant states, "Nothing in the trial record suggests that the state could not accurately present its case of armed robbery against appellant without having this damning innuendo brought into the jury box."

The above statement clearly indicates the possibility that Ms. Mixon possessed cocaine. Nevertheless, her statement makes no reference to the defendant, nor does the record contain anything which would connect this cocaine to the defendant. Therefore, we fail to see how the defendant was *1302 prejudiced by this statement which was made by a co-defendant.

This assignment of error is without merit.

ASSIGNMENTS ERROR NOS. 2 AND 3

In these assignments, the defendant argues that the trial court erred in sustaining objections made by the prosecution to two questions asked by defense attorneys.

The victim, Mr. Capsuto, was questioned as to how much money was taken from him during the robbery. Mr. Capsuto responded that $285.00 was the amount taken. The defense attempted to further question Mr. Capsuto as to why he knew the exact amount he was carrying. Mr. Capsuto replied that he knew the exact amount of money he was carrying because shortly before the robbery he had given some money to a friend. Mr. Capsuto stated that he counted his money at that time. The defense then asked Mr. Capsuto why he gave the money to his friend, and the state objected. Previously, another defense attorney had asked Mr. Capsuto about the type of net income that he had, and the state had also objected to this question. Both of these objections were sustained by the trial court.

The defendant argues that the trial court erred in limiting the defense's right to cross-examine the victim. The defendant argues that the line of questions he intended to ask Mr. Capsuto would have determined the amount of money that Mr. Capsuto normally carried on his person. According to the defendant, these questions would have determined whether Mr. Capsuto actually knew how much money he was carrying when robbed, or whether he was testifying about something that he was unsure about.

La.R.S. 15:494 provides as follows:

"It is not competent to impeach a witness as to collateral facts or irrelevant matter." Questions about the type of net income the victim had and the reason the victim gave some money to a friend were clearly not relevant to the issue of whether or not the defendant robbed the victim. The trial court correctly sustained the prosecution's objections to these irrelevant questions.

These assignments of error are without merit.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NO. 5

The defendant argues that the trial court erred when it overruled a defense objection to hearsay testimony.

When Mr.

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Related

State v. Johnson
664 So. 2d 141 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1995)
State v. Brady
524 So. 2d 1356 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1988)
State v. Wright
517 So. 2d 458 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1987)
State v. Pierre
501 So. 2d 906 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1987)
State v. Wagster
493 So. 2d 1218 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
489 So. 2d 1299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wagster-lactapp-1986.