State v. Wells

64 So. 3d 303, 2010 La.App. 4 Cir. 1338, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 390, 2011 WL 1228291
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 30, 2011
DocketNo. 2010-KA-1338
StatusPublished
Cited by72 cases

This text of 64 So. 3d 303 (State v. Wells) 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. Wells, 64 So. 3d 303, 2010 La.App. 4 Cir. 1338, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 390, 2011 WL 1228291 (La. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

MICHAEL E. KIRBY, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE:

Robert Wells was charged with home invasion to which he plead not guilty. Following a preliminary hearing, the district court found no probable cause as to the home invasion charge but it found probable cause for domestic abuse battery. After a judge trial, Mr. Wells was convicted of the lesser charge of unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling. He was sentenced to serve three years at hard labor, suspended, and he was placed on two years active probation with fines and fees. The district court denied defendant’s motion to reconsider his sentence.

TRIAL TESTIMONY:

MICHELLE LEE WILSON:

The victim, Michelle Lee Wilson, was called by the state. Once it appeared that [305]*305she was recanting1 her report of the alleged offense the State asked for and received permission to treat her as a hostile witness under cross-examination. Her testimony is summarized as follows:

| ¡.On August 4, 2009, defendant entered the home he had shared with her. Defendant had a key and had permission to enter. When defendant entered the house, Wilson and Thomas Anderson were sleeping in the bedroom. Following an argument with defendant, Wilson called 911 and reported the incident (the 911 tape was played in open court). Wilson admitted that the tape reflected she told the 911 operator, “He came into my house and I asked him not to come in, ...” She also admitted telling the 911 operator that the door was locked and that defendant was her “ex”. Wilson denied in her testimony that defendant damaged the front door and the wall when he entered the house claiming that damage occurred when she moved into the house. Wilson identified a photograph of her forearm showing redness and swelling but denied the injuries were sustained during a physical altercation with defendant. Wilson denied that defendant struck, slapped her, or threw her across the room. She stated that all defendant did was push her aside to get to Mr. Anderson. She described Mr. Anderson as her “ex” and defendant as her flaneé. She stated that Mr. Anderson was staying with her because his “lights was off and I was being nice to let him stay there”. She testified that she and defendant lived together; that she saw him that morning; that Anderson had only been there for a short time; and that she did not inform defendant that he was going to stay at the house.

OFFICER LISA LEWIS:

On August 4, 2009, Officer Lisa Lewis responded to a call of a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival she observed defendant in front of the house shirtless, very angry, and very aggressive. He was cursing and shouting that his girlfriend was with another guy. When Lewis approached defendant she smelled alcohol on 13his breath and she handcuffed him for her safety. She interviewed Ms. Wilson during which Wilson told her that she [Wilson] and defendant were involved in a physical altercation whereby defendant kicked open the front door, pulled her out of bed, forced her into the living room, and pushed her to the floor. Wilson told Lewis that defendant did not have permission to enter the house. The door was locked; she heard a bang; and defendant was inside the bedroom. Inside the house, Lewis observed that the front door was “stuck” into the wall; the door lock and door jamb were broken; and blood was on the door. Wilson was crying, distraught, and appeared to have been in an altercation. Officer Lewis observed swelling and scratches on Wilson’s right forearm and neck and observed a hole in the wall which corresponded to the door knob and deadbolt lock, which she opined was caused when the door was forced open. Lewis arrested defendant and conducted a search incident to his arrest; defendant was not in possession of keys to the house.

Lewis further testified she did not observe a physical altercation, did not see anyone force open the front door, and had no knowledge of when the door was pushed open or when the blood stains were spattered on the door. She had no knowledge of when Wilson sustained the injuries to her forearm.

[306]*306 ERRORS PATENT:

A review of the record reveals no errors patent not raised by defendant as an assignment of error. We will address this further in Assignment of Error Number 2.

¡¿DISCUSSION:

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR NUMBER 1:

By his first assignment of error defendant argues that there was insufficient evidence to support his conviction for unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. Specifically, he asserts that there was no evidence that Ms. Wilson owned or rented the residence. He also asserted that he had authority to enter the home because he and Wilson lived together at the residence, and he had a key to the residence.

In evaluating whether evidence is constitutionally sufficient to support a conviction, an appellate court must determine whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); State v. Green, 588 So.2d 757 (La.App. 4th Cir.1991). However, the reviewing court may not disregard this duty simply because the record contains evidence that tends to support each fact necessary to constitute the crime. State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305 (La.1988). The reviewing court is not permitted to consider just the evidence most favorable to the prosecution but must consider the record as a whole since that is what a rational trier of fact would do. If rational triers of fact could disagree as to the interpretation of the evidence, the rational trier’s view of all the evidence most favorable to the prosecution must be adopted. The fact finder’s discretion will be impinged upon only to the extent necessary to guarantee the fundamental protection of due process of law. Mussall, 523 So.2d at 1309-1310. “[A] reviewing court is not called upon to decide whether it believes the witnesses or whether the conviction is contrary to the weight of the evidence.” State v. Smith, 600 So.2d 1319, 1324 (La.1992).

l.sA factfinder’s credibility decision should not be disturbed unless it is clearly contrary to the evidence. State v. Hucka-bay, 2000-1082 (La.App. 4 Cir 2/6/02), 809 So.2d 1093; State v. Harris, 99-3147 (La. App. 4 Cir. 5/31/00), 765 So.2d 432. The testimony of a single witness, if believed by the trier of fact, is sufficient to support a conviction. State v. White, 28,095 (La.App.2d Cir.5/8/96), 674 So.2d 1018.

Conflicting statements as to factual matters is a question of weight of the evidence, not sufficiency. State v. Jones, 537 So.2d 1244 (La.App. 4 Cir.1989). Such a determination rests solely with the trier of fact who may accept or reject, in whole or in part, the testimony of any witness. Id. A trier of fact’s determination as to the credibility of a witness is a question of fact entitled to great weight, and its determination will not be disturbed unless it is clearly contrary to the evidence. State v. Vessell, 450 So.2d 938 (La.1984).

In the instant case there was ample admissible evidence to support the conviction.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 So. 3d 303, 2010 La.App. 4 Cir. 1338, 2011 La. App. LEXIS 390, 2011 WL 1228291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wells-lactapp-2011.