State v. Williams

269 So. 2d 232, 263 La. 755, 1972 La. LEXIS 5346
Supreme Court of Louisiana·Decided October 26, 1972·No. No. 51875·Published·Cited by 12 cases

Opinions

PER CURIAM.

The defendant appeals from a conviction, after a trial by jury, of armed robbery (La.R.S. 14:64), for which he was sentenced to serve forty years at hard labor in the State penitentiary. He relies upon fifteen bills of exceptions to obtain a reversal of the conviction and sentence.

Bill of exceptions No. 1 was reserved to the trial court’s denial of the defendant’s motion to excuse the jury venire. The motion was made on the grounds that the district attorney, in the presence of the jury, moved to sever the indictment which had charged the defendant along with two others, and to try Archie Williams in a separate trial.

[760]*760We can find no prejudice to the defendant from the fact that the jury-heard the State’s motion for a severance. The jury was retired immediately after the motion was made, and they heard no part of the argument thereon. This bill is without merit.

Bill of exceptions No. 2 was reserved when the trial court allowed the indictment to be read to the jury, including the names of the other defendants under the original indictment. The defendant moved for a mistrial which motion was denied by the trial court.

Again, we find that no prejudice to the defendant resulted from the fact that the jurors heard that the defendant was indicted along with two others. Testimony introduced at the trial brought out the fact that the defendant was not the only person involved in the perpetration of the crime charged. This bill is without merit.

Bills of exceptions Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 all relate to the defendant’s objection to the trail court’s admissibility of evidence of the alleged aggravated rape of the victim into the trial. Counsel contends the injection of such testimony in the trial for armed robbery was inflammatory and denied the defendant a fair trial. However, we find the alleged aggravated rape was part of the res gestae. La.R.S. 15:448 provides ;

“To constitute res gestae the circumstances and declarations must be necessary incidents of the criminal, act, or immediate concomitants of it, or form in conjunction with it one continuous transaction.” (Emphasis mine.)

The general rule is that all that occurs at the time and place and immediately before and after a difficulty is admissible as res gestae.

La.R.S. 15:447 declares “ * * * what forms any part of the res gestae is always admissible in evidence.” The testimony reveals the alleged aggravated rape of the victim’s date took place immediately after the armed robbery was said to have taken place. There is no merit to these bills.

Bill of exceptions No. 7 was taken when the trial judge denied a motion for mistrial, which had been based on grounds a State’s witness, Officer Gill, injected hearsay testimony as to what an unnamed informer thought, specifically, that the informer “felt like his life was in danger.” Immediately after the Officer made this statement, the trial judge gave the following admonition to the jury:

“The Court: Gentlemen of the jury, you can disregard the last answer, the last statement made by Officer Gill as not being relevant and not being responsive to the question having no weight and no bearing. You must give it no weight and no bearing in your deliberation.”

[762]*762 The purpose of Code of Criminal Procedure Article 771 is to deal with situations such as this on which this bill is based. Generally, this Court has held that a verdict should not be set aside on account of an improper, spontaneous, unsolicited remark by a witness. The trial court properly admonished the jury to disregard the statement. This bill has no merit.

Bill of Exceptions No. 8 has not been briefed by the defendant and is therefore considered abandoned.

Bills of exceptions Nos. 9 and 10 concern the admissibility of the defendant’s taped recorded confession.

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State v. Williams, 269 So. 2d 232, 263 La. 755, 1972 La. LEXIS 5346 (La. 1972).

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State v. Williams
269 So. 2d 232 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1972)