State v. Wooley

523 So. 2d 883, 1988 La. App. LEXIS 797, 1988 WL 20734
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 10, 1988
DocketNo. KA-7195
StatusPublished

This text of 523 So. 2d 883 (State v. Wooley) 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. Wooley, 523 So. 2d 883, 1988 La. App. LEXIS 797, 1988 WL 20734 (La. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

LOBRANO, Judge.

Defendant, Donald Wooley, was charged by grand jury indictment with the August 16, 1985 second degree murder of Joseph Nicosia, a violation of La.R.S. 14:30.1.

[884]*884On September 4, 1984, defendant was arraigned and pled not guilty. On September 13, 1985, this original plea was withdrawn and defendant entered pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. A sanity commission was appointed and on October 4, 1985 following a hearing, defendant was adjudged competent to stand trial. Trial was held on August 18 thru August 21, 1986. Defendant was found guilty as charged by an eleven to one vote.

On September 12, 1986, defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment without benefit of probation, parole or suspension of sentence.

FACTS:

David Dean, a friend of the victim, Nicosia, arrived at Nicosia’s townhouse, located at 229 10th Street, at approximately 4:00 p.m. on August 16,1985 to drive Nicosia to the airport. He noticed Nicosia’s Oldsmobile was missing and the burglar alarm was off. Dean called at the rear door, which was ajar, and received no answer. He opened the door and looked in. He observed blood stains on the walls and floor. He immediately summoned the police. Officer Paul McClaskell arrived on the scene first and secured the premises. He discovered Nicosia’s body lying on the floor near the front door. Nicosia was nude and had sustained multiple stab wounds.

A search of the premises revealed Nicosia’s eyeglasses lying on a table in the den along with two drinking glasses. Under the den table was found a towing receipt with defendant’s name on it. No blood was found in the den or kitchen. There was no sign of a fight or struggle. None of the neighbors heard any noise or disturbance. Most of the evidence seized, a bedspread, throw rug, pants and underwear were found in a bathroom, bedroom and hallway leading to the door. Clothing belonging to Nicosia was scattered throughout the apartment. Nothing was out of place in the other rooms and no evidence was seized from the second bedroom, stairs or closet. Blood was found on the sheets, bedspread and door of one bedroom. A large pool of blood was found in the foyer. A knife with a broken tip was found near an alarm switch.

Police traced the towing receipt to Jackie’s Automotive, Inc. Robert Booker, a tow truck driver for the company testified that on August 16,1985, he was dispatched to Nicosia’s house to pick up a blue foreign car belonging to Donald Wooley and tow it to a nearby Texaco station. He testified the young man met him at the station in an Oldsmobile, was excited and nervous and paid for the tow charge with a credit card belonging to Joseph Nicosia.

On August 17, 1985, Detective Dillman, who was investigating the homicide was contacted by a Baton Rouge attorney, John Aydell. Aydell informed Dillman of defendant’s whereabouts.

Pursuant to this conversation, Dillman, on August 19, 1985, drove to Baton Rouge to the home of Debra Wooley, defendant’s sister. There he found Nicosia’s Oldsmobile and had it towed back to the crime lab in New Orleans. A search of the car revealed charge receipts from the Rodeway Inn and D.H. Holmes department store in Baton Rouge. Dinnerware, new clothing from D.H. Holmes and credit cards in the name of Joseph Nicosia were also found in the car.

Pat Christopher and Douglas Graff, employees of the Rodeway Inn, testified .that a young white male using Nicosia’s credit card checked into the motel on the evening of August 16, 1985 and checked out on the morning of August 17, 1985.

Virginia McKenzie, an employee of D.H. Holmes, testified that a young white man used a credit card in the name of Joseph Nicosia to charge clothing valued at $362.00 on August 16,1985. She could not positively identify defendant but remembered the man had a bandaged arm.

Sometime after checking out of the motel, defendant drove to his sister’s home. Defendant was incoherent and in a very excited state. He informed his sister and her roommate, Peggy Hurley, that he met a man in the French Quarter and went to the man’s home. The man then tried to stab him and he stabbed him back.

[885]*885Debra Wooley contacted attorney John Aydell and requested that he come over and find out what was going on. When he arrived he found defendant in a deep intoxicated sleep. Defendant had cuts on his hands and arms. Upon awaking, the defendant became hysterical. Debra Wooley and Peggy Hurley were able to calm defendant so that Aydell could elicit information from him.

Eventually, defendant told Aydell that he met a man in the French Quarter and went to the man’s home. He said the man undressed and tried to force him to perform a sexual act he did not want to do. He stated that a struggle ensued and the man attacked him with a knife. He then stabbed the man in self defense. Defendant admitted taking Nicosia’s car, drivers license, watch and credit cards. After he left Nicosia’s house, he stated he went home, cleaned the blood from his hands and arms and threw his bloodied clothes in a ditch on the way to Baton Rouge. Because defendant was hysterical, incoherent and threatening suicide, the trio took him to Parkland Hospital in Baton Rouge. Defendant was subsequently arrested on August 24, 1985 and incarcerated in Orleans Parish.

Defendant appeals his conviction and sentence asserting the following assignments of error:

1) The trial court erred in admitting the defendant’s statements made to his attorney while in an intoxicated and agitated state;
2) The state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt second degree murder.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR 1:

Defendant asserts the trial court erred in admitting the statements he made to Ay-dell while in an extremely intoxicated and agitated state which he argues rendered him incapable of waiving the attorney-client privilege. We disagree for the following reasons. La.R.S. 15:475 provides:

“No legal adviser is permitted, whether during or after the termination of his employment as such, unless with his client’s express consent, to disclose any communication made to him as such legal adviser by or on behalf of his client, or any advice given by him to his client, or any information that he may have gotten by reason of his being such legal adviser.”

However, before defendant can argue his inability to waive the above privilege, the following requisites, set forth in State v. Green, 493 So.2d 1178 (La.1986), must be established.

1) There must be an attorney-client relationship;
2) The communication, information or advice is made in confidence;
3) The communication or information by the client and/or the advice given by the attorney in response is sufficiently connected to the representation. State v. Green, 493 So.2d 1178 (La.1986)

The critical factor in determining whether an attorney-client relationship exists is whether the advice sought is from a professional acting in his capacity as such. State v. Green, supra. Here, no such relationship existed. Defendant did not call Aydell nor was he in any physical or mental condition to seek legal advice. In fact, it is doubtful whether defendant was even aware that Aydell was an attorney.

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Bluebook (online)
523 So. 2d 883, 1988 La. App. LEXIS 797, 1988 WL 20734, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wooley-lactapp-1988.