Title: State v. Richmond

State: louisiana

Issuer: Louisiana Supreme Court

Document:

284 So. 2d 317 (1973) STATE of Louisiana v. Willie D. RICHMOND. No. 53407. Supreme Court of Louisiana. September 24, 1973. *320 W. Charles Brown, Newton H. Harris, Mansfield, for defendant-appellant. William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., LeRoy A. Hartley, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Thomas A. Self, Dist. Atty., D. Scott Brown, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appellee. DIXON, Justice. Defendant-appellant, Willie D. Richmond, was indicted, tried and convicted for the murder of Mrs. Vera Adams. R.S. 14:30. He was sentenced to death. On March 9, 1971 Mr. John F. Adams and his wife, Mrs. Vera Adams, were murdered during the course of an armed robbery of their grocery store in Mansfield, Louisiana. Mr. Adams was a local police juror and a prominent citizen of Mansfield. The case attracted extensive newspaper, radio and television coverage in Mansfield and the surrounding area, including nearby Shreveport. The defendant was arrested in Caddo Parish and charged with the double murder of Mr. and Mrs. Adams. He was held in the Caddo Parish jail, his whereabouts undisclosed to the public, as a precaution against the strong public reaction to the slayings. Defendant-appellant was first brought to trial for the murder of Mr. Adams. The three day trial began on April 3, 1972, and resulted in the defendant being convicted and sentenced to death. On April 13, 1972 defense counsel moved for a change of venue in the instant proceedings, dealing with the murder of Mrs. Adams. The trial judge granted the change of venue and ordered the trial transferred from DeSoto Parish to neighboring Sabine Parish. Trial was held beginning June 19, 1972 in Sabine Parish in the town of Many, about fifty miles south of Mansfield. Defendant reserved and perfected twenty-eight bills of exceptions; however, bills numbered 2, 3, 5, 11, 12, 17, 23 and 25 were neither briefed nor argued and are considered abandoned. Bill of Exceptions No. 1 This bill was reserved when the trial judge overruled a plea of former jeopardy filed by defense counsel. The plea was grounded on the fact that the defendant had previously been tried and convicted of the murder of Mr. James F. Adams, husband of the victim in this case. The two murders occurred in a common robbery-murder incident on March 9, 1971. Defense counsel argues in brief, without citation of authority, that since the two murders arose out of the same facts and circumstances, and the same basic evidence was used to secure both convictions, the constitutional rights of the defendant to not be placed twice in jeopardy for the same offense have been violated. Both article I, § 9 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1921 and the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibit placing a defendant in jeopardy more than once for any criminal offense. The Fifth Amendment prohibition against double jeopardy has been held applicable to the states through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Benton v. *321 Maryland, 395 U.S. 784, 89 S. Ct. 2056, 23 L. Ed. 2d 707 (1968). Our statutes are in accord. C.Cr.P. 591 provides in pertinent part: In explaining this latter subsection, upon which defendant-appellant obviously relies, the Official Revision Comment to article 596 states: Under Louisiana law, only one crime can be charged in a single bill of indictment or information, unless specifically excepted by statute. C.Cr.P. 493. State v. Giangrosso, 263 La. 275, 268 So. 2d 224 (1972). Additionally, contemporaneously committed crimes cannot be charged in separate bills of indictment or information and then consolidated for trial unless the defendant consents and the crimes are of such a nature that they could have been charged initially in a single bill of indictment. C.Cr.P. 706. Therefore, unless the State can proceed in the manner adopted in this case, i. e., with separate indictments and trials, the State will be forced to elect which of the contemporaneously committed crimes it will prosecute and abandon the rest. We have previously held that when the defendant killed two people in one transaction the "killing of each was a separate homicide, a separate crime, . . ." State v. Cannon, 185 La. 395, 169 So. 446, 447 Cf. State v. Ysasi, 222 La. 902, 64 So. 2d 213 (1953), a case factually very similar to the case at bar. In Ysasi, the defendant was tried and convicted of two separate batteries upon two different victims during the course of an altercation. A plea of former jeopardy was entered and overruled. The court noted that two separate and distinct batteries were committed, even though separated by only a few seconds. The fact that the same witnesses were necessary to prove the two batteries was held to be inconsequential, arising only coincidentally. The jurisprudence of this court and the federal courts in the area of double jeopardy was considered in detail in the recent case of State v. Didier, 262 La. 364, 263 So. 2d 322 (1972). In that case a sheriff was charged with robbery and theft after being convicted of malfeasance in office as a result of his participation in a scheme to rob scrap metal dealers. A plea of former jeopardy was entered and sustained by the trial judge. The State appealed. A majority of the court found the plea of former jeopardy to be well founded. The court reasoned: In the case at bar, essentially the same evidence was used in both prosecutions. The purpose for which the evidence was used, however, was very different. Evidence of the murder of Mrs. Adams at the initial trial of the defendant for the murder of Mr. Adams was introduced merely as part of the res gestae. The conviction of the defendant for the murder of Mr. Adams in no way required proof that the defendant also killed Mrs. Adams. Likewise at the trial for the murder of Mrs. Adams, evidence that the defendant also killed Mr. Adams was admissible as part of the res gestae, but formed no part of any essential element of the State's case. In neither instance was the defendant at any time in jeopardy for the murder of the other victim. As pointed out above, the State had no alternative under our law but to proceed as it did. We should note here that this case is not one in which the doctrine of "collateral estoppel" is applicable. Here there was no essential issue of fact decided adversely to the State in the prior prosecution. Cf. Ashe v. Swenson, 397 U.S. 436, 90 S. Ct. 1189, 25 L. Ed. 2d 469 (1970); Simpson v. Florida, 403 U.S. 384, 91 S. Ct. 1801, 29 L. Ed. 2d 549 (1971); Harris v. Washington, 404 U.S. 55, 92 S. Ct. 183, 30 L. Ed. 2d 212 (1971). This bill is without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 4 This bill of exceptions pertains to the trial court's denial of the defendant's motion for a change of venue. Defendant had originally been charged with the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Adams in DeSoto Parish. Subsequent to defendant's conviction for the murder of Mr. Adams, venue for the trial of the second murder was changed from DeSoto Parish to Sabine Parish, which adjoins the former. Defendant then moved for a change of venue to a parish more remote from the occurrence of the offense, alleging that the residents of Sabine Parish had been exposed to the publicity surrounding the commission of the offense and that they were generally aware of the conviction obtained for the murder of Mr. Adams in adjoining DeSoto Parish. Grounds for a change of venue are contained in C.Cr.P. 622, which provides: Clearly this article places the burden on the applicant, here the defendant, to show that prejudice or undue influence is extant in the parish where the prosecution is pending. State v. Curry, 262 La. 280, 263 So. 2d 36 (1972); State v. Washington, 256 La. 233, 236 So. 2d 23 (1970); State v. Poland, 255 La. 746, 232 So. 2d 499 (1970). Further, the article requires a showing of more than mere knowledge by the public of the facts surrounding the offense for which the trial is being had. As stated in State v. Poland, supra, citing State v. Lejeune, 248 La. 682, 181 So. 2d 392 (1965): In the instant case, the applicant has failed to meet the burden of proof. His evidence consisted of one issue of the Mansfield Enterprise, a paper published in DeSoto Parish, and the testimony of one witness. The newspaper contained a straightforward story concerning the defendant's conviction under a rather large headline. There was no evidence introduced as to the circulation of the newspaper in Sabine Parish or the general impact the story may have had on the residents of Sabine Parish. The witness' testimony as to whether the defendant could be accorded a fair trial in Sabine Parish was equivocal and properly given little weight by the trial judge. The granting or denial of change of venue rests within the sound discretion of the trial judge and a ruling denying the motion will not be disturbed unless evidence affirmatively shows that the ruling was erroneous and an abuse of judicial discretion. State v. Didier, 273 So. 2d 277 (La.1973); State v. Poland, supra. Under the evidence presented to support the motion for change of venue it cannot be said that the trial court abused its discretion. This bill is without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 6 This bill was reserved when the trial court denied a defense motion to excuse jurors. The motion was founded on defendant's contention that all prospective jurors residing in the northern part of Sabine Parish had probably been exposed to prejudicial publicity and should therefore be excused from the jury venire. We agree with the trial judge that it would have been improper to exclude all prospective jurors from the northern part of the parish absent a showing that the individual veniremen had been exposed to and prejudiced by such pretrial publicity. The trial judge was correct in requiring defense counsel to inquire on voir dire as to the potential prejudice suffered by individual veniremen. C.Cr.P. 797. This bill lacks merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 7 This bill was reserved when the trial judge overruled a defense motion to quash. The motion was based on the defendant's contention that he had been denied a speedy trial. We note from the record that much of the delay in bringing the defendant to trial on this charge was due to the court's consideration of motions made by defense counsel. Additional delay resulted from the decision by the trial judge to allow community feelings to subside after press coverage of this crime, in an attempt to insure the defendant a fair trial. We find no merit in this bill. Bills of Exceptions Nos. 8, 9, 10 and 13 These bills of exceptions pertain to the trial court's sustaining the State's challenge for cause based on the prospective juror's scruples against inflicting the death penalty. In each instance the venireman stated he could bring in a verdict of guilty without capital punishment. For the reasons assigned in State v. Richmond, 278 So. 2d 17 (La.1973), these bills of exceptions are moot. Bills of Exceptions Nos. 14, 15 and 16 These bills were reserved in response to the overruling of challenges for cause, made on voir dire by defense counsel. In each instance, the challenge for cause was based on the fact that the prospective juror had some social or business contact with DeSoto Parish, the parish where the offense was committed, and lived in some proximity to that parish. Each of the challenged jurors stated unequivocally that he could render an impartial verdict based solely on the evidence presented at trial. *324 The grounds urged by defendant do not fall within the grounds for challenge for cause set forth in C.Cr.P. 797. There was no showing of partiality under C.Cr.P. 797(2). The defense failed to establish any relationship which would give rise to a reasonable inference that the juror would be influenced thereby as provided in C.Cr. P. 797(3). These bills are without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 18 This bill of exceptions was reserved when the trial court overruled defendant's challenge for cause of a juror, Valery McDonald. The challenge was grounded on statements by the juror on voir dire that he had discussed the case with others and that he had an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant.[1] C.Cr.P. 797, in pertinent part, provides: This court has consistently held that it is not error to overrule a challenge for cause based on prior knowledge of the events or an opinion as to guilt or innocence where the juror states he will base his verdict solely on the evidence presented at trial and the trial judge is satisfied that the juror can render an impartial verdict. State v. Heard, 263 La. 484, 268 So. 2d 628 (1972); State v. Square, 257 La. 743, 244 So. 2d 200 (1971); State v. Rideau, 242 La. 431, 137 So. 2d 283, reversed on other grounds, 373 U.S. 723, 83 S. Ct. 1417, 10 L. Ed. 2d 663, on remand, 246 La. 451, 165 So. 2d 282 (1964). The voir dire examination as a whole reflects that the juror could lay his opinion and whatever knowledge he had aside and base his decision solely on the evidence presented at trial. State v. Heard, supra. This bill is without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 19 This bill of exceptions pertains to the denial of a motion for a mistrial made after the juror challenged in bill of exceptions No. 18 was seated. The motion was grounded on alleged prejudicial statements made during the voir dire examination of this juror. An examination of the record does not disclose prejudicial remarks from any source. The voir dire concerned whether the juror had an opinion as to guilt or innocence, whether he had knowledge of the events in question, whether he had discussed these events. The entire voir dire is composed of proper questions and answers without the juror divulging any specifics as to his opinions or knowledge which may have been prejudicial. This bill is without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 20 This bill of exceptions was reserved when the trial court overruled defendant's challenge for cause of juror, C. R. Anthony. The challenge was based upon prior employment of the district attorney by the juror in legal matters. On voir dire the juror stated that the district attorney had represented him as well as other landowners with regard to Toledo Bend; that he had in addition received legal advice on other minor matters, but that it had been five or six years since the last employment; that he had never regularly employed the district attorney. He also replied negatively to a direct inquiry *325 as to whether the relationship would affect his verdict. C.Cr.P. 797, in pertinent part, provides: Refusal to excuse this juror for cause cannot be said to be an abuse of the discretion granted the trial court in determining whether the relationship would influence the juror's verdict. State v. Flucas, 262 La. 625, 264 So. 2d 586 (1972); State v. Square, supra; State v. Reese, 250 La. 151, 194 So. 2d 729, cert. denied, 389 U.S. 996, 88 S. Ct. 485, 19 L. Ed. 2d 495. This bill is without merit. Bills of Exceptions Nos. 21 and 24 Bill of exceptions No. 21 was reserved when the trial court refused a request by the defense that the State specify the number of inculpatory statements that would be adduced at trial. Bill of exceptions No. 24 was reserved when the statements were allowed into evidence. For the reasons given in State v. Richmond, 278 So. 2d 17, 23 (La.1973), we find these bills to be without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 22 This bill of exceptions pertains to the overruling of an objection to the introduction of a .38 caliber pistol into evidence. The objection was grounded on the lack of a proper foundation for introduction of the evidence. Mr. Hugh Bennett, Jr., the deputy sheriff who arrested the defendant, testified that a .38 caliber S & W pistol, serial number 310136, was found in the room where the defendant was arrested. He also testified that the gun was turned over to the sheriff. The sheriff testified that he received a pistol of the above description from Bennett and that the serial number matched that of a weapon owned by the Adamses. The son of the victims testified that the pistol displayed was owned by his father. As this court held in State v. Isaac, 261 La. 487, 260 So. 2d 302 (1972): The foundation laid for the introduction of the evidence in the present case was at least sufficient to meet this test. This bill is without merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 27 This bill of exceptions was reserved when the trial judge refused to give the following special charge: "It is well settled that the court is not required to instruct the jury on abstract principles of law, but only those wholly pertinent or applicable to the facts of the case under consideration." (Emphasis *326 added). State v. Johnson, 250 La. 85, 193 So. 2d 794 (1967). The charge was not wholly pertinent to the facts. The evidence did not consist solely of the unsupported testimony of an accomplice. The ruling was correct. This bill lacks merit. Bill of Exceptions No. 28 This bill of exceptions was reserved when the trial judge denied defendant's motion for a new trial. The motion was grounded on prior bills of exceptions reserved and an allegation that the State's use of challenges for cause and peremptory challenges effected a prejudicial exclusion of Negroes from the jury. A motion for a new trial based on an allegation that the verdict is contrary to the law and the evidence as shown in bills of exceptions presents nothing for review where the bills of exceptions have been considered and found to be without merit. State v. Crockett, 262 La. 197, 263 So. 2d 6 (1972); State v. Williams, 262 La. 160, 262 So. 2d 507 (1972). However, bill of exceptions No. 26 was reurged by the motion for a new trial; since this bill was neither briefed nor argued, we did not consider it previously, but will do so now as part of bill of exceptions No. 28. The bill was reserved when the trial judge denied a motion for a recess, made after the State had rested, based on the absence of the only defense witness. A recess was requested until 10:00 a. m. the following day, for the purpose of permitting the defense to ascertain if the witness had been served and whether that witness would be available on the following day. The grant or denial of a recess is largely within the well founded discretion of the trial court. State v. Cripps, 259 La. 403, 250 So. 2d 382 (1971); State v. James, 246 La. 1033, 169 So. 2d 89, reversed on other grounds, 382 U.S. 36, 86 S. Ct. 151, 15 L. Ed. 2d 30. Under the present facts where the defense did not make a showing of a compelling reason for granting a recess, at the time the motion was made, it cannot be said the trial court abused its discretion by refusing the recess. Additionally, the defendant alleged that the State used peremptory challenges and challenges for cause to eliminate Negroes from the jury to his prejudice. The challenges for cause were based on a legally sufficient reason, refusal to bring in a guilty verdict with capital consequences, under our law. State v. Hayes, 271 So. 2d 525 (La.1973); State v. Cripps, 259 La. 403, 250 So. 2d 382 (1971); State v. Strong, 256 La. 455, 236 So. 2d 798 (1970). There is nothing to indicate that the challenge to any juror was based on anything other than the responses made by the juror on voir dire. A peremptory challenge is the statutory right to reject a given juror without disclosure of reason or motive. As such, the exercise of peremptory challenges is without the control of the court and is not subject to judicial review. State v. Rossi, 273 So. 2d 265 (La.1973); State v. Smith, 263 La. 75, 267 So. 2d 200 (1972); State v. Square, supra. C.Cr.P. 851 provides: No such showing has been made in this case. The trial court properly overruled the motion for a new trial. This bill is without merit. The conviction is affirmed for the reasons assigned. The death sentence is annulled and set aside and the case is remanded to the district court for the imposition of a sentence of life imprisonment, according to law. State v. Franklin, 263 La. 344, 268 So. 2d 249 (1972). [1] See, appendix for the transcript of the voir dire examination of this juror.