Title: State v. Shilow

State: louisiana

Issuer: Louisiana Supreme Court

Document:

215 So. 2d 828 (1968) 252 La. 1105 STATE of Louisiana v. Hilton SHILOW. No. 49194. Supreme Court of Louisiana. November 12, 1968. Rehearing Denied December 16, 1968. *829 William N. Knight, John W. Hebert, Jennings, for defendant-appellant. Jack P. F. Gremillion, Atty. Gen., William P. Schuler, Asst. Atty. Gen., Bernard N. Marcantel, Dist. Atty., Alfred R. Ryder, Asst. Dist. Atty., for appellee. SANDERS, Justice. The Grand Jury of Jefferson Davis Parish indicted Hilton Shilow for aggravated rape. After trial, the Jury returned a verdict of guilty without capital punishment. The trial judge then sentenced him to life imprisonment. He has appealed, relying upon five of the bills of exceptions reserved at the trial. The defendant reserved Bill of Exceptions No. 3 to the overruling of his motion to quash the indictment, the general venire, and the grand jury venire on the ground the general venire and grand jury were improperly constituted. The motion alleged that the jury commissioners violated defendant's rights under the fifth, sixth, and fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution in the following respects: Thus, the defendant alleges a discriminatory administration of the jury system. This allegation raises a factual question, and the burden of establishing discriminatory practices rests upon the defendant. Fay v. New York, 332 U.S. 261, 67 S. Ct. 1613, 91 L. Ed. 2043; State v. Barksdale, 247 La. 198, 170 So. 2d 374, cert. denied 382 U.S. 921, 86 S. Ct. 297, 15 L. Ed. 2d 236; State v. Mack, 243 La. 369, 144 So. 2d 363, cert. denied 373 U.S. 917, 83 S. Ct. 1306, 10 L. Ed. 2d 416. Defendant called as witnesses three members of the Jury Commission, including the Clerk of Court. The State and defense stipulated to the testimony of the remaining members. The testimony shows that the grand jurors who indicted the defendant and the petit jurors who convicted him were drawn by lot from a general venire of 350 names. The Commissioners formed the general venire from names taken from the voters' list, supplemented by others secured from personal acquaintance or other sources. The defendant made no showing that the 350 names in the venire were unrepresentative of the racial, economic, religious, sociological, *830 and educational elements in the parish. The evidence refutes the charge of discriminatory selection. The evidence convinces us, as it did the trial judge, that the jury bodies were fairly constituted. We conclude the Bill of Exceptions is without merit. The defendant reserved these Bills of Exceptions to the following statements made by the District Attorney during closing argument: The basis of the Bills is that the District Attorney's statements amount to a comment on defendant's failure to testify, requiring reversal. The defendant relies upon Griffin v. California, 380 U.S. 609, 85 S. Ct. 1229, 14 L. Ed. 2d 106; Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S. Ct. 824, 17 L. Ed. 2d 705; and State v. Wright, 251 La. 511, 205 So. 2d 381. Article 770 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure provides: The question raised is whether or not the District Attorney's statements refer directly or indirectly to the failure of the defendant to testify. We think not. Defense evidence, of course, may consist of the testimony of witnesses other than defendant, as well as demonstrative, or tangible, evidence. Hence, a statement that the State's evidence is uncontradicted is no reference to defendant's failure to testify. State v. Simpson, 247 La. 883, 175 So. 2d 255, cert. denied 384 U.S. 1014, 86 S. Ct. 1945, 16 L. Ed. 2d 1035; State v. Bentley, 219 La. 893, 54 So. 2d 137; State v. Lewis, 156 La. 985, 101 So. 386. It is true the District Attorney's assertion that the burden of proof shifts is an erroneous statement of law. But the *831 trial judge duly instructed the jury to accept and to apply the law as given by the court. See LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 802. As to the burden of proof, the judge correctly charged: Under the circumstances, the District Attorney's erroneous statement of law provides no ground for disturbing the conviction. See State v. Stickney, 167 La. 1050, 120 So. 853; State v. Farris, 146 La. 523, 83 So. 791; State v. Bacon, 138 La. 654, 70 So. 572; and State v. Chevis, 48 La. Ann 575, 19 So. 557. The defendant reserved this Bill to that portion of the trial judge's charge to the jury explaining the possible verdicts, in which he stated: The defendant complains of the words "subject to such commutation as is allowed by law." He argues that the reference to commutation is reversible error, because it reminded the jury that if it returned a verdict of guilty without capital punishment, the defendant would not necessarily serve a full life sentence. The State asserts the general reference to commutation was neither improper nor prejudicial. It points out that the written list of responsive verdicts given to the jury, under Article 809 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure, contained no reference to commutation. Under Louisiana law, upon an unqualified verdict of guilty in a capital case, the trial judge must impose a death sentence. When, however, the jury qualifies the verdict by the words "without capital punishment," the trial judge must impose life imprisonment. LSA-C.Cr.P. Art. 817. Assuming arguendo the instruction was improper, it could be so only because it tended to predispose the jury to a capital verdict because of their awareness that a qualified verdict would not assure a full life sentence. Hence, under the circumstances of this case, no prejudice resulted. Despite the reference to commutation in the judge's charge, the jury did return a verdict of guilty without capital punishment, permitting a sentence of life imprisonment. See State v. Satcher, 124 La. 1015, 50 So. 835. Article 921 of the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure provides: Hence, the Bill of Exceptions must fail. For the reasons assigned, the conviction and sentence are affirmed.