Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. John Ernest BIRABENT
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1974-12-02
Citations: 305 So. 2d 448
Docket Number: No. 54733
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. John Ernest BIRABENT.
Judges: SUMMERS, J., dissents for the reasons assigned.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 305
Pages: 448–457

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. John Ernest BIRABENT.
No. 54733.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Dec. 2, 1974.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 17, 1975.
F. Irvin Dymond, William L. Crull, III, New Orleans, for defendant-relator.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., L. H. Perez, Jr., Dist. Atty., Gilbert V. Andry, III, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-respondent.

Opinion:
BARHAM, Justice.
On May 22, 1972, the grand jury of St. Bernard Parish returned an indictment charging that relator " unlawfully killed Thomas Sciortino This language contained in the indictment conforms exactly to the formula set forth in La.C.Cr.P. art. 465 for charging manslaughter in a short-form indictment. However, the typed endorsement of the name of the offense on the back of the indictment form read "MURDER" and there appeared the notation, "A True Bill" and the signature of the grand jury foreman in writing below.
On October 3, 1973, after the first witness who was sworn at the trial on the merits had testified, counsel for relator moved that the court restrict the reception of evidence to matters pertaining to the crime of manslaughter. The basis for this motion was relator's position that the indictment charged only the crime of manslaughter, not the crime of murder. The trial court noted its agreement with the premise of relator's motion. Thereafter, the State requested that the court allow the amendment of the indictment to cure what it contended was a defect therein or, alternatively, that the court grant a mistrial. The court denied the State's request to amend the indictment to conform to a murder charge but granted the State's motion for a mistrial, giving as its reasons therefor its opinion that the jury's prior knowledge of the murder charge against relator would prejudice him and deny him a fair trial on the manslaughter indictment. In addition, the court expressed its opinion that there existed in the indictment " a defect that goes to the very substance of the charge." Relator objected to the granting of the mistrial and reserved a bill of exceptions when the trial court overruled the objection..
On November 27, 1973, the State filed a motion seeking correction of the indictment to make it conform to the charge of murder. A hearing on the motion was held on December 11, 1973, wherein the State presented, over defense objection, the testimony of the foreman of the grand jury which had returned the indictment. The foreman testified that the grand jury had voted to indict relator for murder. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court allowed the correction sought by the State and set a date for arraignment on the corrected indictment. Relator's counsel objected, reserved a bill of exceptions and gave the trial court notice of intention to apply to this Court for writs of certiorari, prohibition and mandamus. The application to this Court was denied for the reason that relator had an adequate remedy in the trial court if error was committed. State v. Birabent, 288 So.2d 641 (La.1974).
On February 6, 1974, relator filed a motion to quash the amended indictment, alleging that jeopardy had commenced on the original indictment o.n October 3, 1973, after the first witness was sworn at the trial on the merits begun at that time. Relator alleged that the trial court was without authority to grant the mistrial it had earlier declared on the basis of a defect of substance in the indictment because the indictment was a valid indictment for the crime of manslaughter. Therefore, relator contended that a prosecution based upon the corrected indictment would constitute double jeopardy. When the trial court denied relator's motion to quash, relator objected, reserved a bill of exceptions and applied to this Court for writs. We granted writs on April 30, 1974. State v. Birabent, 293 So.2d 192 (La.1974).
La.C.Cr.P. art. 591 provides:
"No person shall be twice put in jeopardy of life or liberty for the same offense, except, when on his own motion, a new trial has been granted or judgment has been arrested, or where there has been a mistrial legally ordered under the provisions of Article 775 or ordered with the express consent of the defendant. (Emphasis here and elsewhere supplied).
Therefore, if the trial court legally ordered a mistrial under the provisions of La.C.Cr. P. art. 775, the principles of double jeopardy will not operate in relator's favor. La.C.Cr.P. art. 775 provides:
"A mistrial may be ordered, and in a jury case the jury dismissed, when:
(1) The defendant consents thereto;
(2) The jury is unable to agree upon a verdict;
(3) There is a legal defect in the proceedings which would make any judgment entered upon a verdict reversible as a matter of law;
(4) The court finds that the defendant does not have the mental capacity to proceed;
(5) It is physically impossible to proceed with the trial in conformity with law; or
(6) False statements of a juror on voir dire prevent a fair trial.
Upon motion of a defendant, a mistrial shall be ordered, and in a jury case the jury dismissed, when prejudicial conduct in or outside the courtroom makes it impossible for the defendant to obtain a fair trial, or when authorized by Article 770 or 771.
A mistrial shall be ordered, and in a jury case the jury dismissed, when the state and the defendant jointly move for a mistrial."
It is the State's contention that the mistrial granted by the trial judge was legally declared under Article 775(3) in that there existed " a legal defect in the proceedings which would make any judgment entered upon a verdict reversible as a matter of law. " The State contends that this "legal defect" existed, by virtue of the fact that the court and counsel for the state and for relator treated the case as one for murder until the first witness had testified. The State argues that if the court had proceeded with the trial as one for manslaughter, any judgment entered upon a verdict would have been rendered reversible as a matter of law. Additionally the State contends that the indictment contained a defect of substance which warranted the declaration of a mistrial under La.C.Cr.P. art. 487.
We acknowledge that a substantial defect in the indictment would be grounds under La.C.Cr.P. art. 775(3) for the declaration of a mistrial. Such a defect in the indictment would constitute "a legal defect in the proceedings which would make any judgment entered upon a verdict reversible as a matter of law." See Official Revision Comment (g) to La.C.Cr.P. art. 775. Therefore the central issue for our determination is whether the indictment which formed the basis for relator's prosecution contained a substantial defect.
There did not exist in this prosecution a legal defect which would render any judgment entered upon a verdict reversible as a matter of law. The indictment which formed the basis for the relator's prosecution was a perfectly valid indictment for the crime of manslaughter. The word "MURDER" and the alphabetical and numerical statutory designation "1950 L.R.S. 14:30" do not constitute any part of the finding of the grand jury; the endorsement is not a substantive part of the charge. See State v. Lawrence, 221 La. 861, 60 So.2d 464 (1952); see also State v. DeHart, 109 La. 570, 33 So. 605 (1903). Nothing which took place during the proceedings would have vitiated a judgment entered upon a verdict rendered at the close of trial.
Because there did not exist legally sufficient grounds under La.C.Cr.P. arts. 775 or 487 for the declaration of a mistrial, we hold that the trial court's action in granting a mistrial constituted an illegal dismissal of the prosecution against the re lator and renders applicable our constitutional and statutory prohibitions against double jeopardy. La.Const. Art. I, § 9 and La.Code of Criminal Procedure art. 591.
For the reasons assigned, we hold that the trial court erred in denying relator's motion to quash. We therefore reverse that ruling and grant relator's motion.
SUMMERS, J., dissents for the reasons assigned.
SANDERS, C. J., and MARCUS, J., dissent for reasons assigned by SUMMERS, J.
. La.C.Cr.P. art. 487 provides :
"A. An indictment that charges an offense in accordance with the provisions of this Title shall not be invalid or insufficient because of any defect or imperfection in, or omission of, any matter of form only, or because of any miswriting, misspelling, or improper English, or because of the use of any sign, symbol, figure, or abbreviation, or because any similar defect, imperfection, omission, or uncertainty exists therein. The court may at any time cause the indictment to be amended in respect to any such formal defect, imperfection, omission, or uncertainty.
"Before the trial begins the court may order an indictment amended with respect to a defect of substance. After the trial begins a mistrial shall be ordered on the ground of a defect of substance.
"B. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prohibit the defendant from entering a plea of guilty to a crime nonresponsive to the original indictment when such a plea is acceptable to the district attorney, and in such case, the district attorney shall not be required to file a new indictment to charge the crime to which the plea is offered."
. Even if the face of the indictment and the back could be read together to charge murder (see State v. Cooper, 249 La. 654, 190 So.2d 86 (1966)), the indictment would still support a verdict. The defendant would have been in jeopardy for murder. Errors in court rulings are not attributable to defendant. A court order of a mistrial under the indictment (if read as a murder indictment) without a motion by defendant constitutes double jeopardy.