Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. Isaac WELCH, Jr.
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1985-01-18
Citations: 462 So. 2d 183
Docket Number: No. 84-KA-1530
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Isaac WELCH, Jr.
Judges: 
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 462
Pages: 183–183

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. Isaac WELCH, Jr.
No. 84-KA-1530.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Jan. 18, 1985.
Rehearing Denied March 21,1985.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., Douglas H. Greenburg, Dist. Atty., for plaintiff-appel-lee.
Warren Daigel, Jr., Jackie M. Marve, Indigent Defender Program, Houma, for defendant-appellant.
DIXON, C.J., concurs in the denial. Defendant raises a "Sandstrom" error. Even defendant’s own testimony showed he intended to shoot the victim. This record does not show that the erroneous "Sandstrom" instruction undermines confidence in the reliability if the verdict.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Defendant's conviction for second-degree murder in violation of La.R.S. 14:30.1 is affirmed. We agree with counsel, however, that the penalty imposed by the trial court of life imprisonment at hard'labor without benefit of "parole, probation, commutation or dimunition of sentence for a period of 40 years" is illegal and must be set aside. Cf, La.C.Cr.P. art. 882. This Court has consistently held under both La. Const. 1921, Art. V, § 10 and La. Const. 1974, Art. IV, § 5 that "[gubernatorial pardon or commutation, constitutionally permitted, may not be precluded by the terms of an imposed sentence." State v. Williams, 338 So.2d 672, 678 (La.1976); State v. Lewis, 343 So.2d 732 (La.1977); State v. Spotville, 308 So.2d 763 (La.1975); State v. Varice, 292 So.2d 703 (La.1974).
Defendant's sentence is therefore amended; the words "commutation or diminution of sentence" are removed. In all other respects, the sentence imposed by the trial judge is affirmed.
CONVICTION AFFIRMED; SENTENCE AMENDED AND AS AMENDED AFFIRMED.