Opinion ID: 1762972
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 23

Heading: Cr.P. 905.4(a)

Text: The jury found that the murder occurred while the defendant was engaged in the perpetration of an aggravated burglary. R.S. 14:60. The record evidence supports this finding. The defendant unlawfully entered the victim's bedroom through a window. He was armed with a knife which he used to stab both the murder victim and her daughter. Defendant does not contest the jury's finding on this aggravating circumstance, but argues that since the burglary was committed to facilitate the murder, the underlying burglary should be disregarded. The thrust of defendant's argument is that a murderer who breaks into his victim's home in order to commit the murder is no more deserving of death than a murderer who waits for his victim to come out onto the porch or who shoots his victim by aiming his gun into the window. He points out that aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape and armed robbery, the other crimes listed in C.Cr.P. 905.4(a), [5] cannot be committed with homicide as the only end result. He thus argues that the legislature did not intend for aggravated burglary to be an aggravating circumstance if the only motive in committing the burglary was murder of the victim. Defendant's argument disparages the seriousness of the offense of aggravated burglary. The legislature has determined that aggravated burglary is a distinct crime, the maximum penalty for which is thirty years at hard labor. R.S. 14:60. It is not unreasonable to conclude that the legislature deemed it more reprehensible to break into a home and kill the occupant than to commit murder in a public place. [6] We therefore reject defendant's argument.