Opinion ID: 1738889
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant's Death

Text: If this were a civil proceeding we would be guided by the statutes and court rules providing for substitution of parties. La. C.C.P. arts. 428, 801-807; Rules of Supreme Court of Louisiana, Rule XIII. At least one state by court rule has allowed substitution of a defendant's legal representative in a criminal case upon the defendant's death. City of Newark v. Pulverman, 12 N.J. 105, 95 A.2d 889 (1953). But Louisiana has no provision governing the disposition of a criminal case in this event, and the question appears to be res nova. Most courts which have considered the matter have recognized the rule that death pending appeal of a defendant convicted of a criminal offense abates not only the appeal, but likewise all proceedings had in the prosecution from its inception. For collection of authorities too numerous for citation see Annotations, 83 A.L.R.2d 864 (1962), 9 A.L.R.3rd 462, 496 (1966). A number of reasons are advanced for the rule. The purposes for enforcement of criminal laws are the punishment and reform of the guilty and the protection of the public; the removal of the defendant by death prevents the execution of any sentence in furtherance of these objectives. Further consideration of such a case by the courts is pointless because an affirmance of the conviction would not enable the State to execute the judgment against the deceased. A decision of the appeal would not necessarily produce a vindication of the defendant; appellate disposition, even if reversible error is found, does not guarantee a judgment of acquittal. Often, the appeal results only in a new trial, for which the deceased would be unavailable. State v. Carter, 299 A.2d 891 (Me.1973); Hartwell v. State, 423 P.2d 282 (Alaska 1967); Raymond v. State, 246 Ind. 422, 206 N.E.2d 139 (1965); Bagley v. Florida, 122 So.2d 789 (Fla.App. 1960); State v. Kriechbaum, 219 Iowa 457, 258 N.W. 110 (1934). Nevertheless, the surviving family has an interest in preserving, unstained, the memory of the deceased defendant or his reputation. This interest is of sufficient legal significance to require that a judgment of conviction not be permitted to become a final and definitive judgment of record when its validity or correctness has not been finally determined because the defendant's death has caused a pending appeal to be dismissed. State v. Carter, supra ; State v. Kriechbaum, supra ; Bagley v. Florida, supra . There is authority to the contrary. See Annotations, 9 A.L.R.3rd 462 (1966); 83 A.L.R.2d 864 (1962). The courts holding a different view, however, either fail to give any reasons for the position taken, e.g., Dove v. United States, 423 U.S. 325, 96 S.Ct. 579, 46 L.Ed.2d 531, 18 Cr.L.R. 4138 (1976) (which appears inconsistent with the decision by the Supreme Court in Durham v. United States, 401 U.S. 481, 91 S.Ct. 858, 28 L.Ed.2d 200 (1971)), or, in our opinion, do not advance reasons as sound as those given for the majority rule. Accordingly, we adopt the majority rule and hold that because of defendant's death while the appeal was pending, the judgment of conviction must be vacated and all proceedings in the prosecution abated from its inception. Hence, the appeal in this case is dismissed, the judgment of conviction is vacated, and the case is remanded to the district court with instructions to dismiss the bill of information. SUMMERS, J., concurs with reasons.