Opinion ID: 1850425
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: On January 15, 1988, defendant was convicted by a unanimous jury of solicitation to commit murder under LA.REV.STAT. § 14:28.1 and sentenced to five years at hard labor. On July 5, 1989, the third circuit reversed because of an unconstitutional, prejudicial limitation on defendant's right to cross-examine a witness against him and remanded for further proceedings. [1] The State's application for a rehearing was denied on September 18, 1989. The State then applied to the Louisiana Supreme Court on October 18, 1989 for a writ of certiorari which was denied on January 12, 1990. [2] The State later retried defendant, trial having been set to commence on November 12, 1990. That day, defendant filed a Motion to Quash Urging Plea of Prescription. The defendant maintained the state had one year from the granting of the new trial in which to retry him, and the one year began either on July 5, 1989 when his conviction was reversed, or on September 18, 1989 when the court of appeal denied rehearing. Both of these dates would result in the one year having expired by November of 1990. The State argued the one year did not begin until the Louisiana Supreme Court denied the writ application on January 12, 1990, and therefore, the retrial beginning on November 12, 1990 was timely. The trial court agreed with the State and denied the defendant's motion. Defendant was again convicted by a unanimous jury of solicitation to commit murder and again sentenced to five years at hard labor. Defendant appealed the conviction to the court of appeal which reversed, concluding the one year prescription on retrial commenced when the rehearing was denied by the court of appeal. [3] The court of appeal denied rehearing, and the State timely applied to this court for relief. We granted the writ application [4] and now reverse.