Opinion ID: 1828143
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: First degree murder is the killing of a human being:

Text: (1) When the offender has specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm and is engaged in the perpetration or attempted perpetration of ... armed robbery ... The defendant's statement alone clearly established that he went to the victim's home, armed himself with a dangerous weapon, attempted to take the CDs from the victim's immediate control by force, and that he killed the victim to accomplish this purpose. The evidence presented by the state established beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant cut, stabbed, and punctured the victim a minimum of 25 times, using knives, scissors, and screwdrivers, which the defendant retrieved from the victim's apartment. The defendant cut the victim's throat, stabbed the victim in the back of the head, and inflicted 13 puncture wounds and two stab wounds upon the victim's back. He drove a Phillips screwdriver into the victim's head with such force that he left a star-shaped impression in the victim's skull, left another such puncture wound in the victim's temple, and inflicted five puncture wounds in the victim's chest, three of which perforated the victim's pulmonary artery. The broken knives and different types of wounds support the reasonable inference that as one weapon broke or proved insufficient to injure the victim with enough severity, the defendant sought additional knives and other weapons (scissors, screwdrivers) from the nearby kitchen drawers, to accomplish his aim of killing the victim. The evidence of specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm was overwhelming. The defendant's claim that he could not have had the specific intent to kill the victim because he did not enter the victim's home with a weapon, is unfounded. As noted above, specific intent can be formed in an instant, and it is not relevant that the defendant waited to arm himself after he entered the residence. The defendant also claims that he armed himself and stabbed the victim only after the two became involved in a struggle. However, this statement seems to misstate the evidence and the defendant's confession. In his confession, the defendant told Detective Thurman that he picked up the knife before he told the victim that he was going to take his CDs. The defendant stated, I told him, I said, I'm sorry dude, I picked up the knife and I said, I'm sorry, II'm ayou know II wanna take some of your CDs man. It was at this time that the victim resisted and attempted to defend himself. The defendant did not just stab the victim as his brief suggests, but was the aggressor in a violent armed robbery, stabbing the victim as he attempted to resist the defendant's assault. The defendant's last argument is that because he was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the murder, he was unable to form the requisite specific intent to kill. According to La. R.S. 14:15(2), the fact that the offender is in an intoxicated or drugged condition at the time of the commission of the crime is immaterial except: (2) Where the circumstances indicate that an intoxicated or drugged condition has precluded the presence of a specific criminal intent or of special knowledge required in a particular crime, this fact constitutes a defense to a prosecution for that crime. The jury obviously rejected the defendant's argument that he was so drugged or intoxicated that he could not form the requisite specific intent to kill. La. R.S. 14:15(2); State v. Davis, 92-1623 (La.5/23/94),637 So.2d 1012, 1020. As the ultimate fact finder, the jury determines whether a defendant has proven his condition and whether the State negated that defense beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. The defendant, in his audio taped confession, did not allege that he was under the influence of cocaine at the time of the commission of the murder, nor did he alleged that he was under the influence at the time he gave his confession. Sergeant Thurman, the arresting officer, noted that the defendant did not appear to be intoxicated at the time of his arrest or statement. Although several witnesses testified as to the defendant's past drug use, none testified that they observed him using drugs on the night of the murder, nor did anyone note that he appeared to be in a drugged condition after the murder. The defendant's actions clearly belie any claim that the defendant was unable to form the specific intent to kill the victim due to drug intoxication. [3] The jury evidently made a credibility determination and rejected the defendant's defense. The trier of fact makes credibility determinations and may, within the bounds of rationality, accept or reject the testimony of any witness; thus, a reviewing court may impinge on the fact finder's discretion only to the extent necessary to guarantee the fundamental due process of law. State v. Mussall, 523 So.2d 1305, 1310 (La.1988). Based on the overwhelming evidence presented by the state, it is not unreasonable for the jury to conclude that the defendant had the requisite specific intent.