Court Opinion

ID: 9894875
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-03 15:07:20.365607+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:10:54.043961
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                  COURT OF APPEAL

                                       FIRST CIRCUIT

                                       NO. 2023 KA 0332

                               STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                           VERSUS

                               SHANELL THOMPSON

                                             Judgment Rendered:         NOV 0 3 2023

                                       Appealed from the
                              17th Judicial District Court
                           In and for the Parish of Lafourche
                                       State of Louisiana
                                       Docket No. 580279
        G I

                     The Honorable Marla M. Abel, Judge Presiding

   Kristine Russell                                Counsel for Appellee,
   District Attorney                               State of Louisiana
   Heather Hendrix
   Joseph S. Soignet
   Assistant District Attorney
   Thibodaux, Louisiana

   Jane L. Beebe                                   Counsel for Defendant/Appellant,
   Addis, Louisiana                                Shanell Thompson

                 BEFORE: McCLENDON, HESTER, AND MILLER, JJ.

J M Cl(
    C
              n,CL
                                 i"`
                                        fM[ N    d CI YlG' As W- /             LCLll /   j
MILLER, J.

      The defendant, Shanell Thompson, was charged by grand jury indictment with

one count of second degree murder, a violation of La. R. S. 14: 30. 1( A)( 1). She pled

not guilty. Following a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of the responsive

verdict of manslaughter. The trial court denied the defendant' s motions for new trial

and   post   verdict judgment     of acquittal,    and   sentenced her       to   thirty years

imprisonment at hard labor.

       The defendant now appeals, designating two assignments of error: ( 1) the trial

court' s denial of her motion for mistrial; and ( 2) the trial court' s exclusion of the

victim' s alleged dying declaration in which he identified his assailant as someone

other than the defendant. For the following reasons, we affirm the conviction and

sentence.

                              STATEMENT OF FACTS

       In the early morning hours of September 22, 2018, the victim, Justin Nixon,

returned home from visiting a friend. Nixon lived with the defendant, their eight-

year- old daughter,   and the defendant' s mother, Tammy Thompson, in Houma,

Louisiana. The defendant' s great uncle, Richard Thompson, the defendant' s brother,

Earl Henry, Jr. (" EF), and EJ' s girlfriend, Markeisha Folse, were also at the house.

       When Nixon returned home that night, the defendant questioned him about

text messages he sent to another woman on the defendant' s phone. They began to

argue and struggle over the defendant' s phone. Nixon, EJ, and the defendant then

had a physical altercation, which resulted in Nixon being stabbed. Thereafter, the

defendant' s mother drove Nixon and the defendant to the hospital.

       Nixon passed away from his injuries later that morning. The defendant was

brought in for questioning and advised of her Miranda' rights. During an interview

 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U. S. 436, 86 S. Ct. 1602, 16L. Ed. 2d694( 1966).
with Detective Nicholas Pepper, she initially claimed that Nixon was already stabbed

when he returned home. However, she later recanted that statement and admitted to

stabbing Nixon. According to the defendant, she and Nixon fought on her bed until

EJ pushed Nixon off of her. They moved into the kitchen, where she stabbed Nixon

after he tried to punch her again. EJ then called 911 at approximately 12: 43 a.m. The

defendant also disclosed during the interview that Nixon repeatedly said, " She cut

me."

                            MOTION FOR MISTRIAL

       In her first assignment of error, the defendant argues that the trial court erred

in denying her motion for mistrial. Specifically, the defendant contends that the trial

court should have granted a mistrial pursuant to La. C. Cr.P. art. 775 because two of

the victim' s family members wore memorial shirts during the trial while sitting in

the front row of the spectator' s gallery.

       Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 775 requires a mistrial on

motion of the defense when prejudicial conduct in or outside the courtroom makes

it impossible for the defendant to obtain a fair trial. A mistrial is a drastic remedy

that should only be declared upon a clear showing of prejudice by the defendant.

State v. Cowart, 2022- 1318 ( La. App. 1St Cir. 6/ 2/ 23),       So. 3d ,      2023 WL

3862030, * 2.   In addition, a trial judge has broad discretion in determining whether

conduct is so prejudicial as to deprive an accused of a fair trial. Id. A reviewing court

in Louisiana should not reverse a defendant' s conviction and sentence unless the

error has affected the substantial rights of the accused. Id.; see La. C. Cr.P. art. 921.

       On the first day of trial, two individuals entered the courtroom wearing shirts

displaying a photo of the victim and the phrase " Justice for Justin." They were

accompanied by a victim' s advocate employed by the Lafourche Parish District

Attorney' s Office. Defense counsel moved for a mistrial, arguing that the shirts were

worn in an attempt to communicate with and inflame the jury and to compel the

                                             3
jurors to decide the case based on sympathy or passion. In response, the State argued

that the shirts were not prejudicial and were merely an expression of love and grief,

not an accusation of guilt. The trial court denied the motion for mistrial, noting that

mistrial was "   too drastic of a remedy."

      On appeal, the defendant argues that the victim' s picture, combined with the

message " Justice for Justin," constituted a nonverbal message to the jury that " struck

at the heart of the defense regarding identity." Moreover, the defendant asserts that

the message " Justice for Justin" suggested that justice would not be delivered unless

the defendant was convicted. Because her defense at trial was that her brother, EJ,

stabbed Nixon, the defendant claims she was denied her right to a fair trial.

      The defendant contends the instant case is similar to State v. Allen, 2000- 0346

 La. App. 411 Cir. 10/ 17/ 01), 800 So. 2d 378, writ denied, 2001- 3086 ( La. 9/ 30/ 02),

825 So. 2d 1188. In Allen, a photograph of the victim was displayed on the

prosecutor' s table during the testimony of several witnesses, over defense objection

and after the court instructed the State to take down the photograph. Id. at 389. In

addition, a witness testified while wearing a shirt " emblazoned" with. a photo of the

victim. Id. at 390. On appeal, the Fourth Circuit stated that wearing the shirt was a

 visual message, solely for the purpose to promote pity for the victim and arouse the

passion and prejudice against the defendant for the crime." Id. The court held that

the combination of the prosecutor displaying the victim' s photo and the witness' s

shirt denied the defendant a fair trial. Id.

       In State v. Vollentine, 2011- 0353 ( La.     App.   1st Cir. 9/ 14/ 11),   2011 WL

4448171, * 5 ( unpublished), writ denied, 2011- 2151 ( La. 2/ 17/ 12), 82 So. 3d 282,

spectators and at least one witness wore shirts bearing pictures of the victim. The

defendant moved for a new trial, arguing that he did not receive a fair trial. The

motion was denied by the trial court. Id. Thereafter, this court held that there was no

clear abuse of discretion in the trial court' s denial of the defendant' s motion for new

                                               4
trial. Id. at * 6. Unlike in Allen, Vollentine' s identity was not at issue, so there was

less potential for prejudice to the defendant from the display of any photographs of

the victim. Id. at * 7. Moreover, the photograph displayed in Allen was displayed by

the State, rather than family and friends of the victim. Id.

      We have also reviewed State v. Nelson, 96- 0883 ( La. App. 4th Cir. 12/ 17/ 97),

705 So. 2d 758, 763, writ denied, 98- 0197 ( La. 615198), 720 So. 2d 677, where the

victim' s friends and family wore shirts displaying the victim' s picture.           The

spectators wearing the shirts were not readily visible to the jury, and there was no

evidence of any demonstration or outburst of emotion. Id. Holding the shirts were

not inflammatory, the court stated: " If anything inflamed the jury, it was the facts of

the offenses revealed from the witness stand, not the wearing of t -shirts by some

spectators."   Id.

       Here, we find no clear abuse of discretion in the trial court' s denial of the

motion for mistrial. Despite the defendant' s assertion to the contrary, this case is

distinguishable from Allen and is more analogous to Vollentine and Nelson. In the

instant case, the shirts were worn by the victim' s family and friends, and there was

no display by the State. The shirts were only visible to the jury for about an hour

before the individuals put jackets on over the shirts. Although the spectators sat in

the front row of the gallery, they did not testify nor perform any demonstration, nor

was there an outburst of emotion. See Nelson, 705 So, 2d at 763. In addition, the

victim' s advocate accompanying the family members did not wear any clothing that

identified her as a representative of the Lafourche Parish District Attorney' s Office.

Accordingly, the spectators wearing the memorial shirts were not offensive and did

not draw an inordinate amount of attention to themselves. See Vollentine, 2011 WL

4448171 at * 7.

       Further, although the defendant made an issue of the identity of the perpetrator

by arguing that EJ was responsible, the defendant confessed to stabbing Nixon hours

                                            5
after his death. After the incident, witnesses told police the defendant stabbed Nixon.

When questioned by detectives, EJ did not provide any information to suggest that

he was the perpetrator rather than the defendant. The jury could easily conclude that

the defendant was responsible for killing Nixon based on her own confession, the

evidence, and the corroborating statements of witnesses. Therefore, the trial court' s

denial of the motion for mistrial was not error, and this assignment lacks merit.

                             DYING DECLARATION

      In her second assignment of error, the defendant argues that the trial court

erred by excluding evidence of the victim' s alleged dying declaration wherein he

identified his assailant as someone other than the defendant. The defendant contends

that by excluding this statement, the trial court impermissibly impaired her right to

present a defense.

      A criminal defendant has the constitutional right to present a defense.       See

U. S. Const. amend. VI; La. Const. art. I, § 16; Chambersy. Mississippi, 410 U.S.

284, 302, 93 S. Ct. 1038, 1049, 35 L. Ed. 2d 297 ( 1973). If a witness was in aposition

to offer testimony that might have substantially helped the particular defense

asserted by the defendant, an erroneous exclusion of the offered testimony may be

prejudicial. See State v. Jarreau, 96- 1480 ( La. App. 1st Cir. 3127197), 692 So. 2d 33,

35, writ denied, 97- 1122 ( La. 10113197),      703    So. 2d 612. See also State v.

Shoemaker, 500 So. 2d 385, 389 ( La. 1987).           In compelling circumstances, the

defendant' s right to present a defense allows admission of hearsay evidence. See

State v. Rubin, 2015- 1753 ( La. 11/ 6/ 15), 183 So. 3d 490, 491 ( per curiam); State v.

Nixon, 2017- 1582 ( La. App. 1 st Cir. 4113118), 250 So. 3d 273, 279- 80, writ denied,

2018- 0770 ( La. 11114118), 256 So. 3d 290. Constitutional guarantees, however, do

not assure the defendant the right to admit any type of evidence, only that which is

deemed trustworthy and has probative value. State v. Governor, 331 So. 2d 443, 449

 La. 1976); Nixon, 250 So. 3d at 280.

                                           G
        Hearsay is defined as " a statement, other than one made by the declarant

while testifying at the present trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth

of the matter asserted." La. C. E. art. 801( C).     Hearsay is not admissible except as

otherwise provided by law. La. C.E. art. 802. Louisiana Code of Evidence article

804, in pertinent part, provides:

       B. Hearsay exceptions. The following are not excluded by the hearsay
       rule if the declarant is unavailable as a witness:

        2) Statement under belief of impending death. A statement made by
       a declarant while believing that his death was imminent, concerning the
       cause or circumstances of what he believed to be his impending death.

       A statement is admissible as a dying declaration if made when the declarant

is conscious of his condition and aware of his approaching demise. State v. Verrett,

419 So. 2d 455, 457 ( La. 1982); State v. Davis, 2014- 1128 ( La. App. 1" Cir. 316115),

2015 WL 996193, * 7 ( unpublished), writ denied, 2015- 0614 ( La. 314116), 188 So.

3d   1055.   The necessary state of mind may be inferred from the facts and

circumstances surrounding the making of the declaration, and the victim need not

express this belief in direct terms. Davis, 2015 WL 996193 at * 7. While there is no

absolute rule to determine with certainty whether the declarant, at the time of making

his statement, really expected to die, courts look to whether the wound was fatal and

whether the declarant died shortly after making his statement. Id. When these two

circumstances      are   present,   courts have uniformly held that the declarant really

believed death was impending and thus admitted his statement as a dying

declaration. Id.

       At trial,   the defendant wished to pursue the theory of third -party guilt,

asserting that her brother, EJ, was the one who stabbed Nixon. In connection with

this theory of innocence, the defendant called her mother, Tammy Thompson, as a

witness. Tammy testified that after Nixon was stabbed, he walked towards Tammy

                                                7
and said, "[   H] e didn' t have to stab me, he didn' t have to stab me."' While she drove

Nixon and the defendant to the hospital, Nixon was awake, alert, and talking to the

defendant. According to Tammy, Nixon' s last words in the car were, "[ H] e didn' t

have to stab me." This time, the State objected based on hearsay. The State argued

that it was unknown whether the victim knew he was dying at that time. Defense

counsel then attempted to lay a foundation, and Tammy stated that Nixon was

seriously injured and knew that he was seriously injured. Defense counsel again

asked Tammy what the last thing Nixon said was, and the State again objected. The

trial court sustained the objection and told Tammy that she could not testify as to

what Nixon said.'      No reason for sustaining the objection was given, therefore the

trial court did not state a belief as to whether the testimony was trustworthy or

probative or whether a proper foundation had been laid. Neither did the trial court

instruct the jury to disregard the statement.

       Outside the presence of the jury, defense counsel proffered the excluded

statement into evidence. Tammy stated that, while on the way to the hospital, Nixon

repeatedly said, " he didn' t have to stab me."        The only men in Tammy' s house at the

time of the crime were her uncle, Richard, and her son, EJ. Since EJ was in the room

where Nixon and the defendant were fighting, she assumed Nixon meant EJ when

Nixon said " he."

       As noted above, a statement is admissible as a dying declaration if made when

the declarant is conscious of his condition and aware of his approaching demise.

Davis, 2015 WL 996193 at * 7.            During her interview with Detective Pepper, the

defendant stated that after Nixon was stabbed, he repeatedly said, " She cut me."

When the first deputy arrived just eight minutes after the 911 call, Tammy, Nixon,

2 The State did not object to this statement.

3 The trial judge stated "[ o] verruled[,]" but it appears that she was referring to defense counsel' s
argument, not the objection, because further testimony was not allowed.

                                                   0
and the defendant were already on the way to the hospital. By early morning, Nixon

was deceased. Dr. Yen Van Vo, the forensic pathologist who performed Nixon' s

autopsy, confirmed that Nixon' s cause of death was a single stab wound to the chest.

The wound lacerated his left lung, esophagus, and aorta, and caused extensive blood

loss. Although Nixon did not expressly state that he thought he was going to die, his

statements indicate that he was aware that he had been stabbed. Finally, his wound

was clearly fatal, as he died within hours of making the alleged statement.

        Due to the magnitude of the victim' s injuries, the victim' s awareness of his

condition,   the   circumstances   surrounding   the   declaration,   and   the   victim' s

subsequent death, we find a basis for finding that the victim was in fact, and believed

himself to be, near death and, therefore, his statement to Tammy Thompson was a

dying declaration. See Davis, 2015 WL 996193 at * 7; State v. Lucas, 99- 1524 ( La.

App. Pt Cir. 5112100), 762 So. 2d 717, 724. Accordingly, we find thatit would have

been error to exclude Tammy Thompson' s testimony. However, the record reveals

that her testimony was not entirely excluded. The testimony was presented to the

jury and argued by counsel for the State and the defense. Tammy may not have been

allowed to elaborate, but the jury was told of the dying declaration.

        A trial error does not provide grounds for reversal of a defendant' s conviction

and sentence unless it affects substantial rights of the accused. See La. C. CrR art.

921; La. C. E. art. 103( A); State v. Young, 2020- 01041 ( La. 5113121), 320 So. 3d

356, 361 ( per curiam); State v. Magee, 2011- 0574 ( La. 9128/ 12), 103 So. 3d 285,

318, cert. denied, 571 U. S. 830, 134 S. Ct. 56, 187 L. Ed. 2d 49 ( 2013), Under the

harmless -error test of Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S. Ct. 824, 828,

17 L. Ed. 2d 705 ( 1967), the question is whether it appears " beyond a reasonable

doubt that the error complained of did not contribute to the verdict obtained." State

v.   Burton, 2019- 01079 ( La. 6130/ 21),   320 So. 3d 1117, 1123 ( per      curiam).    In

Sullivan v. Louisiana, 508 U.S. 275, 279, 113 S. Ct. 2078, 2081, 124 L. Ed.. 2d 182
 1993),   the Supreme Court clarified that the inquiry " is not whether, in a trial that

occurred without the error, a guilty verdict would surely have been rendered, but

whether the guilty verdict actually rendered in this trial was surely unattributable to

the error." Burton, 320 So. 3d at 1123.

      The evidence introduced at trial showed that, while the defendant initially

claimed that Nixon arrived home already stabbed, she later recanted that statement.

In her interview with police on the day of Nixon' s death, the defendant confessed to

stabbing Nixon and did not implicate her brother, EJ, in the crime. Moreover, the

investigation did not suggest that EJ committed the crime. After the crime occurred,

Detective Pepper took the statements of the defendant' s great uncle, Richard, and

EJ' s girlfriend, Markeisha Folse. Both Richard and Markeisha indicated that the

defendant stabbed Nixon, and Markeisha stated that the defendant asked her to clean

up the blood at the scene. Detective Elizabeth Leon was present when EJ and

Markeisha were questioned,       and she did not learn any information that would

implicate EJ, but instead learned information that implicated the defendant as the

perpetrator. Finally, Dr. Yen Van Vo did not observe any physical evidence, such as

bruises, scratches, or swelling, on Nixon' s hands that would indicate he punched

someone prior to his death. The lack of physical evidence on Nixon' s hands suggests

that he was not involved in a serious physical altercation before his death, as the

defendant described.

      After a thorough review of the record, we find that even if the trial court erred

in limiting Tammy' s testimony, that error was harmless. While the trial court

eventually sustained the hearsay objection, the statement had already been made and

heard by the jury. After the trial court' s ruling, the jury was not admonished to

disregard the statement. Further, the contested statement was cumulative of previous

testimony by Tammy to which the State did not object. Finally, the State drew

attention to Tammy' s statement on cross- examination, and both the State and

                                            10
defense   counsel    referenced     Tammy' s testimony   during   closing   arguments.

Therefore, we cannot conclude that the defendant was prejudiced by the limits the

trial court put on her testimony.

      Moreover,     the State' s evidence presented at trial provided overwhelming

support for the jury' s guilty verdict of manslaughter. Considering the defendant' s

own confession, forensic evidence, and the testimony in this case, it was clear to the

jury that one person, the defendant, was guilty, and Tammy' s cumulative testimony

of third -party guilt would have no bearing on the outcome of this case. See Holmes

v. South Carolina, 547 U.S. 319, 3305 126 S. Ct. 1727, 1734, 164 L. Ed. 2d 503

 2006).   Accordingly, the jury' s guilty verdict rendered in this case is surely

unattributable to any error resulting from the defendant' s inability to present the

victim' s statement as a defense. See State v. Casey, 99- 0023 ( La. 1126100), 775 So.

2d 1022, 1033, cert. denied, 531 U.S. 540, 121 S. Ct. 104, 148 L. Ed. 2d 62 ( 2000).

      Therefore, there are no grounds for the reversal of the defendant' s conviction

and sentence, and both assignments of error are without merit.

      CONVICTION AND SENTENCE AFFIRMED.

                                            11
                                 STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                   COURT OF APPEAL

                                     FIRST CIRCUIT

                                    DOCKET NUMBER

                                      2023 KA 0332

                                 STATE OF LOUISIANA

                                         VERSUS

                                  SHANELL THOMPSON

McClendon, J., agreeing in part and concurring in part.

       I agree with the majority that there was no abuse of the trial court's discretion in

denying defendant's motion for a mistrial.     However, the majority also found that the

victim' s statement to Tammy Thompson was admissible as a dying declaration and that

the trial court erred in excluding the testimony. I disagree. I do not believe, under the

particular facts of this case, that the victim' s statement would qualify as a " statement

under belief of impending death." See LSA- C. E. art. 804( B)( 2).

      Therefore, I would not have found any abuse of the trial court's discretion in

excluding the victim' s statement, thereby negating the necessity of the majority's

harmless error analysis.   Accordingly, I respectfully agree in part and concur in part.