| «Defendant, Glenn Brooks, has appealed his conviction of simple robbery. For the reasons that follow, we affirm the conviction, amend defendant’s sentence to delete the parole restriction therefrom and as amended affirm the sentence, and remand
FACTS
At trial, Charcel Allen testified that on May 11, 2011, he was walking to his home in St. Rose when defendant approached him and started a conversation with him. Without notice, defendant then proceeded to hit Mr. Allen, knocking him to the ground. A struggle ensued and Mr. Allen got up and ran to the door of a nearby home and began banging on the door. Mr. Allen was pursued by defendant. When the homeowner turned on the light, defendant fled. Mr. Allen testified that while he was on the ground, defendant ripped off his clothes and picked up a brick, threatening to hit him with it if he did not give him his money. Defendant eventually left with Mr. Allen’s cell phone, house keys, and 20 dollars.
14When the police arrived, Mr. Allen informed them that he knew his assailant from the neighborhood, and that his name was “Glenn.” Mr. Allen described his assailant as “a bald-headed” black male in his mid-30s, wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. Mr. Allen further provided the police with defendant’s home address. At trial, Mr. Allen identified defendant in open court as the individual who attacked and robbed him on May 11, 2011.
Keith Adams testified at trial that he was at his home on May 11, 2011 when he heard a “boom” outside, prompting him to get up and look out of the peep hole in his door. Because he was unable to see what was going on outside, he opened the door. Upon opening the door, he saw Mr. Allen on the ground and another person holding a brick. He went back into the house and called the police. Mr. Adams testified that he never got a “good look” at the perpetrator, but was “pretty sure” he would recognize him. However, when questioned at trial, Mr. Adams stated that he did not see the perpetrator in the courtroom.
Detective Lance Richards testified that he responded to the call from Mr. Adams. When he arrived at the scene, he observed Mr. Allen on the ground. Mr. Allen informed him that he knew the perpetrator as “Glenn” and directed the police to defendant’s residence. Detective Richards testified that the police knocked on the door of the residence that Mr. Adams had directed them to and were advised by the person there that she resided at this residence with defendant, Glenn Brooks, but that he was not at the residence at that time. Detective Richards testified that the description of defendant provided by Mr. Allen matched the description of defendant contained in the NCIC (National Crime Information Center) database. An arrest warrant for defendant was obtained and executed at this same residence a few days after the incident.
| ¿Defendant proceeded to trial before a twelve-person jury on a charge of armed robbery. At the conclusion of the trial, by a 10-2 vote, defendant was found guilty of the responsive verdict of simple robbery. A multiple bill of information was filed against defendant, alleging that he was a fourth felony offender. Defendant pled guilty to the multiple bill and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. Defendant now appeals his conviction.
PRO SE ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR
In his first pro se assignment of error, defendant argues that the evidence
On October 14, 2011, defendant filed a Motion for Post-Verdict Judgment of Acquittal and/or Motion for New Trial. In his motions, and at the motion hearing |fiheld on December 8, 2011, defendant argued that the evidence in this case was insufficient to support the jury’s guilty verdict of simple robbery. Defendant argued that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was the perpetrator of the crime “as there was direct evidence and testimony that directly contradicted that of the victim’s identification of his assailant.” Defendant further argued that there were numerous inconsistencies between the victim’s statement provided at the time of the incident and his trial testimony. The trial court denied defendant’s post-trial motions, finding that under the standard enunciated in Jackson v. Virginia,
The question of sufficiency of evidence is properly raised in the trial court by a motion for post-verdict judgment of acquittal. State v. Hooker, 05-251, p. 13 (La.App. 5 Cir. 1/17/06),
A “motion for a new trial is based on the supposition that injustice has been done the defendant, and, unless such is shown to have been the case the motion shall be denied, no matter upon what allegations it is grounded.” La.C.Cr.P. art. 851. The |7decision on a motion for a new trial rests within the sound discretion of the trial judge and his ruling will not be disturbed on appeal absent a clear showing of an abuse of discretion. State v. Quest,
In reviewing claims challenging the sufficiency of the evidence or identification, an appellate court must consider “whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, supra.
In addition to proving each statutory element of the crime charged, the State must prove the identity of the perpetrator. State v. Vasquez,
All evidence, both direct and circumstantial, must be sufficient to support the conclusion that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Jupiter,
The record indicates that there was no physical evidence in this case linking defendant to the crime, and only a single witness identified defendant as the perpetrator of the robbery. However, the evidence adduced at trial was sufficient to convince a rational trier of fact that defendant was guilty of simple robbery.
The elements necessary to sustain a conviction of simple robbery are: 1) the taking of anything of value; 2) belonging to another; 3) from the person of another; 4) by use of force or intimidation. LSA-R.S. 14:65. Here, defendant contends that his identity as the perpetrator was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
The jury heard testimony from the victim, Mr. Allen, who stated that he had known defendant for several years from the neighborhood. Mr. Allen further testified that prior to the attack, defendant approached him on a bicycle and engaged in a conversation with him. Mr. Allen made positive and consistent identifications that defendant was the man who attacked and robbed him. In fact, Detective Richards testified that Mr. Allen’s description of his assailant, identified as “Glenn,” “matched perfectly” with the description of defendant contained in the NCIC database. Additionally, Mr. Allen’s recollection of the robbery was corroborated by Mr. Adams, who saw the assailant tearing at the victim’s clothing and holding a brick over his head.
Defendant argues that Mr. Adams’ testimony regarding his inability to identify defendant in court as the assailant exculpates him from the charged | 9offense. We disagree. Mr. Adams testified that he
After listening to the testimony and considering the evidence, the jury clearly believed that defendant committed the robbery and rejected the alternative hypothesis of innocence. The credibility of witnesses will not be reweighed on appeal. State v. Macon, 06-481 (La.6/1/07),
Accordingly, we find that a rational trier of fact could have found that the evidence was sufficient under the Jackson standard to find defendant guilty of simple robbery. Therefore, the trial court did not err by denying defendant’s post-trial motions.
For the foregoing reasons, defendant’s pro se assignments of error are without merit.
COUNSELED ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR
Mr. Brooks was convicted by a non-unanimous verdict in violation of the United States and Louisiana Constitutions.
In his only counseled assignment of error, defendant challenges the constitutionality of LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 782(A), which allows for non-unanimous jury verdicts. In particular, he argues that the jury verdict in this case should be | Tndeclared invalid because non-unanimous verdicts violate the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. In this regard, defendant argues that the 2000 case of Apprendi v. New Jersey,
In response, the State contends that defendant failed to raise an objection to the express terms of LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 782(A) at trial, and therefore, has waived his right to contest the constitutionality of his non-unanimous guilty verdict on appeal. Alternatively, in the event this Court considers defendant’s assignment, the State maintains that under this Court’s ruling in State v. Carter,
The record reflects that defendant was convicted, by a 10-2 vote, of the lesser included offense of simple robbery. The record does not reflect that defendant filed a motion to declare unconstitutional the non-unanimous jury verdict portions of either La. Const, art. I, § 17(A) or LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 782(A). Nor does the jury instructions conference reflect that defense counsel objected to the jurors being charged as to the requirement that ten of twelve of them must concur to render a verdict, as per LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 782(A). Additionally, defense counsel did not object to the verdict after it was rendered. Now, for the first time on appeal, defendant argues the non-unanimous verdict renders the jury verdict invalid.
LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 841 provides that an irregularity or error cannot be availed of after verdict unless it was objected to at
Further, even if we were to find that this issue is properly before us on appellate review, the Louisiana Supreme Court has long held that non-unanimous jury verdicts- for twelve-person juries are not unconstitutional in non-capital cases. State v. Edwards,
The defendant relies on the United States Supreme Court decisions of Apprendi, supra, Ring v. Arizona,
In State v. Bertrand, 08-2215 (La.3/17/09),
|12Pue to this Court’s prior determinations that Article 782 withstands constitutional scrutiny, and because we are not presumptuous enough to suppose, upon mere speculation, that the United States Supreme Court’s still valid determination that non-unanimous 12 person jury verdicts are constitutional may someday be overturned, we find that the trial court erred in ruling that Article 782 violated the Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth-Amendments. With respect to that ruling, it should go without saying that a trial judge is not at liberty to ignore the controlling jurisprudence of superior courts.
For the foregoing reasons, this assignment of error is without merit.
ERRORS PATENT REVIEW
The record was reviewed for errors patent, according to La.C.Cr.P. art. 920; State v. Oliveaux,
A review of the multiple bill commitment in this case reflects that defendant was sentenced under LSA-R.S. 15:529.1, but does not reflect defendant’s specific status as a multiple offender. The transcript reflects that defendant admitted to being a fourth felony offender. This Court has recognized a similar matter to be an error patent. In State v. Dufrene,
Next, there is a discrepancy between the commitment and multiple offender sentencing transcript. The commitment states that defendant’s sentence is to “run consecutively with any parole revocation,” while the transcript reflects that | ^defendant’s sentence is to be served “consecutive to any parole revocation that you’re currently serving.” The transcript prevails when there is a discrepancy between the commitment and the transcript. State v. Lynch,
Our errors patent review also reveals that the trial court improperly imposed sentence without the benefit of parole. After defendant pled guilty to being a fourth felony offender, the trial court sentenced him to 25 years at hard labor without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence. According to LSA-R.S. 15:529.1(G), all habitual offender sentences are to be imposed without the benefit of probation or suspension of sentence. However, neither the simple robbery statute nor the habitual offender statute precludes eligibility for parole. LSA-R.S. 14:65; 15:529.1(G). Although LSA-R.S. 15:574.4(A)(1) states that “[a] person convicted of a third or subsequent felony offense shall not be eligible for parole,” the Louisiana Supreme Court has consistently held that, when a defendant is sentenced under a statute that contains no prohibition of parole, the district court must sentence defendant to a term that does not include such a prohibition because parole eligibility under LSA-R.S. 15:574.4 is to be determined by the Department of Corrections. State v. Henry, 42,416 (La.App. 2 Cir. 9/19/07),
Finally, neither the transcript nor the commitment indicates that the trial court advised defendant of the time period for seeking post-conviction relief as 1 ^provided in LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 930.8. It is well settled that if a trial court fails to advise, or provides an incomplete advisal, pursuant to La.C.Cr.P. art. 930.8, the appellate court may correct this error by informing the defendant of the applicable prescriptive period for post-conviction relief. State v. Jacobs,
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, defendant’s conviction is affirmed. Defendant’s sentence is amended to delete the parole restriction therefrom, and as amended, we affirm the sentence. This matter is re
CONVICTION AFFIRMED; SENTENCE AFFIRMED AS AMENDED; REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS
. When the issues on appeal relate to both the sufficiency of evidence and one or more trial errors, the reviewing court should first determine the sufficiency of the evidence by considering the entirety of the evidence. State v. Hearold,
