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State v. BurkhalterState v. Burkhalter

Supreme Court of Louisiana
Nov 23, 1971
51663
Reporters:
, ,
Before:
Barham
BARHAM, Justice.

Eddie J. Burkhalter and Mancel Clayton were jointly tried for murder (R.S. 14:30), and both were convicted. Clayton was sentenced to life ‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍imprisonment, and Burk-halter to death. Burkhalter has appealed his conviction and sentence.

Burkhalter filed a motion for a bill of particulars, containing 11 requests for information. The State answered, eight of these, but refused to answer the -other three. The trial judge declined to require the ‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍State to furnish these answers, and to that ruling the defendant reserved the only hill of exception which is before us.

The information requested and not supplied was: Whether the State’ had in its possession any written or oral statements made by other persons; whether *29 these were any ‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍witnesses- to the crime with which the defendant was charged; and the names and addresses of those persons testifying before the grand jury which indicted the defendant for this crime. All these requests seek pre-trial discovery, and it is now well settled that full pre-trial ‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍discovery of the State’s evidence is unavailable under our criminal procedure. State v. Davis, 259 La. 35, 249 So.2d 193 (1971); State v. Coney, 258 La. 369, 246 So.2d 793 (1971), and cases cited. *

There is no merit in this bill of exception, and there are no errors discoverable on inspection of ‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍the pleadings and proceedings.

The conviction and sentence of Eddie J. Burkhalter are affirmed.

Notes

*

See State v. Shilow, this day decided, 260 La. 23, 255 So.2d 60.

Case Details

Case Name: State v. Burkhalter
Court Name: Supreme Court of Louisiana
Date Published: Nov 23, 1971
Citations: 255 So. 2d 62; 260 La. 27; 1971 La. LEXIS 3872; 51663
Docket Number: 51663
Court Abbreviation: La.
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