State Of Louisiana v. James Bishop

STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL
FIRST CIRCUIT
2023 KA 0221
STATE OF LOUISIANA
vr
Z/ VERSUS
JAMES BISHOP
JUDGMENT RFNDL•'
REll: OCT 18 2023
Appealed from The Twenty -Second Judicial District Court
Parish of St. Tammany • State of Louisiana
Docket Number 611, 058 • Division G
The Honorable Scott Gardner, Presiding Judge
Bertha Moseley Hillman COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT
Louisiana Appellate Project DEFENDANT—, lames Bishop
Covington, Louisiana
Warren L. Montgomery COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE
District Attorney State of Louisiana
Matthew Caplan
J. Bryant Clark, Jr.
Assistant District Attorneys
Covington, Louisiana
BEFORE: WELCH, HOLDRIDGE, AND WOLFE, JJ.
Un far. J.,
rAc 4
1 rJaof)
WELCH, J.
The State of Louisiana charged the defendant, James Bishop, by grand jury
indictment with first degree rape of a victim under the age of thirteen years ( T.Z.')
count I), a violation of La. R.S. 14: 42( A)(4); molestation of a juvenile (T.Z.) ( count
II), a violation of La. R.S. 14: 81. 2( A)( 1), ( B)( 2) and ( C); production of pornography
involving j uveniles (count III), a violation of La. R. S. 14: 81. 1( A)( 1) and (E)( 4) ( prior
to amendment by 2018 La. Acts, No. 682, § 1); aggravated rape2 of a victim under the
age of thirteen years ( T.P.) ( count IV), a violation of La. R.S. 14: 42( A)(4);
molestation of a juvenile ( T.P.) ( count V), a violation of La. R.S. 14: 81. 2( A)( 1),
13)( 2) and ( C); and pornography involving juveniles ( count VI), a violation of La.
R.S. 14: 81. 1( A)( 1)( 2) and ( E)( 1). ( R. 62- 63). The State severed Count III prior to
trial.
Following a jury trial, the jury found the defendant guilty as charged on counts
I, It, IV, V, and VI by unanimous verdicts.3 On count I, the trial court sentenced the
defendant to life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or
suspension of sentence. On count II, the trial court sentenced the defendant to a
concurrent term of twenty years at hard labor, five years without benefit of parole,
probation, or suspension of sentence. On count III, the trial court sentenced the
defendant to a concurrent term of twenty years at hard labor without benefit of
probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. On count IV, he was sentenced to a
We reference the victims and their family members by their initials. See La. R.S. 46: 1844( W).
Z 2015 La. Acts, No. 184, § 1 and 2015 La, Acts, No. 256, § I renamed the offense of aggravated
rape as first-degree rape.
When the counts were listed for the jury at the beginning of trial, count III was omitted, count
IV was listed as count IIT, count V was listed as count IV, and count VI was listed as count V, The
responsive verdict form provided to the jury listed the responsive verdicts for counts I and III (as
renumbered) together, counts 11 and IV ( as renumbered) together, and count V ( as renumbered)
separately. The verdict form listed the counts in the same order as the responsive verdict form,
but numbered them from I to V, rather than I, III ( as renumbered), II, IV ( as renumbered) and
count V ( as renumbered). The jury found the defendant guilty on all counts. Accordingly, the
renumbering of the counts did not affect substantial rights of the defendant. See La. C. Cr.P. art.
921.
2
concurrent term of life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole,
probation, or suspension of sentence. 4n count V, he was sentenced to a concurrent
term of twenty years at hard labor, five years without benefit of parole, probation, or
suspension of sentence.
The defendant now appeals, contending reversible error
occurred when the testimony of a State expert invaded the province of the jury. For
the following reasons, we affirm the convictions and sentences on counts 1, 1I, IV
and V; we vacate the sentence on count III, and remand with instructions.
FACTS
M.N. lived with the defendant in Slidell for approximately twenty years. ( R.
670). She had two children and four grandchildren, including granddaughters T.P.,
and T.Z. While M.N. was living with the defendant, he helped to take care of T.P. and
T.Z. and was left alone with them.
T.P. testified that when she was eight years old, the defendant became sexually
inappropriate with her by putting his mouth on her vagina. Thereafter, the defendant
performed oral sex on her too many times to count. When T.P. was nine or ten years
old, at the defendant' s request, she performed oral sex on him, and he touched her
private area and breasts. When T.P. was twelve years old, the defendant started
touching her when she was going to sleep and asked to see and touch her vagina. When
T.P. was thirteen years old, the defendant also began asking her to touch his penis with
her hands.
T.P. and T.Z. both described one incident where the defendant victimized the
two of them at the same time by telling T.Z. to touch T.P.' s vagina. T.Z. complied
with the demand after T.P. told her to " do it, just get it over with." T.Z. did not disclose
the abuse until she was fifteen years old because she did not think anyone would
believe her.
3
When T.P. was fourteen or fifteen years old, the defendant would ask her to send
him pictures of her vagina, breasts, and entire body.' He would also ask her personal
questions about her relationships with boys and girls and then use what she told him to
blackmail her into complying with his demands. When T.P. was fifteen or sixteen
years old, the defendant bought her an LG phone. Thereafter, he called the phone and
talked to T.P. while he masturbated. T.P. identified a photograph of her breasts that
she took with the phone and sent to the defendant at his request when she was fifteen
years old.
T.Z. testified when she was seven years old, the defendant became sexually
inappropriate with her by showing her his penis, by touching her vagina, and by
making her touch his penis with her hands. When T.Z. was twelve years old, the
defendant touched her vagina with his mouth. When T.Z. was between thirteen and
fifteen years old, the defendant would contact her using FaceTime and tell her to show
him her breasts and vagina. The defendant took screen shots of this and threatened to
post them on Facebook if she did not comply with his demands. T.Z. identified text
messages between herself and the defendant stating, "[ T.Z.], you leave me no choice.
I' m going to Facebook[.]" She testified the conversation was about the defendant
threatening to post the screen shots. When T.Z. was fifteen years old, she disclosed
the defendant was abusing her, by writing a note stating, " I kept this secret for years.
Grandpa is a rapist." T.Z. testified when she referenced " Grandpa," she was referring
to the defendant.
IMPROPER EXPERT TESTIMONY
In his sole assignment of error, the defendant contends the expert testimony of
Anne Troy,' in which she diagnosed T.Z. with chronic child sexual abuse, invaded the
province of the jury, resulting in reversible error.
T.P. testified she used her own phone to send these messages.
5 This witness referenced herself as " Dr. Troy" and testified that she was a nurse practitioner and
had been a nurse for forty- four years.
0
Louisiana Code of Evidence article 704 provides:
Testimony in the form of an opinion or inference otherwise
admissible is not to be excluded solely because it embraces an ultimate
issue to be decided by the trier of fact. However, in a criminal case, an
expert witness shall not express an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of
the accused.
As a general matter, if" scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will
help the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue[," a
qualified expert may testify in the form of an opinion. La. C. E. art. 702( A)( 1).
However, " expert testimony, while not limited to matters of science, art or skill, cannot
invade the field of common knowledge, experience and education of men." State v.
Young, 2009- 1177 ( La. 415/ 10), 35 So.3d 1042, 1046- 47, cert. denied, 562 U.S. 1044,
131 S. Ct, 597, 178 L.Ed.2d 434 ( 2010); State v. Stucke, 419 So. 2d 939, 945 ( La.
1982). Under La. C.E. art. 704, a trial judge may admit expert testimony which
embraces an ultimate issue to be decided by the trier of fact[,]" but the expert witness
is not permitted to testify to the ultimate issue of a defendant' s guilt. State v. Irish,
2000- 2086 ( La. 1115102), 807 So. 2d 208, 212, cert. denied, 537 U.S. 846, 123 S. Ct.
185, 154 L.Ed.2d 73 ( 2002).
In State v. Foret, 628 So. 2d 1116 ( La. 1993), the court recognized that scientific
testimony could be admissible for very " limited purposes," and a proper presentation
ofthe testimony would focus on explaining to a jury why superficially bizarre reactions
such as delayed reporting take place. Furthermore, the opinion testimony should
demonstrate or explain in general terms the behavioral characteristics of child abuse
victims in disclosing alleged incidents, without giving testimony that directly concerns
the particular victim' s credibility. Foret, 628 So.2d at 1129- 30.
State v. Chauvin, 2002- 1188 ( La. 5120103), 846 So. 2d 697 involved an appeal
of a conviction for indecent behavior with juveniles. Chauvin, 846 So.2d at 698. At
trial, over the objection of the defense, the State presented expert testimony from a
licensed clinical social worker who testified she had seen one of the victims as a patient
5
at a facility providing counseling for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Chauvin, 846 So.2d at 699. The social worker diagnosed the victim as suffering from
Post -Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). fid. At trial, the State asked the social worker
whether the clinical findings, both subjective and objective, that she observed in regard
to the victim, were those consistent with a child who had been sexually abused.
Chauvin, 846 So.2d at 700. The social worker replied, " Yes, the symptoms were that
of post-traumatic stress." Id.The Supreme Court held that the testimony of the social worker violated the
rules of Daubert' and Foret, concluding:
Under these circumstances, we find that the State introduced the expert
testimony regarding [ the victim' s] diagnosis of PTSD for the purpose of
substantively proving that sexual abuse occurred. There is no indication
that the State attempted to limit this evidence to explain delayed
reporting, which could be construed as apparently inconsistent with
having been sexually abused. There is no showing that PTSD evidence
is reliable and accurate as substantive proof of sexual abuse and therefore,
it is inadmissible for this purpose. We hold that this evidence, like
CSAAS- based evidence, should be admissible only for the limited
purpose of explaining, in general terms, certain reactions of a child to
abuse that would be used to attack the victixn/witness' s credibility. Foret,
628 So. 2d at 1131. The trial court in its discretion can determine, on a
case by case basis, if a particularized hearing is necessary ( Daubert
hearing) to test the reliability of expert testimony on PTSD when it is
being offered for the limited purposes discussed above.
Chauvin, 846 So.2d at 708- 09.
On previous occasions, this Court has considered similar testimony from expert
witnesses, including the expert witness involved in this case. State v. Griffin, 2015-
1765 ( La. App. lst Cir. 4127116), 2016 WL 2840309, * 1 ( unpublished), involved a
conviction for aggravated rape. At trial over defense objection, Nurse Troy agreed
with the State that her observations of the victim' s demeanor, as well as the physical
findings, were consistent with sexual abuse. Griffin, 2016 WL 2840309 at * 4. On
appeal, this Court distinguished the testimonies of Dr. Janzen in Foret and the social
b Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U. S. 579, 113 S. Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed. 2d
469 ( 1993).
G
worker in Chauvin, noting Nurse Troy had not relied upon a collateral diagnosis, such
as CSAAS or PTSD, to reach a finding of sexual abuse. Griffin, 2016 WL 2840309at * 6.
We also noted Nurse Troy had not definitively stated that the victim had been
sexually abused, whereas in Foret, 628 So.2d at 1120, Dr. Janzen had testified that the
victim' s details were " consistent with the dynamics of sexual abuse," and his " only
conclusion" was that she " had been sexually abused." Griffin, 2016 WL 2840309 at
6. We found that while Nurse Troy had agreed with the State that the victim' s
demeanor, as well as the physical findings, were " consistent with a child who has been
abused," on cross- examination, she had admitted she could not make a definitive
finding of sexual abuse. Id. Accordingly, we concluded that Nurse Troy' s testimony
was within the limits of Daubert, Foret, and Chauvin. Id.State v. Grandison, 2018- 0046 (La. App. 1st Cir. 11/ 5/ 18), 2018 WL 5785333,
1( unpublished), writ denied, 2018- 1992 ( La. 6/ 3! 19), 272 So.3d 545, involved a
conviction for aggravated rape, and the defendant' s challenge to the admission of
testimony from expert witness Dr. Jackson that her diagnosis of child sexual abuse was
solely based on the child' s history provided by the victim. Grandison, 2018 WL
5785333 at * 6- 9. On appeal, we found the issue barred from review. See La. C. Cr.P.
art. 841; Grandison, 2018 WL 5785333 at * 7. Moreover, we noted, as in Griffin, Dr.
Jackson had not affirmatively stated that the victim had been sexually abused or that
she was being truthful. Grandison, 2018 WL 5785333 at * 9. Indeed, when asked if
she knew whether the victim had " absolutely told [Dr. Jackson] the truth," Dr. Jackson
answered, " No one can speak to the veracity of someone' s statement. I' m not a lie
detector. No one would be able to say." Id. We found Dr. Jackson' s testimony " was
certainly not `` tantamount to an opinion that the defendant was guilty of the crime
chargedL,]"' and thus, concluded it was within the limits of Daubert, Foret, and
Chauvin. Id., oting State v. Wheeler, 416 So. 2d 78, 81 ( La. 1982).
7
State v. Schwaner, 2018- 1012 ( La. App. I`` Cir. 2/ 28/ 19), 2019 WL 990223,
1( unpublished),
involved convictions for sexual battery of M.L. At trial, the
defendant objected to the following testimony from Nurse Troy:
Q. What did you learn from [M.L.] during this incident history?
A. She told me that Greg, her adopted father/uncle had sexually abused
her by putting his penis in her mouth, that it was wet, clothes were off.
He had just his shorts on when he was in the room. I always ask kids
what is the saddest thing for you about this because sometimes kids look
very flat when they are giving a history and she said the saddest thing was
talking about it. She had to tell her aunt because she found out.
Q. Okay. t want to turn to the assessment page, what is the purpose of
the assessment page?
A. In medicine, we get a subjective history from patients, we get physical
findings then we compare those and we make differential diagnoses,
ruled in or out and then make a final diagnosis. So, this would be the
place where we would document that, the history provided to me, what
the physical exam showed, what lab was pending and then my diagnosis.
Q. What was your assessment In this case?
A. You' re asking my medical diagnosis.
Q. Yes, ma' am.
A. That it was a sexual abuse, chronic.
Schwaner, 2019 WL 990223 at * 9.
On appeal, this court found Nurse Troy' s testimony that she diagnosed the
victim with " sexual abuse, chronic" to be an expression of an opinion as to the
defendant' s guilt or innocence, which should not have been allowed into evidence.
Schwaner, 2019 WL 990223 at * 10.
State v. Mullen, 2018- 0643 ( La. App. 1' Cir. 12121/ 18), 269 So.3d 772, 775,
writ denied, 2020- 00408 ( La. 1016120), 302 So. 3d 529, involved convictions for
aggravated rape and molestation of a juvenile (A.S.). At trial, the defendant moved for
a mistrial in response to the following testimony from Nurse Troy:
Prosecutor: Well, you examined [ A.S.], correct, on October 19, 2016?
Troy: Yes, I did.
M
Prosecutor: And what was [ sic] your findings?
Troy: And, again, she has a history that' s clear— what we' re looking for
if you' re looking is she' s got a clear and detailed history that she provided
to me. It did not have any of those red flags that had me concerned for
her, either having a psychiatric illness or having been coached, so,
therefore, that was consistent with her being normal in her physical
findings. So most child sexual abuse is diagnosed based on the history
presented to us. So I made the diagnosis of child sexual abuse and did all
the lab work involved in that.
State v. Mullen, 269 So. 3d at 785.
4n appeal, this court found Nurse Troy' s testimony that she " made the diagnosis
of child sexual abuse" to be " an unequivocal statement regarding [ the victim' s]
credibility by conclusively diagnosing her as having been a victim of child sex abuse,
be it solely a medical diagnosis or otherwise." Mullen, 269 So.3d at 785- 86.
In the instant case, Dr. Anne Troy was accepted as an expert in the field of child
abuse and child abuse pediatrics. She stated her medical diagnosis and treatment was
driven by the history provided by the children she examined. She noted that history
was often delayed because sexually abused children are more likely than not abused
by someone they know, which results in them delaying reporting the abuse.
Dr. Troy obtained a history from and examined T.Z. The State asked Dr. Troy
what was her diagnosis after the examination. Dr. Troy replied, "[ c] hild sexual abuse,
chronic." The defense objected, and the trial court overruled the objection.
The State continued questioning Dr. Troy as follows:
State]: Is [ T.Z.' s] disclosure consistent with child sexual abuse?
Dr. Troy]: [ T.Z.] provided me a clear and a detailed, spontaneous
narrative that was consistent with child sexual abuse.
Thereafter, Dr. Troy identified a recording of the medical history provided by
T.Z., which was played for the jury. The State asked Dr. Troy, " you had stated earlier
that, after your assessment of [T.Z.], you found that she provided a clear and detailed
history of ongoing sexual abuse, is that fair?" Dr. Troy, replied, "[ t] hat is correct."
The defense engaged in the following colloquy with Dr. Troy:
9
Defense]: So how many times have you testified, have said that the
prosecutor says, you know this child has got up before you and said that
they were abused and your opinion is, well, I think that child' s lying, they
weren' t abused?
Dr. Troy]: Well, I would never say that a child is lying because, again,
I' m not a human lie detector. So what I' m looking for is whether or not
I have a history provided to me that' s clear and detailed in the sense of a
narrative. And having received that, I will put, as will anyone who' s
trained in child maltreatment, that this is, from a medical point of view,
is consistent with child sexual abuse. I don' t investigate.
Thereafter, the defendant filed a written motion for a mistrial, arguing Dr. Troy' s
testimony that her medical diagnosis was chronic child sexual abuse was reversible
error under Foret, Chauvin, Schwaner, and Mullen. At the hearing on the motion,
the State pointed out Dr. Troy had not stated that T.Z. was telling the truth or that the
defendant was guilty of the charges and had explained her challenged statement
indicated T.Z. provided a clear and detailed history of sexual abuse.
The trial court noted, after reviewing the cited authorities and observing Dr.
Troy and the context in which the challenged statement was given, found that the
statement was not a prejudicial remark requiring a mistrial under La. C. CrR art. 770,
but at most a remark requiring an admonition under La. C.CrR art. 771. E
The trial court admonished the jury:
Members of the jury, during the testimony of Dr. Anne Troy, a
question was posed, and I paraphrase, what was your diagnosis involving
T.Z.]? The answer in a short form, and I paraphrase, is child sexual
abuse comma chronic. The jury will disregard that testimony.
Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 770 provides that a defendant may move for a
mistrial when the judge, district attorney, or a court official makes a remark or comment within
the hearing of the jury, during the trial or in argument, which directly or indirectly refers to: ( 1)
race, religion, color or national origin, if the remark or comment is not material and relevant and
might create prejudice against the defendant in the mind of the jury; (2) another crime committed
or alleged to have been committed by the defendant as to which evidence is not admissible; ( 3) the
defendant' s failure to testify in his own defense; or ( 4) the judge' s refusal to direct a verdict.
Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 771 allows the State or the defendant to request that
the court promptly admonish the jury to disregard irrelevant or prejudicial remarks made by the
judge, district attorney, or a court official when the remarks are not within the scope of La. C. Cr.P.
an. 770, or made by a person other than the judge, district attorney, or court official, regardless of
whether or not the remark is within the scope of La. C. Cr. P. art. 770. The court may grant a
mistrial on the defendant' s motion if it is satisfied that an admonition is insufficient to assure the
defendant a fair trial. La. C. Cr.P. art. 771. A mistrial under La. C. Cr.P. art. 771 is at the trial
court' s discretion and should be granted only where the prejudicial remarks make it impossible for
the defendant to obtain a fair trial. State v. Walston, 2022- 0317 ( La. App. 1" Cir. 11/ 4/ 22), 2022
WL 16707997, * 7.
10
The trial court also charged the jury as follows:
An expert witness may state an opinion concerning matters that
relate to their field of expertise, and may also state their reasons for the
opinion. You are not bound to accept such expert testimony and you may
give it great weight or slight [ weight] or you may reject such testimony
entirely, if, in your judgment, the reasons for it are not sound. ( R. 945-
46).
Under Schwaner and Mullen, Nurse Troy' s diagnosis of"[ c] hild sexual abuse,
chronic"
fell within the scope of Article 771, and thus, the granting of a mistrial was
in the broad discretion of the trial court. See State v. Caminita, 2016- 0121 ( La. App,
1 "" Cir. 9/ 16/ 16), 203 So.3d 1100, 1106, writ denied, 2016- 2045 (La. 9/6/ 17), 244 So.3d
988. Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure article 775 provides in part that "[ u] pon
motion of a defendant, a mistrial shall be ordered, and in a jury case the jury dismissed,
when prejudicial conduct in or outside the courtroom makes it impossible for the
defendant to obtain a fair trial, or when authorized by [ La. C.Cr.P. art.] 770 or 771."
As a general matter, mistrial is a drastic remedy that should only be declared upon a
clear showing of prejudice by the defendant; a mere possibility of prejudice is not
sufficient. In addition, a district court judge has broad discretion in determining
whether conduct is so prejudicial as to deprive an accused of a fair trial. A reviewing
court should not reverse a defendant' s conviction and sentence unless the error has
affected the substantial rights of the accused. See La. C. Cr.P. art. 921; Id.In both Schwaner and Mullen, this Court found the error to be subject to
harmless error analysis. See Schwaner, 2019 WL 990223 at * 11; Mullen, 269 So. 3d
at 786. The proper analysis for determining harmless error " 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." Sullivan v. Louisiana, 508 U. S. 275, 279, 113 S. Ct. 2078, 2081, 124 L.Ed.2d
182 ( 1993); Schwaner, 2019 WL 990223 at * 11; Mullen, 269 So.3d at 786.
Z1
Even in a capital case, the Louisiana Supreme Court has found the testimony of
expert witnesses that the defendant was the perpetrator harmless where the testimony
was cumulative and corroborative of other admissible evidence, and the jury was
instructed that they alone were to determine the ultimate issues. See State v. Code,
627 So.2d 1373, 1384- 85 ( La. 1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1100, 114 S. Ct. 1870, 128
L.Ed.2d 490 ( 1994) (" Considering the admissible evidence concerning the palm prints,
no rational juror could find those facts without also finding the ultimate fact of the
defendant' s guilt. It is beyond doubt the guilty verdict in this case was unattributable
to the erroneous testimony."). See also, State v. Batiste, 99- 1481 ( La. App. 151 Cir.
3/ 31/ 00), 764 So.2d 1038, 1040, writ denied, 20001648 (La. 6/ 22/ 01), 794 So. 2d 778A] ny error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The values contained in this
exhibit were merely cumulative and corroborative of the previously admitted
testimony[.]"); State v. Hawkins, 633 So. 2d 301, 307 (La. App. I" Cir. 1993), ("[ H] ad
there been error in allowing the testimony, which we need not decide, the error would
have been harmless. An observation by Ms. Logan that the victim had the demeanor
of a child who had been sexually victimized is merely cumulative of other evidence in
the record that the victim was indeed molested by the defendant."); State v. Moser,
588 So.2d 1243, 1249 (La. App. V Cir. 1991), writ denied, 594 So.2d 1314 ( La. 1992)
T] he prosecutor' s remark was cumulative and, as such, amounts to harmless
error.").
In the instant case, Dr. Troy' s diagnosis of "[c] hild sexual abuse, chronic" was
cumulative and corroborative of other admissible evidence, specifically: the
photograph of T.P.' s breasts and her testimony that, when she was fifteen years old,
she used the phone the defendant bought her to photograph her breasts and to send the
photograph to the defendant at his request; the evidence of the text messages between
the defendant and T.Z. and her testimony that the defendant victimized her using
FaceTime; and the testimony of both T.P. and T.Z. that the defendant ordered T.Z. to
12
touch T.P.' s vagina. No rational juror could find these facts without also finding the
ultimate fact of the defendant' s guilt. See Code, 627 So. 2d at 1385. Additionally, the
jury was admonished to disregard the challenged testimony of Dr. Troy and was
charged that it need not accept expert testimony and was free to entirely reject such
testimony. Accordingly, the challenged testimony of Dr. Troy was harmless in this
case, and the trial court did not abuse its broad discretion in finding the testimony
insufficiently prejudicial to deprive the defendant of a fair trial and that an admonition
was sufficient to cure the prejudice from the testimony.
For these reasons, this assignment of error is without merit.
SENTENCING ERROR
Under La. C. Cr.P. art. 920( 2), we are limited in our review to errors discoverable
by a mere inspection of the pleadings and proceedings without inspection of the
evidence. After a careful review of the record, we have found sentencing errors in this
matter. See State v. Price, 2005- 2514 ( La. App. 1 sc Cir. 12128106), 952 So.2d 112,
123 ( en Banc), writ denied, 2007- 0130 ( La. 2/ 22/ 08), 976 So.2d 1277.
On count I7I, the trial court imposed a sentence of twenty years at hard labor
without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of sentence. Thereafter, the clerk
advised the trial court that count III was severed. The trial court stated the counts were
renumbered, and count IV was renumbered as count III. The trial court also stated that
if the minute clerk had any issues with the numbering of the counts correlating to the
sentences, the court would review the issues in the uniform commitment order.' The
trial court did not vacate the sentence imposed for count III. Further, the sentence
imposed for count IV—life without the benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of
sentence ( the mandatory sentence for count IV) was illegal for count III. See La. R.S.
14: 42( D)( 1) and La. R.S. 14: 81. 1( E)( 4) ( prior to amendment by 2018 La. Acts, No.
682, § 1). Accordingly, the record indicates the trial court imposed an invalid sentence
s The record does not contain a uniform commitment order.
13
for count 111. 9 A valid sentence must rest upon a valid and sufficient: ( 1) statute; ( 2)
indictment; and ( 3) verdict, judgment, or plea of guilty. La. C.Cr.P. art. 872. The
sentence imposed on count III does not rest upon a valid and sufficient verdict,
judgment, or plea of guilty. Accordingly, the sentence imposed on count III hereby is
vacated.
The sentencing transcript further reflects the trial court failed to impose a
sentence on count VI.10 A sentencing error occurs when a district court, in sentencing
for multiple counts, does not impose a separate sentence for each count. State v.
Mayo, 2012- 0707 ( La. App. I' Cir. 617113), 2013 WL 2490361, * I ( unpublished);
State v. Soco, 94- 1099 ( La. App. 1' Cir. 6123/ 95), 657 So.2d 603.
It is well settled that a defendant can appeal from a final judgment of conviction
only where a sentence has been imposed. See La. C.Cr.P. art. 912( C)( 1); Mayo, 2013
WL 2490361 at * 1. In the absence of a valid sentence on count VI, the defendant' s
appeal of that count is not properly before this court. Mayo, 2013 WL 2490361 at * 1.
Therefore, we do not consider the defendant' s assignment of error in regard to count
VI, as it is not properly before us. Accordingly, the matter is remanded for sentencing
on count VI. After sentencing on count VI, the defendant may perfect a new appeal
on that count.
DECREE
CONVICTIONS AND SENTENCES ON COUNTS I, II, IV & V
AFFIRMED; SENTENCE ON COUNT III VACATED; REMANDED WITH
INSTRUCTIONS.
s The sentencing minutes do not reflect a sentence for count III. When there is a discrepancy
between the minutes and the transcript, the transcript must prevail. State v. Lynch, 441 So. 2d
732, 734 ( La. 1983).
10 The sentencing minutes reflect a sentence for count V1. However, the transcript must prevail.
Lynch, 441 So. 2d at 734.
14
STATE OF LOUISIANA
COURT OF APPEAL
FIRST CIRCUIT
DOCKET NUMBER
2023 KA 0221
STATE OF LOUISIANA
VERSUS
JAMES BISHOP
HOLDRIDGE, J., concurring.
I respectfully concur with the report. Under the facts of this case, I agree with
the majority that the defendant was proven guilty of the crimes -charged beyond a
reasonable doubt. However, I am troubled about the error of the trial court in
allowing the testimony of Dr. Anne Troy, wherein she made the diagnosis of "child
sexual abuse, chronic." A written motion for a mistrial was filed by the defendant,
but the trial court deemed the statement not to be so prejudicial of a remark as to
require a mistrial under La. C. Cr.P. art. 771. Clearly, the remark made by Dr. Anne
Troy could not be any more prejudicial. The error of the trial court is compounded
by the jurisprudence that such a profound error is subject to the harmless error
analysis. See State v. Schwaner, 2018- 1012 ( La. App. 1 Cir. 2/ 28119), 2019 VVL
990223, at * 11 ( unpublished); State v. Mullen, 2018- 0643 ( La. App. 1 Cir.
12/ 21/ 18), 269 So. 3d 772, 786, writ denied 2020- 00408 ( La. 1016/ 20), 302 So. 3d
529.