State v. Stevens

Supreme Court of Louisiana
State v. Stevens, 156 So. 3d 42 (La. 2014)
2014 La. LEXIS 2744; 2014 WL 7178912
Grant, Hughes, Reasons

State v. Stevens

Opinion of the Court

In re Stevens Jr., Ted Dwayne; — Defendant; Applying For Writ of Certiorari and/or Review, Parish of Lafayette, 15th Judicial District Court Div. J, No. CR-132400; to the Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, No. 13-1162.

Prior report: La.App., 140 So.3d 1267.

Denied.

HUGHES, J., would grant and assigns reasons.

Dissenting Opinion

HUGHES, J.,

would grant the writ.

While the subject matter may be unpleasant, justice should be blind, not squeamish. The failure to allow the videotapes at trial raises constitutional issues.

Consent is an element of the crimes charged. The wife testified that she never consented to the sexual practices she and her husband engaged in. The husband testified that she always consented. The 200 videotapes, or a portion thereof, would *43provide objective evidence for the fact finder, in this case a jury, to make this credibility determination.

The husband argues that the trial judge instead made this credibility call — believing the wife and disbelieving the husband — by withholding the videotapes from the jury. He argues he was thus deprived of his right to a jury trial, as well as his right to present a defense and to confront his accuser, by being denied the opportunity to impeach his wife’s explicit testimony on the issue of consent with the objective videotape evidence.

While it is true that prior consensual acts do not excuse a subsequent criminal act, in a “he said, she said” situation such as this, the probative value of the videotapes cannot be ignored.

Reference

Full Case Name
STATE of Louisiana v. Ted Dwayne STEVENS, Jr.
Cited By
2 cases
Status
Published