Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.
Help support the publication of case reports on MoreLaw
Date: 02-05-2021
Case Style:
State of Louisiana v. Davin Dale
Case Number: 53,736-KA
Judge: James M. Stephens
Court: COURT OF APPEAL
SECOND CIRCUIT
STATE OF LOUISIANA
Plaintiff's Attorney: JAMES E. STEWART, SR.
District Attorney
ALEX L. PORUBSKY
SAMUEL S. CRICHTON
Assistant District Attorneys
Defendant's Attorney:
OR
Just Call 855-853-4800 for Free Help Finding a Lawyer Help You.
Description:
Shreveport, LA - Criminal defense attorney represented Davin Dale with one count of domestic abuse aggravated assault, five counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon by a convicted felon charges.
On June 22, 2018, Dale’s estranged wife, Felicia Jones, went to her
friend Regina Johnson’s home, where she picked up Regina and her three
minor children to go eat. Regina’s children ranged from 4 to 11 years of
age. Accompanying Felicia was her and Dale’s four-year-old son. Dale was
driving near Regina’s home, and when he saw Felicia, he pointed a handgun
at her and asked, “Where you going, baby?” Felicia drove away, and Dale
gave chase, firing multiple shots into the vehicle of women and children.
Three of the shots struck Felicia’s vehicle; however, none of the occupants
were hit by the gunfire. The attack caused Felicia to lose control of the
vehicle, which spun and then stalled. Dale then exited his vehicle and
continued firing at Felicia’s vehicle. Felicia was able to regain control of
her vehicle and sped to a nearby convenience store, where she, Regina, and
the children sought refuge, and the police were called. Dale fled but was
later apprehended.
Dale was charged by amended bill of information with domestic abuse
aggravated assault, in violation of La. R.S. 14:37.7; five counts of
2
aggravated assault with a firearm, in violation of La. R.S. 14:37.4; and,
possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed weapon by a convicted felon,
in violation of La. R.S. 14:95.1. The State provided notice pursuant to La.
C.E. art. 412.4 of its intent to introduce evidence of Dale’s past acts of
violence against Felicia and moved to have Dale’s sentence, if convicted,
imposed under the provisions of La. C. Cr. P. art. 893.3.
On August 5, 2019, Dale appeared and pled guilty as charged. There
was no agreement to sentence or sentencing cap. Furthermore, there was no
presentence investigation (“PSI”) report ordered to assist the trial court in
sentencing. Prior to Dale’s plea, the State informed the court and Dale of its
intent to request not only that the crimes be designated as crimes of violence
but also that “some of these sentences” be run consecutively.
A sentencing hearing was held on September 11, 2019. Prior to
sentencing, the State addressed the trial court and outlined the prior violent
acts by Dale toward Felicia that generated reports to the police, that the State
would have introduced had the matter proceeded to trial. These prior violent
acts included:
1) April 2014: Dale attacked Felicia, wrestled with her, and
busted her lip before she was able to flee and contact the
police;
2) July 2016: Dale accused Felicia of infidelity, punched her in
the face, and grabbed her by the hair;
3) July 2017: Dale accused Felicia of infidelity and punched
her every time she denied it before she was able to escape
with her children and contact the police;
4) August 2017: Dale became angered when Felicia took her
mother to a bank, punched Felicia, banged her head against
the concrete porch, and submersed her head in a bucket of
water until family members were able to stop him; and,
3
5) March 2018: Dale became angered by text messages he saw,
pushed Felicia to the floor, pinned her down, told her he was
the head of the family, and punched her in the mouth, which
injury required Felicia to receive stitches.
The State emphasized that Dale’s violence toward Felicia had escalated to
use of a weapon and further advised the court that Dale was eligible for a
multi-bill because his prior felony conviction, second degree battery after
shooting his cousin in the leg, provided the underlying felony conviction for
the possession of a firearm by convicted felon charge. The State then
outlined the facts of the instant case and again noted its request for the
discharge of a firearm sentencing enhancement. Finally, the State’s attorney
made the following request:
I’ll note that I don’t believe that I personally have ever asked
this court or this judge nor have I asked any other court or judge
in this courthouse to ask for a consecutive sentence where it
was not otherwise agreed upon.
This is a set of facts and circumstances which are particularly
egregious backed up by substantial evidence and multiple
victims and testimony from child victims as well as this is an
instant where I’m going to ask the court, although I know it is
not in my purview or discretion to impose a modified
consecutive sentence in excess of 20 years.
The State ultimately went on to request a sentence of 25 years at hard labor.
Felicia was present but declined to testify. Likewise, Dale elected not to
make a statement. However, defense counsel addressed the trial court and
submitted several letters written on Dale’s behalf. Defense counsel noted
that none of the victims sustained physical injury, Dale had taken
responsibility for his egregious acts by pleading guilty and “not requiring the
State to prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” and Dale’s charges arose out of a
single course of conduct.
4
After hearing arguments of counsel, the trial court made the following
statement:
I have considered the arguments and the circumstances of the
case. I’ve considered the letters presented to the Court by the
defendant’s attorney.
What bothers me in this case is the fact that the defendant was
firing a weapon first of all. The victims could have easily been
killed. There were, I’ll say, five to six innocent victims in this
case and that there were five minor children in this case.
It is very difficult for me to get past the five minor victims in
this case and the fact that there have been repeated attacks upon
the victim, many incidents.
Considering the fact that the defendant has in his past shot his
own cousin in the leg, not necessarily trying to kill him under
those circumstances, death could have resulted had he hit the
wrong part of his body.
And that’s just the number of violent offenses in the
defendant’s past, but what is most concerning is the fact that in
this incident he just shot at a vehicle with a number of people in
the vehicle and not only one but multiple shots at the vehicle.
And I know the defendant didn’t have to say anything, but I do
take into consideration the fact that he pled guilty in this matter
and I suppose that’s his statement of remorse.
However, there is no way that the Court can set aside the fact of
what took place in this case and the defendant is just known to
be very violent, has no consideration for the health of others, he
feels free to harm at any time, that he desires to harm and by
any means in which he would desire to harm someone.
The trial court then sentenced Dale to 10 years on the domestic abuse
conviction and each of the aggravated assault convictions and to 15 years on
the possession of a firearm conviction. The trial court ordered the sentences
to run consecutively for a total of 75 years.
Dale subsequently filed a timely motion to reconsider sentence. At
resentencing, defense counsel again urged the trial court to run the sentences
concurrently. The State responded, pointing out that once Felicia’s vehicle
5
spun and stalled, Dale did not disengage; rather, he continued his barrage of
gunfire on the stationary vehicle that contained his wife and child and three
other young children and their mother. The State further detailed Dale’s
violent history and the trauma suffered by the victims of the instant offense.
The trial court granted Dale’s motion in part as to the domestic abuse
conviction, resentenced Dale to a term of five years on that count,
maintained the originally imposed sentences on the remaining convictions,
and ordered that all seven sentences be served consecutively for a total of 70
years.1
The trial court specifically stated that its considerations in
maintaining the remainder of the sentences as initially imposed included
Dale’s violent criminal history, that multiple children and two adults were
victims, and that “the defendant not only fired once, but repeatedly” into the
vehicle. The trial court stated, “It’s not an incident where he was mad and
fired one shot. It was a situation where multiple shots were fired as well as
the court’s considered his violent criminal history.” This appeal by Dale
ensued.
DISCUSSION
In his sole assignment of error, Dale argues the trial court failed to
adequately state a basis for ordering his sentences to be served consecutively
and that his resulting cumulative sentence of 70 years, a virtual life sentence
for this 31-year-old offender, is constitutionally excessive. Dale asserts his
guilty plea indicates his acceptance of responsibility for his action and
emphasizes that his convictions arose out of a single course of conduct and
that none of his victims were physically injured.
1 The original sentence for the domestic abuse aggravated assault conviction
exceeded the statutory maximum for that crime.
6
In response, the state argues the record contains ample evidence to
support Dale’s sentence. Specifically, the State points to Dale’s criminal
history, including history of domestic abuse of Felicia; the viciousness and
heinous nature of the instant offenses, and Dale’s ongoing risk to the public.
An appellate court utilizes a two-pronged test in reviewing a sentence
for excessiveness. First, the record must show that the trial court took
cognizance of the criteria set forth in La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1. The trial judge
is not required to list every aggravating or mitigating circumstance so long
as the record reflects that he adequately considered the guidelines of the
article. State v. Smith, 433 So. 2d 688 (La. 1983); State v. Sandifer, 53,276
(La. App. 2 Cir. 1/15/20), 289 So. 3d 212; State v. DeBerry, 50,501 (La.
App. 2 Cir. 4/13/16), 194 So. 3d 657, writ denied, 2016-0959 (La. 5/1/17),
219 So. 3d 332. The articulation of the factual basis for a sentence is the
goal of La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1, not rigid or mechanical compliance with its
provisions. Where the record clearly shows an adequate factual basis for the
sentence imposed, remand is unnecessary even where there has not been full
compliance with La. C. Cr. P. art. 894.1. State v. Lanclos, 419 So. 2d 475
(La. 1982); State v. DeBerry, supra. The important elements which should
be considered are the defendant’s personal history (age, family ties, marital
status, health, employment record), prior criminal record, seriousness of the
offense, and the likelihood of rehabilitation. State v. Jones, 398 So. 2d 1049
(La. 1981); State v. DeBerry, supra. The trial court is not required to assign
any particular weight to any specific matters at sentencing. State v. Parfait,
52,857 (La. App. 2 Cir. 8/14/19), 278 So. 3d 455, writ denied, 2019-01659
(La. 12/10/19), 285 So. 3d 489.
7
Second, the court must determine whether the sentence is
constitutionally excessive. A sentence violates La. Const. art. I, § 20, if it is
grossly out of proportion to the seriousness of the offense or nothing more
than a purposeless and needless infliction of pain and suffering. State v.
Dorthey, 623 So. 2d 1276 (La. 1993); State v. Bonanno, 384 So. 2d 355 (La.
1980). A sentence is considered grossly disproportionate if, when the crime
and punishment are viewed in light of the harm done to society, it shocks the
sense of justice. State v. Weaver, 2001-0467 (La. 1/15/02), 805 So. 2d 166;
State v. Meadows, 51,843 (La. App. 2 Cir. 1/10/18), 246 So. 3d 639, writ
denied, 2018-0259 (La. 10/29/18), 254 So. 3d 1208.
The trial court has wide discretion to impose a sentence within the
statutory limits, and the sentence imposed will not be set aside as excessive
absent a manifest abuse of that discretion. State v. Williams, 2003-3514 (La.
12/13/04), 893 So. 2d 7; State v. Allen, 49,642 (La. App. 2 Cir. 2/26/15), 162
So. 3d 519, writ denied, 2015-0608 (La. 1/25/16), 184 So. 3d 1289. A trial
judge is in the best position to consider the aggravating and mitigating
circumstances of a particular case, and, therefore, is given broad discretion
in sentencing. State v. Allen, supra. On review, an appellate court does not
determine whether another sentence may have been more appropriate, but
whether the trial court abused its discretion. State v. Williams, supra; State
v. Adams, 53,055 (La. App. 2 Cir. 11/20/19), 285 So. 3d 526.
In cases involving multiple offenses and sentences, the trial court has
limited discretion to order that the multiple sentences are to be served
concurrently or consecutively. State v. Sandifer, supra; State v. Nixon,
51,319 (La. App. 2 Cir. 5/19/17), 222 So. 3d 123, 127, writ denied, 2017-
0966 (La. 4/27/18), 239 So. 3d 836. When two or more convictions arise
8
from the same act or transaction, or constitute parts of a common scheme or
plan, the terms of imprisonment shall be served concurrently unless the court
expressly directs that some or all be served consecutively. La. C. Cr. P. art.
883. Concurrent sentences arising out of a single course of conduct are not
mandatory, and consecutive sentences under those circumstances are not
necessarily excessive. State v. Hebert, 50,163 (La. App. 2 Cir. 11/18/15),
181 So. 3d 795. It is within the court’s discretion to make sentences
consecutive rather than concurrent. State v. Robinson, 49,677 (La. App. 2
Cir. 4/15/15), 163 So. 3d 829, writ denied, 2015-0924 (La. 4/15/16), 191 So.
3d 1034.
A judgment directing that sentences arising from a single course of
conduct be served consecutively requires particular justification from the
evidence or record. State v. Nixon, supra. When consecutive sentences are
imposed, the court shall state the factors considered and its reasons for the
consecutive terms. Among the factors to be considered are the defendant’s
criminal history, the gravity or dangerousness of the offense, the viciousness
of the crimes, the harm done to the victims, whether the defendant
constitutes an unusual risk of danger to the public, the potential for the
defendant’s rehabilitation, and whether the defendant has received a benefit
from a plea bargain. State v. Wing, 51,857 (La. App. 2 Cir. 2/28/18), 246
So. 3d 711. However, the failure to articulate specific reasons for
consecutive sentences does not require remand if the record provides an
adequate factual basis to support consecutive sentences. State v. Robinson,
supra.
At the time of the offense, a conviction of domestic abuse aggravated
assault, in violation of La. R.S. 14:37.7, was punishable by not less than one
9
nor more than five years at hard labor and a fine of not more than $5,000.00.
A conviction of aggravated assault with a firearm, in violation La. R.S.
14:37.4, was punishable by a fine of not more than $10,000.00 or
imprisonment of not more than ten years, with or without hard labor, or
both. A conviction of possession of a firearm or carrying a concealed
weapon by a convicted felon, in violation La. R.S. 14:95.1, was punishable
by imprisonment at hard labor for not less than 5, nor more than 20 years,
and a fine of not less than $1,000.00, nor more than $5,000.00, with the
sentence to be served without benefits. However, application of La. C. Cr.
P. art. 893.3 in this case required the imposition of a 5-year hard labor
sentence for the domestic abuse conviction and 10-year hard labor sentences
for each aggravated assault conviction and changed the sentencing range for
the possession of a firearm conviction to 10 to 20 years.2
Dale does not dispute that his individual sentences fall within the
statutory ranges of punishment under the applicable statutes of conviction;
instead, he argues the consecutive nature of the sentences resulted in a
cumulative term of imprisonment of 70 years that is excessive. We disagree.
After a thorough review of the record, we cannot say the trial court
abused its discretion in ordering Dale’s sentences to be served consecutively.
Significantly, the pattern of Dale’s abuse against Felicia has now escalated
to Dale’s endangering the lives of others, including his own child. While
2 La. C. Cr .P. art. 893.3(C) Sentence imposed on felony or specifically
enumerated misdemeanor in which firearm was possessed, used, or discharged,
provides: If the finder of fact finds beyond a reasonable doubt that the offender actually
discharged a firearm in the commission of the felony or specifically enumerated
misdemeanor for which he was convicted, the court shall impose a term of imprisonment
of not less than ten years nor more than the maximum term of imprisonment provided for
the underlying offense; however, if the maximum sentence for the underlying offense is
less than ten years, the court shall impose the maximum sentence.
10
there were no physical injuries, it is nothing short of miraculous that Felicia
was able to regain control of her vehicle after it stalled and escape Dale’s
continued attack before anyone was harmed. Furthermore, the trauma
inflicted upon the victims, most notably the four minor children, must be
given the utmost consideration. Dale’s acts of shooting repeatedly into a
vehicle at innocent and underage victims are beyond reprehensible and
exhibit the type of depraved and criminally reckless behavior that warrants
extensive incarceration.
While the trial court did not provide a detailed analysis of the
statutory sentencing guidelines, it clearly articulated a factual basis for the
sentences imposed. Likewise, given that in this case the State specifically
requested the sentences be ordered to run consecutively, it is evident that the
trial court’s statements at both sentencing hearings were made in
consideration of that request. Furthermore, while the trial court notably
chose not to order a PSI to assist with its sentencing of Dale, it was not
required to do so. Dale was given the opportunity to testify and present the
trial court with evidence of mitigating factors for its consideration at not one
but two sentencing hearings. In sentencing Dale, the trial court clearly, in
the proper exercise of its discretion, afforded great weight to Dale’s criminal
history and the years he spent terrorizing Felicia; its sentence will not be
disturbed.3
This assignment of error is without merit.
3
In selecting a proper sentence for a criminal defendant, a trial judge is not
limited to considering only prior convictions and may review all evidence of prior
criminal activity. State v. Monk, 42,067 (La. App. 2 Cir. 5/2/07), 956 So. 2d 185; State v.
Cooks, 36,613 (La. App. 2 Cir. 12/04/02), 833 So. 2d 1034. When evaluating a
defendant’s criminal history, trial courts may consider evidence at sentencing that would
otherwise be inadmissible at trial. State v. Myles, 94-0217 (La. 6/03/94), 638 So. 2d 218.
For example, the trial court may consider records of prior arrests, hearsay evidence of
suspected criminal activity, conviction records, and evidence of uncharged offenses or
offenses that were nolle prossed. State v. Anderson, 30,060 (La. App. 2 Cir. 10/29/97),
11
Errors Patent
First, the sentence on the possession of a firearm conviction is
illegally lenient as the mandatory fine was not imposed. State v. Martinez,
52,882 (La. App. 2 Cir. 8/14/19), 278 So. 3d 467; State v. Williams, 49,249
(La. App. 2 Cir. 10/1/14), 149 So. 3d 462, writ denied, 2014-2130 (La.
5/22/15), 173 So. 3d 1167. Pursuant to La. C. Cr. P. art. 882(A), an illegal
sentence may be corrected at any time by the court that imposed the sentence
or by an appellate court on review. However, as this court has recognized,
this court is not required to take such action. See State v. Williams, 149 So.
3d 462, supra; State v. Jones, 42,531 (La. App. 2 Cir. 11/7/07), 968 So. 2d
1247. The State did not object to the error, and Dale was not prejudiced
because of the omission.
Second, the minutes fail to reflect that the sentence on the firearm
conviction be imposed without benefit of probation, parole, or suspension of
sentence. Accordingly, the trial court is instructed to correct this error in the
minutes, as the transcript controls over the minutes when there is a conflict.
State v. West, 53,526 (La. App. 2 Cir. 6/24/20), 297 So. 3d 1081; State v.
Bell, 51,312 (La. App. 2 Cir. 5/17/17), 222 So. 3d 79.
Outcome: For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the convictions and sentences of
Davin Dale. The trial court is instructed to correct the minutes consistent
with this opinion.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: