State v. Robinson4/14/2004
ating circumstance, and
c) whether the sentence is disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant.
In the instant case, the district judge filed the Uniform Capital Sentence Report ("UCSR") required by La.S.Ct.R. 28 § 3(a), and the Department of Public Safety and Correction submitted a Capital Sentence Investigation Report ("CSIR") required by La.S.Ct.R. 28 § 3(b). In addition, the State filed a Capital Sentence Review Memorandum. These documents indicate that defendant is a Caucasian male born on July 4, 1968 to the marital union of Nelma Daigle Robinson and Leo Robinson. The defendant was twenty-seven years old at the time of the instant homicides.
Darrell's father, Leo, drank excessively and, as a result, abused his family; however, at trial his mother Nelma testified that she and Leo are still together. According to the CSIR, defendant never married, but apparently had a girlfriend at some point who bore his child, although there is no record of defendant supporting the child.
Defendant was baptized in the Catholic faith and educated in Catholic schools in Crowley, Louisiana, including St. Michael's Elementary School. He graduated from Notre Dame High School. According to the UCSR, Defendant has an IQ of above 100, which is considered "high." However, he made poor grades on his high school report cards. A friend of defendant's from his Army days described him as "incredibly intelligent."
After high school, defendant enlisted in the United States Army Airborne, and was trained as a paratrooper at Fort Benning, Georgia. Later, defendant was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Defendant became a sharp shooter in the Army and served from 1985-88, when he was honorably discharged from the Army. Following defendant's military service, he held several odd jobs, including mowing lawns, shampooing carpets, and floating sheetrock. At the time of the instant offense, defendant had worked out an arrangement with Billy Lambert to do bush hogging work for him on his farm in exchange for room and board.
At the penalty phase of his trial, defendant's mother recalled that when he came home from the military, his problems with alcohol began to surface, and the drinking eventually became out of control. At least twice, defendant sought help for his alcoholism and substance abuse: once, at a halfway house in Grand Coteau, and once at the V.A. Medical Center in Pineville, where he met one of his victims, Billy Lambert.
Defendant has no juvenile criminal record. His adult criminal history began in 1988 when he was arrested in Fayetteville, North Carolina for possession of a weapon of mass destruction and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. These two charges were dismissed following defendant's November 16, 1988 guilty plea in a companion case in where he was charged with exceeding the posted speed and carrying a concealed weapon. Defendant was sentenced to 30 days in Cumberland County jail, suspended, and placed on unsupervised probation for six months. In 1994 and 1995, defendant was arrested by the Crowley Sheriff's office arising from two separate incidents of driving while intoxicated. In both cases, defendant pled guilty to the charges.
At the penalty phase, the State re-introduced the testimony and evidence that comprised the guilt phase, and rested. Defendant did not testify at either the guilt phase or the penalty phase of his capital trial. The defense presented 22 witnesses at the penalty phase. Its case included defendant's mother, sister, uncle, cousin, school friends, educators - both nuns and lay teachers, friends defendant made during milita
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