State v. Keelen

JiMURRAY, Judge.

Mr. Samuel Keelen appeals his conviction of cruelty to a juvenile, a violation of La.Rev. StatiAnn. § 14:93, for which he has been sentenced as a second felony offender to serve fifteen years at hard labor. He argues that the trial counsel’s failure to prevent the admission of hearsay testimony resulted in a conviction that is otherwise unsupported by the evidence, and that his counsel was ineffective.

FACTS

The State’s evidence established that She-lita Palmer, a two-year-old, suffered severe bums when her feet were placed into scalding hot water and held there for at least one…