Ausencio Jimenez Luria v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 17, 2012
Docket04-11-00384-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Ausencio Jimenez Luria v. State (Ausencio Jimenez Luria v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ausencio Jimenez Luria v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION No. 04-11-00384-CR

Ausencio Jimenez LURIA, Appellant

v.

The STATE of Texas, Appellee

From the 175th Judicial District Court, Bexar County, Texas Trial Court No. 2010-CR-0772 Honorable Sharon MacRae, Judge Presiding 1

Opinion by: Phylis J. Speedlin, Justice

Sitting: Karen Angelini, Justice Sandee Bryan Marion, Justice Phylis J. Speedlin, Justice

Delivered and Filed: October 17, 2012

AFFIRMED

Ausencio Luria appeals his conviction on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a

disabled person, asserting that the evidence is legally insufficient to support the jury’s verdict

and that the trial court erred in declaring the victim competent to testify. We affirm the trial

court’s judgment.

1 Sitting by assignment. 04-11-00384-CR

BACKGROUND

On October 17, 2009, R.V., a 19 year-old mentally disabled woman, was being cared for

at her aunt Clara Ibarra’s house while R.V.’s mother was at work. R.V.’s uncle Manuel Ibarra

was not at home because he was working that day with appellant Luria at Luria’s Mexican

restaurant. Luria was known as “Alex.” When Manuel arrived home later that afternoon, he and

Luria stayed outside drinking beer. R.V. came outside to greet them. Luria was married to a

cousin of the Ibarra family and had known R.V. since she was a little girl. Luria asked R.V. if

she would like to go to his house to see her cousin Alejandra, Luria’s 17 year-old daughter; R.V.

replied that she wanted to go. R.V. left with Luria without getting permission from Clara.

Instead of going to his house, Luria drove R.V. to his restaurant and took her inside where he

sexually assaulted her. Clara became worried about R.V.’s absence and began calling her cell

phone and other family members in an effort to track her down. Clara, along with other worried

family members, drove over to Luria’s house and found R.V. there. She was crying and had

several bruises, or hickies, on her neck which she did not have that morning. The family called

the police. The police interviewed R.V. and Luria, and then took R.V., accompanied by her

mother, to the hospital for a sexual assault examination. The physical examination showed that

R.V. had tears in her vagina and anus.

Luria was indicted on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of R.V., alleged to have

been committed on or about October 17, 2009. A jury convicted him of two of the three counts.

At the conclusion of the punishment phase, the jury recommended a term of imprisonment of

fifty-two years plus a $10,000 fine on each count. The trial court imposed sentence in

accordance with the jury’s recommendation and ordered the sentences to run concurrently. Luria

now appeals.

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LEGAL SUFFICIENCY

In his first issue, Luria asserts the evidence is legally insufficient to support his

conviction on Counts One and Two because there is no physical, scientific, or testimonial

evidence that his male sexual organ penetrated R.V.’s sexual organ or anus. Luria points out that

his DNA was only found on R.V.’s neck and breast, and not on R.V.’s genitals, and that R.V.

never said his penis penetrated her vagina or anus; he also cites the SANE 2 nurse’s statement that

the vaginal and anal tears could have been caused by something other than sexual intercourse. In

reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we determine whether, viewing all the evidence

in the light most favorable to the verdict, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential

elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319

(1979); Brooks v. State, 323 S.W.3d 893, 899 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010). In conducting a legal

sufficiency review, we defer to the jury’s assessment of the credibility of the witnesses and the

weight to be given to their testimony. Brooks, 323 S.W.3d at 899.

Luria was convicted of intentionally and knowingly causing the penetration of R.V.’s

female sexual organ by his male sexual organ (Count 1), and causing the penetration of R.V.’s

anus by his sexual organ (Count 2), without R.V.’s effective consent in that Luria knew that, as a

result of mental disease or defect, R.V. was incapable of either appraising the nature of the act or

of resisting it. 3 See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.021(a)(1)(A)(i), (a)(2)(C) (West Supp. 2012)

(aggravated sexual assault of a disabled individual). Luria only challenges the sufficiency of the

evidence on the element of penetration.

2 Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner 3 The jury found Luria “not guilty” on Count 3 alleging that he caused R.V.’s female sexual organ to come in contact with his mouth.

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The trial evidence consisted of testimony by R.V. and her family members, the detectives

who interviewed R.V. and Luria, a SANE nurse and an expert on child sexual abuse, plus R.V.’s

medical records and DNA evidence.

Martin Valenzuela, one of R.V.’s uncles, testified that on the evening of the incident, he

received a call from Clara that R.V. was with Luria and she could not reach R.V. Valenzuela

called R.V.’s cell phone and she answered, sounding “nervous.” Valenzuela told her to hand the

phone to Luria. When he asked Luria why he had taken R.V. without permission and told Luria

to bring R.V. over to him, Luria hung up. Valenzuela called back and R.V. answered again; he

could hear Luria’s voice in the background telling her to hang up. There was a click but the call

did not disconnect, and Valenzuela overheard R.V. saying that he had taken her “to where he

was making tacos” and that “if she ever had a baby then it was going to be his because he was

the only one that had been with her.” Valenzuela also overheard Luria tell R.V. to “keep quiet,

not say anything, because they are not going to do anything to him.” Valenzuela got upset and

called Luria’s wife, Lupita, to tell her he was coming over to the house. On his way, Lupita

called him back and told him that Luria had arrived “upset and drunk,” and had kicked her out of

the house; Lupita had taken R.V. with her. Valenzuela drove over and found them a few blocks

down the street from Luria’s house. He immediately noticed that R.V. had marks on her neck

and breast. Valenzuela called the police and waited for them in front of Luria’s house. R.V.

kept her head down and cried. Clara and R.V.’s mother arrived, and R.V. went to the hospital

for an exam with her mother.

San Antonio Police Detective Humberto Carlos Bernal interviewed R.V. on video. R.V.

said Luria “kissed” her “down there,” and pointed to her vaginal area and her rear end; she also

said he kissed her neck and breast and then pointed to “her crotch” and “her behind.” Bernal

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asked if Luria did anything else, and R.V. said “no.” R.V. did not say Luria’s “penis penetrated

her vagina or anus” – she did not use those words. Bernal kept his interview short, anticipating a

longer interview of R.V. at Child Safe because that is who usually does the forensic interview

with children or mentally disabled victims of sexual assault. Bernal stated that if he had known

his would be the only interview of R.V., he would have asked follow-up questions regarding

specific body parts.

Luria gave two video statements to police, which were admitted into evidence.

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Fox v. State
175 S.W.3d 475 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)
De Los Santos v. State
219 S.W.3d 71 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Watson v. State
596 S.W.2d 867 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1980)
Broussard v. State
910 S.W.2d 952 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1995)
Torres v. State
33 S.W.3d 252 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Zuniga v. State
811 S.W.2d 177 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Jones v. State
900 S.W.2d 392 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995)
Solis v. State
647 S.W.2d 95 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1983)
Geuder v. State
115 S.W.3d 11 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2003)
Hiatt v. State
319 S.W.3d 115 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Brooks v. State
323 S.W.3d 893 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Escamilla v. State
334 S.W.3d 263 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2011)
Berotte v. State
992 S.W.2d 13 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Villalon v. State
791 S.W.2d 130 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Vernon v. State
841 S.W.2d 407 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Cornet v. State
359 S.W.3d 217 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
In re A.W.
147 S.W.3d 632 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)

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