Averett O'Lynn Bradley, Jr. v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 30, 2009
Docket12-07-00318-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Averett O'Lynn Bradley, Jr. v. State (Averett O'Lynn Bradley, Jr. 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
Averett O'Lynn Bradley, Jr. v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

NO. 12-07-00318-CR



IN THE COURT OF APPEALS



TWELFTH COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT



TYLER, TEXAS

AVRETT O'LYNN BRADLEY, JR.,

§
APPEAL FROM THE 188TH

APPELLANT



V.

§
JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT OF



THE STATE OF TEXAS,

APPELLEE

§
GREGG COUNTY, TEXAS

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Avrett O'Lynn Bradley, Jr. appeals his convictions for murder and aggravated assault, for which he was sentenced to imprisonment for fifty years and a $2,000 fine for each offense. Appellant raises five issues on appeal. We affirm.



Background

Appellant was involved in a tumultuous relationship with Sonya Howard. Late one night, the discord between the two escalated, and, according to Howard, Appellant threw a brick through the window of Howard's rental vehicle. Howard, who was in the rental vehicle with some friends and her two young children, went to Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview for examination and treatment. Upon their arrival at Good Shepherd, Howard's friends told two off duty police officers about the incident.

Meanwhile, Appellant picked up his ex-girlfriend from her job at Wal-Mart. He told her that he had thrown a brick at Howard and that he wanted to go to the hospital to determine the extent of her injuries. However, when the two arrived at Good Shepherd and saw police officers in the parking lot, Appellant left. As Appellant drove away, one of the off duty police officers spotted Appellant and provided dispatch with a description of Appellant's vehicle and his direction of travel.

Officer Clay Steelman saw Appellant's vehicle and turned his patrol vehicle around to initiate a stop. Once Steelman began pursuing Appellant, Appellant increased his speed and led Steelman and, later, Officer Paul Hickey on a car chase for several miles through Longview. During the chase, Appellant's vehicle reached speeds of more than ninety miles per hour. Eventually, Sergeant Toby Laughlin instructed Steelman and Hickey to suspend their pursuit of Appellant.

Even after Steelman and Hickey proceeded to terminate their pursuit, Appellant continued driving at an excessive rate of speed. Appellant drove for approximately one-half mile further and collided with a vehicle driven by Doris Owens. (1) Owens was severely injured in the accident. Her ten year old granddaughter, Lanaysha Williams, died as a result of the injuries she sustained in the accident.

Appellant was charged by indictment with murder and manslaughter with regard to Williams, one count of aggravated assault with regard to Owens, and another count of aggravated assault with regard to Howard. Appellant pleaded "not guilty," and the case proceeded to a jury trial. Ultimately, the jury found Appellant "guilty" of murder and, further, found that Appellant used or exhibited a deadly weapon during the commission of the murder. The jury also found Appellant "guilty" of aggravated assault with regard to Owens. Following a trial on punishment, the jury assessed Appellant's punishment at imprisonment for fifty years and a $2,000 fine for each conviction. The trial court sentenced Appellant accordingly, and this appeal followed.



Sufficiency of the Evidence

In his first, second, and third issues, Appellant contends that the evidence was legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction. Specifically, Appellant argues that the evidence is insufficient to establish that he was in immediate flight from the offense of evading arrest at the time of the accident, that he caused Williams's death, or that he committed aggravated assault against Owens.



Standard of Review

Legal sufficiency is the constitutional minimum required by the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to sustain a criminal conviction. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 315-16, 99 S. Ct. 2781, 2786-87, 61 L. Ed. 2d 560 (1979); Escobedo v. State, 6 S.W.3d 1, 6 (Tex. App.-San Antonio 1999, pet. ref'd). The standard for reviewing a legal sufficiency challenge is whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319, 99 S. Ct. at 2789; Johnson v. State, 871 S.W.2d 183, 186 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993). The evidence is examined in the light most favorable to the jury's verdict. Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319, 99 S. Ct. at 2789; Johnson, 871 S.W.2d at 186. A successful legal sufficiency challenge will result in rendition of an acquittal by the reviewing court. See Tibbs v. Florida, 457 U.S. 31, 41-42, 102 S. Ct. 2211, 2217-18, 72 L. Ed. 2d 652 (1982).

In reviewing factual sufficiency, we consider all the evidence weighed by the jury that tends to prove the existence of the elemental fact in dispute and compare it to the evidence that tends to disprove that fact. Santellan v. State, 939 S.W.2d 155, 164 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997). Although we are authorized to disagree with the fact finder's determination, even if probative evidence exists that supports the verdict, see Clewis, 922 S.W.2d at 133, our evaluation should not substantially intrude upon the fact finder's role as the sole judge of the weight and credibility of witness testimony. Santellan, 939 S.W.2d at 164. Where there is conflicting evidence, the verdict on such matters is generally regarded as conclusive. See Van Zandt v. State, 932 S.W.2d 88, 96 (Tex. App.- El Paso 1996, pet. ref'd). Ultimately, we must ask whether a neutral review of all the evidence, both for and against the finding, demonstrates that the proof of guilt is so obviously weak as to undermine our confidence in the fact finder's determination, or the proof of guilt, although adequate if taken alone, is greatly outweighed by contrary proof. Johnson v. State, 23 S.W.3d 1, 11 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); see also Watson v. State, 204 S.W.3d 404, 417 (Tex. Crim. App.

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Related

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443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
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