Benson, Yusulf Shaheed

459 S.W.3d 67, 2015 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 429, 2015 Tex. Crim. App. Unpub. LEXIS 267
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas·Decided April 15, 2015·No. NO. WR-81,764-01·Published·Cited by 101 cases

Opinions

KELLER, P.J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court

in which KEASLER, H.ERVEY, RICHARDSON, YEARY and NEWELL, JJ., joined.

The question in this case is whether intoxication assault and felony DWI (driving while intoxicated) are the same offense for double-jeopardy purposes when they arise out of the same transaction. We hold that they are not.

I. BACKGROUND

Applicant was convicted of both intoxication assault and felony DWI. These convictions arose from the same incident, a traffic accident on October 17, 2010 in which Charles Bundrant suffered serious bodily injury. The felony DWI count was based on the fact that applicant had two prior DWI convictions. Applicant filed a habeas application alleging, among other things, that conviction for both intoxication assault and felony DWI violated his double-jeopardy right to be free from multiple punishments. We filed and set the application on the double-jeopardy claim and ordered briefing.2

Relying heavily upon Bigon v. State3 applicant argues that intoxication assault and felony DWI should be viewed as the same offense under a multi-factor analysis even though they, may have different elements under the Blockburger4 same-elements test. Applicant points out that the two prior DWI convictions are the only elements of felony DWI that are not contained in the offense of intoxication assault. He contends that the two prior convictions should not be considered elements of felony DWI for double-jeopardy purposes but should, instead, be viewed as enhancing punishment. Applicant contends that his position is supported by the fact that the prior-convictions part of DWI is in a separate section from the conduct part of the offense.

Citing a variety of Texas cases, the State contends that the two prior DWI convictions are treated as elements of the offense of felony DWI for a number of [71] purposes and that this treatment indicates that the two convictions ought to be treated as elements for double-jeopardy purposes.

II. ANALYSIS

A. Double-Jeopardy Principles

1. Multiple-Punishment Protection

The Fifth Amendment provides that no person shall “be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.”5 This provision, codifying what is known as the protection against double jeopardy, has been made applicable to the States by the Fourteenth Amendment.6 The protection against double jeopardy includes the protection against multiple punishments.7 In the multiple-punishment context, the double-jeopardy clause prevents a court from prescribing greater punishment than the legislature intended.8

2. One Statute Versus Two Statutes

How legislative intent is ascertained depends in part on whether the offenses at issue are codified in a single statute or in two distinct statutory provisions.9 The codification of offenses in two distinct statutory provisions is, by itself, some indication of a legislative intent to impose multiple punishments.10 When two distinct statutory provisions are at issue, the offenses must be considered the same under both an “elements” analysis and a “units” analysis for a double-jeopardy violation to occur.11 When only one statute is at issue, the “elements” analysis is necessarily resolved in the defendant’s favor, and only a “units” analysis remains to be conducted.12

[72]*723. “Elements” Analysis

The elements analysis conducted in the two-statute context begins with the Blockburgers&me-elements test.13 That test asks “whether each provision requires proof of a fact which the other does not.”14 The application of the Block-burger same-elements test in Texas is governed by the cognate-pleadings approach, which entails comparing the elements of the greater offense as pleaded to the statutory elements of the lesser offense.15 If the two offenses, so compared, have the same elements, then “a judicial presumption arises that the offenses are the same for purposes of double jeopardy” and that the defendant may not be punished for both, but that presumption can be rebutted by a clearly expressed legislative in-tent to impose multiple punishments.16 Conversely, if the two offenses have different elements under the Blockburger test, the judicial presumption is that the offenses are different for double-jeopardy purposes and that cumulative punishment may be imposed.17 This presumption can be rebutted by a showing, through various factors, that the legislature “clearly intended only one” punishment.18

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Benson, Yusulf Shaheed, 459 S.W.3d 67, 2015 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 429, 2015 Tex. Crim. App. Unpub. LEXIS 267 (Tex. 2015).

459 S.W.3d 67 (Benson, Yusulf Shaheed) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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