Boening v. State

422 S.W.2d 469, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 743
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 8, 1967
Docket40769
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 422 S.W.2d 469 (Boening v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boening v. State, 422 S.W.2d 469, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 743 (Tex. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

ONION, Judge.

The offense is Murder without Malice under the provisions of Article 802c, Vernon’s Ann.P.C., the punishment assessed by the jury, two (2) years confinement in the Texas Department of Corrections.

In his first ground of error appellant contends the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction because it does not show that Irma Chapa (the alleged decedent) was, in fact, one of the girls struck by appellant’s automobile; or how Irma Chapa came to her death; or that Irma Chapa’s death was caused by criminal means.

This ground of error requires that we review the evidence presented at some length. At the outset we conclude that the record amply supports the fact that the appellant drove the automobile in question on September 9, 1965, and that at such time he was intoxicated.

Julia Chapa testified that on September 9, 1965, she lived in the city of Fredericks-burg in the rear of the Henke’s store located at Travis and Llano Streets with her husband and four daughters, including nine year old Irma Chapa; that on said date *471 about 6 p. in. she sent Irma to the Weier-shausen station located 4 or 5 blocks from their home for eggs, bread, Pet milk, newspaper, etc.; that Irma was accompanied by Janie Sanchez; that Irma never returned home; that the next time she saw Irma was at a funeral home in Bruni and that Irma was dead.

Walter Weiershausen, the proprietor of a service station and grocery store in Fredericksburg at 812 N. Llano Street, testified two Latin American girls, whose Ages were approximately eight or nine years old, and whose names he did not know, came to his store between 5 and 6 o’clock p. m. on September 9, 1965, and purchased a dozen eggs, a newspaper and some candy.

Gary Heimann, a 13 year old eighth grade school boy, testified that while riding his bicycle and waiting to cross the street at the Weiershausen station at a time between 5:30 and 6:00 p. m. on September 9, 1965, he saw a white Ford automobile run upon the curb and hit two little girls. He related that following the collision he saw one girl lying face down and the other lying in a driveway crying; that groceries were scattered “all over the place.”

Milton Weed, while driving home after work, observed through his rear-view mirror appellant’s car strike two girls on Llano Street. He estimated the time to be approximately “five, ten,” or “fifteen minutes until 6:00” p. m. on September 9, 1965.

Anthony Juarez, who lived in the same yard behind Henke’s store where the Chapas had their trailer house, testified he knew Irma Chapa and Janie Sanchez, Irma’s father, Osberto, and Osberto’s wife Julia. On his way home from work after 5 p. m. on September 9, 1965, Juarez saw Irma Chapa and Janie Sanchez on Llano Street eating candy. He warned them to “be careful for the cars.” He related that later he heard a noise “when it comes that car,” and then observed the little girls on the ground in positions similar to that described by Gary Heimann. Subsequently, in his interrogation Juarez did indicate some uncertainty about the first names of the little girls, but reiterated that their last names were Chapa and Sanchez and that the one that got killed was Chapa.

Jimmy Kuhlman, the City Marshall of Fredericksburg, testified that at 5:55 p.-m., September 9, 1965, he responded to an accident call and when he arrived in the 700 block of N. Llano, he observed a vehicle (a white 1960 Ford) in a yard, a broken pole and appellant beside his car in an intoxicated condition; that he saw one girl lying in the street but he could find no pulse in her wrist or neck; 1 that another girl lying near a driveway was alive and was crying and screaming.

Marshall Kuhlman took a number of pictures at the scene, including one of the little girl lying in the street. These photographs were admitted into evidence before the jury, but they have not been included in the record, though are available to this Court. See Article 40.09, Sec. 15, Vernon’s Ann.C.C.P.

Dr. Edward Stein, Jr., a physician, was on duty at Keidel Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg at approximately 6 p. m., September 9, 1965, when the body of a Latin American girl was brought in. He testified that she was dead on arrival; that he did not know her name but estimated her age at ten years; that from his examination she probably died from head and neck injuries, but without an autopsy he could not be sure; that shortly after the arrival of the body the appellant was brought to him for the purpose of having a blood sample extracted.

G. B. Worley, Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 1 of Gillespie County, testified he made out a death certificate for one Irma Chapa on September 9, 1965. He was not *472 permitted to testify to the information he had placed on said certificate, but did state that he “saw the body.” He subsequently related that he went to the scene of the accident that day, but the little girls had already been removed; that he did observe some eggs and groceries scattered about at the scene, a broken telephone post and a Ford car up in a man’s yard; that he went to the Schaetter’s Funeral Home in Fred-ericksburg and viewed and examined the dead body of “this” little girl “which was broken up pretty bad.”

Osberto Chapa, a resident of Bruni, Texas, testified he and his family resided right behind Mr. Henke’s store at Llano and Travis Streets in Fredericksburg, Texas, on September 9, 1965; that they were the only Chapa family in the neighborhood; that he knew Anthony Juarez; that his daughter Irma was killed in 1965; that he had three children left.

Oliver J. Schaetter of the Schaetter Funeral Home who also operated an ambulance service, received a call at approximately 6 p. m. on September 9, 1965. As a result Schaetter in one car and his father in another car went to the 700 block of North Llano Street. There he found two Latin American girls between seven and ten years of age who were injured. He took one girl to the Fredericksburg Hospital and Clinic and his father took the body of the other girl to another hospital. He testified that the body of a girl he had seen “at the scene” was brought to the funeral home by his father, and he embalmed it; that he had determined the body was that of the little Chapa girl. Schaetter related that “later that evening” he went to the Chapa home where he was shown photographs of the Chapa children including the “little girl.” He could not, however, recall the first name of the father.

It is observed that the trial court did not conclude that it was necessary to charge the jury on the law of circumstantial evidence nor do we find that appellant excepted or objected to the court’s charge, or requested such a charge.

It would appear from the record that Irma Chapa was in apparently good health when she left her home on September 9, 1965, and when we view the evidence, as we are required, in the light most favorable to the State, we conclude that the evidence is sufficient to sustain the conviction. Appellant’s first ground of error is overruled.

In his second ground of error the appellant urges that the State failed to read the indictment to the jury in accordance with Article 36.01, V.A.C.C.P., and that such failure constitutes reversible error.

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Bluebook (online)
422 S.W.2d 469, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 743, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boening-v-state-texcrimapp-1967.