Boyd v. State

419 S.W.2d 843, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 935
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 12, 1967
Docket40485
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 419 S.W.2d 843 (Boyd 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
Boyd v. State, 419 S.W.2d 843, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 935 (Tex. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

WOODLEY, Presiding Judge.

The offense is kidnapping for the purpose of extortion; the punishment, 40 years.

The indictment alleged that appellant and Virgil Chester Mcllvain did “unlawfully and forcibly detain, forcibly confine, forcibly conceal annd fraudulently entice away Robert Payne for the purpose and with the intent of taking, receiving, demanding and extorting from the said Robert Payne * * * valuable property, to wit fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00) current money of the United States of America.”

Trial was before a jury under the 1965 Code of Criminal Procedure on a plea of not guilty.

The court’s charge authorized a finding of guilty if the jury found from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant “did unlawfully and forcibly detain, or forcibly confine, or forcibly conceal and fraudulently entice away Robert *845 Payne for the purpose and with the intent of taking or receiving, or demanding or extorting from the said Robert Payne ⅝ * * valuable property, to wit: fifteen thousand dollars * * * or any part thereof.”

Appellant’s first ground of error relates to his exception III to the court’s charge which reads:

“Defendant excepts to Page One of the Court’s charge, paragraph three in that it does not charge on the statute with reference to the allegations as set out in the Indictment and Defendant excepts that Page One and Two of the Court’s charge to the Court’s submitting that the theory that the Defendant may be convicted for forcibly concealing and fraudulently enticing away Robert Payne because there is no evidence to support same.”

Ground of error No. 2 relates to Exception No. II to the court’s charge and presents the alternative contention that the state failed to prove all of the descriptive allegations of the indictment as to the elements of the offense and how it may be committed, namely “did unlawfully and forcibly detain, or forcibly confine, or forcibly conceal and fraudulently entice away Robert Payne * *

Complainant Robert Payne, a practicing attorney, testified that appellant came to his office, situated on the same property where his farm home was located, and urged Payne to go with him to the scene of a fight that appellant had apparently had with another man the night before. After Payne refused to go, appellant drew a pistol from his pocket and ordered him to go. Payne drove appellant’s car to a house where Virgil Chester Mcllvain was staying. The three, with McIlvain driving, went to a farmhouse near the city of Plano owned by one Joe Hunter Harrington. Appellant told Payne, while outside the farmhouse, that he wanted $15,000 for the purpose of conducting a bookmaking operation in Collin County (where Plano is located). Payne was taken into one room of the Harrington farmhouse while Harrington, Mcllvain and appellant discussed bookmaking operations in another room.

Later, appellant, Payne and Mcllvain left the farmhouse with Mcllvain driving and appellant in the back, seated immediately behind Payne. During the return trip to Dallas appellant continually threatened Payne with his life unless he would give appellant $15,000. At one point during this trip appellant hit Payne on the head with a pistol which he had continuously kept in his hand.

The trio proceeded to one Peewee Karr’s house where Payne was taken to a small building behind the house while Mcllvain went to locate Karr. Appellant continued to demand the $15,000 and told Payne that he would kill him if he tried to leave, and pistol-whipped Payne on the head. When Karr arrived appellant told him that he was going to be given $15,000 by Payne. Appellant then had Payne call his bank and tell a Mrs. Scallorn that he wanted $15,000 cash prepared for him so he could come to the bank and pick it up.

Payne was then taken to a doctor’s office where his wounds were dressed. After leaving the office Payne, Mcllvain, Karr and appellant went to Payne’s bank. Following a lengthy discussion with the bank officer concerning the manner in which the $15,000 would be handled (the problem being Karr not wanting to take cash because of present tax difficulties), a joint account with Payne and “P. W. Carr” was opened, financed by a check for $15,000 written by Payne on his personal account.

Karr drove Payne home from the bank and Payne filed a formal complaint the following morning.

The statute describing the offense of kidnapping for extortion (Art. 1177a P.C.) sets out in the disjunctive the means of committing the offense, and the court’s charge was properly framed in the statutory *846 form. See 4 Branch’s Ann.P.C.2d 247, Sec. 1926.1.

The framing of the indictment in the conjunctive was the proper method and did not require the state to prove each distinct element set out therein. Shook v. State, 156 Tex.Cr.R. 515, 244 S.W.2d 220; Odie v. State, 139 Tex.Cr.R. 288, 139 S.W.2d 595.

Further, we find the evidence, viewed from the standpoint of the state, sufficient to sustain a finding by the jury that Payne was not only forcibly detained and confined but was forcibly concealed and fraudulently enticed away by appellant.

Appellant’s third point of error is the contention that the court erred in charging in the abstract on the law of principals but failing to apply that law to the facts. Appellant does not show that the charge in this regard was calculated to injure the rights of the accused. Lowe v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 377 S.W.2d 193; Bryant v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 397 S.W.2d 445.

Point of error number four concerns the requested instruction by appellant to the effect that he could not be convicted if his only intent was to obtain an account receipt and deposit slip representing a deposit of $15,000. Appellant argues that this was a defensive issue raised by the evidence and that he was entitled to an affirmative submission to the jury of this defense.

The court charged the jury as follows:

“You are further instructed that before you can convict the defendant of kidnapping for the purpose of extortion, if he did, you must further find and believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time of the forcible detention, if any, or confinement, if any, or concealment, if any, and fraudulent enticement, if any, had the specific intent to extort $15,000 current money of the United States, or any part thereof, and unless you do so find and believe or if you have a reasonable doubt thereof, then you will acquit the defendant and say by your verdict not guilty.”

The quoted portion of the charge adequately protected appellant’s interests insofar as his defensive issue was concerned. No error is perceived.

Appellant’s fifth point of error presents the contention that the court should have instructed the jury that aggravated assault was not an element of the offense with which appellant was charged, and should have submitted the converse to the state’s charge with respect thereto.

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Parker v. State
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665 S.W.2d 484 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Hart v. State
447 S.W.2d 944 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
419 S.W.2d 843, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 935, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boyd-v-state-texcrimapp-1967.