Bright, Cody

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided July 9, 2015·No. PD-0743-15·Published

Opinion

PD-0743-15

COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS

Transmitted 7/8/2015 9:15:02 AM Accepted 7/9/2015 3:57:01 PM ABEL ACOSTA

PD-0743-15 CLERK PD-0744-15

IN THE TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

CODY BRIGHT

APPELLANT

vs.

THE STATE OF TEXAS

APPELLEE

FROM THE FIFTH COURT OF APPEALS CAUSE NOS. 05-13-00997-CR & 05-13-00998-CR

APPEAL FROM THE 283RD JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT OF DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS, CAUSE NOS. F12-239700, -977

APPELLANT’S PETITION FOR

DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

BRUCE ANTON SORRELS, UDASHEN & ANTON State Bar No. 01274700 2311 Cedar Springs, Suite 250 ba@sualaw.com Dallas, Texas 75201 214-468-8100 (office)

BRETT ORDIWAY 214-468-8104 (fax) State Bar No. 24079086 bordiway@sualaw.com Counsel for Appellant

July 9, 2015

Ground for Review

Bright argued on appeal that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to call his girlfriend as a witness at his punishment hearing. The court of appeals analyzed, however, whether Bright’s guilty plea was involuntary because counsel was ineffective in failing to call his girlfriend as a witness at the guilt phase of trial. Did the court of appeals thus ignore the issue raised and necessary to the disposition of Bright’s first ground of error?

Table of Contents

Ground for Review ...................................................................................... 2 Index of Authorities .................................................................................... 4 Identity of Parties and Counsel ................................................................. 5 Statement Regarding Oral Argument ....................................................... 6 Statement of the Case and Procedural History ........................................ 7 Argument .................................................................................................... 9

The court of appeals ignored the issue raised and necessary to the disposition of Bright’s first ground of error. .......................................... 9

I. Bright’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel ........................ 9

II. The court of appeals entirely ignored Jones’s first issue, instead addressing a claim never asserted ................................................... 11

Prayer ........................................................................................................ 14 Certificate of Service ................................................................................ 16 Certificate of Compliance ......................................................................... 16 Appendix ................................................................................................... 17

Index of Authorities

Cases

Bright v. State, No. 05-13-00997-CR, 2015 WL 2400738. (Tex. App.—

Dallas 2015)....................................................................................... 8, 12 Carsner v. State, --- S.W.3d ---, PD-0153-14, 2014 WL 4722762 (Tex.

Crim. App. Sept. 24, 2014) ................................................................... 13 Ex parte Briggs, 187 S.W.3d 458, 469 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005)............... 12 Gipson v. State, 383 S.W.3d 152, 159 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) ............... 13 Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 59 (1985) .................................................. 12 Rivera v. State, 123 S.W.3d 21, 32 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2003, pet. ref’d) ................................................................................................ 13 Shanklin v. State, 190 S.W.3d 154, 165 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.]

2005, pet. dism’d) .................................................................................. 13 Sims v. State, 99 S.W.3d 600, 603 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003)............... 13, 14 Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 694 (1984) .............................. 13 Turrubiate v. State, 399 S.W.3d 147, 156 (Tex.Crim.App.2013) ............ 13 Wright v. State, No. 811-03, 2003 WL 22909085, at *1 (Tex. Crim. App.

2003) ...................................................................................................... 14

Statutes TEX. PEN. CODE §22.02 ............................................................................... 7

Rules TEX. R. APP. P. 47.1 ................................................................................... 13

Identity of Parties and Counsel For Appellant Cody Bright:

RANDALL B. ISENBERG Trial counsel of record

4303 North Central Expressway Dallas, Texas 75205

BRUCE ANTON BRETT E. ORDIWAY Motion for new trial and appellate counsel of record SORRELS, UDASHEN & ANTON 2311 Cedar Springs Suite 250 Dallas, Texas 75201

For Appellee the State of Texas:

CHRIS PRYOR Trial and motion for new trial counsel of record DALLAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 133 N. Riverside Drive Dallas, Texas 75027

MICHAEL J. SANDLIN Appellate counsel of record DALLAS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 133 N. Riverside Drive Dallas, Texas 75027

Statement Regarding Oral Argument The issue in this case is simple. Oral argument is not necessary to this Court’s understanding, and is therefore waived.

Statement of the Case and Procedural History Bright’s mother called 9-1-1. On the recording of the call, admitted at Bright’s trial, he can be heard threatening to cut someone. (SX2). The responding officers testified that Bright’s parents told them that Bright had threatened his mother and girlfriend with a knife. (RR2: 146).

Bright was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. See TEX. PEN. CODE §22.02(a)(2). He pleaded guilty, but, at his sentencing hearing before the court, neither of his parents testi- fied that Bright had a knife. (RR2: 160, 180). Bright’s father denied that he had threatened them at all, and, when confronted with his earlier, contrary statement to police, he testified that he did not recall writing that. (RR2: 160, 163). Bright himself admitted that he had lost his tem- per, but testified that he held only a spatula, not a knife. (RR2: 196). Further, though, at trial, the State averred that recordings of calls be- tween Bright and his mother while Bright was in jail reflect “that he had scared her with the knife and that she was scared so badly she wet her pants,” in fact only the latter is reflected on those recordings. (RR3: 35; SX3). Nonetheless, the court sentenced Bright in each case to eight years’ imprisonment, to run concurrently. (RR2: 212).

Bright filed a motion requesting a new trial, on the grounds that:

(1) his trial attorney was ineffective in failing to secure as a witness his girlfriend; (2) his trial attorney was ineffective in failing to ensure that evidence of Bright’s parents’ prior inconsistent statements was admit- ted for impeachment purposes only; and (3) the evidence was insuffi- cient to establish that a deadly weapon was used. (CR1: 49-51; CR2: 50- 52)1. The trial court held a hearing on the motion, at the conclusion of which it denied the motion.

On appeal to the Fifth Court of Appeals at Dallas, Bright argued his trial counsel was ineffective (1) in failing to call his girlfriend as a witness and (2) in advising him to plead guilty. Bright v. State, No. 05- 13-00997-CR, 2015 WL 2400738. (Tex. App.—Dallas 2015). The court overruled both grounds, but modified the trial court’s judgments to re- flect that the trial court’s deadly weapon finding was for the use of a knife, not a firearm. Id. at *3. No motion for rehearing was filed.

1 “CR1” refers to the Clerk’s Record in F1223970. “CR2” refers to the Clerk’s record in trial cause no. F1223977.

Argument

The court of appeals ignored the issue raised and necessary to the disposition of Bright’s first ground of error.

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Related

Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Hill v. Lockhart
474 U.S. 52 (Supreme Court, 1985)
Ex Parte Harrington
310 S.W.3d 452 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Rivera v. State
123 S.W.3d 21 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Ex Parte Moody
991 S.W.2d 856 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Asberry v. State
813 S.W.2d 526 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Shanklin v. State
190 S.W.3d 154 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)
Sims v. State
99 S.W.3d 600 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2003)
Ex Parte Briggs
187 S.W.3d 458 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2005)
Ex Parte Martinez
330 S.W.3d 891 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2011)
Bigley v. State
865 S.W.2d 26 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Lopez v. State
343 S.W.3d 137 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2011)
Gipson, Raimond Kevon
383 S.W.3d 152 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Riley, Billy Dee Jr.
378 S.W.3d 453 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Turrubiate v. State
399 S.W.3d 147 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Carsner v. State
444 S.W.3d 1 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2014)
Ex Parte Yadher Murillo
389 S.W.3d 922 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2013)