Carlos Carranza Gaona v. State

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 24, 2010·No. 13-08-00342-CR·Published

Opinion

NUMBER 13-08-342-CR

COURT OF APPEALS

THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS CORPUS CHRISTI - EDINBURG

CARLOS CARRANZA GAONA, Appellant, v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee.

On appeal from the 206th District Court of Hidalgo County, Texas.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Before Justices Yañez, Rodriguez, and Garza Memorandum Opinion by Justice Yañez

A jury convicted appellant, Carlos Carranza Gaona, of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child.1 The trial court assessed punishment at twenty-five years’

1 See T EX . P EN AL C OD E A N N . § 22.021(a)(1)(B)(i), (ii), (iv); (a)(2)(B) (Vernon Supp. 2009).

imprisonment for each count, to be served consecutively.2 In nine issues, which we re- group and re-number as four, appellant contends: (1) the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction in count one; (2) the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction in count two; (3) the jury charge erroneously permitted his conviction on a less-than-unanimous verdict on the alternative paragraphs alleged in count one; and (4) the jury charge permitting a less-than-unanimous verdict denied him a right to a fair trial guaranteed by the United States and Texas Constitutions and the code of criminal procedure. We affirm.

I. Background

Appellant is the paternal grandfather of the victim, “Rick Garza,”3 who was nine years old when the alleged offenses occurred.4 Rick lived with his paternal grandparents, appellant and Maria de la Luz Gaona. On weekends, Rick frequently spent time with his father, Carlos Gaona (“Carlos”), and step-mother, Teodora Gaona (“Dora”), who lived nearby.5 Dora’s sister-in-law, Minerva Gamez, and her children, among others, also lived with Carlos and Dora.

In mid-to-late June, 2006, Carlos picked Rick up for a long weekend at Carlos and

2 Appellant pleaded “true” to an enhancem ent paragraph. See id. §§ 22.021(e) (providing that aggravated sexual assault is first-degree felony); 12.32 (Vernon Supp. 2009) (providing that punishm ent for first-degree felony is life or five to ninety-nine years’ im prisonm ent and m axim um fine of $10,000); 3.03(b)(2) (Vernon Supp. 2009) (providing that sentences m ay run concurrently or consecutively for offenses com m itted against victim younger than seventeen at tim e offenses were com m itted).

3 Roy Edward Estrada, a crim inal investigator for the City of San Juan Police Departm ent, testified that he assigned the victim the pseudonym “Rick Garza.” Accordingly, we refer to the victim in this opinion as “Rick.” See T EX . C OD E C R IM . P R O C . A N N . art. 57.02 (Vernon Supp. 2009).

4 Rick’s date of birth is March 30, 1997.

5 Carlos testified that he and Rick’s m other, Maria Luisa Soto, separated in 2000, got back together briefly in 2002, and then finally separated in 2002. Since 2002, Rick lived with his paternal grandparents.

Dora’s house. The weekend family outing included a trip to a skating rink and to the mall. At the end of the weekend, as the time approached to return Rick to his grandparents’ house, he became upset, began crying, and said he was afraid to go back to his grandparents’ house. Rick said he was afraid of appellant because appellant had been hurting him in his “butt.” Shortly thereafter, Rick’s allegations were reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) and the police. Rick was subsequently interviewed at the Children’s Advocacy Center and was physically examined by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (“SANE”) nurse.

At trial, the jury was asked to determine appellant’s guilt or innocence with respect to seven counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, as follows: (1) on June 17, 2006, appellant caused his sexual organ to contact Rick’s anus or caused his sexual organ to penetrate Rick’s anus (Count One); (2) on June 17, 2006, appellant caused his sexual organ to penetrate Rick’s mouth (Count Two); (3) on June 17, 2006, appellant caused his finger to penetrate Rick’s anus (Count Three); (4) on May 31, 2006, appellant caused his sexual organ to contact Rick’s anus or caused his sexual organ to penetrate Rick’s anus (Count Four); (5) on May 31, 2006, appellant caused his sexual organ to penetrate Rick’s mouth (Count Five); (6) on April 30, 2006, appellant caused his sexual organ to contact Rick’s anus or caused his sexual organ to penetrate Rick’s anus (Count Six); and (7) on April 30, 2006, appellant caused his sexual organ to penetrate Rick’s mouth (Count Seven). The jury found appellant guilty of counts one and two, and not guilty of counts three through seven.

II. Standard of Review and Applicable Law In reviewing the legal sufficiency of evidence, an appellate court must review all the

evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, and ask whether “‘any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt’— not whether ‘it believes that the evidence at the trial established guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.’”6 The trier of fact is the sole judge of the facts, the credibility of the witnesses, and the weight given to testimony.7 We do not reevaluate the weight and credibility of the evidence, and we do not substitute our own judgment for the trier of fact.8 We resolve any inconsistencies in the evidence in favor of the judgment.9 In conducting a factual sufficiency review, we review the evidence in a neutral light to determine whether the evidence is so weak that the jury’s verdict seems clearly wrong and manifestly unjust or whether it is against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence.10 Unless the record clearly reveals that a different result is appropriate, we must defer to the fact finder’s determination concerning what weight to be given to contradictory testimony.11 In conducting a factual sufficiency review, we must also consider the evidence that, according to the appellant, most undermines the jury’s verdict.12 The testimony of a child sexual abuse victim alone is sufficient to support a

6 Laster v. State, 275 S.W .3d 512, 517 (Tex. Crim . App. 2009) (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S.

307, 318-19 (1979)).

7 See T EX . C OD E C R IM . P R O C . A N N . art. 38.04 (Vernon 1979); Jackson, 443 U.S. at 318-19; Beckham v. State, 29 S.W .3d 148, 151 (Tex. App.–Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, pet. ref'd).

8 King v. State, 29 S.W .3d 556, 562 (Tex. Crim . App. 2000) (en banc); Beckham, 29 S.W .3d at 151.

9 Curry v. State, 30 S.W .3d 394, 406 (Tex. Crim . App. 2000).

10 W atson v. State, 204 S.W .3d 404, 414-15 (Tex. Crim . App. 2006).

11 Lancon v. State, 253 S.W .3d 699, 705 (Tex. Crim . App. 2008).

12 See Sims v. State, 99 S.W .3d 600, 601 (Tex. Crim . App. 2003).

conviction for aggravated sexual assault.13 The victim’s description of what happened to him need not be precise, and he is not expected to express himself at the same level of sophistication as an adult.14 A child victim need not testify to penetration, which the State may prove through circumstantial evidence.15 However, the testimony of a child victim alone is sufficient evidence of penetration to support a conviction.16 There is no requirement that the victim’s testimony be corroborated by medical or physical evidence.17 Further, outcry testimony alone can be sufficient to sustain a conviction for aggravated sexual assault.18 The State is not required to present direct evidence, such as eyewitness testimony, to establish guilt.19 “Circumstantial evidence is as probative as direct evidence in establishing the guilt of an actor, and circumstantial evidence alone can be sufficient to establish guilt.”20 The law does not require that each fact “point directly and independently to the guilt of the appellant, as long as the cumulative force of all the incriminating

13 Soto v. State, 267 S.W .3d 327, 332 (Tex. App.–Corpus Christi 2008, no pet.); see also Gomez v.

State, No. 13-08-157-CR, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 6985, at *14 (Tex. App.–Corpus Christi 2009, no pet.) (m em . op., not designated for publication).

14 Soto, 267 S.W .3d at 332.

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)