Chakravarthy v. State

516 S.W.3d 116, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 1114, 2017 WL 541130
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 9, 2017
DocketNUMBER 13-14-00086-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 516 S.W.3d 116 (Chakravarthy v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chakravarthy v. State, 516 S.W.3d 116, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 1114, 2017 WL 541130 (Tex. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Memorandum Opinion by

Justice Benavides

By nine issues, appellant Smita Chakra-varthy (“Smita”) appeals her conviction for injury to a child causing bodily injury, a third-degree felony. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. 22.04(f) (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). Smita alleges that: (1) the trial court committed reversible error and abused its discretion regarding voir dire time limits; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by prohibiting counsel from asking questions to the voir dire panel that hindered the ability to use proper challenges; (3) the evidence was legally insufficient to support the conviction with the introduction of extraneous offenses; (4) the trial court erred by admitting the medical examiner’s testimony because the evidence the medical examiner relied on was unreliable; (5) the trial court abused its discretion by denying Smita’s directed verdict based on venue; (6) the trial court committed error by not allowing certain jury instructions; (7) defense counsel was ineffective during the guilt-innocence [124]*124phase by not providing timely notice of an expert witness to the State and trial court; (8) the State committed misconduct by not stating they received fax notice of defense’s expert witness; and (9) the trial court committed error by refusing to let Smita’s expert witness testify based on the State’s objections. We affirm.

I. Background

A Hidalgo County grand jury indicted Smita in 2007 with three felony offenses related to the death of her infant son, Baby R:1 (1) murder, a first-degree felony; (2) capital murder, a capital felony; and (3) injury to a child causing serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. §§ 19.03,19.02, 22.04 (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). Baby R was injured and died as a result of the injuries he sustained in February 2006. A trial on the merits commenced in 2013.

In 2006, Smita, her husband, EVR Chakravarthy, and their infant son, Baby R, were visiting the United States for work training and a vacation. Multiple witnesses testified that Smita and EYR first went to California and then came to Mission to visit family residing there. While visiting the Mission area, Baby R was injured. During the State’s case in chief, witnesses testified that Baby R arrived at the Mission Hospital emergency room on February 17, 2006. After Baby R’s father told doctors that Baby R had fallen off a bed and was wheezing while breathing, Dr. Carlos Ramirez suspected a brain injury and requested an MRI that later confirmed that Baby R had a skull fracture. Baby R was transferred to Valley Baptist Medical Center (“Valley Baptist”) in Har-lingen because of its pediatric infant trauma unit. There, Baby R’s initial injuries were confirmed, and treatment proceeded.

During Baby R’s hospitalization, Mission Police Department officers conducted an investigation related to Baby R’s injuries. Following tips from hospital staff, Investigator Joe Aguilar of Mission Police Department was assigned to the case and interviewed Smita. Investigator Aguilar also visited Smita’s home to observe the scene where Baby R allegedly fell. Investigator Aguilar testified that Smita had given a statement in which Smita stated she had put Baby R on the bed, fallen asleep, and later awoke to find that Baby R had fallen off the bed.

Hospital staff observed that Baby R suffered from additional injuries to his body. Both doctors at Mission Hospital and Valley Baptist noted that Baby R had what appeared to be bite marks all over his body and injuries to his fingernails. Doctors noted that these injuries are not consistent with a ten-month-old baby without teeth. Doctors also observed that Baby R had hemorrhaging in his eyes and sought further consultation from an ophthalmologist to examine Baby R. Additionally, doctors at Valley Baptist consulted with forensic dentist, Dr. Tara Rios, to examine the bite marks on Baby R’s body, as well as forensic pathologist, Dr. Norma Jean Farley, to document the injuries throughout the body. Lastly, dermatologist Dr. James Campbell, examined the bite marks on Baby R’s body to rule out skin infections.

As the police investigation continued into what happened to Baby R, Baby R suffered injury to his brain stem and stopped breathing on his own. Neurological tests revealed that Baby R was brain dead. Baby R subsequently died on February 24, 2006. As required by state law in Texas, in the death of a child under the age of six where abuse is suspected, an autopsy was performed on Baby R. See [125]*125Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. § 49.10(e)(2) (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.).

Dr. Farley conducted the autopsy on Baby R. Due to the injuries, Dr. Farley witnessed on Baby R’s body, she asked Dr. Rios to examine his body again. Mission police observed the autopsy and asked Dr. Rios to take dental molds of Smita and EVR Chakravarthy for forensic dentistry analysis.2 Additionally, Dr. Farley sent Baby R’s eyes to Dr. Frank Scribbick, an ocular pathologist, for further evaluation. Dr. Scribbick found hemorrhages in all layers of the retina, as well as the ocular nerve on both eyes. Dr. Scribbick testified he believed there was no other reason for the hemorrhaging other than a traumatic event.

Dr. Farley testified that other than the already documented fracture on Baby R’s skull, she also observed two additional fractures-two fractures on the left side of his skull and one large fracture on the right side. Two of the fractures Dr. Farley observed had not been evident on Baby R’s previous x-rays and MRIs. Dr. Farley opined at trial that Baby R died of homicide and the cause of his death was blunt force trauma.

Dr. Rios also testified that after taking dental molds of the parents, she noticed Smita had unique characteristics to her teeth. She believed the bite marks matched Smita, but sent them to a colleague for a second opinion. Dr. Peter Marsh, also a forensic odonatologist, evaluated the dental molds made by Dr. Rios and compared them to the bite mark photographs sent to him. After evaluating both, Dr., Marsh determined Smita probably bit Baby R and caused his injuries.

Smita presented her version of the events before the jury. Smita claimed that Baby R had fallen off the bed while she was sleeping and hit his head, thereby causing the fractures to his skull, Smita also presented multiple experts to contradict the State’s experts and support her theory of Baby R’s injuries.3

Following the presentation of the evidence, a Hidalgo County jury convicted Smita of a lesser-included offense of Count One, which was injury to a child causing bodily injury. See id. § 22.04(f). The trial court assessed punishment at two years’ incarceration in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Institutional Division, probated for two years and a fine of $5000.00. Smita’s motion for new trial was denied, and this appeal followed.

II. Sufficiency of the Evidence 4

By her fourth and sixth issues, Smita asserts the evidence is insufficient to support her conviction.

A. Standard of Review and Applicable Law

When evaluating- a sufficiency challenge, the reviewing court views the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict to determine whether a rational jury could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Brooks v. State,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
516 S.W.3d 116, 2017 Tex. App. LEXIS 1114, 2017 WL 541130, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chakravarthy-v-state-texapp-2017.