Chapman Jr., William Richard v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 21, 2004
Docket14-02-00917-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Chapman Jr., William Richard v. State (Chapman Jr., William Richard 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
Chapman Jr., William Richard v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Appellee=s Motion for Rehearing Overruled; Affirmed In Part; Reversed and Remanded In Part; Opinion of August 17, 2004, Withdrawn, and Substitute Opinion filed October 21, 2004

Appellee=s Motion for Rehearing Overruled; Affirmed In Part; Reversed and Remanded In Part; Opinion of August 17, 2004, Withdrawn, and Substitute Opinion filed October 21, 2004.

In The

Fourteenth Court of Appeals

_______________

NO. 14-02-00917-CR

WILLIAM RICHARD CHAPMAN, JR., Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 56th District Court

Galveston County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 01CR1522

S U B S T I T U T E   O P I N I O N

Appellee=s Motion for Rehearing is overruled.  Our original opinion issued on August 17, 2004 is withdrawn, and we issue this substitute opinion.


Appellant, William Richard Chapman, Jr., was charged with aggravated sexual assault of K.M.F, his six-year-old step-daughter.  In appellant=s first trial, the court sua sponte concluded proceedings by announcing a mistrial because the jury was deadlocked.  In appellant=s second trial, the jury found him guilty and assessed punishment at eighty-eight years= confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division.  In four issues, appellant contends the trial court erred by (1) ordering a mistrial of his first trial, (2) admitting improper outcry testimony regarding the charged offense during the guilt/innocence phase of his second trial, (3) allowing a witness to interpret another person=s communication concerning an extraneous offense during the punishment phase of his second trial, and (4) admitting improper outcry testimony regarding the extraneous offense during the punishment phase.  We affirm the guilty verdict but reverse and remand for a new trial on punishment.

I.  Mistrial

In his first issue, appellant contends the trial court erred in sua sponte ordering a mistrial after the jury deliberated from 6:00 p.m. until midnight on a Friday night without reaching a verdict.[1]  A trial court Amay in its discretion discharge [the jury] where it has been kept together for such time as to render it altogether improbable that it can agree.@  Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 36.31 (Vernon 1981); see Ellis v. State, 99 S.W.3d 783, 787 (Tex. App.CHouston [1st Dist.] 2003, pet. ref=d) (recognizing the length of time the jury may be held for deliberation rests in the trial court=s discretion).  Whether the trial court abused its discretion in declaring a mistrial is determined by the amount of time the jury deliberates, considered in light of the nature of the case and evidence.  Beeman v. State, 533 S.W.2d 799, 800B01 (Tex. Crim. App. 1976); Nelson v. State, 813 S.W.2d 651, 653 (Tex. App.CHouston [14th Dist.] 1991, no pet.).


However, here, appellant does not challenge the length of time the jury deliberated.  Instead, he merely complains that the jury deliberated at night.  He asserts that it was highly unusual and unfair for the trial court to compel deliberations at night.  He also suggests the nighttime deliberations caused the deadlock because the jurors were probably exhausted but might have reached a verdict if they had been allowed to continue deliberating on another day.  However, we have found no authority prohibiting deliberations at night.  Further, we have found no authority requiring the trial court to consider the time of day that the jury deliberated when deciding whether to order a mistrial.  Finally, there is no indication the nighttime deliberations caused the deadlock.  To the contrary, as the night progressed, the jury sent various requests to the trial court indicating it was still considering evidence despite the late hour.  It was only after the jury twice said it was deadlocked A8-4@ that the trial court ordered the mistrial.  Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ordering the mistrial.  Appellant=s first issue is overruled.

II.  Outcry Testimony Regarding Charged Offense


In his second issue, appellant contends the trial court erred in admitting outcry testimony from Clarence Grayson, K.M.F.=s grandfather, and Raytwan Grayson, K.M.F.=s father, regarding the charged offense in the guilt/innocence phase of his second trial.  Article 38.072 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure created an Aoutcry exception@ to the hearsay rule in prosecutions for sexual offenses committed against a child twelve years of age or younger.  See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 38.072 (Vernon Supp. 2004B05).  Article 38.072 provides that outcry testimony from the first adult (other than the defendant) to whom the child made statements describing the alleged offense will not be inadmissible because of the hearsay rule if certain requisites are met.

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Chapman Jr., William Richard v. State, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chapman-jr-william-richard-v-state-texapp-2004.