Chennault v. State

667 S.W.2d 299, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 5060
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 13, 1984
Docket05-82-00974-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 667 S.W.2d 299 (Chennault 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
Chennault v. State, 667 S.W.2d 299, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 5060 (Tex. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

SHUMPERT, Justice.

This is an appeal from a conviction for solicitation of capital murder. In six grounds of error appellant contends: the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction; a witness was improperly allowed to assert the Fifth Amendment privilege; tapes of conversations were provided to the jury during its deliberation in violation of TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC.ANN. art. 36.28; an objection that a part of the prosecutor’s argument was contrary to the charge was mistakenly overruled; and the trial court failed to include a requested jury instruction in the charge. We disagree with appellant’s contentions and affirm the conviction.

Appellant met with undercover Department of Public Safety Officer Wayne Pad-gett on April 8, 1981, and offered him $2500 to kill an individual. At the meeting, he described the man he wanted killed, agreed to pay $2500, and, as an excuse to *301 avoid any prepayment, described how previous attempts on the man’s life had gone awry. Appellant and Padgett arranged another meeting in Houston, but appellant arrived early, and, secretly observing Pad-gett with another man, left without meeting him. On April 11, appellant again called Padgett to further describe Lawrence Perry McGinnes, the intended victim. On April 20, appellant called off the “hit”. Appellant claimed throughout the trial that he had simply played along with Padgett because he suspected him of being in McGinnes’ employ. Appellant’s elaborate act was supposedly directed toward finding out for whom Padgett worked. The jury chose not to believe appellant’s testimony and convicted him of solicitation of capital murder.

Appellant initially contends that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction. He contends that, because he never mentioned McGinnes’ name in his conversations with Padgett, that he could not be found guilty as charged in the indictment. The indictment in pertinent part states:

... Kenneth Lee Chennault ... on or about the 8th day of March ... 1981 ... then and there, with the intent that a capital felony be committed, namely, capital murder, to-wit: the employment of another for the commission of murder in return for the promise of remuneration, the said Defendant did knowingly and intentionally request and attempt to induce another, namely: WINSTON PAD-GETT, to engage in specific conduct that, under the circumstances surrounding the conduct of WINSTON PADGETT as the Defendant believed them to be, would constitute the aforementioned capital felony, to-wit: the said Defendant knowingly and intentionally requested and attempted to induce WINSTON PADGETT to knowingly and intentionally cause the death of an individual, namely: LAWRENCE PERRY McGINNES, in return for the promise of remuneration in the amount of $2,500.00 by the said Defendant to the said WINSTON PADGETT.

The evidence, primarily consisting of taped conversations between appellant and Pad-gett, reveals that at a meeting and in a phone call between appellant and Padgett, appellant gave Padgett the following information about the intended victim. He said the intended victim: was about 48 to 50 years old but he looks older; was about six feet tall; had an afro, gray hair and a small moustache and beard like a goatee that’s very scraggly; had “pecker” surgery; had open heart surgery; can’t stand stress but “he’s skiing now;” had got his ass whipped in a bar; has got money and jewelry; hangs out at the Old Hickory Stick regular about three times a week; and drinks scotch and water. Appellant described the intended victim’s car as a ’76 Lincoln Town Car with usually two or three antennas on the back of it, and described the intended victim’s office building. We hold this description sufficient that the jury could have found that appellant “knowingly and intentionally requested and attempted to induce Winston Padgett to knowingly and intentionally cause the death of an individual, namely: Lawrence Perry McGinnes, in return for the promise of remuneration in the amount of $2,500 by the said defendant to the said Winston Pad-gett.” Despite the fact that the intended victim’s name was never mentioned, this description is sufficient to positively identify McGinnes. Wilson v. State, 654 S.W.2d 465, 471 (Tex.Cr.App.1988). Additionally, when the tapes of the conversation between appellant and Padgett were played in court, appellant testified that, in all conversations, he was referring to Lawrence Perry McGinnes as the intended victim. Appellant’s first ground of error is overruled.

Appellant next contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction because the evidence shows that he solicited someone else to hire a third person to murder McGinnes, and that he (appellant) solicited to solicit murder, not that he solicited murder as charged in the indictment. Appellant's contention ignores the tape recorded conversations between him *302 self and Padgett which contained direct negotiations between the two. We hold that the evidence was sufficient for the jury to find that appellant was guilty of solicitation of capital murder. Wilson, 654 S.W.2d at 471. Appellant’s second ground of error is overruled.

Appellant next contends that the trial court erred in allowing witness Delores McGinnes to assert her Fifth Amendment privilege. We disagree for several reasons. At trial, the defense attorney on voir dire asked Delores questions to which she, and then her attorney, responded that she invoked the Fifth Amendment privilege. Appellant then offered his version of what the alleged answers, if elicited, would tend to prove. After hearing all of the questions and the proposed testimony, the court excused Delores, upholding her assertion of the privilege.

There was no objection nor any attempt made to show that Delores improperly invoked the Fifth Amendment privilege. There wás no demand that the trial court require her to testify; in fact, the defense counsel asked that she be excused after he stated what her testimony would have prove. Additionally, the record does not show that she could have testified to admissible evidence in behalf of appellant without incriminating herself. Brown v. State, 500 S.W.2d 653 (Tex.Cr.App.1973). Further, where the witness’ refusal to testify on grounds that to do so might incriminate her was on the advice of the witness’ attorney, the trial court was not required to make any further determination. Ross v. State, 486 S.W.2d 327, 328 (Tex.Cr.App.1972). Appellant’s third ground of error is overruled.

Appellant contends that the trial court erred in providing the jury tapes of conversations in evidence during its deliberations in the guilt-innocence phase of the trial. He contends that giving the tapes to the jury violated TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC.ANN. art. 36.28 (Vernon 1981) which provides that only under certain circumstances may the jury have testimony from the court reporter’s notes read to them. He argues that, by releasing the tapes to the jury to be played without limitation, the State’s case was prejudicially bolstered, and a fair and impartial trial resulted.

We disagree with appellant’s contention that these recordings constitute testimony and hold that they constitute exhibits.

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Bluebook (online)
667 S.W.2d 299, 1984 Tex. App. LEXIS 5060, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chennault-v-state-texapp-1984.