Daniel Paul Bone v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 23, 2012
Docket13-10-00337-CR
StatusPublished

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Bluebook
Daniel Paul Bone v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

NUMBER 13-10-00337-CR

COURT OF APPEALS

THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS

CORPUS CHRISTI–EDINBURG

DANIEL PAUL BONE, Appellant,

v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee.

On appeal from the 24th District Court of Goliad County, Texas

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Before Justices Rodriguez, Vela, and Perkes Memorandum Opinion by Justice Perkes

Appellant, Daniel Paul Bone, appeals his conviction for intoxication manslaughter,

a second-degree felony. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 49.08 (West 2011). After a jury

trial on guilt-innocence, the trial court sentenced appellant to a term of twelve years of

confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice—Institutional Division. By two issues, appellant argues: (1) the trial court erred by admitting the results of a medical

blood test when the State had not demonstrated a proper chain of custody for the blood

sample; and (2) without the blood evidence, the evidence was legally insufficient to

support his conviction. We affirm.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

At approximately 3:00 a.m. on September 5, 2004, appellant left for work, having

consumed alcohol at a concert the previous night. Appellant’s drive from his home in

Premont, Texas to work was about 121 miles. At approximately 5:15 a.m., while driving

his company’s truck on a two-lane stretch of Highway 59 in Goliad County, in foggy

conditions, appellant strayed from his northbound lane of traffic and hit a southbound

vehicle head-on. The driver of the other vehicle, Juan Ramon Flores, died as a result.

Appellant was transported to Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas

for medical treatment. While at the hospital, his blood was drawn for medical purposes,

and upon testing, it showed he was intoxicated.

During the trial, the State offered evidence of intoxication through lab records and

the testimony of Alan Wells, manager of the hospital’s laboratory. Based on the medical

intoxication evidence and other factors, the State offered expert retrograde extrapolation

testimony that appellant’s blood alcohol content at the time of the accident was 0.011 to

0.144, and thus appellant was intoxicated. The State also presented expert testimony

that the lack of evidence of swerving or braking to avoid the collision was consistent with

intoxication. In addition, appellant’s ex-wife testified she tried to talk appellant out of

2 driving to work that morning because he was too intoxicated to drive. Appellant appeals

his conviction that resulted from the introduction of this and other evidence.

II. DISCUSSION

A. The Sufficiency of the Evidence to Support Appellant’s Conviction

By his second issue, appellant contends the evidence is insufficient to support his

conviction for intoxication manslaughter, arguing that should the medical blood evidence

and subsequent retrograde-extrapolation evidence be excluded, the evidence does not

show appellant’s intoxication caused the fatal traffic accident. We disagree.

1. Standard of Review

Evidence is insufficient if, when viewed in a light most favorable to the verdict, a

rational jury could not have found each element of the offense beyond a reasonable

doubt. Wesbrook v. State, 29 S.W.3d 103, 111 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000) (citing Jackson v.

Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979)). In evaluating a legal-sufficiency challenge, we consider

all of the evidence and view it in the light most favorable to the verdict. Jackson, 443

U.S. at 319. The issue on appeal is not whether we, as a court, believe the State’s

evidence or believe that appellant’s evidence outweighs the State’s evidence. Wicker v.

State, 667 S.W.2d 137, 143 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984). The verdict may not be overturned

unless it is irrational or unsupported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Matson v.

State, 819 S.W.2d 839, 846 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). The trier of fact is the sole judge of

the credibility of the witnesses and of the strength of the evidence. Fuentes v. State, 991

S.W.2d 267, 271 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). The trier of fact may choose to believe or

disbelieve any portion of the witnesses’ testimony. Sharp v. State, 707 S.W.2d 611, 614

3 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986). When faced with conflicting evidence, we presume the trier of

fact resolved conflicts in favor of the prevailing party. Turro v. State, 867 S.W.2d 43, 47

(Tex. Crim. App. 1993). Therefore, if any rational trier of fact could have found the

essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt, we must affirm. McDuff v.

State, 939 S.W.2d 607, 614 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997) (citing Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319).

2. Analysis of the Evidence in the Record

We measure the sufficiency of the evidence by the elements of the offense as

defined by a hypothetically correct jury charge. Villarreal v. State, 286 S.W.3d 321, 327

(Tex. Crim. App. 2009) (citing Malik v. State, 953 S.W.2d 234, 240 (Tex. Crim. App.

1997)). Such a charge is one that accurately sets out the law, is authorized by the

indictment, does not unnecessarily increase the State’s burden of proof or unnecessarily

restrict the State’s theories of liability, and adequately describes the particular offense for

which defendant was tried. Id.

A person is considered intoxicated if that person does not have the normal use of

his mental or physical faculties by reason of the introduction of alcohol, a controlled

substance, a drug, a dangerous drug, a combination of those substances or any other

substance into the body or by having an alcohol concentration above 0.08 or more in his

breath, blood, or urine. TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 49.01(2)(A)–(B) (West 2003). In this

regard, nothing in the indictment in this case required the State to prove a certain

blood-alcohol concentration.

A person commits the offense of intoxication manslaughter if that person (1)

operates a motor vehicle in a public place; (2) while intoxicated; and (3) by reason of that

4 intoxication, causes the death of another person by accident or mistake. Id. § 49.08(a);

Wooten v. State, 267 S.W.3d 289, 294–95 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2008, pet.

ref’d). It is not enough that operation of a motor vehicle, even when operated by an

intoxicated person, causes death; rather, the State must prove that a defendant's

intoxication caused the fatal result. See Daniel v. State, 577 S.W.2d 231, 233–34

(Tex.Crim.App.1979); Glauser v. State, 66 S.W.3d 307, 313 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st

Dist.] 2000, pet. ref'd). The State may use circumstantial evidence to prove the causal

link between a defendant’s intoxication and the other person’s death. See Sanchez v.

State, 398 S.W.2d 117, 120 (Tex. Crim. App. 1966) (holding evidence of manner and

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Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Durrett v. State
36 S.W.3d 205 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001)
Kuciemba v. State
310 S.W.3d 460 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Clayton v. State
235 S.W.3d 772 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Wesbrook v. State
29 S.W.3d 103 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Hyde v. State
846 S.W.2d 503 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Malik v. State
953 S.W.2d 234 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Fuentes v. State
991 S.W.2d 267 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Glauser v. State
66 S.W.3d 307 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001)
Lagrone v. State
942 S.W.2d 602 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Pondexter v. State
942 S.W.2d 577 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Matson v. State
819 S.W.2d 839 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Wicker v. State
667 S.W.2d 137 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Villarreal v. State
286 S.W.3d 321 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Couchman v. State
3 S.W.3d 155 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Wooten v. State
267 S.W.3d 289 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Powell v. State
194 S.W.3d 503 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Moses v. State
105 S.W.3d 622 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2003)
Dossett v. State
216 S.W.3d 7 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Sanchez v. State
398 S.W.2d 117 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1965)

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