Davis v. State

952 S.W.2d 20, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 3412, 1997 WL 353280
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 25, 1997
DocketNo. 04-96-00720-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 952 S.W.2d 20 (Davis 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
Davis v. State, 952 S.W.2d 20, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 3412, 1997 WL 353280 (Tex. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

ANGELINI, Justice.

Appellant, Marlin J. Davis (“Davis”), appeals his conviction for aggravated assault. In two points of error, Davis contends the trial court erred by: (1) admitting the testimony of the victim of a prior crime for which Davis was serving deferred adjudication probation; and (2) failing to instruct the jury on Davis’s “right to continue shooting.” Because we conclude the trial court erred in admitting the testimony of the victim of the prior crime for which Davis was serving deferred adjudication probation, we reverse the punishment portion of the trial court’s judgment and remand the cause for a new punishment hearing.

Davis was indicted for the offense of aggravated assault alleged to have occurred on November 25, 1994. Davis previously had been placed on deferred adjudication probation for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. During the punishment phase of Davis’s trial for the aggravated assault charge, the State called the victim of the aggravated robbery offense to testify.

Davis objected to the testimony arguing that article 42.12, section 5(c)(1) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure (the “Code”) only permitted the State to introduce the fact that Davis had received community supervision with a deferred adjudication of guilt and not the details of the underlying offense. The State countered by asserting that the details were admissible under article 37.07, section 3(a) of the Code. The trial court overruled the objection, and the victim’s testimony was admitted.

In his brief, Davis contends the trial court erred in allowing the victim’s testimony because article 42.12, section 5(c)(1) is a specific statute that controls over the more general article 37.07, section 3(a). Since the offense for which Davis was on trial occurred in 1994, the amended version of article 37.07, section 3(a) is applicable,1 which provides in pertinent part as follows:

Sec. 3. Evidence of prior criminal record in all criminal cases after a finding of guilty, (a) Regardless of the plea and whether the punishment be assessed by [22]*22the judge or the jury, evidence may be offered by the state and the defendant as to any matter the court deems relevant to sentencing, including but not limited to the prior criminal record of the defendant, his general reputation, his character, an opinion regarding his character, the circumstances of the offense for which he is being tried, and, notwithstanding Rules 404 and 405, Texas Rules of Criminal Evidence, any other evidence of an extraneous crime or bad act that is shown beyond a reasonable doubt by evidence to have been committed by the defendant or , for which he could be held criminally responsible, regardless of whether he has previously been charged with or finally convicted of the crime or act.

Under this amended or “new” version of article 37.07, section 3(a), witnesses may testify regarding the facts of prior offenses. See Standerford v. State, 928 S.W.2d 688, 692-93 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1996, no pet.)(admitting testimony of four witnesses regarding details of previous DWI convictions); Yates v. State, 917 S.W.2d 915, 921 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 1996, pet. ref'd)(evidence regarding details of a prior offense and of a completed deferred adjudication not objectionable under amended version of statute); see also Cox v. State, 931 S.W.2d 349, 355-357 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1996, pet. granted)(admitting testimony regarding facts of prior bad act). Such testimony is now permissible because the amended statute allows the introduction of “any other evidence of an extraneous crime.” Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 37.07, § 3(a) (Vernon Supp.1997); see generally Terri Moore & Edward L.WilMnson, Punishment Evidence, in State Bar of Texas Prof. Dev. Program, 22 Advanoed Criminal Law Course H, H-10 (1996).

According to Davis, however, testimony regarding the details or facts of an offense for which deferred adjudication has been granted is not admissible because article 37.07, section 3(a), is limited by article 42.12, section 5(e)(1), which provides as follows:

On expiration of a community supervision period imposed under Subsection (a) of this section, if the judge has not proceeded to adjudication of guilt, the judge shall dismiss the proceedings against the defendant and discharge him.... A dismissal and discharge under this section may not be deemed a conviction for the purposes of disqualifications or disabilities imposed by law for conviction of an offense, except that:
(1) upon conviction of a subsequent offense, the fact that the defendant had previously received community supervision with a deferred adjudication of guilt shall be admissible before the court or jury to be considered on the issue of penalty;

Under the language of this specific statutory provision, Davis argues that the State is limited to introducing the fact of the deferred adjudication rather than the details of the underlying offense.

The State counters that Davis’s argument must fail for two reasons. First, the State asserts that article 42.12, section 5(c)(1) is only applicable where the defendant has successfully completed the term of community supervision imposed as a condition of deferred adjudication. Second, the State contends that the express language of article 37.07, section 3(a) unambiguously permits the introduction of the facts of an extraneous crime, “regardless of whether [the defendant] has ... been ... finally convicted of the crime.” To hold otherwise, the State concludes would produce the absurd result of excluding the details of a prior offense committed by a defendant who previously has pled guilty and received deferred adjudication while allowing such details if the offense was committed by a person who has yet to be charged with the offense.

Although we acknowledge the apparent inconsistency in the result asserted by Davis with respect to the admissibility of evidence against a defendant placed on deferred adjudication probation and one yet to be charged with an offense, allowing the details of the offense to be admitted will also produce a disturbing result. Such an interpretation would result in the admission of the details of an offense for which deferred adjudication has been granted but community service has not been completed while excluding such details if community service is complete.

[23]*23In Taylor v. State, the Fort Worth court was faced with an analogous situation. 911 S.W.2d 906 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1995, pet. ref'd). ' The issue in that case was whether appellant’s deferred adjudication was admissible as evidence in a subsequent trial where an appeal was pending in the deferred adjudication case. Id. at 908. In assessing the State’s argument, the court noted:

In response, the State, albeit without supporting ease law, makes a compelling argument that the outcome occasioned by appellant’s argument is “ludicrous.” The State correctly points out that if a defendant is placed on deferred adjudication and successfully lives out the conditions of his probation, then evidence of that deferred adjudication would be admissible in a subsequent trial for another offense. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art.

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Related

Davis v. State
968 S.W.2d 368 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1998)

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Bluebook (online)
952 S.W.2d 20, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 3412, 1997 WL 353280, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-state-texapp-1997.