Diamonte Jakeli Paynes v. the State of Texas

Opinion

In the

Court of Appeals

Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana

No. 06-26-00055-CR

DIAMONTE JAKELI PAYNES, Appellant V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 8th District Court Hopkins County, Texas

Trial Court No. 2530758

Before Stevens, C.J., van Cleef and Rambin, JJ.

Memorandum Opinion by Justice van Cleef

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Diamonte Jakeli Paynes appeals three judgments adjudicating his guilt.1 In this opinion, we address his conviction for attempted tampering with physical evidence. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. §§ 15.01(a), 37.09(c) (Supp.). A Hopkins County jury found Paynes guilty and assessed a sentence of two years’ confinement in a state jail facility.

Via a single, consolidated brief, Paynes asserts that the trial court abused its discretion under Rule 403 of the Texas Rules of Evidence by admitting sixty-two exhibits including rap lyrics and related writings attributed to him. See TEX. R. EVID. 403.

We address Paynes’ argument in detail in our opinion addressing his appeal in his companion appellate cause number 06-26-00057-CR, and we apply the same legal standard and analysis here as we did in his companion case. We determined that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the sixty-two rap-lyrics exhibits.

Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.

Charles van Cleef

Justice

Date Submitted: August 17, 2026 Date Decided: August 25, 2026

Do Not Publish

1 We address Paynes’ appeal of his conviction for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle in his companion appellate cause number 06-26-00056-CR (trial court cause number 2530760). See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 31.07. We address Paynes’ appeal of his conviction for continuous trafficking of persons in his companion appellate cause number 06-26-00057 (trial court cause number 2530925). See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 20A.03(e).