Estrada v. State

945 S.W.2d 271, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 2385, 1997 WL 189829
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 17, 1997
Docket01-94-01055-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 945 S.W.2d 271 (Estrada 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
Estrada v. State, 945 S.W.2d 271, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 2385, 1997 WL 189829 (Tex. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

FARRIS, Justice (Assigned).

Efrain Estrada, Jr. stands convicted of murder. Estrada was accused of taking part with other members of a Baytown gang, the Pelly Rats, in a drive-by shooting intended to target a rival gang. The Rats fired several shots into a family gathering at a home killing Jose Refugio Torres and wounding others present. A jury found Estrada guilty and assessed his punishment at confinement for life and a fine of $5000.

In his first point of error, Estrada contends the trial court erred in denying his Batson motion. In his other five points, Estrada complains of the admission of evidence: (1) extraneous evidence of gang membership, (2) hearsay evidence, (3) his “booking” photograph, (4) bloody photographs, and (5) a videotape which captured the tumult inside the home as the shooting occurred and immediately afterward. We overrule all of Estrada’s points, and affirm the judgment. Estrada did not make a prima facie case the challenged peremptory strike was racially motivated, and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in overruling his objections to evidence.

In his first point of error, Estrada contends the trial court erred in denying his Batson motion. See Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). We overrule point one because Estrada did not make a prima facie case the State deliberately used peremptory challenges to prevent minorities from sitting on the jury.

*273 Estrada complained of the State’s peremptory strike of the first member of the panel who was Spanish-sumamed. The State volunteered its reasons for its strike, that the prospective juror was approximately the same age as Estrada and he had joked with the second panel member. Also, the State pointed out it had not struck three Spanish-sumamed members of the panel who served on the jury. The trial court noted the State’s acceptance of other Spanish-sur-named jurors and overruled the motion.

This Court has twice held the State’s acceptance of jurors of a particular race may, in an appropriate case, support an inference race was not the State’s motive for striking others of the same race. Roberts v. State, 866 S.W.2d 773, 777 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, pet. ref'd); Jones v. State, 845 S.W.2d 419, 422 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, pet. ref'd). Significantly, the victims were of the same race as the stricken panel member. Consequently, this was an appropriate case for a trial judge to infer the State’s strike was not racially motivated. Point one is overruled.

In his second point, Estrada complains the trial court erred in permitting the State to introduce evidence he belonged to the Pelly Rats. Estrada waived any error because there were several times he did not object to testimony of his involvement with the gang or he objected only on other grounds not raised on appeal. Ethington v. State, 819 S.W.2d 854, 858 (Tex.Crim.App.1991).. Point two is overruled.

In his third point of error, Estrada complains the trial court erred in allowing the State to introduce hearsay testimony. It appears his real complaint is that the trial court overruled his motion for mistrial, because his hearsay objections were sustained and the jury was instructed to disregard the hearsay testimony. 1

Estrada complains of the testimony of Baytown police officer Tim Pettigrew, who investigated the shooting, relating how Estrada and the other Rats became suspects. In his testimony, Pettigrew told of conversations with an informant, Jessica Hurley, who had earlier testified of her involvement with the Pelly Rats in planning the drive-by shooting. Hurley had given a note to Petti-grew, as well as other information, identifying Estrada, Edward Salazar, Albert Blanco, and Enrique Diaz as parties to the offense.

Estrada made a series of objections to Pettigrew’s testimony about the information he received from Hurley. The trial court first sustained Estrada’s objection to Petti-grew’s testimony that the four Rats became suspects after they were named by Hurley, and then instructed the jury not to consider the testimony. The State next drew from Pettigrew’s testimony that he had received Hurley’s note, already in evidence. The State noted that Pettigrew had then talked with the other three accused Rats, and was able to confirm the information in the note, thereby confirming Estrada’s involvement. The trial court sustained Estrada’s objection, and instructed the jury not to consider Petti-grew’s answer, 2 but overruled Estrada’s motion for mistrial.

Finally, the State asked Pettigrew if he was able to confirm the involvement of Blan-co, Diaz, and Salazar, after he talked with them. Estrada objected after Pettigrew answered, “Yes, sir; I was.” The trial court sustained the objection and instructed the jury to disregard the answer. Estrada moved for mistrial, but his motion was followed by an unrecorded bench discussion and there is no recorded ruling. Estrada contends the hearsay testimony was harmful because it gave the jurors the impression that all three of his companions told Petti-grew that he was involved in the shooting while only Diaz testified.

Estrada cites two cases which address the admission of “backdoor” hearsay. Schaffer v. State, 111 S.W.2d 111 (Tex.Crim.App.1989); Coots v. State, 826 S.W.2d 955 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, no pet.). Unlike this case, in both Schaffer and Coots *274 the defendant’s hearsay objection was overruled, and the complaint was of evidence admitted against the accused. Schaffer, 111 S.W.2d at 113; Coots, 826 S.W.2d at 958.

Generally, harm from improper testimony is cured by an instruction to disregard, except in extreme cases where it appears the evidence is clearly calculated to inflame the minds of the jurors, and is of such character as to suggest the impossibility of withdrawing the impression produced on their minds. Gardner v. State, 730 S.W.2d 675, 696 (Tex.Crim.App.1987); McKay v. State, 707 S.W.2d 23, 36 (Tex.Crim.App.1985). Considering the nature of the State’s questions and Pettigrew’s answers, it appears the hearsay testimony was of a character that could be cured by the instruction to disregard. Additionally, the extent of other evidence involving Estrada in the shooting precludes harm because the testimony to which Estrada objected was cumulative of other testimony of Pettigrew, Hurley, and Diaz.

Pettigrew testified, without objection, that he immediately suspected the Pelly Rats were involved in the drive-by shooting and, in the course of interviewing members of the gang, Estrada became a suspect.

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Bluebook (online)
945 S.W.2d 271, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 2385, 1997 WL 189829, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/estrada-v-state-texapp-1997.