Ex Parte Durst

148 S.W.3d 496, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 7560, 2004 WL 1877948
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 24, 2004
Docket14-03-01421-CR, 14-03-01423-CR, 14-04-00194-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by58 cases

This text of 148 S.W.3d 496 (Ex Parte Durst) 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
Ex Parte Durst, 148 S.W.3d 496, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 7560, 2004 WL 1877948 (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinions

MAJORITY OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

WANDA McKEE FOWLER, Justice.

I. INTRODUCTION

This is a highly unusual bond appeal from orders denying Durst’s applications for writs of habeas corpus. It involves the highest bail ever set in Texas for a single offense — $1 billion — as well as the highest amount for three offenses — $3 billion. It involves a defendant, Robert Durst, of apparently great, but undetermined, wealth. It also involves a condition imposed by the trial court requiring Durst, who fled an earlier court date on another charge, to pay for twenty-four-hour supervision by law enforcement.

In addition to that, this is not our first opinion in this case. Originally this Court remanded the case to the trial court because the bail set was grossly and outrageously excessive — -unconstitutionally excessive. However, the majority of the panel did not set an amount for bail or state what a reasonable bail might be, other than to state that we had not found a decision in which bail had been set or approved at even one percent of the three amounts set in this case.

As one can imagine, this case defies comparison with any precedent. That is why Durst filed a motion for rehearing. Fearing that the trial court had no real guidance from this Court or the case law, Durst requested this Court issue a new opinion re-setting bail for each offense. Today, we do just that. A majority of the panel grants rehearing, orders the earlier opinion withdrawn, and sets bail for each offense at $150,000. Although this amount is a bit higher than the high end of the range of bail set for third-degree felonies, we find the amount justifiable under the very unusual circumstances of this very unusual case. We explain below.

II. IN SETTING BAIL, ARTICLE 17.15 OF THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE DIRECTS U.S. TO CONSIDER CERTAIN FACTORS

In three issues, Durst challenges the bail amounts as violating the constitutional and statutory prohibitions against exces[498]*498sive bail.1 See U.S. Const, amend. VIII; Tex. Const, art. I, § 13; Tex.Code CRIM. PROC. art. 1.09.

The right to release before trial is conditioned upon the accused’s giving adequate assurance that he will stand for trial and submit to sentence if convicted. Stack v. Boyle, 342 U.S. 1, 4, 72 S.Ct. 1, 96 L.Ed. 3 (1951). Bail set at an amount higher than reasonably calculated to fulfill this purpose is excessive under the Eighth Amendment. Id.

The burden is on the person seeking the reduction to demonstrate that bail is excessive. See Maldonado v. State, 999 S.W.2d 91, 93 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th. Dist.] 1999, pet. ref'd). The amount of bail is a matter resting within the sound discretion of the trial court and there is no precise standard for reviewing its determination. Ex parte Pemberton, 577 S.W.2d 266, 267 (Tex.Crim.App.1979). However, article 17.15 of the Code of Criminal Procedure serves as a guide.

Article 17.15 provides that bail shall be set, in the exercise of discretion, and according to the following rules:

1. The bail shall be sufficiently high to give reasonable assurance that the undertaking will be complied with.
2. The power to require bail is not to be so used as to make it an instrument of oppression.
3. The nature of the offense and the circumstances under which it was committed are to be considered.
4. The ability to make bail is to be regarded, and proof may be taken upon this point.
5.The future safety of a victim of the alleged offense and the community shall be considered.

Tex.Code Crim. Proc. art. 17.15.

Other circumstances and factors to be considered in determining the amount of bail include family and community ties, length of residency, aggravating factors involved in the offense, the defendant’s work history, prior criminal record, and previous and outstanding bail. Ex parte Rubac, 611 S.W.2d 848, 849 (Tex.Crim.App.1981). We will review each of the factors separately.

A. Sufficient Bail to Assure Appearance

We turn to the first factor, a sufficient bail to assure appearance. The evidence indicates that a bail of approximately $300,000 was not enough to keep Durst in Texas for his trial for murder.2 Durst’s home is New York City. Although Durst previously resided in Galveston for a time, he admits he has no real ties to Galveston County. Because Durst is independently wealthy, he is able to travel easily. He also is willing to disguise himself to evade authorities, having done so in the past. This history of jumping bail and fleeing the jurisdiction certainly supports a finding that he is an extreme flight risk. Indicating her concern about this at the hearing on bond, the trial judge discussed taped conversations of Durst that she heard before his murder trial. In those conversations, he talked about having money secreted in a non-extradition country. These factors support an extremely high bail.

B. Not to be Used as an Instrument of Oppression

[499]*499The second factor requires courts to ensure that bail is not used as an instrument of oppression. This factor is one of the reasons we reversed the original bail. These amounts were so excessive, no one could meet them — not Durst, and not any of the bail bond companies. The bail seemed designed solely to prevent Durst from getting out of jail. This is an example of bail being used as an instrument of oppression. See Tex.Code Crim. Proc. art. 17.15(2).

Even though we are lowering the amount of bail, this record still supports a high bail. A bail set around one million dollars for all three offenses together would not be oppressive. Although the record is a little unclear as to the highest bail Durst could make, it appears that Durst could make a total bail of one million dollars. For his trial, he was able to post bail equaling approximately $300,000, apparently procuring the money in a day, and he was willing to forfeit that amount. His willingness to forfeit indicates access to more money.

C. Nature of the Offense

The third factor under article 17.15 is the nature of the offense for which the defendant is charged. In connection with this, two of the primary factors considered are (1) the length of the sentence, and (2) the nature of the offense. Ex parte Rubac, 611 S.W.2d at 849; Hughes v. State, 843 S.W.2d 236 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, no pet.). Durst is charged with two counts of felony bail jumping and failure to appear under section 38.10 of the Texas Penal Code and one count of tampering with evidence under section 37.09(d)(1) of the Code. Each offense is a third-degree felony punishable by imprisonment from two to ten years and a fíne up to $10,000. Tex. Pen.Code § 12.34.

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Bluebook (online)
148 S.W.3d 496, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 7560, 2004 WL 1877948, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-durst-texapp-2004.