Fields v. State

627 S.W.2d 714, 1982 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 819
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 3, 1982
Docket64519
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 627 S.W.2d 714 (Fields v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fields v. State, 627 S.W.2d 714, 1982 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 819 (Tex. 1982).

Opinions

OPINION

ROBERTS, Judge.

This is an appeal from a conviction for capital murder as defined by V.T.C.A. Penal [716]*716Code, See. 19.03(a)(3). After finding the appellant guilty, the jury answered “yes” to the first two special issues submitted under Art. 37.071(b), V.A.C.C.P. Punishment was assessed at death.

The appellant was convicted of murdering Linda Brown, the estranged wife of Officer James Brown of the Wichita Falls Police Department, on April 18, 1975. The deceased died of a single gunshot wound. The proof showed that Officer Brown had hired the appellant to commit the murder for $400. The appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence.

The appellant was arrested on January 10, 1976. On May 10, 1976, jury selection began. On May 11, 1976, after three jurors had been selected, the trial court declared a mistrial over the appellant’s objection.

On June 21, 1976, jury selection for the appellant’s second trial began. This time a jury was successfully chosen. However, during the State’s case-in-chief, one of the prosecutor’s questions elicited testimony referring to an inadmissible oral statement made by the appellant. At that point, the appellant’s counsel objected and asked the trial court to declare a mistrial. The court granted the request.

On January 18, 1977, a third trial began. This trial proceeded to a normal conclusion, and on January 21,1977, the jury found the appellant guilty as charged. At the punishment stage of this trial the State’s only evidence consisted of the testimony of Dr. Leon Morris, a psychologist, and Dr. Jack Tomlison, a psychiatrist.

Outside the presence of the jury Dr. Morris was questioned about any warnings he may have given the appellant concerning the psychological examination he was to do:

“Q Prior to the time that you did this evaluation, Mr. (sic) Morris, did you advise the Defendant that he didn’t have to talk to you?
“A Did I advise him that he did not have to talk to me?
“Q Yes.
“A Yes. The first time that I saw him was April the 15th, 1976. I talked with him briefly. I did not examine him at that time. I left some paper tests for him to complete.
“Q Did you at any time tell him that he didn’t have to talk with you, didn’t have to discuss this with you?
“A I don’t remember. I left the tests with him and the next day I went back, and he had not done them. He left me a note stating that — well, if you would like I can read it to you. It says, T don’t mind doing the tests, but since I have been arrested I have been lied to many times. Therefore, I do not trust anything they come up with for me to do. I will have to talk to my lawyer about this first. I’m sorry. Mark Fields.’ So, the testing was postponed. At this time, he had not done any of the tests.
“Q That was what date?
“A The day I picked the note up was April 16th, 1976, but before that, the day before that, April 15th, the day I left the tests I talked with Mr. John Martin of the district attorney’s office, and I talked to Mr. Bailey, the Defendant’s attorney, and I told both of them that I had been requested to do this examination, and I told them that if they had any information that might be relevant to this examination, I would be happy to consider it, so I did talk with the Defense attorney before doing any tests.
“Q Did you tell Mr. Fields at any time that he did not have to participate in the tests?
“A I believe I did. I don’t know whether I told him that the first day or not, but I told him that later, if not the first time.
* * * * * *
“Q Can you tell the Court whether or not you did at any time tell him, Mark Douglas Fields, that the result of any evaluations you might make of him could be used in evidence against him?
[717]*717“A I don’t remember for sure whether I did or not.
“Q You cannot say that you did?
“A I cannot say that I did. I do remember discussing it with his attorney at the time.
“Q Was he present?
“A No.
* * * * * *
“Q And this examination and evaluation that you made of Mark Douglas Fields was done at the direction of the Court, is that correct?
“A Yes, sir, Judge Kirk.
“Q Did Mr. Fields ever request that you come and talk with him?
“A No, he did not.”

Upon the conclusion of this testimony, the appellant’s attorney objected to allowing Dr. Morris to further testify. The basis of the objection was that the appellant had not been warned that he did not have to talk to Dr. Morris or participate in the tests, and that he had not been warned that the results of the tests could be used as evidence against him. The trial court overruled the objection.

When the jury was returned, Dr. Morris was then asked about the results of his tests:

“Q Do you have a diagnostic impression of this Defendant?
“A Yes, certainly, I do. His diagnosis was anti-social personality disorder.
“Q Generally, can you tell us in lay terms.what the anti-social personality disorder means?
“A Generally speaking, it refers to a criminal kind of orientation. This individual has a very weak conscience or no conscience, and has poor impulse control, has inadequate regard for other people and his feelings are very shallow.
“MR. RICHIE: Your Honor, this is repetitious. He told us that once.
“THE COURT: Overruled.
“A (Continuing) The person has little regard for society’s rights and standards, he is very likely to encounter difficulty with rules and laws and very likely to be in trouble over and over and over.
* * * * * *
“Q Doctor, do you have an opinion as to whether or not this Defendant is likely to commit criminal acts of violence in the future that will constitute a continuing threat to society?
“A I would say he is very likely to.”

After Dr. Morris testified, Dr. Tomlison was questioned outside the presence of the jury:

“Q Dr. Tomlison, did you, under the directions of the Court, see Mark Douglas Fields, the Defendant in this ease?
“A Yes, I did.
“Q Do you recall when you first saw him?
“A I saw him on June the 10th, 1976.
“Q How many times thereafter?
“A Just the one time.
“Q All right, sir, did you, prior to the time — he was in the Wichita County jail at that time?
“A He was in the Wichita County jail.

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Bluebook (online)
627 S.W.2d 714, 1982 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 819, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fields-v-state-texcrimapp-1982.