Flores v. State

48 S.W.3d 397, 2001 WL 549066
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 27, 2001·No. 10-99-361-CR·Published·Cited by 40 cases

Opinions

OPINION

VANCE, Justice.

Fernando Flores was charged by a two-count indictment with murder of a child and injury to a child. A jury convicted him of criminally negligent homicide, a lesser-included offense of murder, and of injury to a child. Flores was sentenced to two years’ confinement for criminally negligent homicide and forty-five years’ confinement for injury to a child. On appeal, he complains that: 1) the jury charge on criminally negligent homicide was defective, 2) the trial court erred in allowing hearsay testimony over his objection, and 3) the evidence was legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction of injury to a child.

[401] We will reverse Flores’s conviction for criminally negligent homicide based on charge error. However, because we overrule his remaining issues, we will affirm Flores’s conviction of injury to a child.

THE EVIDENCE

At trial, the State presented eye-witness and medical testimony to establish that Flores caused blunt-force injuries to his girlfriend’s son, Jay, who was then twenty-three months old. Flores was taking care of Jay and Jay’s five year old sister Gayla while their mother was at work. The State claimed that Flores first injured Jay by striking him in the mid-section on or about December 18, 1997. The State further contended that on or about December 23, Flores injured Jay again by striking him in the mid-section which caused a new injury that resulted in the child’s death.

The State called Gayla, who testified that she saw Flores punch Jay in the stomach with his fist four times. While doing this, Flores taunted Jay by stating, “[N]a-na na-na na-na, your momma is not home.” Medical testimony from the State’s witnesses indicated that the first injury caused a portion of Jay’s bowel to die. The State’s medical evidence also suggested that there was a subsequent injury which caused Jay’s death.

Flores did not testify. The State offered his video-taped and written statements, in which he said that he was roughhousing or playing football with the children when he unintentionally fell on Jay with his elbow to Jay’s mid-section. Flores’s statements suggested that Jay’s multiple bruises and contusions were the result of an inept attempt to administer CPR. Flores called a medical examiner who reviewed Jay’s hospital charts and autopsy report. The expert testified that there was but one injury and that Flores’s explanation of what occurred was consistent with Jay’s injuries.

DISCUSSION

The issues are whether: 1) the jury charge on criminally negligent homicide was defective, 2) the trial court erred in allowing hearsay testimony, and 3) the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support his conviction of injury to a child.

1. Jury charge

Flores complains that the trial court erred by submitting a jury charge that was fundamentally defective because it authorized a conviction of criminally negligent homicide without proof of all the requisite elements of the offense. When reviewing a complaint of charge error, we must first determine whether error actually exists in the charge. Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 (Tex.Crim.App.1984); Garcia v. State, 32 S.W.3d 328, 332 (Tex.App. — San Antonio 2000, no pet.).

In determining whether charge-error exists, we view the charge as a whole rather than isolated statements or parts of the charge standing alone. Holley v. State, 766 S.W.2d 254, 256 (Tex.Crim.App.1989); Washington v. State, 930 S.W.2d 695, 698 (Tex.App. — El Paso 1996, no pet.). If we find charge-error, then we determine whether sufficient harm resulted from the error to require reversal. Almanza, 686 S.W.2d at 171.

The application paragraph of the jury charge reads as follows:

Count 1
Criminally Negligent Homicide
Now, if you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that on or about the 23rd day of December, 1997, in McLennan County, Texas the defendant, Fernando Flores, did, with crimi[402] nal negligence, as that term has been herein defined, cause the death of [Jay] by striking [Jay]; or did with criminal negligence cause blunt force injuries to [Jay] in a manner and means to the grand jury unknown, then you will find the defendant guilty of the lesser included offense of Criminally Negligent Homicide.

(Emphasis added).

A person commits criminally negligent homicide “if he causes the death of an individual by criminal negligence.” Tex. Pen.Code Ann. § 19.05(a) (Vernon 1994). Flores argues the underlined portion of the court’s application paragraph was defective because it omitted the phrase, “which caused the death of Jay,” or words to that effect.1 As a result, Flores claims the jury could have convicted him of criminally negligent homicide without finding an essential element of the offense. We agree.

A jury charge is fundamentally defective when it:

(1) authorizes conviction without proof of all the requisite elements of the offense;
(2) authorizes conviction on a different theory than alleged in the indictment;
(3) authorizes conviction on the theory alleged in the indictment and on additional unalleged theories; or
(4) authorizes conviction for conduct which is not an offense.

Cumbie v. State, 578 S.W.2d 732, 733-34 (Tex.Crim.App.1979)2; see also U.S. v. Gaudin, 515 U.S. 506, 522-23, 115 S.Ct. 2310, 2320, 132 L.E.2d 444 (1995) (The Constitution gives a criminal defendant the right to have the jury determine, beyond a reasonable doubt, his guilt of every element of the crime with which he is charged.).

Here, the charge authorized a conviction of criminally negligent homicide without proof of all the requisite elements of the offense.3 Jackson v. State, 591 S.W.2d 820, 823-24 (Tex.Crim.App.1979). We must now determine whether sufficient harm resulted from the error to require reversal. Almanza, 686 S.W.2d at 171.

One of two standards apply when determining whether sufficient harm resulting from charge error requires reversal. Abdnor v. State, 871 S.W.2d 726, 732 (Tex.Crim.App.1994). When there has been a timely objection made at trial, an appellate court will ask whether there was “some harm.” Id. In contrast, when the error is urged for the first time on appeal, a reviewing court will ask whether the defendant suffered “egregious harm.” Almanza, 686 S.W.2d at 171.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Flores v. State, 48 S.W.3d 397, 2001 WL 549066 (Tex. Ct. App. 2001).

48 S.W.3d 397 (Flores v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Karanya Marquise Dudley v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Tareq Alkayyali v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Raul Lopez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2020
Alberto Pena v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2019
Fears, Ronald Blake
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015
Ruben Fernandez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015
Roland Blake Fears v. State
479 S.W.3d 315 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015)
Tryone Burleson v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015
Luis Alfredo Juarez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2014
Gilbert Sanchez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2014
Smith, Shakeidria Diane v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2012
State v. Gilbert Sanchez
393 S.W.3d 798 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Woodard v. State
300 S.W.3d 404 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Andrew Woodard v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009
in the Matter of E. S., III, a Child
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009
Michael Akeam Jnlouis v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009
Adrian Zacarias Segura v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Baldree v. State
248 S.W.3d 224 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Kenon Roberts v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2007