Heard v. State

701 S.W.2d 298, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12517
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 27, 1985
DocketC14-84-854-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 701 S.W.2d 298 (Heard 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
Heard v. State, 701 S.W.2d 298, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12517 (Tex. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION

ROBERTSON, Judge.

The jury rejected appellant’s not guilty plea to aggravated robbery and the court assessed punishment at confinement for life. Issues before us concern an objection to the court’s charge on parties, the denial of a motion to quash the indictment, a limitation on cross-examination of a witness and the denial of motion to suppress a confession. We affirm.

The sufficiency of the evidence is not challenged. It will be discussed only as is necessary in addressing appellant’s claims.

In his first ground of error, appellant contends the court erred in overruling his objection to the court’s charge on the law of parties. In defining the law of parties the charge stated:

All persons are parties to an offense who are guilty of acting together in the commission of the offense. A person is criminally responsible as a party to an offense if the offense is committed by his own conduct, by the conduct of another for which he is criminally responsible, or both.
A person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by the conduct of another if, acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense. Mere presence alone will not constitute one a party to an offense.

In applying the law to the facts, the court authorized the jury to find appellant guilty if they found beyond a reasonable doubt that he, “either acting alone or as a party to an offense as that term has been herein above defined”, committed the acts constituting the offense.

The trial court permitted appellant’s counsel to dictate his objections to the charge to the court reporter. Concerning that portion of the charge on parties, appellant stated: “[t]he defendant further objects to paragraph six of the charge, that being the application of the law to the facts, for failing to set forth all the elements of the law of parties to the facts.” The state asserts appellant has not preserved the alleged error for our review because “a requested instruction in writing” was not presented in accordance with Article 36.15, Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. (Vernon Supp.1985). We believe, however, appellant’s objection was authorized by Article 36.14 Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. (Vernon Supp.1985).

While we find the objection to the charge preserved error, we still have difficulty in understanding what he was complaining of and, therefore, seriously doubt the objection was specific enough to call the court’s attention to his present complaint. It is clear to us that appellant’s objection to the charge was based upon the failure of the charge, in applying the law to the facts, to specify how one becomes guilty as a party. If this was his objection, then it was without merit because the trial court explained in the two previous paragraphs of the charge how one may be guilty as a party. It was not necessary to repeat it.

In his brief on appeal, appellant argues “it is clear that appellant was guilty only as a party and not as the primary actor.” If this was the underlying basis for his objection, it does not appear that the objection distinctly specified the ground of objection as required by Article 36.14.

However, even if we held the objection sufficient to preserve the contention now made, we would still find no error. A charge setting out the law of parties to the facts of the case is only required where the defendant, if guilty, is guilty only as a party and not as a primary actor. Failure to so charge, even in that situation, is only reversible error upon a timely and sufficient objection. Jaycon v. State, 651 S.W.2d 803 (Tex.Crim.App.1983).

*300 Appellant’s premise that the evidence shows appellant was guilty only as a party and not as the primary actor is not supported by the record. Appellant’s written statement and the testimony of Henley, the accomplice witness, clearly show that appellant, Henley and a third co-defendant, Helms, all agreed to rob and kill the deceased and that all three of them searched the house and garage taking money, a stereo, car titles, tools and two automobiles. However, the statement and testimony show it was appellant who, (1) cut and carried the piece of rope to be used for strangulation to the home of the deceased, (2) placed the rope around the neck of the deceased as he, the deceased, was seated at the table reading his mail, (3) had the deceased on the floor, strangling him before the two co-defendants assisted in holding and strangling the deceased, and (4) drove off in one of the two automobiles. Clearly, this evidence is sufficient to prove that appellant was guilty both as the primary actor and as a party. Appellant’s first ground is overruled.

In his second ground of error appellant contends the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion to quash the indictment because it did not specify the theory of the law of parties that the state would rely upon to convict the appellant. It has long been the rule that it is not necessary to allege in the indictment that the accused acted as a party, or a principal, the term used prior to 1965, in order to convict under that theory. Pitts v. State, 569 S.W.2d 898 (Tex.Crim.App.1978). Appellant’s second ground is overruled.

In his third ground of error appellant contends the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion to quash the indictment because it failed to describe the property alleged. Appellant recognizes the rule is well settled that failure to describe the property in an indictment for aggravated robbery does not render the indictment fundamentally defective. He argues, however, that a motion to quash on this basis changes the rule. We disagree. In Turner v. State, 673 S.W.2d 688 (Tex.App.—Texarkana 1984, pet. ref’d), the court held that even in the face of a motion to quash, the indictment was sufficient. We agree and overrule the third ground.

In his fourth ground appellant contends he was denied the right to cross-examine the state’s witness, Johnson. When appellant sought to cross-examine the witness before the jury, the court sustained the prosecutor’s objection. The testimony sought to be elicited was developed on a bill of exception, as follows: (John Louis Henschel was the deceased.)

Q On two occasions this afternoon you’ve testified. Now, I will ask you, then, did you ever learn or do you know whether any of the people that roomed at Mr. John Louis Hen-schel’s home ever abused Mr. Hen-schel or fought with him? Do you know of those incidences.
A Yes, sir.
Q Okay. And did they do so?
A They had a couple of fights over there.
Q Did you not tell the members of the Baytown Police Department that they had abused John Louis Hen-schel?
A Well, I told them they had a fight.
Q And, in fact, one of the victims of that fight was one Phillip Proling?

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Bluebook (online)
701 S.W.2d 298, 1985 Tex. App. LEXIS 12517, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heard-v-state-texapp-1985.