Heidelberg v. State

144 S.W.3d 535, 2004 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1479, 2004 WL 2109065
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 15, 2004
Docket1418-03
StatusPublished
Cited by481 cases

This text of 144 S.W.3d 535 (Heidelberg 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
Heidelberg v. State, 144 S.W.3d 535, 2004 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1479, 2004 WL 2109065 (Tex. 2004).

Opinions

OPINION

MEYERS, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court,

in which KELLER, P. J., and WOMACK, KEASLER, HERVEY, and Cochran, JJ., join.

Appellant was indicted for sexually assaulting his wife’s eight-year-old granddaughter. Appellant and his wife were babysitting the victim when, according to the victim, Appellant came into her room while she was sleeping and fondled her and stuck his penis in her anus. Appellant denied the accusations and took the stand in his own defense. The jury convicted him and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. He now appeals, arguing that the Court of Appeals erred in holding that he failed to preserve the claims that the trial [536]*536court erred in: 1) permitting the prosecutor to cross examine him about his post-arrest silence, 2) permitting the prosecutor to elicit rebuttal testimony about his post-arrest silence through Detective James Fitzgerald, and 3) overruling Appellant’s objections to the prosecutor’s comments on his post-arrest silence during final argument in the guilt-innocence stage of trial.

The first ground for review claimed by Appellant pertains to the State’s cross-examination at trial, when it began questioning Appellant about his willingness to speak to the investigator and whether he knew that the investigator was trying to contact him about the allegations. The following exchange occurred:

[STATE]: Mr. Heidelberg, you certainly knew that Detective Fitzgerald was trying to get a hold of you [to] talk to you, didn’t you?
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Objection, Your Honor. This goes to the Fifth Amendment right, my client’s Fifth Amendment. He doesn’t have to talk to anybody.
[COURT]: Be overruled.

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[STATE]: Did you ever ask to talk to the detective about this case once you knew that the charges were there?
[APPELLANT]: I didn’t know about any charges until July of this year.
[STATE]: And in July of this year did you ask to talk to the detective in the case?
[APPELLANT]: Well, I was already incarcerated. So—
[STATE]: Well, did you ever ask anyone—
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Objection, Your Honor. This goes to the Fifth Amendment.
[COURT]: Overruled. Answer the question.
[STATE]: You certainly could have talked with the investigating officer on this case and explained to him, in your opinion, why [the complainant] made this up, right?
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Objection, your Honor. My client — all of this line of questioning goes to the Fifth Amendment. My client does not have to speak with anyone about it.
[COURT]: Be overruled.

Appellant’s second ground for review refers to the State’s rebuttal, when it offered the testimony of Detective Fitzgerald. The following exchange between the prosecutor and the detective occurred:

[STATE]: Were you able to make contact with the defendant?
[FITZGERALD]: In a way.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Objection, Your Honor. I would like to renew my objection as to my client’s Fifth Amendment right.
[COURT]: Be Overruled.
[DEFENSE COUNEL]: May I have a standing objection throughout so I’m not have to—
[COURT]: You may.

* * *

[STATE]: Once the defendant was placed under arrest, had he wanted to talk to you, would you have sat down and spoken with him?
[FITZGERALD]: Oh, definitely; yes, ma’am.

As to Appellant’s third ground for review, the State made the following comment during rebuttal argument at the guilt/innocence stage:

[STATE]: Do you really believe he wanted to wait five months from the [537]*537date of arrest, he saved all that information to come and tell you? Of course not, that’s garbage.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, I object again. And may I have a standing objection to any reference to the Fifth Amendment?
[COURT]: That will be overruled.

On appeal, Appellant contends that the trial court erred in allowing the State to refer to Appellant’s post-arrest silence in violation of Article I, section 10 of the Texas Constitution. The State, however, urges that Appellant did not preserve error because his objections at trial were based solely on the Fifth Amendment. The Fifth Amendment of the federal constitution protects post-arrest silence made only after Miranda warnings have been given. Fletcher v. Weir, 455 U.S. 603, 102 S.Ct. 1309, 71 L.Ed.2d 490 (1982); Doyle v. Ohio, 426 U.S. 610, 618, 96 S.Ct. 2240, 2245, 49 L.Ed.2d 91 (1976). Article I, section 10 of the Texas Constitution, however, protects a defendant’s post-arrest silence even before such warnings have been administered. Sanchez v. State, 707 S.W.2d 575, 582 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). Thus, in the present context, the trial judge properly overrules an objection based on “the Fifth Amendment.” An objection referring specifically to the Texas Constitution or the Sanchez case, however, pointing out that this Court has barred the use of post-arrest, pre-Miranda statements to impeach a testifying defendant, would be an entirely different matter.

Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 33.1(a)(1)(A) provides, in relevant part, that for a complaint to be presented on appeal, a timely request, objection, or motion must have been made to the trial court, which “states the grounds for the ruling that the complaining party sought from the trial court with sufficient specificity to make the trial court aware of the complaint, unless the specific grounds were apparent from the context.” Tex. R.App. PRO. ANN. 33.1(a)(1)(A) (Vernon 2002) (emphasis added). Texas Rules of Evidence 103(a)(1) contains similar guidelines, providing that “a timely objection or motion to strike [must appear] on the record, stating the specific ground of objection, if the specific ground was not apparent from the context.” Tex. R. Evid. ANN. 103(a)(1) (Vernon 2002) (emphasis added). Additionally, it is well settled that the legal basis of a complaint raised on appeal cannot vary from that raised at trial. Euziere v. State, 648 S.W.2d 700, 703-704 (Tex.Crim.App.1983).

In its holding, the Court of Appeals agreed that the trial court erred in allowing questions and comments pertaining to Appellant’s post-arrest silence. Heidelberg v. State, 112 S.W.3d 658 (Tex.App.Houston [1st Dist.] 2003). However, on rehearing, the court held that because Appellant’s objections at trial were based solely on the Fifth Amendment, Appellant did not preserve error on the Texas constitutional claim. Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
144 S.W.3d 535, 2004 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1479, 2004 WL 2109065, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/heidelberg-v-state-texcrimapp-2004.