Hendrix v. State

150 S.W.3d 839, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 10216, 2004 WL 2600393
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 16, 2004
Docket14-03-00950-CR, 14-03-00951-CR, 14-03-00952-CR, 14-03-00953-CR, 14-03-00954-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by87 cases

This text of 150 S.W.3d 839 (Hendrix 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
Hendrix v. State, 150 S.W.3d 839, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 10216, 2004 WL 2600393 (Tex. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinions

MAJORITY OPINION

JOHN S. ANDERSON, Justice.

Appellant William Curtis Hendrix was charged with aggravated sexual assault in five cases consolidated for trial. Three cases (trial court cause numbers 955262, 955263, and 955264) involved acts alleged against M.S.; two cases (trial court cause numbers 955265 and 955266) involved acts alleged against B.S. A jury found appellant guilty as charged in all five cases and assessed punishment at life imprisonment in each case. The trial court ordered the sentences to run consecutively.

Appellant raises four points of error on appeal, arguing the trial court erred by (1) charging separate offenses in the disjunctive (point of error one); (2) failing to charge the jury on the lesser included offenses of indecency with a child by exposure and by contact (points of error two and three), and (3) cumulating appellant’s sentences absent proof the convictions were for offenses occurring on or after September 1, 1997 (point of error four). We overrule points of error two, three, and four, and part of point of error one; we sustain point of error one as it relates to cause number 955264. Accordingly, we (1) affirm the judgments in trial court cause numbers 955262, 955263, 955265, and 955266; and (2) reverse the judgment of the trial court in cause number 955264 and remand that cause for further proceedings.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

M.S. and B.S. are the minor children of Alfred S., Jr.1 In 1995, Alfred separated from the children’s mother, and B.S., his son, moved in with Alfred. M.S., his daughter, continued to live with her mother. In 1997, Alfred filed for divorce, and M.S. moved in with Alfred and B.S.

Alfred characterized appellant, “Bill,” as “the best friend of the family for a long time” who was like a “big brother” to him. Alfred shared a residence with appellant on two occasions. The first time was in 1997, when Alfred and B.S. stayed in appellant’s apartment. The second time was in 1999, when appellant came to live with Alfred, M.S., and B.S., in a house on Burr Street that Alfred inherited when his fa[843]*843ther passed away in 1998. There was a period of about five months when Alfred and M.S. were living with Alfred’s girlfriend at a different location, and, during this time, B.S. lived alone with appellant in the house on Burr Street. According to B.S., he and appellant slept in the same bed during that time. Later, when Alfred and M.S. moved back into the house on Burr Street, M.S. began sleeping in the bed with appellant, and B.S. slept on the floor.

On August 29, 2002, Alfred, B.S., and M.S. were visiting Alfred’s stepmother, Debbie. M.S. was upset and asked Debbie’s fifteen-year-old daughter to talk with her in private. After hearing what M.S. had to say, Debbie’s daughter told the adults what M.S. had said, and Debbie then talked with M.S. M.S. told Debbie appellant had molested her and also talked about other things that appellant had done to her. Debbie observed some bruises on M.S. and that her vaginal area looked irritated. When Debbie told M.S. that Debbie had to tell Alfred, M.S. became hysterical, begging Debbie not to tell because appellant had threatened M.S. that, if she told, he would shoot Alfred, and CPS would take M.S. away.

After Debbie told Alfred what M.S. had said, Alfred asked M.S. what had happened. M.S. replied, “He touched me, dad.” Alfred then took M.S. to the police station. From the police station, they went to Texas Children’s Hospital, where Dr. Kathleen Ferrer conducted a sexual assault examination of M.S. the following day.

Dr. Ferrer found bruises, in different stages of healing, on M.S.’s buttocks and left leg. The genital examination did not reveal bruising, redness, tears, or lacerations, and the hymenal ring was intact. A visual examination of M.S.’s anus did not reveal any abnormal findings. M.S. told Dr. Ferrer that it had been about a week or so since the last time she was sexually assaulted. At the hospital, M.S. also told a pediatric emergency room physician that “Bill” was the assailant and the “last contact” had been a week ago.

After M.S.’s outcry, she and B.S. were placed in foster care. In October 2002, their uncle, Marcus S., became their temporary legal guardian. At that point in time, B.S. had not disclosed that appellant had sexually assaulted him. In late November 2002, Marcus took M.S. and B.S. to see a counselor, and, toward the end of the intake session when the psychologist asked B.S. whether he had been sexually abused, B.S. said, “yes.” The psychologist knew who the perpetrator was from talking with M.S. When he asked B.S. if he did the same thing to him, B.S. said, “yes.” The day after B.S. met with the psychologist, B.S. disclosed the sexual abuse to Marcus. Marcus contacted Child Protective Services, who, in turn, contacted the police department.

On February 11, 2003, Dr. Sheela Laho-ti, a pediatrician at the Children’s Assessment Center, examined B.S. B.S. told Dr. Lahoti “Bill” had touched his whole body with his hands and “private” and, specifically, that B.S.’s buttocks, mouth, and back were touched with appellant’s “private.” B.S. told Lahoti that he did not know how many times this had occurred, but the last time was in 2001. B.S. stated the contact hurt, but he did not bleed. The only abnormality Dr. Lahoti observed was some mild redness around the anus.

On July 15, 2003, the grand jury returned five indictments containing charges against appellant summarized as follows:

Trial Court Cause No. 955262
On or about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the penetration of the anus [844]*844of M.S. by placing his sexual organ in the anus of M.S.;
On or about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the anus of M.S. to contact the sexual organ of appellant.
Trial Court Cause No. 955263
On or about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the penetration of the mouth of M.S. with the sexual organ of appellant;
On or about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the mouth of M.S. to contact the sexual organ of appellant.
Trial Court Cause No. 955264
On or about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the penetration of the female sexual organ of M.S. by placing his sexual organ in the female sexual organ of M.S.;
On about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the penetration of the female sexual organ of M.S. by placing his finger in the female sexual organ of M.S.;
On or about August 15, 2002, appellant caused the sexual organ of M.S. to contact the sexual organ of appellant.
Trial Court Cause No. 955265
On or about August 3, 1997, appellant caused the penetration of the anus of B.S. by placing his sexual organ in the anus of B.S.;
On or about August 3, 1997, appellant caused the anus of B.S. to contact the sexual organ of appellant.
Trial Court Cause No. 955266
On or about August 3, 1997, appellant caused the penetration of the mouth of B.S. with the sexual organ of appellant;
On or about August 3, 1997, appellant caused the mouth of B.S. to contact the sexual organ of appellant.

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

Related

Robin Earl Frazier v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Wayland Ray Griggs v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Crow v. United States
N.D. Texas, 2020
Devante Manahan v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2019
Ronald Rudolph Rodriguez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018
Fernando Cano-Garcia v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018
Rufino Sandoval v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2017
Ignacio Leal v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015
Bonilla, Ronald Antonio
452 S.W.3d 811 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2014)
Juan Rodriguez v. State
446 S.W.3d 520 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2014)
Jourdan, Ricardo
428 S.W.3d 86 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2014)
Tomas Jimenez v. State
419 S.W.3d 706 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Cueva v. State
339 S.W.3d 839 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2011)
Grays v. State
291 S.W.3d 555 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Jimmy Dale Hollon v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2009
Ruiz v. State
272 S.W.3d 819 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Virgilio Sanchez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Gonzalez Soto v. State
267 S.W.3d 327 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Manuel Gonzalez Soto v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008
Willie Alvin Griffin Sr. v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
150 S.W.3d 839, 2004 Tex. App. LEXIS 10216, 2004 WL 2600393, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hendrix-v-state-texapp-2004.