Hester v. State

544 S.W.2d 129, 1976 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1151
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas·Decided December 8, 1976·No. 49924-49929·Published·Cited by 39 cases

Opinion

OPINION

GREEN, Commissioner.

In a single trial before the court, a jury having been waived, both appellants were convicted of two murders and one burglary of a private residence at night. Punishment was assessed at life for each murder and sixty years for each for the burglary of a private residence at night.

On original submission, the appeals were abated because the trial court failed to file sufficiently detailed findings of fact and conclusions of law on the disputed fact issue regarding the voluntariness and admissibility of the confessions of appellants. The court was directed “to reduce to writing his findings on the disputed fact issues surrounding the taking of appellants’ confessions raised in the grounds of error challenging the court’s ruling on their admissibility, and to file with this Court his certificate reciting those findings.” See Hester and Nyman v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 535 S.W.2d 354. A supplemental transcript has now been filed reflecting such findings and conclusions. The appeals have been reinstated, and are now properly before us for our consideration and disposition. See McKittrick v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 541 S.W.2d 177.

Considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the convictions, the record reflects that shortly before midnight February 1, 1973, both appellants acting together as principals burglarized the private residence of Walter Bennett in He-lotes, Bexar County, taking therefrom personal property including a color television set and other household goods by loading these articles in a Ford van. While headed back toward San Antonio in the van, with appellant Nyman driving, they were stopped for investigation of license plates by deputy sheriffs Vincent Walker and Joshua Rodriquez. Walker in a radio message to his dispatcher sent at 12:32 a. m. inquired of license No. LKK-528 on a van or bus type vehicle. The dispatcher received no further request or report from the officers. At 12:42 a. m. the dispatcher received a call from an unidentified person stating that “two of our officers had been shot in the vicinity of Bandera Road and Huebner Road.” The dispatcher had learned that license LKK-528 belonged to a 1964 Ford van. He broadcast a call for all officers to be on the lookout for a 1964 Ford *131 van bearing license LKK-528 “possibly wanted in the shooting of two Bexar County officers.” Officer Golding, while on patrol, heard the radio message received by the dispatcher concerning the two officers, and arrived near the intersection of Hueb-ner and Bandera 42 seconds thereafter. He found the bodies of Officers Walker and Rodriquez, both of whom had been shot. Their car was nearby with the headlights burning. A lighted flashlight was near Walker’s body. Walker's pistol was in its scabbard which was buckled closed. Rodriquez’s pistol was in his hand. The record discloses that Officer Walker was shot with a .38 caliber pistol by appellant Nyman while the officer was approaching the driver’s side of the van. Officer Rodriquez was shot in the temple by appellant Hester with a .22 caliber pistol while approaching the van on the passenger’s side. Both officers died as the result of these gunshot wounds.

On appeal, appellant Roger Dale Hester complains (1) of the admission in evidence of his written confession; (2) of insufficiency of evidence to sustain the conviction in the two murder cases; (3) of the State being permitted “to carve more than one offense of murder with malice arising out of and from the same transaction and occurrence;” (4) of the failure to prove venue in the murder cases; (5) of insufficient evidence to prove his guilt in our Cause No. 49,926, trial court No. 73-CR-305A of burglary of a private residence at night; (6) of the court’s overruling his motion to suppress evidence obtained by virtue of an illegal search warrant; (7) of cumulating the punishment in his three convictions.

Appellant Randall Lewis Nyman makes the contention of reversible error (1) in the admission in evidence of his written confession; (2) because of insufficiency of evidence to support his conviction of burglary of a private residence at night (our Cause No. 49,929, trial court No. 73-CR-305-B); (3) in that his confession of murder was not corroborated by other evidence; (4) in permitting the State to carve more than one offense “where the evidence shows that the same was one continuing criminal episode;” (5) in the action of the trial court in cumulating the punishment.

APPEALS OP APPELLANT ROGER DALE HESTER

Prior to the admission of any evidence at the guilt phase, the court conducted a hearing to determine the admissibility of the written confession of both appellants. Following the introduction of evidence by all parties, the transcribed record of which covers 430 pages, the court overruled the motions to suppress, and ruled the confessions to be admissible. The court’s findings and conclusions concerning the taking of appellant Hester’s confession are as follows:

“FINDINGS OF FACT
“The Court finds beyond a reasonable doubt that:
“1. The defendant was arrested at his residence by Bexar County Sheriff’s officers between 6:00 and 7:00 a. m. on February 2, 1973, after officers armed with a search warrant had discovered stolen property on the premises. The defendant was not interrogated at the time of his arrest, but was warned of his rights prior thereto by Sheriff’s Investigators Bob Lew and Edgar McGraw. Following his arrest, the defendant was transported to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
“2. Thereafter, on the aforementioned date, between 8:30 and 9:00 a. m., the defendant gave a confession to Investigator Lew. Before taking the confession Lew again warned the defendant of his constitutional rights by reading to him the printed warning at the top of the confession form. The confession taken by Lew was left unsigned by the defendant because at approximately 10:00 a. m., when the defendant was reading the typed confession, another Sheriff’s investigator, Alvin Johnson, entered the room and began talking to the defendant. The defendant, however, never refused to sign the statement taken by Lew, nor did he ever indicate to Lew that he wanted an attorney.
“3. Prior to his interview with the defendant, Investigator Johnson also read *132 the defendant the warning which appears at the top of the printed confession form. Johnson gave the defendant this warning at 10:00 a. m. and advised him in compliance with Article 38.22, V.A.C.C.P., that he had the right to have a lawyer present to advise him prior to or during any questioning; that if he was unable to retain a lawyer, he had the right to a court-appointed attorney to advise him prior to or during any questioning; that he had a right to remain silent; that any statement that he might make could be used in evidence against him; that if he decided to speak with anyone, he could terminate questioning at anytime; that the foregoing rights were continuing rights and could be urged by him at any stage of the proceedings. During the next thirty minutes, as he was interviewing the defendant, Johnson permitted the defendant to use the phone.

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Hester v. State, 544 S.W.2d 129, 1976 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1151 (Tex. 1976).

544 S.W.2d 129 (Hester v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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