Hudson v. State

629 S.W.2d 227, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 3999
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 24, 1982
Docket2-81-067-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 629 S.W.2d 227 (Hudson 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
Hudson v. State, 629 S.W.2d 227, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 3999 (Tex. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

OPINION

RICHARD L. BROWN, Justice.

This is an appeal from a conviction of aggravated robbery. The jury assessed punishment at fifteen years confinement in the Texas Department of Corrections.

We affirm.

The evidence reveals that at about 2:30 a. m. on August 9, 1978, appellant entered a 7-Eleven convenience store in Fort Worth. After browsing around the store for a few minutes, appellant grabbed the clerk of the store from behind and held a pocketknife to his throat. The clerk was able to wrestle free. The appellant lunged at the clerk several times with the knife. The clerk was able to avoid these attacks and indicated to the appellant that he would comply with appellant’s demands. Appellant demanded the money from the cash register, which the clerk promptly gave him. As the appellant was handling the money, the clerk drew a small pistol from his hip pocket and disarmed him. The appellant slowly edged out of the store followed by the clerk, who was still holding the gun on him. As the pair crossed the street, an off duty police officer saw them and took appellant into custody until other officers could be summoned.

By his first ground of error, the appellant complains that testimony of a character witness called by the State, and the State’s jury argument implied that appellant had committed an extraneous offense. During the punishment phase of the trial, the State called, as a reputation witness, Charles Sessums, a clerk of another 7-Eleven store that appellant had robbed. Sessums testified before the jury that he was a 7-Eleven clerk, he was familiar with appellant’s reputation in the general community and that such reputation was bad. There was no testimony before the jury, by this witness or any other, that appellant had committed an extraneous offense. Nor do we find such offense injected into the evidence by implication as appellant would suggest.

Turning now to the challenged jury argument of the State, we examine the prosecutor’s statements in light of the guidelines established by Alejandro v. State, 493 S.W.2d 230 (Tex.Cr.App.1973). In that case the four permissible areas of jury argument were delineated as: 1) summation of the evidence; 2) reasonable deduction from the evidence; 3) answer to argument of opposing counsel; and 4) plea for law enforcement. With these parameters in mind, we view the context in which the alleged improper argument was made. Counsel for the appellant stated during argument: “What has to happen in a man’s life for him to live 29 years with never having been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor, or the State hasn’t brought you any evidence of any crimes or any nature that ...” The prosecutor countered during his argument by telling the jury that the State could not bring before them evidence of other crimes committed by appellant unless they had resulted in final convictions. The prosecutor then stated: “You can consider the bad reputation testimony of Charles Sessums. Mr. Sessums took the stand, and what did he say? He said, ‘I’m a clerk at a Seven-Eleven store on East Lancaster.’ ” Appellant’s objection to this was overruled, at which point the prosecutor reiterated that Sessums was a clerk and that he knew of appellant’s reputation as being bad.

We conclude that the argument in question was proper in that it was in answer to argument of appellant’s counsel and it was also merely a summation of the testimony elicited from Sessums. Appellant’s first ground of error is overruled.

Secondly, appellant contends that a “mug shot” of him introduced into evidence, over his objection, improperly placed evidence of an extraneous offense before the jury. The officer who took the picture testified that, although the year in the date had been obliterated from the picture, according to his memory and the official Sheriff’s Department log, the picture was *230 taken on August 11, 1978, two days after the commission of the offense in question. The photograph related to this particular offense and could not be construed as a reference to an earlier extraneous offense. We find the photograph was properly admitted into evidence since it related to the offense for which appellant was on trial. Reyes v. State, 579 S.W.2d 927 (Tex.Cr.App.1979). Appellant’s second ground of error is overruled.

Appellant’s third ground of error maintains that the State’s reputation witness, Sessums, was not qualified to testify as to appellant’s reputation as a peaceable and law abiding citizen. The witness testified at trial that he was aware of appellant’s reputation in the community and that such reputation was bad. On voir dire, outside the jury’s presence, the witness admitted he did not know where the appellant lived and that the only personal knowledge he had of appellant was that he had identified him in connection with a previous robbery. He also stated on voir dire that he had discussed appellant’s reputation with a police detective and a district attorney’s investigator.

A reputation witness is properly qualified where his testimony is not based on personal knowledge, but rather upon what the witness has heard from others. Beecham v. State, 580 S.W.2d 588 (Tex.Cr.App.1979). “[I]t is not necessary that a witness be personally acquainted with the accused in order to speak to his general reputation which the witness knows ...” Frison v. State, 473 S.W.2d 479, 485 (Tex.Cr.App.1971). The witness was not disqualified. Appellant’s third ground of error is overruled.

Grounds of error four and five challenge the expert testimony of the county medical examiner relating to whether a poeketknife could cause death or serious bodily injury. Specifically, the appellant complains that the doctor speculated as to his intended use of the knife. Appellant also contends that the hypothetical question used to elicit the doctor’s opinion assumed facts not in evidence. We reject both contentions. In determining whether a knife is a deadly weapon one must look to its use or intended use. Dominique v. State, 598 S.W.2d 285 (Tex.Cr.App.1980); Denham v. State, 574 S.W.2d 129 (Tex.Cr.App.1978). Testimony concerning the intended use of a knife is not based upon the appellant’s secret subjective intent, but rather on the objective intent manifested by the words or conduct of the actor. A poeketknife used in the manner, as established by the facts of this case, constitutes a deadly weapon, because of its capability of causing death or serious bodily injury. Miles v. State, Docket No. 2-81-056-CR, Tex.App.—Fort Worth, Feb. 17, 1982 (not yet reported); Dominique v. State, supra.

Appellant also contends that the hypothetical question to the expert witness impermissibly assumed facts not in evidence.

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Bluebook (online)
629 S.W.2d 227, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 3999, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hudson-v-state-texapp-1982.