Hugill v. State

787 S.W.2d 455, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 445, 1990 WL 18307
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 1, 1990
DocketNos. C14-86-543-CR, A14-86-547-CR, B14-86-548-CR, C14-86-549-CR and A14-86-550-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 787 S.W.2d 455 (Hugill 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
Hugill v. State, 787 S.W.2d 455, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 445, 1990 WL 18307 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION ON REMAND

SEARS, Justice.

Appellant entered a plea of not guilty before a jury to five counts of securing execution of a document by deception. Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 32.46. He was convicted of all five counts, and sentenced to imprisonment for three years for each count, the sentences to run concurrently.

On original submission before this court, appellant raised a single point of error, asserting that submission of an instruction to the jury on the law of parole, pursuant to Tex.Code Crim.Proc.Ann. art. 37.07, § 4, violates the constitutional separation of powers, thereby mandating reversal. In an unpublished opinion we overruled appellant’s sole point of error and affirmed the judgment of the trial court. Hugill v. State, Nos. C14-86-543-CR, C14-86-547-CR through A14-86-550-CR, 1987 WL 5877 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] January 29, 1987).

The appeal is before us on remand from the Court of Criminal Appeals so that we may reconsider appellant’s sole point of error in light of Rose v. State, 752 S.W.2d 529 (Tex.Crim.App.1988) (opinion on Court’s own motion for rehearing). The Court of Criminal Appeals held the challenged instruction to be an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers. 752 S.W.2d at 552. Therefore, the trial court’s instruction was error. In determining whether reversible error occurred, it remains for us to conduct a harmless error analysis pursuant to Tex.R.App.P. 81(b)(2). 752 S.W.2d at 554. We must reverse the judgment of the trial court unless we conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the giving of the charge made no contribution to either appellant’s conviction or punishment.

The Court of Criminal Appeals recently outlined salient factors to be addressed in applying Rule 81(b)(2) to Rose error, while cautioning that the list is not exhaustive, that not all factors are applicable in every case, and that they are not to be evaluated in a mechanical way. Arnold v. State, 786 S.W.2d 295 (Tex.Crim.App.1990). Among the factors to be considered are: (1) whether any mention of parole was made during voir dire. Arnold, at 301-02; (2) whether any objection was made to the inclusion of the parole law instruction in the jury charge. Arnold, at 301-02; (3) whether the operation of the parole law was discussed in the argument of counsel. Arnold, at 302-04; (4) the presence or absence of jury notes raising questions about [457]*457parole. Arnold, at 304-06; and (5) the term of years finally assessed by the jury. Arnold, at 306-07. In addition, there are other factors not seen as often, which include: (6) whether a deadly weapon finding was made. Arnold, at 307-08; (7) whether the jury rejected a proper application for probation. Arnold, at 307-08; and (8) whether disparate sentences are meted out when a defendant is found guilty of two or more violent offenses involving multiple victims and the jury assesses various punishments. Arnold, at 308-10.

Other factors, set out in Rose, which should be given some consideration are (9) whether a “curative” instruction was given; (10) the facts of the case — i.e., whether the heinousness of the crime militates in favor of the punishment assessed; and (11) the prior criminal record of the defendant. While the Court of Criminal Appeals suggested in Arnold the factors set out in Rose retain their validity, it outlined a more extensive list of factors and cautioned against too heavy a reliance on any of them. In his concurring opinion in Arnold, Judge Campbell said the factors set out in the majority opinion are not intended as a “laundry list.” Instead, they should be used in conducting an inquiry as to whether the giving of the parole charge produced a different result than the jury would have reached if the error had not occurred. Arnold (concurring opinion), at 325. The underlying purpose of the exercise is to provide the appellate court an opportunity to determine whether the giving of the parole charge influenced the verdict on punishment. The judgment of the trial court will only be affirmed when we can conclude beyond a reasonable doubt it made no contribution to the punishment assessed. Arnold, at 313.

Applying the principles gleaned from Rose and Arnold to the instant appeal, we find there is no record of the voir dire. When asked whether he had any objection to the proposed charge containing the erroneous parole law instruction, appellant said, “we have no objection.” Although an objection was not necessary to preserve error, as the Arnold court pointed out, the overruling of a legitimate objection would be an invitation for counsel to compound the error. Arnold, at 301-02.

No mention of the parole law instruction was made by either the prosecutor or defense counsel either at the guilt-innocence stage or at punishment. The instruction contained only the standard art. 37.07, § 4, admonition to the jury that it was “not to consider the manner in which the parole law may be applied to this particular defendant.” No special “curative” instruction, as in Rose, was administered to the jury.

During the jury’s deliberations, there were three notes sent out of the jury room, one during the deliberations on guilt-innocence and two while punishment was being decided. During its deliberations on guilt-innocence, the jury asked to see a chart of the names and addresses of appellant’s victims. The court answered that the chart had not been admitted into evidence.

During the punishment deliberations, the jury’s first note asked the court if appellant were assessed a fine, how would he pay it, and if he said he did not have the money to pay what would happen. The court answered by telling the jury the method of payment of a fine is within the discretion of the court.

The jury’s second and final note during its punishment deliberations asked “who gets the [fine] money?” The court responded by telling the jury it could not answer the question. No reference was made in any of the jury notes to the operation of the parole law. While not serving as a foolproof indicator that the jury did not consider the effect of the parole law on the sentence appellant would serve, the jury notes at least leave the impression that the jury’s attention was elsewhere.

The term assessed by the jury was three years. The case involved the repeated commission of the same crime with five different victims. The offenses were third degree felonies, each carrying a punishment of two to ten years. Appellant was eligible for, and applied for probation, but his application for probation was rejected by the jury. The crimes involved were not violent offenses, so the portions of Arnold [458]*458dealing with the making of a deadly weapon finding and disparate sentences for multiple violent offenses do not apply.

Appellant did not have a prior criminal record. Turning to the facts of the offenses, while trying to avoid the type of subjective analysis characterized by the court in Arnold, as “faulty,” (at 823-24), we note the following:

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Bluebook (online)
787 S.W.2d 455, 1990 Tex. App. LEXIS 445, 1990 WL 18307, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hugill-v-state-texapp-1990.