Jackie Lee Haley v. State

396 S.W.3d 756, 2013 WL 1286650, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 3974
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 28, 2013
Docket14-11-00440-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 396 S.W.3d 756 (Jackie Lee Haley 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
Jackie Lee Haley v. State, 396 S.W.3d 756, 2013 WL 1286650, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 3974 (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinions

MAJORITY OPINION

MARGARET GARNER MIRABAL, Senior Justice.

In six issues, appellant challenges his conviction on three counts of manslaughter, arguing that the trial court erred by implicitly referring to appellant’s felony conviction during voir dire, admitting the State’s expert testimony, submitting an improper jury charge, and failing to quash the indictment. We affirm.

I. Background

On February 17, 2010, appellant was driving a semi-truck towing an empty livestock trailer, enroute to retrieve cattle and then drive all night. Appellant testified that, prior to beginning his trip, he consumed a substance in order to stay awake. It is undisputed that the substance contained methamphetamine.

At around 7:00 p.m., appellant was driving on Interstate 10 in Colorado County. The relevant portion of Interstate 10 is a four-lane highway, with two lanes of eastbound traffic and two lanes of west-bound traffic, separated by a median with a gully and safety fence comprised of metal posts and cables. At that time, it was dry and clear outside and already, or about to become, dark.

Witnesses who were driving in vehicles behind appellant provided the following testimony. Appellant was driving in the right-hand lane of the eastbound highway; he was not driving erratically or speeding. Suddenly, appellant veered left, across the left-hand lane of the east-bound highway, through the safety fence in the median, [760]*760and into oncoming traffic on the westbound highway. Immediately after entering the west-bound highway, appellant’s truck struck two oncoming vehicles, resulting in an explosion of fire. Appellant’s truck and trailer “jackknifed” and eventually came to a stop on top of one of the other vehicles. During the accident, appellant never operated the truck’s turn signal or brakes or made any corrective maneuvers. There was no obstruction in the highway that may have caused appellant to veer left. The witnesses exited their vehicles and approached the accident scene. They saw appellant attempting to escape from his truck and were able to pull him to safety. The occupants of the vehicles appellant struck — two teenagers and a sixty-four year old man — died as result of the accident.

An EMT who treated appellant at the scene testified as follows. Appellant sustained a leg bruise and a laceration on his wrist, but no serious injuries. His demeanor was “very calm,” and he was able to answer basic questions. He was not in shock. Based on the EMT’s experience, appellant’s demeanor was “alarmingly calm” — very different from the usual person involved in a motor vehicle accident. Appellant said, “I hit another vehicle. I hope everybody is okay. I hope nobody is hurt.”

State Trooper Stephen Pierce testified as follows. By the time Trooper Pierce arrived at the scene, the vehicles involved in the accident were so badly burned they were unrecognizable. After investigating the scene, Trooper Pierce proceeded to the hospital to question appellant. During questioning, appellant was cooperative and coherent, but his demeanor was “very flat” and he was not talkative. Appellant displayed no physical reaction when Trooper Pierce stated that three individuals had died as a result of the accident. Based on Trooper Pierce’s experience, appellant’s reaction was atypical. Appellant agreed to provide a blood sample so that officers could determine whether “alcohol or drugs [were] a contributing factor to this crash.”

The nurse who treated appellant at the hospital on the night of the accident testified appellant was withdrawn and anxious but not in shock. Appellant told the nurse numerous times that “he thinks he might have passed out and that’s what caused the wreck.” Appellant’s medical records from the hospital reflect that he informed the treating physician he had been suffering from a cough. The physician noted that appellant suffered a “syncopal episode,” which means “you lose consciousness.” Additionally, the medical records reflect that appellant had been taking Lisi nopril, a blood-pressure medication that may cause coughing as a side effect, particularly with smokers such as appellant. Appellant did not inform medical personnel that he had consumed a stimulant.

The State’s toxicologist, Megan Barton, tested appellant’s blood sample and testified that the blood contained methamphetamine at 0.80 milligrams per liter (“mpl”). According to Barton, this amount of methamphetamine was much higher than the therapeutic amount of 0.02 to 0.05 mpl and any amount over 0.20 mpl is considered abusive. Barton also explained that the effects of methamphetamine consumption have two phases: (1) a stimulant phase, during which the user is stimulated, euphoric, and excited, and (2) a withdrawal phase, during which the user is “drowsy, fatigued, [and] light sensitive.”

Appellant was indicted for three separate counts of manslaughter. During trial, appellant testified as follows. On other occasions, appellant had used methamphetamine to stay awake and alert for long periods of time. Appellant had been convicted of, and incarcerated for, a prior [761]*761methamphetamine-related offense. On the day of the accident, he consumed a substance in order to stay awake but did not know the substance contained methamphetamine; however, during cross-examination, appellant admitted he knew he “was on methamphetamine.” Regardless, appellant insisted he did not veer into oncoming traffic due to his consumption of methamphetamine. Instead, he suffered a severe coughing episode during which he saw “stars” and fainted.

The State presented Barry Logan, Ph.D. as an expert witness. Dr. Logan described his studies and research regarding the effects of methamphetamine and motor vehicle accidents. Dr. Logan opined that the concentration of methamphetamine in appellant’s blood meant he was affected by the drug at the time of the accident. Dr. Logan explained that the effects of methamphetamine consumption vary by person and declined to opine regarding the effects appellant was experiencing at the time of the accident. However, Dr. Logan testified that a person under the influence of methamphetamine who is lethargic is more likely to be in the withdrawal phase of the drug.

Appellant presented Gary Deegear, M.D. as an expert witness. Dr. Deegear opined that appellant veered off the road because he suffered “tussive syncope,” which essentially means fainting due to coughing. Dr. Deegear also testified that there are no medical findings correlating methamphetamine consumption with coughing.

The jury found appellant guilty on all three counts of manslaughter, and found that he used or exhibited a deadly weapon during the commission of the offenses. During the punishment phase, appellant pleaded true to a prior felony conviction, and the jury assessed punishment at twenty years’ confinement for each offense, to run concurrently.

III. Voir Dire

In his first issue, appellant contends the trial court erred by improperly informing the venire that appellant had applied for probation. During the initial portion of voir dire when the trial court was informing the panel about the law, the following occurred:

[Trial Court:] [I]f the Defendant is found guilty, the second stage or punishment stage of the trial is held....

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
396 S.W.3d 756, 2013 WL 1286650, 2013 Tex. App. LEXIS 3974, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackie-lee-haley-v-state-texapp-2013.