James Maurice Wise v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 11, 2013
Docket11-11-00196-CR
StatusPublished

This text of James Maurice Wise v. State (James Maurice Wise 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
James Maurice Wise v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

Opinion filed July 11, 2013

In The

Eleventh Court of Appeals __________

No. 11-11-00196-CR __________

JAMES MAURICE WISE, Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 42nd District Court

Taylor County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 24040A

MEMORANDUM OPINION The jury convicted James Maurice Wise of aggravated robbery. Appellant pleaded true to two enhancement allegations. The trial court found that the enhancement allegations were true, and it assessed Appellant’s punishment at confinement for thirty years. The trial court also found that Appellant used or exhibited a deadly weapon in the commission of the offense. We modify and affirm. Background The indictment contained an aggravated robbery count (Count One) and a robbery count (Count Two). The aggravated robbery count alleged that, on or about November 22, 2009, Appellant, “while in the course of committing theft of property and with intent to obtain and maintain control of said property, used and exhibited a deadly weapon, to-wit: A HANDGUN” and that Appellant “did then and there intentionally and knowingly threaten and place LACY DANIEL in fear of imminent bodily injury and death by the use of said deadly weapon.” The robbery count did not contain deadly weapon allegations. Otherwise, the allegations in the robbery count were the same as the allegations in the aggravated robbery count. Both counts in the indictment contained two enhancement allegations. Appellant raised the affirmative defense of insanity. The case proceeded to trial on April 25, 2011. The State waived the robbery count. The trial ended in a mistrial. The case again proceeded to trial on July 5, 2011. The trial court instructed the jury on Appellant’s insanity defense. The jury convicted Appellant of the offense of aggravated robbery. Issues on Appeal Appellant presents three issues for review. In his issues, Appellant complains of three evidentiary rulings by the trial court. In his first issue, Appellant contends that the trial court erred when it admitted the book-in photographs of Appellant and his codefendant into evidence. In his second issue, Appellant contends that the trial court erred when it admitted the transcript of a witness’s testimony from the earlier trial in this case. Specifically, Appellant asserts that the prior testimony constituted hearsay and that the admission of the 2 testimony violated the Texas Rules of Evidence and the Confrontation Clause of the United States Constitution. In his third issue, Appellant contends that the trial court erred when it admitted extraneous offense evidence during the guilt/innocence phase of trial. The Evidence at Trial On November 22, 2009, at about 10:00 p.m., Larry Franklin was inside his house on College Street in Abilene. The Allsup’s store at South 14th Street and Grand Street is behind Franklin’s house. The back of Allsup’s faces Franklin’s backyard. Franklin heard his dog barking outside. Franklin went to the window of his house that faces Grand Street. He said that it was very dark outside. Through the window, Franklin saw a large vehicle that he believed was a van or an SUV. The vehicle was parked. Franklin saw two individuals standing outside the van. Franklin thought that the individuals were about to commit a theft. Therefore, Franklin called 9-1-1. He described the situation to the dispatcher. Franklin stayed on the phone with the dispatcher and described events as they occurred. Franklin testified that one of the individuals walked toward Allsup’s with his hands in his pockets. Franklin said that the individual was wearing dark clothing. Franklin testified that he could not tell whether the individual was “white, Hispanic or black” because “[i]t was too dark.” The other individual waited outside the vehicle. Franklin could not see the front doors of Allsup’s from his house. He said that the individual who approached Allsup’s turned left as if to go into the front of the store. Less than a minute later, the individual came back toward the vehicle, almost in a run. Franklin said that one of the individuals opened the driver’s side door of the vehicle. The dome light in the vehicle came on. At that time, Franklin said that the individual who had waited by the vehicle jumped into it and appeared to crawl into the backseat. With the help of the dome light, Franklin saw that this individual was wearing “something brightly colored,” which Franklin thought was 3 either an orange or a red vest or sweater. Franklin said that the individual who had approached Allsup’s got into the driver’s seat and then drove away. The driver did not turn on the vehicle’s lights until he was at least a block away from the scene. During the night of November 22, 2009, Lacy Daniel worked her shift at Allsup’s. She testified that, at about 10:00 p.m., a man held her up at gunpoint. She said that the man was wearing what she believed was a black leather jacket. The man was also wearing something that covered his face from the nose down. Daniel said that he had “something pulled over his face to the bridge of his nose,” which Daniel thought was a turtleneck sweater, and that he had “something over his head like a toboggan.” The man said, “Give me your money. I’m serious.” Daniel said that the man held a silver handgun on her. The man threw a ziplock bag down onto the counter. Daniel put money into the bag. She turned around to get more money. At that time, the man ran out of Allsup’s. Daniel locked the door and then called 9-1-1. Following Daniel’s testimony, the State introduced into evidence a recording of the 9-1-1 call that Franklin made and a recording of a 9-1-1 call that a representative of the alarm company for Allsup’s made. The recordings were played for the jury. Due to a technical problem, Daniel’s 9-1-1 call was not recorded. Abilene Police Officers Christopher Bisbee and Gabe Thompson worked as partners the night of November 22, 2009. They were dispatched to a robbery call at Allsup’s on South 14th Street. As they traveled to Allsup’s, Officer Thompson observed a van that fit the description of the vehicle that was used in connection with the robbery. The van was near the intersection of South 14th Street and Amarillo Street. Officer Bisbee turned the patrol car around and followed the van. The driver of the van pulled into a driveway at 1041 South 15th Street. Officer

4 Bisbee activated his overhead lights. Officer Anthony Joeris also responded to the scene. The officers directed the van’s driver and passenger to sit on the ground at the rear of the van. The officers determined that Appellant was the driver and that Jerrod Flores was the passenger. The officers saw a brown leather jacket between the two front seats of the van. They found a black shirt or cloth under the jacket. The officers also found a ziplock bag that contained money under the front passenger seat. They also found a pistol under the driver’s side floor mat. The officers arrested Appellant and Flores and transported them to the law enforcement center. Book-in photographs of Appellant and Flores were taken. Over Appellant’s objection, the trial court admitted the book-in photos into evidence. Appellant was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt in his photo. Flores was wearing a University of Texas hoodie in his photo. Flores testified in the earlier trial of this case. Over Appellant’s objections, the trial court ruled that Flores’s testimony from the earlier trial was admissible. The parties presented parts of Flores’s testimony to the jury. Flores testified that Appellant was married to Flores’s aunt, Marla Wise. Flores said that Marla and Appellant lived at 1041 South 15th Street and that Marla owned the van in question. Flores said that, on November 22, 2009, he and his wife, Rochelle Ramirez, were walking to Marla’s house. As they walked, Appellant drove up in Marla’s van.

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James Maurice Wise v. State, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/james-maurice-wise-v-state-texapp-2013.