Johnny Gabriel Lazalde v. the State of Texas

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided October 11, 2023·No. 04-21-00566-CR·Published

Opinion

Fourth Court of Appeals

San Antonio, Texas

MEMORANDUM OPINION

No. 04-21-00566-CR

Johnny Gabriel LAZALDE,

Appellant

v.

The STATE of Texas,

Appellee

From the 226th Judicial District Court, Bexar County, Texas Trial Court No. 2019-CR-8681 Honorable Velia J. Meza, Judge Presiding

Opinion by: Irene Rios, Justice

Sitting: Irene Rios, Justice Liza A. Rodriguez, Justice Sandee Bryan Marion, Chief Justice (Ret.) 1

Delivered and Filed: October 11, 2023 REVERSED AND REMANDED Appellant Johnny Gabriel Lazalde appeals his conviction for unlawfully carrying a weapon on premises licensed or permitted by the State to sell alcoholic beverages, a then third-degree felony offense. See Act of May 24, 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., ch. 1049, § 4, sec. 46.02; Act of May 23, 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., ch. 693, § 1, sec. 46.02; Act of June 1, 1997, 75th Leg., R.S., ch. 1261,

1 Sitting by assignment pursuant to section 74.003(b) of the Texas Government Code.

§ 24, sec. 46.02 (hereinafter referred to as “Former Section 46.02”). 2 We reverse the trial court’s final judgment and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

BACKGROUND

In January of 2019, Lazalde was arrested for driving without a valid license after parking his car on a sidewalk and walking towards the entrance of a convenience store that sold alcoholic beverages. Law enforcement recovered a handgun from a holster on Lazalde’s ankle while conducting a search incident to his arrest and then charged Lazalde with the misdemeanor offense of unlawfully carrying a weapon. See Former Section 46.02(a). Lazalde was then subsequently indicted and tried for the felony offense of unlawful carrying a weapon on premises licensed or permitted by the State to sell alcoholic beverages. See id. 46.02(a), (c).

At trial, Lazalde objected to the proposed definition of “premises” in the jury charge and requested a different definition of “premises” that excluded the sidewalk and entrance area immediately outside the convenience store. The trial court denied his objection and request. The jury convicted Lazalde of the felony offense. See id. The trial court sentenced Lazalde to two years in prison but suspended his sentence and placed him on community supervision for two years.

DISCUSSION

In his first issue, Lazalde asserts jury charge error. In his second issue, Lazalde argues the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction. We address Lazalde’s second issue first because it is a rendition issue.

2 Since the time of the offense in January 2019, the legislature has significantly amended section 46.02 of the Texas Penal Code, including repealing Former Section 46.02(c) in 2021, the subsection under which Lazalde was convicted. See Act of May 24, 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., ch. 809, §§ 22, 26(8), 28, 29.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE A. Standard of Review We review the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction under the standard set forth in Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979). See Brooks v. State, 323 S.W.3d 893, 895 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010). Under that standard, we view all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and determine, based on that evidence and any reasonable inferences therefrom, whether any rational factfinder could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Temple v. State, 390 S.W.3d 341, 360 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (citing Jackson, 443 U.S. at 318–19). The jury is the sole judge of the credibility and weight to be given to the testimony of the witnesses. Id. In this role, the jury may choose to believe all, some, or none of the testimony presented by the parties. Chambers v. State, 805 S.W.2d 459, 461 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991).

B. Hypothetically Correct Jury Charge In determining whether the evidence is legally sufficient, we must compare the evidence produced at trial to “‘the essential elements of the offense as defined by the hypothetically correct jury charge.’” David v. State, 663 S.W.3d 673, 678 (Tex. Crim. App. 2022) (quoting Malik v. State, 953 S.W.2d 234, 240 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997)). “A hypothetically correct jury charge ‘accurately sets out the law, is authorized by the indictment, does not unnecessarily increase the State’s burden of proof or unnecessarily restrict the State’s theories of liability, and adequately describes the particular offense for which the defendant was tried.’” David, 663 S.W.3d at 678 (quoting Malik, 953 S.W.2d at 240). “The ‘law as authorized by the indictment’ includes the statutory elements of the offense . . . as modified by the charging instrument.” David, 663 S.W.3d at 678 (quoting Curry v. State, 30 S.W.3d 394, 404 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000)).

C. The Elements of the Offense In January 2019, Former Section 46.02(a) stated that a person unlawfully carried a weapon if the person “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly carrie[d] on or about his or her person a handgun;” and the person was not on his own premises or premises under his control or inside of or directly en route to a motor vehicle or watercraft that the person owned or was under his control. See Former Section 46.02(a). Commission of an offense under this subsection in January 2019 was a Class A misdemeanor. See id. 46.02(b). However, “if the offense [was] committed on any premises licensed or issued a permit by this state for the sale of alcoholic beverages[,]” the offense was a third-degree felony. Id. 46.02(c).

Former Section 46.02 defined “premises” as including “real property and a recreational vehicle that is being used as living quarters, regardless of whether that use is temporary or permanent.” Id. 46.02(a–2). The jury charge included a portion of this definition; namely, that “premises” included “real property” but further instructed the jury:

With regard to premises licensed or issued a permit by this state for the sale of alcoholic beverages, “premises” means the grounds and all buildings, vehicles, and appurtenances pertaining to the grounds, including any adjacent premises if they are directly or indirectly under the control of the same person. 3

See TEX. ALCO. BEV. CODE ANN. § 11.49(a).

When terms are not clearly defined by statute, we “may articulate a definition [of the common term] in assessing the sufficiency of the evidence[.]” Kirsch v. State, 357 S.W.3d 645, 651 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012); see Green v. State, 476 S.W.3d 440, 445 (Tex. Crim. App. 2015). In doing so, we look to the common, ordinary meaning of the word. Williams v. State, 270 S.W.3d 140, 146 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008); see Medford v. State, 13 S.W.3d 769, 771–72 (Tex. Crim. App.

3 As more fully explained in the jury charge issue, we believe the trial court erred in further defining premises as it did here.

2000) (explaining that “terms not legislatively defined are typically to be understood as ordinary usage allows, and jurors may thus give them any meaning which is acceptable in common parlance”). In determining the common, ordinary meaning of a word, we may consult standard dictionaries. See Clinton v. State, 354 S.W.3d 795, 800 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011).

According to Black’s Law Dictionary, “real property” is defined as “[l]and and anything growing on, attached to, or erected on it, excluding anything that may be severed without injury to the land.” See Property – real property, BLACK’S LAW DICTIONARY (11th ed. 2019). A standard dictionary defines “property” as “something owned or possessed[,] specifically: a piece of real estate[.]” See Property, MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY, https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/property. “Real estate” is defined as “property in buildings and land[.]” See Real Estate, MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY, https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/realestate.

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