Kizzee v. State

788 S.W.2d 413, 1990 WL 38948
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 5, 1990
Docket01-89-00432-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 788 S.W.2d 413 (Kizzee 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
Kizzee v. State, 788 S.W.2d 413, 1990 WL 38948 (Tex. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinions

OPINION

DUNN, Justice.

Appellant, Earnest Kizzee, was charged by information with the offense of carrying a weapon. The jury found appellant guilty of the offense, and assessed punishment at six months confinement in the Harris County jail.

On January 3, 1989, Officer Cheek was on patrol at a low-income housing project on Jensen Drive in Houston. He testified that, at approximately 10:00 p.m., he and Officer Williams noticed two females, and after having a conversation with them, walked toward the parking lot of the complex and observed two black males talking. As the officers approached, one of the males, Winfred Earl Jones, tossed a pistol into a parked car. Cheek and Williams drew their pistols and ordered Jones to put his hands on the car. During this episode, the officers observed appellant, standing in front of the automobile, and ordered him to come toward them. Cheek stated that appellant appeared intoxicated because he was mumbling, appeared unbalanced, had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, and would not answer or look at him. Both officers approached appellant and confirmed that he was intoxicated, and decided to arrest him for public intoxication. Cheek stated that while performing a search for possible weapons, he touched appellant’s rear pocket and felt the shape of a pistol. Cheek removed a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol from appellant’s rear pocket, and informed him that he was under arrest for carrying a pistol. Cheek testified that appellant did not really respond, but said he was carrying the weapon for his protection.

Winfred Earl Jones testified that about an hour before they were arrested, he picked appellant up at appellant’s mother-in-law’s house to take him home; that on the way to appellant’s house they experienced car trouble, stopped at the housing project on Jensen at about 10:00 p.m., got out of the car to get a soda, and saw the officers. He further testified that prior to this incident, he had seen appellant in his home with the gun, and that appellant was not drunk on the night he was arrested.

Appellant testified that he kept the gun at home for protection. He stated that he had previously pawned the gun, and that on the date in question, at about 6:30 p.m., he was going to take it home because he had paid off his debt. He stated that he and Jones arrived at the housing project at about 10:00 p.m., and that he was sitting inside the car, when approached by the officers, and was not drunk although he had consumed two 16-ounce beers between 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

In appellant’s sole point of error, he contends that he was denied his sixth amendment 1 right to effective assistance of counsel.

The standard for determining whether there was ineffective assistance of counsel requires that: (1) counsel’s performance be deficient; and (2) there is a reasonable probability that but for counsel’s error, the outcome would have been different. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 686, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2063, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984); Ingham v. State, 679 S.W.2d 503, 509 (Tex.Crim.App.1984). The [415]*415various allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel are as follows:

Pre-Trial

(1)Failure to file a pre-trial motion to suppress appellant’s statement to Cheek that he carried a handgun for his own protection because it contradicted his testimony that he was carrying the gun home.

The failure to file a suppression motion does not constitute per se ineffective assistance of counsel. Kimmelman v. Morrison, 477 U.S. 365, 384, 106 S.Ct. 2574, 2587, 91 L.Ed.2d 305 (1986); Stafford v. State, 758 S.W.2d 663, 669 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, pet. granted). Appellant urges that this statement was oral, made while in custody, and should have been suppressed pursuant to Tex. Code Crim.P.Ann. art. 38.22, sec. 3(a) (Vernon Supp.1990).2 Under the doctrine of “res gestae,” the State is entitled to elicit testimony as to the facts and circumstances surrounding the commission of a charged offense. Lomas v. State, 707 S.W.2d 566, 568 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). However, where such evidence is inherently prejudicial and has no relevance to the case, then the doctrine does not apply. Maddox v. State, 682 S.W.2d 563, 564 (Tex.Crim.App.1985). Furthermore, statements made while in the grip of violent emotion, excitement or pain, and which relate to an exciting event are admissible under the “res gestae” doctrine.3 Thigpen v. State, 701 S.W.2d 95, 98 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1986, pet. ref’d). The evidence established that after Cheek informed appellant that he was under arrest, he responded that he was carrying the gun for his protection. Cheek’s testimony was an important fact surrounding the commission of the offense of carrying a weapon. In addition, appellant’s statement was made while in the grip of excitement, and was not made in response to a custodial interrogation.4 Thus, trial counsel was not ineffective in failing to object to admissible evidence.

(2) Failure to file a motion to suppress evidence obtained as a result of an illegal arrest.

In Ochoa v. State, 717 S.W.2d 174, 175 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1986, pet. ref’d), this Court held that trial counsel’s failure to file a motion to suppress evidence, following defendant’s arrest, did not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel where defendant committed a felony within a police officer’s view and the arrest was authorized. See Tex.Code Crim. P.Ann. art. 14.01(a), (b) (Vernon Supp. 1990). The evidence established that appellant committed the offense of public intoxication, and a gun was recovered during the search incident to the arrest for that offense.

Voir Dire
(3) During voir dire, trial counsel failed to explain and discuss, with the panel members, the following factors:
(A) Elements of the offense;
(B) Concepts of burden of proof;
(C) Presumption of innocence;
(D) Range of punishment;
(E) Jury’s personal feelings on weapons;
(F) Jury’s connection with law enforcement; and
(G) Jury’s views on probation.

Appellant has failed to discuss how the above allegations are material to the outcome of the trial. Allegations of ineffective counsel will be sustained only if they are firmly founded. Mercado v. State, 615 S.W.2d 225, 228 (Tex.Crim.App.1981). The record indicates that during voir dire, trial counsel did discuss most of [416]*416the legal concepts alleged.5

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Kizzee v. State
788 S.W.2d 413 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
788 S.W.2d 413, 1990 WL 38948, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kizzee-v-state-texapp-1990.