Lewis v. State

638 S.W.2d 148
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided October 27, 1982·No. 08-81-00245-CR·Published·Cited by 16 cases

Opinions

OPINION

OSBORN, Justice.

This is an appeal from a conviction for burglary of a habitation. The court assessed punishment at thirteen years confinement. We reverse.

Appellant was charged by three-count indictment with burglary of a habitation with intent to commit aggravated assault on August 26,1979, burglary of a habitation with intent to commit murder and attempted murder, the latter two counts alleged to have occurred on August 29, 1979.

A trial to the court was held on December 7, 1979, resulting in a verdict of guilty as to the August 26 burglary count. Punishment was assessed at thirteen years confinement.

On August 26, 1979, the complainant, James McCall, returned to his home and found the Appellant, his nephew, inside. Appellant swung a small, iron hammer at the complainant’s head, and then fled. Mr. McCall’s property had been removed from drawers upstairs. A bracelet and bottle of after-shave lotion were missing. Mr. McCall testified that the telephone line was cut.

On August 29, 1979, the complainant again surprised the Appellant in his house. Appellant fired a double-barrel shotgun twice, striking Mr. McCall in the arm. The telephone line was again either cut or pulled out.

[150] Appellant testified that he was not at his uncle’s house on either occasion. He denied owning, having access to or ever firing a shotgun. He admitted having been accused of stealing eleven pairs of shoes from his uncle approximately one year before the alleged burglaries. He testified that he visited Mr. McCall, with his mother, at the hospital on the afternoon of the shotgun incident. McCall had testified that the Appellant did not actually visit him, but rather waited outside the room.

In his first ground of error, Appellant contends that the indictment is fundamentally defective due to the improper joinder of the three counts. Appellant relies upon Jordan v. State, 552 S.W.2d 478, 479 (Tex. Cr.App.1977). In Jordan a two-count indictment was tried to the court resulting in a conviction on both counts. The two counts consisted of burglary of a building with intent to commit theft and theft, both arising out of the same incident. The appellate court reversed, ruling that Penal Code Sections 3.01 and 3.02 and Article 21.24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure precluded the joinder of burglary and theft in one indictment, since they are different offenses.

Article 21.24 permits joinder of two or more offenses in separate counts of a single indictment if the offenses arise out of the same criminal episode, as defined in Section 3.01 of the Penal Code. That statute defines criminal episode as the repeated commission of any one offense defined in Title 7 of the code, Offenses Against Property. Section 3.02(a) permits prosecution and conviction for all offenses arising out of the same criminal episode.

The first two counts of this indictment allege burglary of a habitation arising under Title 7, Section 30.02 of the Penal Code. Both counts involve burglary of the same dwelling, with felonious assaultive intent directed at the same victim, and separated by only three days. The first two counts are properly joined in the indictment. McCaleb v. State, 537 S.W.2d 728 (Tex.Cr.App.1976).

The third count, attempted murder, is not joined under the previously noted statutory provisions. Nonetheless, the State is entitled to charge, in separate counts of a single indictment, each and every distinct offense committed in the same incident or transaction. Crocker v. State, 573 S.W.2d 190 (Tex.Cr.App.1978) (castration and disfigurement); Hicks v. State, 508 S.W.2d 400 (Tex.Cr.App.1974) (robbery and rape); Hughes v. State, 455 S.W.2d 303 (Tex.Cr.App.1970) (murder and unlawfully carrying a weapon); Breeden v. State, 438 S.W.2d 105 (Tex.Cr.App.1969) (robbery and murder).

This type of joinder is not restricted to offenses against property. Unlike join-der under Penal Code Section 3.02, this form of pleading may not result in conviction on more than one count. Ex parte Easley, 490 S.W.2d 570 (Tex.Cr.App.1972). To sustain the pleadings and not run afoul of the multiple conviction rule, one of two courses of action must be taken in submitting the issues to the fact-finder. The State must elect which count to proceed on, abandoning the others, or the counts must be considered by the fact-finder in a conditional manner. Whether trial is to the court or the jury, a verdict of guilty may be reached as to any one count, but not more than one. The State is not required to make an election, but if it does not, conditional submission is mandatory. This was the ultimate defect in Jordan. See also: Koah v. State, 604 S.W.2d 156 (Tex.Cr.App.1980); Crocker, supra.

The third count of the indictment is a distinct offense arising out of the same transaction as the second count. As a result, those counts are properly joined but could only produce one guilty verdict, between them. As an abstract proposition of drafting, the indictment subjected the Appellant to possible conviction of the first count and one or the other of the second two counts.

Appellant’s Ground of Error No. One is based on a combined reading of the statement of facts, original judgment and [151] sentence. The statement of facts, as well as the State’s brief, reflects that no election was made by the State as to which count they were proceeding on. All three counts were read, pleas of not guilty were entered, and evidence was presented on all three allegations.

The original judgment recites that the State elected to proceed on the first count only and that Appellant was, therefore, only on trial for burglary with intent to commit aggravated assault. This was clearly not supported by the record. The same document reflects a finding of guilt as to all three counts. The formal judgment clause reflects guilt as to count one only. The sentence addresses punishment as to only the first count.

If this were the final state of the record, Appellant’s complaint would be well-founded. It would not, however, be properly before us. Judgment and sentence would not have been entered as to the second two counts, thereby depriving this court of appellate jurisdiction.

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Lewis v. State, 638 S.W.2d 148 (Tex. Ct. App. 1982).

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Lewis v. State
638 S.W.2d 148 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1982)