Lowery v. State

974 S.W.2d 936, 1998 Tex. App. LEXIS 5434, 1998 WL 546132
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 27, 1998
Docket05-95-01793-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 974 S.W.2d 936 (Lowery 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
Lowery v. State, 974 S.W.2d 936, 1998 Tex. App. LEXIS 5434, 1998 WL 546132 (Tex. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

LAGARDE, Justice.

Joe Brown Lowery, III appeals his conviction for indecency with a child. After finding-appellant guilty, the trial court sentenced appellant to five years’ imprisonment. Appellant brings two points of error contending that: (1) the evidence is legally insufficient; and (2) appellant never waived his right to a jury trial. We overrule appellant’s first point of error and sustain his second point of error. We reverse the trial court’s judgment and remand the cause.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

In his first point of error, appellant contends that the evidence is legally insufficient to support his conviction. When reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, this Court must examine the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict to determine whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 318, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); Butler v. State, 769 S.W.2d 234, 239 (Tex.Crim.App.1989), overruled on other grounds by Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). In making this determination, the reviewing court considers all the evidence including improperly admitted evidence. Rodriguez v. State, 819 S.W.2d 871, 873 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). Questions concerning the credibility of witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony are to be resolved by the trier of fact. Bonham v. State, 680 S.W.2d 815, 819 (Tex.Crim. App.1984), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 865, 106 S.Ct. 184, 88 L.Ed.2d 153 (1985). The standard of review in a circumstantial evidence case is the same as in a direct evidence case. Geesa, 820 S.W.2d at 160-61.

The sufficiency of the evidence is measured by the elements of the offense as *938 defined by a hypothetically correct jury charge for the case. Malik v. State, 953 S.W.2d 234, 240 (Tex.Crim.App.1997). This hypothetical charge would set out the law, be authorized by the indictment, not unnecessarily increase the State’s burden of proof or unnecessarily restrict the State’s theories of liability, and adequately describe the particular offense for which the defendant was tried. Id. This standard applies to both jury and bench trials. Id.

The indictment alleged that on or about May 27,1995, appellant intentionally engaged in sexual contact with B., a child younger than seventeen years, “by contact between the hand of the defendant and the vaginal area over complainant’s clothing, with the intent to arouse and gratify the sexual desire of the defendant.” See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 21.11(a)(1) (Vernon 1994). B. testified that she was born on April 26, 1985.

B. testified about the offense as follows:
Q. [By the Prosecutor:] That night in May of 1995 was it the first part of May or the last part of May?
A. I think it was the last part of May.
Q. On or about May the 27th of 1995?
A. Yes.
Q. What did he [appellant] do?
A. He would rub all over me.
The Court: I beg your pardon, [B.]? What did you say?
The Witness: He would rub all over me.
Q. Where would he rub you?
A. All over my body.
Q. What did he rub you with?
A. His hand.
Q. Did he rub you over your clothes or under your clothes?
A. Over.
Q. Okay. What did you do when Joe rubbed your, private part with his hands?
A. I would get up and I would go to my room — my mother’s room.
Q. Did you say anything to him?
A. Huh-uh — well, yeah.
Q. What did you say?
A. No.
Q. Did he stop when you said no?
A. No. Sometimes, yeah.
Q. Did he stop that time?
A. Yes.
Q. And where did go [sic] after he — after he stopped?
A. My mother’s room.
Q. [B.], was — when Joe touched you and rubbed your private parts in May of 1995, was that the first time he had done that?
A. Yeah. Yes.
Q. Okay. Had he ever touched you before that?
A. No.
Q. Okay. You told your mom that he touched you before, though, didn’t you?
A. Yeah — I don’t know. Yeah, I guess. Yes. No.
Q. Which is it, [B.]?
The Court: [B.], what is the truth? Did he do it once, or was it — according to your recollection, did he do it just the time that you’ve been talking about or were there other times?
The Witness: There were other times.
The Court: This man right here?
The Witness: Uh-huh.
Q. [B.], those other times where were you when he would come and touch you?
A. In my room. And sometimes I was in the garage. I was getting — my mom told me to go out and get some ice.
Q. When you’d go into the garage, what would he do?
A. Well, he would start rubbing all over me and I just got lose [sic] and got the ice and ran out.

*939 B.’s mother testified that she saw appellant touch B.’s vaginal area:

Q. [By the Prosecutor:] Would you please tell the Judge what you saw?
A. The first time, it was about three years ago. I really don’t remember for sure. He was in the garage, and I went outside to tell [B.] to come and eat.

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Bluebook (online)
974 S.W.2d 936, 1998 Tex. App. LEXIS 5434, 1998 WL 546132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lowery-v-state-texapp-1998.