Mathonican v. State

194 S.W.3d 59, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 4094, 2006 WL 1291754
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 12, 2006
Docket06-05-00056-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 194 S.W.3d 59 (Mathonican 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
Mathonican v. State, 194 S.W.3d 59, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 4094, 2006 WL 1291754 (Tex. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinions

OPINION

Opinion by

Chief Justice MORRISS.

The State charged Earl Edward Ma-thonican with the crime of sexually assaulting J.M. by causing three distinct penile penetrations without J.M.’s consent — J.M. penetrating Mathonican’s anus and mouth, and Mathonican penetrating J.M.’s mouth. See Tex. Pen.Code Ann. § 22.011 (Vernon Supp.2005). The State also sought and obtained a jury finding that, during the commission of the offenses, Mathonican used or exhibited a deadly weapon, that is, his HIV-positive seminal fluid.1 After convicting Mathonican, the jury assessed his punishment at ninety-seven years’ imprisonment.2

On appeal, Mathonican claims the charges were erroneously submitted to the jury disjunctively, violating his right to a unanimous verdict on each charge. He also challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the deadly weapon finding. We reverse Mathonican’s conviction and remand the cause for a new trial because we hold that (1) the jury charge erroneously allowed a conviction by a potentially less-than-unanimous jury, and that error was egregiously harmful, but that (2) on remand the State may again seek a deadly weapon finding because the evidence was legally sufficient to support that finding.

(1) The Jury Charge Contained Error Requiring Reversal

In his first point of error, Mathonican contends the trial court’s disjunctive charge to the jury violated his right under the Texas Constitution to a unanimous verdict. See Tex. Const, art. I, § 19, art. V, § 13 (composition of civil and criminal ju-[62]*62ríes); Tex.Code Chim. PROC. Ann. art. 36.29(a) (Vernon Supp.2005) (unanimous jury verdict required in criminal cases). We agree.

“The function of the jury charge is to instruct the jury on applying the law to the facts.” Abdnor v. State, 871 S.W.2d 726, 731 (Tex.Crim.App.1994). “[A]n erroneous or an incomplete jury charge jeopardizes a defendant’s right to jury trial because it fails to properly guide the jury in its fact-finding function.” Id. “An erroneous or incomplete jury charge, however, does not result in automatic reversal of a conviction.” Id. Instead, Article 36.19 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure outlines the path this Court should follow to review error in the charge: “[F]irst, the court must determine whether error actually exists in the charge, and second, the court must determine whether sufficient harm resulted from the error to require reversal.” Id. at 731-32 (citing Tex.Code CRiM. PROC. Ann. art. 36.19 (Vernon 1981) and referencing Gibson v. State, 726 S.W.2d 129, 132 (Tex.Crim.App.1987)). The subsequent evaluation of whether “sufficient harm” shall be found to require reversal “depends upon whether appellant objected.” Abdnor, 871 S.W.2d at 732. “Where there has been a timely objection made at trial, an appellate court will search only for ‘some harm.’ ” Id. “By contrast, where the error is urged for the first time on appeal, a reviewing court will search for ‘egregious harm.’” Id. (citing Arline v. State, 721 S.W.2d 348, 351 (Tex. Crim.App.1986); Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 (Tex.Crim.App.1984) (op. on reh’g)).

(a) The Indictment

Because a proper jury charge is generally limited to and guided by the language of the indictment, see, e.g., Brown v. State, 159 S.W.3d 703, 710 (Tex. App.-Texarkana 2004, pet. denied) (referencing Curry v. State, 30 S.W.3d 394, 404 (Tex.Crim.App.2000)), it is essential to first examine the applicable portions of the State’s indictment.3 The indictment’s second count contained three paragraphs, which alleged:

AND THE GRAND JURORS AFORESAID do further present in and to said Court that on or about the 26th day of December, 2003, the said Earl Edward Mathonican
Paragraph One
did then and there intentionally and knowingly sexually assault [J.M.], by causing [J.M.’s] sexual organ to penetrate [the] anus of the said Earl Edward Mathonican, without [J.M.’s] consent, and the said Earl Edward Mathonican knew that the said [J.M.] was unconscious and/or physically unable to resist;
Paragraph Two
did then and there intentionally and knowingly sexually assault [J.M.], by causing [J.M.’s] sexual organ to penetrate the mouth of the said Earl Edward Mathonican, without [J.M.’s] consent, and the said Earl Edward Mathonican knew that the said [J.M.] was unaware that the sexual assault was occurring;
Paragraph Three
did then and there intentionally and knowingly sexually assault [J.M.], by causing his sexual organ to penetrate the mouth of the said [J.M.], without [J.M.’s] consent, and the said Earl Ed[63]*63ward Mathonican knew that the said [J.M.] was unaware that the sexual assault was occurring;....

(b) The Jury Charge

The trial court’s jury charge during the guilt/innocence phase included nine pages of instructions, plus two additional pages of verdict forms. The relevant application paragraphs instructed the jury:

9.
Next consider the offense of sexual assault as set out in Count Two, Paragraph One. If you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that on or about the 26th day of December, 2003, in Hunt County, Texas, the defendant, Earl Edward Mathonican, did then and there, intentionally or knowingly, sexually assault [J.M.], by causing [J.M.’s] sexual organ to penetrate the anus of the said Earl Edward Mathonican, without [J.M.’s] consent, and the said Earl Edward Mathonican knew that the said [J.M.] was unconscious or physically unable to resist, then you will find the defendant guilty of sexual assault by causing [J.M.’s] sexual organ to penetrate the anus of Earl Edward Mathoni-can, as charged in Count Two, Paragraph One of the indictment. If the evidence did not convince you beyond a reasonable doubt or you have a reasonable doubt thereof, you will acquit the defendant and say so by your verdict of “not guilty.”
10.
Next consider the offense of sexual assault as set out in Count Two, Paragraph Two of the indictment. If you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that on or about the 26th day of December, 2003, in Hunt County, Texas, the defendant, Earl Edward Ma-thoniean, did then and there, intentionally or knowingly, sexually assault [J.M.], by causing [J.M.’s] sexual organ to penetrate the mouth of the said Earl Edward Mathonican, without [J.M.’s] consent, and the said Earl Edward Mathonican knew that the said [J.M.] was unaware that the sexual assault was occurring, then you will find the defendant guilty of sexual assault by causing [J.M.’s] sexual organ to penetrate the mouth of Earl Edward Mathonican, as charged in Count Two, Paragraph Two of the indictment. If the evidence did not convince you beyond a reasonable doubt or you have a reasonable doubt thereof, you will acquit the defendant and say so by your verdict of “not guilty.”
11.

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Bluebook (online)
194 S.W.3d 59, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 4094, 2006 WL 1291754, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mathonican-v-state-texapp-2006.