McCallum v. State

311 S.W.3d 9, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 440, 2010 WL 305313
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 27, 2010
Docket04-08-00844-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 311 S.W.3d 9 (McCallum 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
McCallum v. State, 311 S.W.3d 9, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 440, 2010 WL 305313 (Tex. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by:

MARIALYN BARNARD, Justice.

A jury found appellant Michael McCal-lum guilty of criminally negligent homicide, and assessed punishment at confinement for eighteen years. McCallum does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence; instead, he raises three procedural complaints: the trial court erred in (1) denying his request for an accomplice-witness instruction in the jury charge, (2) admitting evidence indicating McCallum was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, and (8) assessing punishment beyond the prescribed statutory maximum. He contends alternatively that if we hold his second issue is waived because of an inadequate objection, his counsel was ineffective for failing to object properly. The State raises a cross point, asking that we reform the judgment to properly reflect the jury’s finding that McCallum committed the offense with a deadly weapon. We affirm the trial court’s judgment as reformed with regard to the deadly weapon finding.

Background

On the evening of August 5, 2004, McCallum and his stepson, Alex, walked to a convenience store to buy beer. When they got there, Thomas Pribyl, who appeared to be intoxicated, approached them and offered to give McCallum Xanax if McCallum would purchase beer for him. After McCallum bought Pribyl some beer, the three men walked to Pribyl’s father’s house to get the Xanax. Once at Pribyl’s father’s house, the men stayed in the driveway drinking beer and talking. Pri-byl and McCallum each mentioned they had been to prison. McCallum pulled off his shirt and showed Pribyl several tattoos. In response, Pribyl showed McCal-lum his small swastika tattoo. Soon after, Pribyl went into the house to get the Xa-nax. While Pribyl was inside, McCallum told Alex he did not believe Pribyl had actually served time, and he thought Pri-byl had done the tattoo himself. Once Pribyl returned with the bottle of Xanax, McCallum offered to trade methadone for more Xanax, and Pribyl agreed.

The three men then set out on foot for McCallum’s home. About the time they approached McCallum’s street, McCallum confronted Pribyl, stating “I don’t think you are who you say you are.” Pribyl appeared confused and asked McCallum what he was talking about. According to Alex’s testimony, McCallum then turned around and punched Pribyl in the head. Alex testified the attack was unprovoked. Alex said Pribyl then “went completely stiff and just fell back, fell straight back” “like a board” as if he were “out cold before he even hit the ground.... ” After Pribyl hit the ground, he did not move. At first, McCallum and Alex continued walking, leaving Pribyl in the street. However, McCallum soon suggested they go back and check on Pribyl. When they returned, they found Pribyl sitting on the curb, slumped over; he appeared dazed. McCallum asked Pribyl, “Hey man, what happened? Are you all right? What happened there?” Pribyl did not respond coherently, but McCallum helped him up, and the trio again began walking together towards McCallum’s house “as if nothing happened.”

Alex testified that Pribyl had a box cutter in his hand, but was not threatening any one with it. Nevertheless, in an ag *12 gressive tone McCallum asked Pribyl, “Are you going to cut me with that?” McCallum then took the box cutter away from Pribyl and put it in his pocket. The men continued walking, but Alex stated Pribyl was “just kind of stumbling along.” Fifteen yards down the road, McCallum again struck Pribyl in the head. Alex testified that Pribyl again fell “[c]ompletely straight, like a board.” After Pribyl hit the ground he was completely still. Alex said that this time he kept walking, and admitted that at no time did he try to help Pribyl nor did he call 911. He claimed he did not want to show weakness in front of McCallum.

Alex said McCallum was quiet as they walked the rest of the way to the house. When they got to the house, McCallum told his wife Natalie, “I hit a guy who was false-claiming.” McCallum told her he “laid him out.” At this point, Alex went to bed, but McCallum went back outside. He returned after twenty minutes. Natalie testified that when he returned he was upset, believing Pribyl might be dead. Natalie said he left again, and this time he was gone for almost two hours. However, when he returned he was no longer worried that Pribyl might have died.

The evidence showed that at some point Pribyl got up. He walked to a house and started banging on the door. The resident called police. Police, as well as Pribyl’s father and brother, eventually arrived. Pribyl’s family took him home and put him on the couch. However, the next day his father could not wake him up. Pribyl’s father called 911, and Pribyl was taken to the hospital.

At the hospital, Pribyl was taken to surgery. After the surgery, doctors told Pribyl’s family that he had suffered “severe brain damage and brain trauma,” and they did not believe' he would recover. After several days, Pribyl was taken off of life support; he died almost immediately. The hospital records showed Pribyl died of a “cerebral potine hemorrhage.”

At trial, medical examiner Kimberly Molina testified that the type of injury suffered by Pribyl occurs when “the brain kind of smooshes over” into the area that talks to the rest of the body. She stated the cause of death was head trauma, and Pribyl’s injuries were consistent with being hit in the head and then falling to the ground. Molina said that in her opinion the cause of death was “[bjlunt force trauma to the head,” and the manner of death was homicide.

Natalie testified that several days after McCallum hit Pribyl, McCallum gave her a bracelet. McCallum told Natalie he wanted her to take the bracelet to a pawn shop. Natalie stated she thought the bracelet might have belonged to one of McCallum’s many girlfriends. She did as McCallum asked and pawned the bracelet. Thereafter, Natalie said she began getting telephone calls from a detective. Police had recovered the bracelet from the pawn shop — it belonged to Pribyl.

Alex testified that the day after the attack on Pribyl, McCallum gave him a wallet. Alex stated he believed it was Pribyl’s wallet. Alex put it on his dresser; Natalie admitted seeing it there. After Alex was questioned by police about Pribyl, McCal-lum told Alex the wallet belonged to Pri-byl, and told Alex to get rid of it. Alex threw it into the yard of a vacant home after wiping it down. It was never recovered.

For approximately two years, neither Natalie nor Alex assisted police in their investigation. Eventually, Natalie was given immunity in exchange for her agreement to testify truthfully. She appeared before the grand jury and at trial. As for Alex, McCallum had given him a story to *13 tell police — that after they left Pribyl’s house, Pribyl went off in the direction of the convenience store and that was the last time they saw him. According to Alex, McCallum threatened him, so Alex admitted that he stuck to the story McCallum told him to tell until he was called to testify before the grand jury. Alex then, and at trial, testified about McCallum’s attack on Pribyl. Alex denied hitting Pri-byl, and denied planning any assault on Pribyl.

Discussion

Jury Charge

McCallum first contends the trial court erred when it refused his request for article 38.14 accomplice-witness instructions regarding Alex and Natalie. See

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
311 S.W.3d 9, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 440, 2010 WL 305313, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccallum-v-state-texapp-2010.