McClay v. State

946 S.W.2d 170, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 2802, 1997 WL 280645
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 28, 1997
DocketNo. 07-96-0376-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 946 S.W.2d 170 (McClay 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
McClay v. State, 946 S.W.2d 170, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 2802, 1997 WL 280645 (Tex. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

REAVIS, Justice.

Upon a plea of not guilty, a jury found appellant James McClay guilty of aggravated kidnapping, a second degree felony, in cause number 95-421,404.1 Due to “faulty” pen packet evidence, the trial judge found the State’s two enhancement allegations in the indictment “not true,” and sentenced appellant to twenty (20) years confinement. Appellant thereafter filed a motion for, and was granted, a new trial, the effect of which was to vacate the judgment in cause number 95-421,404. Appellant was re-indicted in cause number 96-422,460, and a jury found him guilty of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon. The same trial judge found two of the State’s three felony enhancement allegations “true” and sentenced appellant to thirty-five (35) years confinement. By two points of error, appellant seeks a reversal of his conviction in cause number 96-422,460 and a remand of the case to the trial court under the original conviction in cause number 95-421,404 or, alternatively, a reversal and remand for a new punishment hearing. For the reasons expressed herein, we will overrule appellant’s two points of error and affirm the judgment in cause number 96-422,460.

The record reflects that appellant was convicted in cause number 95-421,404 on February 20, 1996. Appellant filed a motion for new trial on March 7,1996, asserting that the trial court made an impermissible comment [172]*172on the weight of the evidence by signing the guilty verdict before sending the charge to the jury. The trial judge agreed and signed an order granting appellant a new trial which was filed March 8,1996. However, appellant now contends that the trial court improperly granted the new trial sua sponte because the order granting the new trial contains typewritten language which indicates that it was signed March 6, the day before appellant filed his motion for new trial. The order states, “[t]he Court hereby grants the Defendant’s Motion for new Trial SIGNED this sixth day of March 1996.” (emphasis added). Appellant urges that because the order granting the “Defendant’s Motion for new Trial” was purportedly signed on the sixth of March, and his motion for new trial was not officially filed until the seventh of March, that the trial court necessarily erred in granting the new trial sua sponte.

By his first point of error, appellant contends the trial court erred by granting a new trial sua sponte in cause number 95-421,404. Appellant correctly asserts that a trial court has no authority to grant a new trial sua sponte, and only an accused can move for and be granted a new trial. Tex. R.App. P. 30; Ex parte Ybarra, 629 S.W.2d 943, 945 (Tex.Cr.App.1982); Zaragosa v. State, 588 S.W.2d 322, 326-27 (Tex.Cr.App.1979). However, we disagree with appellant’s contention that because the order granting his motion for new trial states, in typewritten language, that it was signed by the trial judge one day before his motion for new trial was filed, that the trial court necessarily acted sua sponte, or that it committed reversible error.

First, the record reflects that appellant filed only one motion for new trial and it was based solely on the grounds that the trial court erred by making an impermissible comment on the weight of the evidence. The motion is signed by defense counsel and bears a distinctive word processing reference footer. The record also reflects that the order granting “Defendant’s Motion” for new trial bears a similar reference footer.2 Additionally, there is nothing in the record to controvert the fact that appellant filed a motion for new trial and the court granted that particular motion, aside from the fact that the typewritten order states that it was signed on the sixth of March. Since it is obvious from the record that appellant actually filed the motion for new trial which was ultimately granted, it necessarily follows that the trial court did not act sua sponte.3

Second, when the court signed the order granting the “Defendant’s Motion for new Trial,” appellant failed to present a timely and specific request, objection or motion in opposition to the order and obtain a ruling on the record. Consequently, appellant waived any potential error with regard to the granting of a new trial. Tex.R.App. P. 52(a).

Furthermore, assuming arguendo that the trial court erred in granting the new trial, it is clear that a party cannot invite error and then be heard to later complain of that error on appeal. Cadd v. State, 587 S.W.2d 736, 741 (Tex.Cr.App.1979). Under the doctrine of invited error, if a party requests or moves the court to make an erroneous ruling, and the court rules in accordance with the request or motion, the party responsible for the court’s action cannot take advantage of the error on appeal. Capistran v. State, 759 S.W.2d 121, 124 (Tex.Cr.App.1982). The record indicates that appellant filed both the motion for new trial and presented the order in question. Because appellant’s trial counsel typed in the date of the order for new trial, and since appellant is responsible for moving the trial judge to sign the order, any error which was committed, typographical or otherwise, is attributable to appellant. Therefore, point of error one is overruled.

[173]*173By his second point of error, appellant contends the trial court erred in punishing him as a habitual offender because the State failed to sustain its burden of proof with regard to the enhancement allegations in the first trial and thus it was barred by double jeopardy from subsequently attempting to enhance the same underlying offense upon retrial.4 We disagree.

During the punishment phase of the first trial, the State attempted to enhance the underlying offense by introducing evidence of prior felony convictions for forgery and assault with intent to murder, from Dickens and Falls Counties respectively. The trial judge, who appellant elected to set punishment, found the two enhancement allegations in the indictment “not true” because “the pen packets were faulty,” and resultantly, appellant’s punishment was not enhanced. During the punishment phase of the second trial, the State again attempted to enhance the underlying conviction by introducing evidence of three prior felony convictions; the same two convictions from Dickens and Falls Counties, and a third, aggravated robbery conviction from Stonewall County, all of which were introduced into evidence without objection.5 This time the trial judge found the Falls and Stonewall Counties convictions “true” and sentenced appellant to thirty-five (35) years confinement.

To support his contention that the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution and the double jeopardy clause of Article I, Sections 14 and 19 of the Texas Constitution, prohibit the State from having a “second bite at the enhancement apple” at either a new punishment hearing, or upon a retrial of the entire case once the evidence of enhancement is found to be insufficient, appellant cites this Court to Ex parte Bullard, 679 S.W.2d 12 (Tex.Cr.App.1984); Ex parte Sewell,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
946 S.W.2d 170, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 2802, 1997 WL 280645, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcclay-v-state-texapp-1997.