McGuire v. State

493 S.W.3d 177, 2016 WL 2747221
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 10, 2016
DocketNO. 01-14-00240-CR, NO. 01-14-00241-CR, NO. 01-14-01023-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 493 S.W.3d 177 (McGuire 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
McGuire v. State, 493 S.W.3d 177, 2016 WL 2747221 (Tex. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

OPINION

Harvey Brown, Justice

This is a fatality DWI case. The driver, Sean McGuire, refused consent when a police officer asked him to submit his blood for analysis of its alcohol concentration. Despite his lack of consent, and without a warrant, the police officer obtained a blood sample at a local hospital. The blood draw occurred approximately 90 minutes after the collision and revealed an alcohol concentration that was twice the legal limit. McGuire had two prior out-of-state DWIs, which served to enhance this third DWI to a third-degree felony.

In two separate indictments, McGuire was indicted for (1) felony murder, which is a first-degree felony under Section 19.03(b)(3) of the Texas Penal Code,1 (2) intoxication manslaughter, which is a second-degree felony under Section 49.08,2 and (3) failure to stop and render aid,, which in this case is a second-degree felony.3 The jury convicted McGuire of felony murder. It also convicted him of failure to stop and render aid.

After trial, the State asserted that the intoxication manslaughter charge — a charge that was submitted to the jury but on which the. jury was not allowed to convict if it returned a guilty verdict for murder — remained pending. McGuire sought habeas relief, arguing that further prosecution on the intoxication manslaughter charge violated double jeopardy because a jury already convicted him of murder. The trial court granted relief and dismissed the pending intoxication-manslaughter charge.

McGuire appeals his two convictions.4 The State appeals the habeas order.5. This opinion resolves all three appeals. First, we conclude that the blood, draw was unconstitutional and reverse the murder conviction. In doing so, we address only those issues raised in the appeal of the murder conviction that we view as necessary for the case to be remanded for further proceedings on that charge. These include (1) whether the two out-of-state DWIs may enhance this DWI offense to a felony and (2) the venue motion. The other appellate issues that are mooted by our holding are not addressed. Tex. R. App. P. 47.1 (requiring opinion to address issues necessary to final disposition). Second, we affirm the conviction for failure to stop and render aid. Third, given the disposition of the murder appeal, we conclude that the basis for granting habeas [185]*185relief is now moot and vacate the trial court’s order granting habeas relief.

Background

After attending a benefit at a bar for more than five hours, McGuire was driving home shortly after midnight when he struck a motorcycle on a rural road. Both vehicles were traveling in the same direction- when McGuire overcame the' motorcycle and his truck’s .front bumper became entangled with the motorcycle’s back fender. The entangled truck and motorcycle traveled together for some distance. The motorcycle eventually slipped down and became lodged under McGuire’s truck. McGuire’s truck then dragged the motorcycle to the next intersection, with sparks coming from both vehicles, where the motorcycle finally broke loose and slid to a stop. At some point during the process, the motorcycle driver, David Stidman, was knocked off his motorcycle. " Stidman died from his injuries at the scene.

The parties .contested the visibility of Stidman’s motorcycle. There was evidence that it was a dark color and had two small backlights instead of the more common large, central taillight. The evidence was inconsistent whether those two small lights were functioning. Stidman’s' father testified that the lights were working that evening. However, McGuire stated repeatedly on the night of the collision that he did not see any lights before impact, and his expert testified that he was denied access to determine whether the lights were functioning properly.

McGuire did not testify at trial; however, various witnesses testified to statements he made the night of the collision while police were investigating. .McGuire told these witnesses that he never saw the motorcycle. He heard a noise on impact, thought he may have hit “something or someone.” He then turned his vehicle back to the direction from which he had been driving to determine what had occurred, suggesting that he was unaware that he had collided with a motorcycle and dragged it down the road. After he turned his vehicle around, he saw nothing along the shoulder of the road, but he did not stop to investigate. Instead, he drove to a nearby gas station and .called his mother and two police acquaintances, who called law enforcement to begin its investigation.

Meanwhile, two other drivers saw Stid-man’s body lying hear the road a short distance from the gas station. One of the drivers called for emergency assistance. Emergency personnel arrived within minutes of the collision, but Stidman was already dead.

McGuire remained at the gas station until police officers arrived. They interviewed him briefly and then drove him back to where Stidman’s body had been found. While some police officers reported that McGuire showed no signs of intoxication, others stated that he had glassy eyes, smelled of -alcohol, and was unsteady on his feet.

Based on indications that McGuire was driving while intoxicated and because the accident resulted in a death, one of the officers took McGuire to a local hospital to have his blood drawn to determine its alcohol concentration. McGuire refused consent to. the blood draw. The police obtained a blood sample without McGuire’s consent and without taking any steps to obtain a warrant. A police officer testified that he did so based on a Transportation Code provision that states that an officer “shall require the taking of a specimen” under certain circumstances, including when an officer reasonably believes a driver was operating a vehicle while intoxicated and a person died as a result of -an accident involving that driver. See Tex. [186]*186Transp. Code ÁNN. § 724.012(b) (West 2011). McGuire’s blood was drawn less than 90 minutes after the accident. The blood specimen had an alcohol concentration of 0.16 — twice the legal limit.

In one indictment, McGuire faced charges of murder (because he had two previous out-of-state DWIs, which were used to enhance this DWI offense to a felony, thereby enabling the State to prosecute for felony murder) and intoxication manslaughter. Through a second indictment, McGuire also was charged with failure to stop and render aid. All charges were presented to one jury in a single trial.

McGuire sought pretrial habeas relief in 2012, arguing that the murder indictment failed to allege an offense because the two “act[s] clearly dangerous to human life,” as described in the indictment, were not acts at all, but, instead, simple omissions: failing to (1) maintain an adequate lookout for traffic and road conditions and (2) take proper evasive actions. See McGuire v. State, No. 01-11-01089-CR, 2012 WL 344952, at *1 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Feb. 2, 2012, pet. refd) (mem. op., not designated for publication). This court held , that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying habeas relief because failure to keep a proper lookout can occur through an act. Id. at *2. The case proceeded on all charges.

Before trial, McGuire filed a motion to transfer venue. The trial court held a hearing and denied the motion.

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Bluebook (online)
493 S.W.3d 177, 2016 WL 2747221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcguire-v-state-texapp-2016.