Medellin, Albert Rodriguez

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 12, 2015
DocketPD-0484-15
StatusPublished

This text of Medellin, Albert Rodriguez (Medellin, Albert Rodriguez) 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
Medellin, Albert Rodriguez, (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

PD-0484-15

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS

NO. CR-2011-196 ALBERT RODRIGUEZ MEDELLIN, Petitioner

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Respondent

ON PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW OF THE FOLLOWING:

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE 13TH DISTRICT NO. 03-13-00158-CR ON DIRECT APPEAL FROM COMAL COUNTY, TEXAS

TRIAL COURT CASE NO. CR2011-196 Honorable Carl E. Stewart, Chief Judge Presiding

Larry Warner, Counsel for Petitioner Alberto Rodriguez Medellin 3109 Banyan Circle Harlingen, Texas 78550 Phone: (956) 230-0361 June 12, 2015 Facsimile: 1-866-408-1968 office@larrywarner.com Texas Bar#20871500;USDC,SDTX 1230; Board Certified, Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization(1983) Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States (1984)

Page 1 of 20 Pursuant to TEX.R.APP.P.68.4,Appellant provides the following identity of parties

and counsel:

Identity of parties and counsel

Alberto Rodriguez Medellin, Appellant

FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS at trial and on appeal and on petition for

discretionary review:

Ms. Jennifer C. Smith *** and ***

Ms. Laura B. Bates COMAL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE 150 North Seguin, Suite 307 New Braunfels, Texas 78130 (830) 221-1300

FOR THE DEFENDANT ALBERT RODRIGUEZ MEDELLIN at trial: Thomas P. 'Tom' Clark ATTORNEY AT LAW 800 West San Antonio Street, Suite B New Braunfels, Texas 78130 (830) 624-0804

FOR THE DEFENDANT ALBERT RODRIGUEZ MEDELLIN On Appeal and on petition for discretionary review: Larry Warner, Counsel for Petitioner Alberto Rodriguez Medellin 3109 Banyan Circle Harlingen,Tx 78550 Phone: (956) 230-0361 Facsimile: 1-866-408-1968 office@larrywarner.com Texas Bar#20871500;USDC,SDTX 1230; Board Certified, Criminal Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization(1983) Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States (1984)

Page 2 of 20 Pursuant to TEX.R.APP.P.68.4(a), Petitioner provides this Table of Contents with reference to the pages of the Petition, indicating the subject of each ground or question presented for review.

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Index of Authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Statement re oral argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Statement of the case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Statement of procedural history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

Grounds for Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

1. The Court of Appeals has decided an important question of state or federal law in a way that conflicts with the applicable decisions of the Court of Criminal Appeals or the Supreme Court of the United States.

The question is: Does the Trial Court abuse its discretion in denying a change of venue when the evidence is otherwise in equipoise but the District Attorney herself announces publicly pretrial her personal opinion that the defendant is guilty? Does the district attorney’s publicized opinion fulfill the prejudice requirement of TEX.CODE CRIM.P.art.31.02(a)?

The decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals is Ransonnette v. State,522S.W.2d509(Tex.Crim.App.1975)

Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12

Prayer for Relief......................... 16

Page 3 of 20 Pursuant to TEX.R.APP.P.68.4(b), Petitioner provides an Index of Authorities,

arranged alphabetically and indicating the pages of the petition where the authorities

are cited.

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

CASES: PAGES

Ransonnette v. State,522S.W.2d509(Tex.Crim.App.1975)

McCutcheon v. State,363 S.W.2d 457 (Tex.Crim.App. 1962)

Refusal of defendant's motion for change of venue on ground that publicity given by radio, television and newspapers of district attorney's announcement that defendant was one of 12 persons he most wanted to convict and send to penitentiary deprived defendant of fair and impartial trial was not error in absence of showing that any prejudice found its way into jury box.

Pursuant to TEX.R.APP.P. 68.4©, Petitioner includes a short statement of why oral

argument would be helpful.

Statement re Oral Argument

Oral argument would be helpful to the decisional process. The Court and

Counsel could discuss the correct standard of review of the decision to deny a motion

for change of venue.

Most recently, the Court of Criminal Appeals stated:

“Indeed, even extensive knowledge of the case or defendant in

Page 4 of 20 the community as a result of pretrial publicity is not sufficient if there is not also some showing of prejudicial or inflammatory coverage.8" Gonzalez v. State,222 S.W.3d446,449hn2(Tex.Crim.App.2007) regresar

Earlier, the Court of Criminal Appeals had set a more exacting standard:

“Refusal of defendant's motion for change of venue on ground that publicity given by radio, television and newspapers of district attorney's announcement that defendant was one of 12 persons he most wanted to convict and send to penitentiary deprived defendant of fair and impartial trial was not error in absence of showing that any prejudice found its way into jury box. McCutcheon v. State,363 S.W.2d 457 (Tex.Crim.App. 1962).

The Court and Counsel could discuss whether the Court of Appeals correctly

interpreted the standard set out by the Court of Criminal Appeals in Ransonnette v.

State,522S.W.2d509(Tex.Crim.App.1975) The Court of Appeals did not review the

prejudice from the publication of the District Attorney’s opinion that the defendant

was guilty.

Considering evolving standards of due process and due course, as well as

promulgation of higher standards of conduct and more precise rules of professional

conduct, the Court of Criminal Appeals and Counsel could discuss whether it is time

to revisit a half-century old opinion on the subject of the prosecutor’s public

expression of opinion on the defendant’s guilt. See: McCutcheon v. State,363 S.W.2d

457 (Tex.Crim.App. 1962)

Page 5 of 20 Refusal of defendant's motion for change of venue on ground that publicity given by radio, television and newspapers of district attorney's announcement that defendant was one of 12 persons he most wanted to convict and send to penitentiary deprived defendant of fair and impartial trial was not error in absence of showing that any prejudice found its way into jury box. McCutcheon v. State,363 S.W.2d 457 (Tex.Crim.App. 1962)

Pursuant to TEX.R.APP.P.68.4(d), Petitioner provides a statement of the case,

noting briefly the nature of the case, and reserving the details of the case for statement

with the pertinent grounds or questions.

Statement of the case

The nature of the case was a prosecution of Petitioner for murder.

Petitioner pleaded not guilty and tried guilt/innocence to a jury.

The jury found him guilty of murder.

The jury recommended and the judge imposed a sentence of life imprisonment.

Petitioner timely filed a Notice of Appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Third

District of Texas.

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Related

State, Ex Rel. Coburn v. Bennett
655 P.2d 502 (Montana Supreme Court, 1982)
State v. Wilson
202 S.E.2d 828 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 1974)
McCutcheon v. State
363 S.W.2d 457 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1962)
Rubenstein v. State
407 S.W.2d 793 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1966)
Lawrence v. State
240 S.W.3d 912 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Drew Ryser v. State
453 S.W.3d 17 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2014)
Williams v. State
170 S.W.2d 482 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1943)
People v. Martin
19 A.D.2d 804 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1963)

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