Meza, Alberto Jose

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided October 23, 2015·No. PD-1381-15·Published

Opinion

PD-1381-15

PD-1381-15 COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS

Transmitted 10/23/2015 7:10:01 AM Accepted 10/23/2015 12:44:39 PM ABEL ACOSTA

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS CLERK FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS

ALBERTO JOSE MEZA APPELLANT

V. COA NO. 02-14-00277-CR TRIAL COURT NO. CR 17201

THE STATE OF TEXAS, APPELLEE

APPEALED FROM CAUSE NUMBER CR 17201, IN THE 271ST DISTRICT COURT, WISE COUNTY, TEXAS; THE HONORABLE JOHN FOSTEL, JUDGE PRESIDING.

.

APPELLANT'S PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

WILLIAM H. "BILL" RAY

TEXAS BAR CARD NO. 16608700 ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT

LAW OFFICE OF WILLIAM H. “BILL” RAY, P.C.

October 23, 2015 512 MAIN STREET, STE. 308 FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76102

(817) 698-9090

(817) 698-9092, FAX

bill@billraylawyer.com

***ORAL ARGUMENT IS NOT REQUESTED**

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 1

IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL

ALBERTO JOSE MEZA APPELLANT c\o Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice, Institutional Division, Huntsville, Texas

HONORABLE ABE FACTOR ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT HONORABLE ERIC LABOVITZ AT TRIAL 5719 Airport Freeway Haltom City, Texas 76117

HONORABLE WILLIAM H. RAY ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT 512 Main Street, Ste. 308 ON APPEAL Ft. Worth, Texas 76102

HONORABLE GREG LOWERY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Wise County Courthouse WISE COUNTY, TEXAS Decatur, Texas 76234

HONORABLE PATRICK BERRY WISE COUNTY DISTRICT HONORABLE LINDY BORCHARDT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE Wise County Courthouse Decatur, Texas 76234

HONORABLE JOHN FOSTEL JUDGE, 271ST DISTRICT Wise County Courthouse COURT OF Decatur, Texas 76234 WISE COUNTY, TEXAS

HONORABLE LISA McMINN STATE PROSECUTING P.O. Box 13046 ATTORNEY Austin, Texas 78711

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL 2 INDEX OF AUTHORITIES 4 STATEMENT CONCERNING ORAL ARGUMENT 5 STATEMENT OF THE CASE 5 STATEMENT OF THE PROCEDURAL HISTORY 6 GROUNDS FOR REVIEW GROUND FOR REVIEW NUMBER ONE 7

THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY REFUSING TO SUBMIT A JURY INSTRUCTION ON THE ISSUE OF SPOILIATION CONCERNING THE DESTRUCTION OF AN IN CAR POLICE VIDEO

GROUND FOR REVIEW NUMBER TWO 9

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY DENYING A MOTION FOR MISTRIAL BASED ON REPEATED AND CUMULATIVE IMPROPER COMMENTS BY THE PROSECUTOR TO THE JURY AND FINAL ARGUMENTS IN THE GUILT AND PUNISHMENT PHASES OF THE TRIAL

PRAYER 12 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 13 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE 13

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 3

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

Cases Page

Alejandro v. State, 493 S.W.2d 230, 231-232 (Tex.Crim.App. 1973) 9

Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51, 109 S.Ct. 333, 7 102 L.Ed.2d 281 (1988)

Freeman v. State, 276 S.W 3d 630, at 634 (Tex.App.–Waco 2008), 7 vacated 286 S.W.3d 370 (Tex.Crim.App. 2009)

Hernandez v. State, 931 S.W.2d 49, 50 (Tex.App.--Fort Worth, 9 1996, no pet.)

Magana v. State, 177 S.W.3d 670 (Tex.App.–Houston 9 [1st Dist] no pet.)

McFarland v. State, 845 S.W.2d 824, 840 (Tex.Crim.App. 1992), 9 cert.denied, 508 U.S. 963, 113 S.Ct. 2937, 124 L.Ed.2d 686 (1993)

Robinson v. State, 764 S.W.2d 367, 374 9 (Tex.App.--Dallas 1989, pet. ref’d)

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 4

STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT Oral argument is not necessary in this case.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

This is an appeal from a felony conviction and sentence for the offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance. Appellant was charged by indictment in cause number CR17201 with the offense of Possession of a Controlled Substance, namely cocaine of four grams or more but less than two hundred grams. The jury found Appellant guilty. CR, Pages 28-30; RR-3, Pages 36-37.

Appellant elected for the jury to assess punishment. The jury sentenced Appellant to twenty years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and no fine. CR, Pages 28-30; RR-3, Pages 69-71.

On direct appeal, the Court of Appeals for the Second Appellate District in Fort Worth affirmed Appellant’s conviction. The opinion was not designated for publication.

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 5

STATEMENT OF THE PROCEDURAL HISTORY OF THE CASE Appellant was sentenced on November 17, 2015. Notice of Appeal was timely filed. Appellant timely filed his brief in the Court of Appeals on December 3, 2014. The State timely filed its brief on March 4, 2015.

The case was submitted to the Court of Appeals, without oral argument, on August 24, 2015. The Court of Appeals affirmed Appellant’s conviction on October 1, 2015. That opinion is not designated for publication.

This Petition for Discretionary Review is timely filed.

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 6

GROUND FOR REVIEW NUMBER ONE

THE TRIAL COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY REFUSING TO SUBMIT A JURY INSTRUCTION ON THE ISSUE OF SPOILIATION CONCERNING THE DESTRUCTION OF AN IN CAR POLICE VIDEO

The right to a spoilation instruction depends on: (1) whether the evidence would have been subject to discovery or disclosure; (2) whether the State had a duty to preserve the evidence; and (3) if the State breached a duty to preserve, what consequences should flow from the breach. See Freeman v. State, 276 S.W 3d 630, at 634 (Tex.App.–Waco 2008), vacated 286 S.W.3d 370 (Tex.Crim.App. 2009), for determination of whether the appellant had preserved his Texas due course of law complaint.1 In this case, Appellant urged his request pursuant to both the Texas and United State’s constitutions. RR-3, Page 11. The failure to preserve evidence is not a due process violation unless the defendant can show bad faith. See Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51, 109 S.Ct. 333, 102 L.Ed.2d 281 (1988).

There is no question that the VCR video would be subject to disclosure and there was a duty to preserve the VCR video. What is in question is what the consequences should be when the video has malfunctioned, and the police have

1 On remand to the Waco Court of Appeals, that court held the complaint was not preserved and the judgment was affirmed, and a pro se Petition for Discretionary Review was denied. Freeman v. State, No. 10-07-00363-CR, January 10, 2010, Pet. Ref’d., 2010.

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 7 taken no steps to have it repaired or otherwise available. To simply be allowed to say “we don’t know what happened to it” is unacceptable, or it should be.

Appellant did not request that the instruction advise the jury that an adverse inference could be drawn, rather, only that the jury be told that the fact that the State lost or destroyed the evidence does not in itself require an acquittal, rather, it is a factor to consider. RR-3, Pages 6-8. The trial court, in denying Appellant’s request, even noted that the evidence could be looked at in the light that the absence of the video could be suspect, but then, in his own factual determination, found such was not the case. RR-3, Page 8. This is exactly what Appellant was asking, that the jury be given the instruction that they, too, could determine if the lack of the video was in fact suspect.

The Court of Appeals held that Appellant did not show that the video was exculpatory and did not show that the State acted in bad faith. Opinion, pages 3-4.

Therein is the error, the trial court should have provided the instruction, and to not do so, violated both the state and federal constitutions, as specifically brought to the attention of the trial judge, and pursuant to Freeman, supra. RR-3, Page 11. The jury should have been given the opportunity to make its own factual determination concerning whether the police and/or stated acted in bad faith, and the failure of the trial court to make the requested instruction was improper.

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW, PAGE 8

GROUND FOR REVIEW NUMBER TWO

THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY DENYING A MOTION FOR MISTRIAL BASED ON REPEATED AND CUMULATIVE IMPROPER COMMENTS BY THE PROSECUTOR TO THE JURY AND FINAL ARGUMENTS IN THE GUILT AND PUNISHMENT PHASES OF THE TRIAL

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Related

Arizona v. Youngblood
488 U.S. 51 (Supreme Court, 1989)
White v. State
125 S.W.3d 41 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Hankins v. State
132 S.W.3d 380 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Wead v. State
129 S.W.3d 126 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Chamberlain v. State
998 S.W.2d 230 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Archie v. State
221 S.W.3d 695 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Hawkins v. State
135 S.W.3d 72 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Freeman v. State
286 S.W.3d 370 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2009)
Orr v. State
306 S.W.3d 380 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Robinson v. State
764 S.W.2d 367 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1989)
Ladd v. State
3 S.W.3d 547 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Magana v. State
177 S.W.3d 670 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)
Wyatt v. State
23 S.W.3d 18 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Snell v. State
324 S.W.3d 682 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Bell v. State
938 S.W.2d 35 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
McFarland v. State
845 S.W.2d 824 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Alejandro v. State
493 S.W.2d 230 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1973)
Hernandez v. State
931 S.W.2d 49 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Ashley v. United States
508 U.S. 963 (Supreme Court, 1993)