Mumphrey v. State

155 S.W.3d 651, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 370, 2005 WL 94860
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 19, 2005
Docket06-04-00026-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by60 cases

This text of 155 S.W.3d 651 (Mumphrey 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
Mumphrey v. State, 155 S.W.3d 651, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 370, 2005 WL 94860 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice ROSS.

Johnifer Ray Mumphrey was convicted by a jury for an assault causing bodily injury on Theresa Reedy, a member of his family or household. See Tex. Pen.Code Ann. § 22.01 (Vernon Supp.2004-2005), § 12.21 (Vernon 2003). The trial court assessed punishment at 270 days’ confinement in jail and sentenced him accordingly. On appeal, Mumphrey contends the trial court erred with respect to several of its evidentiary rulings and in overruling his objection to the State’s jury argument. He also contends defense counsel rendered ineffective assistance. We overrule these contentions and affirm the judgment.

I. EVIDENTIARY RULINGS

The State presented two witnesses: Sheriffs Deputy Craig Strickhausen, the responding officer, and Reedy. Mum-phrey presented his sole witness, Cheryl Morgan, with whom Mumphrey and Reedy lived at the time of the offense. Morgan’s testimony focused on the fact she rarely saw Reedy take her medication for her mental disorders.

A. Expert Testimony by Deputy

In his first point of error, Mum-phrey contends the trial court erred in overruling his objection to Strickhausen’s opinion testimony that Reedy had been assaulted. The trial court’s ruling, he argues, ran afoul of Tex.R. Evid. 702 by improperly allowing the deputy to give expert opinion testimony.

*656 1. Standard of Review

We review the trial court’s decision to admit or exclude evidence under an abuse of discretion standard. Osbourn v. State, 92 S.W.3d 531, 537 (Tex.Crim.App.2002); Green v. State, 934 S.W.2d 92, 101-02 (Tex.Crim.App.1996).

2. Testimony at Issue

Humphrey’s contention centers on the following exchange between the State’s attorney and Strickhausen:

[STATE], After talking to Ms. Reedy and Ms. Jackson, did it further your professional opinion as a deputy that an assault had taken place?
[DEFENSE]. I object, Your Honor. Bolstering.
THE COURT. Overruled.
[WITNESS], Yes, ma’am. I believed that she had been assaulted.
3. Error Was Not Preserved by Bolstering Objection

Humphrey’s objection to this testimony raised only the issue of bolstering. Bolstering occurs when one party introduces evidence for the purpose of adding credence or weight to earlier unim-peached evidence offered by that same party. Rousseau v. State, 855 S.W.2d 666, 681 (Tex.Crim.App.1993); Woods v. State, 13 S.W.3d 100, 102 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 2000, pet. ref'd). More precisely, “bolstering” is any evidence the sole purpose of which is to convince the fact-finder that a particular witness or source of evidence is worthy of credit, without substantively contributing “to make the existence of [a] fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more or less probable than it would be without the evidence.” Cohn v. State, 849 S.W.2d 817, 819-20 (Tex.Crim.App.1993); Woods, 13 S.W.3d at 102. Accordingly, evidence that corroborates another witness’ story or enhances inferences to be drawn from another source of evidence, in the sense that it has an incrementally further tendency to establish a fact of consequence, should not be considered “bolstering.” Cohn, 849 S.W.2d at 820.

In order to preserve error for our review, the record must show compliance with Rule 33.1 of the Rules of Appellate Procedure:

(1) the complaint was made to the trial court by a timely request, objection, or motion that:
(A) stated the grounds for the ruling that the complaining party sought from the trial court with sufficient specificity to make the trial court aware of the complaint, unless the specific grounds were apparent from the context; and
(B) complied with the requirements of the Texas Rules of Civil or Criminal Evidence or the Texas Rules of Civil or Appellate Procedure; and
(2) the trial court:
(A) ruled on the request, objection, or motion, either expressly or implicitly; or
(B) refused to rule on the request, objection, or motion, and the complaining party objected to the refusal.

Tex.R.App. P. 33.1.

Mumphrey complains the trial court improperly admitted Striekhausen’s expert testimony in violation of Texas Rule of Evidence 702. The issue raised on appeal does not concern the issue of bolstering raised at trial. Because Mumphrey’s trial objection does not comport with the issue raised on appeal, he has preserved nothing for review. See Ibarra v. State, 11 S.W.3d 189, 197 (Tex.Crim.App.1999).

B. Admission of Hearsay

In his second point of error, Mumphrey complains about the admission into evi *657 dence of: a) Striekhausen’s testimony regarding statements Reedy made to him at the scene; and b) videotaped statements by Reedy recorded within an hour of the assault.

1. Standard of Review

The admissibility of an out-of-court statement under a hearsay exception is within the trial court’s discretion, subject to review only for abuse of discretion. King v. State, 953 S.W.2d 266, 269 n. 4 (Tex.Crim.App.1997); Lawton v. State, 913 S.W.2d 542, 553 (Tex.Crim.App.1995).

2. Evidence at Issue

The trial court admitted, over defense counsel’s objection, Strickhausen’s testimony regarding statements by Reedy made at the scene of the alleged assault. Specifically, Mumphrey complains of the following exchanges:

[STATE]. And what did Ms. Reedy tell you about what happened that night?
[DEFENSE]. Objection. Hearsay, Your Honor.
THE COURT. Under the excited utterance rule as an exception, I’ll allow the testimony.
[[Image here]]
[WITNESS]. I asked Ms. Reedy what happened, and she stated that she had been assaulted. I asked who assaulted her, and she said Johnifer Ray Mum-phrey.
[STATE]. Did she tell you in what manner she had been assaulted?
[[Image here]]
[DEFENSE], Same objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
155 S.W.3d 651, 2005 Tex. App. LEXIS 370, 2005 WL 94860, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mumphrey-v-state-texapp-2005.