Nethery v. State

692 S.W.2d 686, 1985 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1688
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 22, 1985
Docket68849
StatusPublished
Cited by365 cases

This text of 692 S.W.2d 686 (Nethery v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nethery v. State, 692 S.W.2d 686, 1985 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1688 (Tex. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION

W.C. DAVIS, Judge.

Appellant was convicted of capital murder. Upon receiving the jury’s affirmative answers to the punishment issues, the court assessed punishment at death. See Art. 37.071, V.A.C.C.P.

Appellant alleges fifty-five grounds of error. We will first address his contentions that venirepersons were erroneously excused.

The trial court sustained the State’s challenge for cause to three venirepersons —Williams, Simnacher, and Lee — because each of the three expressed a bias against the minimum punishment for the lesser included offense of murder. See Art. 35.-16(b)(3), V.A.C.C.P. Appellant does not dispute the showing of such bias. Rather, he contends that the State should not be permitted to utilize Art. 35.16(b)(3) when the bias is against the minimum range of punishment. He argues that the State never relies upon a minimum punishment for conviction or punishment and, thus, cannot be harmed by such a bias.

The State’s interest is in fair and impartial jurors, in accord with our legal system’s basic tenet to insure that every defendant is accorded a fair and impartial trial. The State seeks, or should seek, to uphold the integrity of the jury system. Therefore, the State is permitted to challenge a juror who cannot be fair and impartial because he will not consider the full range of punishment. Whether the State later urges the jury to assess the minimum or the maximum is of no moment.

Appellant invites us to overrule settled case law on this issue. We decline the invitation. The State is entitled to jurors who will consider the full range of punish *692 ment. Hernandez v. State, 643 S.W.2d 397 (Tex.Cr.App.1983); Chambers v. State, 568 S.W.2d 313 (Tex.Cr.App.1978). No error is presented.

Yenireperson Pippi and venireper-son Keller were excused upon the State’s challenge for cause. Each professed opposition to the death penalty and would vote “no” to the three punishment questions under Art. 37.071(b), V.A.C.C.P., regardless of the evidence, to prevent imposition of the death penalty. Keller was unequivocal in so stating. Pippi initially said that she was opposed to the death penalty in all cases, that she would never impose it, and that she was firm in that belief. Further questioning followed:

Q. ... Now, I take it from what you’re telling me that your belief is so strong that you simply could not write yes three times, knowing that the Defendant would get death?
A. Probably not, no.
Q. Okay. I don’t want to quarrel with you, Debbie, but we’ve got to pin it down a little bit more. I hope you understand the seriousness of what we’re doing here.
Q. ... [K]nowing that if you answer yes three times, it’s going to mean the death penalty, you just simply could not answer yes three times regardless of what the evidence showed, is that fair?
A. Ummm — I would probably have — no, I don’t guess I could.
Q. And Judge Ryan would have the twelve people who are going to sit as jurors over here, have to take an oath to follow the law and the evidence; and what you’re telling us is that you couldn’t do that?
A. No, I couldn’t.
Q. Because of your beliefs, regardless of what the evidence showed? You knew those three answers mean death and you simply couldn’t answer yes regardless of what the evidence showed?
A. That’s right.

Pippi was then questioned by the defense attorney:

Q. At one time you said something about, I’m not sure or I don’t know.
A. Well, I wouldn’t want to take an oath to be responsible for doing something when I know that I couldn’t do it, knowing what the outcome of it may be.
Q. Well, are you saying that you don’t believe in the death penalty period, not as far as whether you could impose it or not, but are you saying you don’t believe in the death penalty in any given situation?
A. I do not.
Q. You do not.
A. No sir, I don’t believe that’s up to us to impose that on people.
Q. ... Are you saying that you would automatically vote no so that the death penalty would not be imposed regardless of what evidence there was in reference to the questions?
A. I would probably, yes; I don’t know. I would hope not to be in the situation to begin with.
Q. Well, none of us want to be in that situation, but, unless you tell me that you just automatically vote no, I’m not —I’m not sure that, that you couldn’t be qualified. Now, if you tell me you automatically would vote no because you don’t believe in the death penalty, then that pretty well rules you out; but if you have reservations about that, then we’re at a different matter.
A. I can’t say that I wouldn’t for sure do it, but I probably would have to vote no to avoid the outcome.
Q. You know, we can — and I’m not trying to argue with you or anything, but you have undoubtedly read of cases where you thought that they were so extremely brutal, perhaps involving a *693 child or something of that nature, where the facts without going in — you can imagine what facts might be involved, are you saying that in absolutely no case, not whether or not you could assess the death penalty, but you don’t believe in the death penalty?
A. I do not believe in it, no.
Q. Regardless?
A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
692 S.W.2d 686, 1985 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1688, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nethery-v-state-texcrimapp-1985.