Nix v. State

750 S.W.2d 348, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1366, 1988 WL 57436
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 4, 1988
DocketNo. 09-87-019 CR
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 750 S.W.2d 348 (Nix 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
Nix v. State, 750 S.W.2d 348, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1366, 1988 WL 57436 (Tex. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

BROOKSHIRE, Justice.

Appellant was convicted by a jury of the murder of Raymond Gamer. Appellant was then sentenced to life imprisonment by the jury. A $10,000 fine was assessed.

Appellant’s appeal is based upon six “Grounds of Error”. Nix argues that, at the punishment stage, the introduction of his conviction for attempted aggravated robbery in Colorado was error because that conviction was on appeal in Colorado and, hence, was not final. Nix had pleaded guilty to the offense of attempted, aggravated robbery in Colorado after which his punishment was assessed at seven years confinement. This matter is in the record by way of Appellant testifying outside the presence of the jury for the purpose of determining the admissibility of the Colorado conviction. Nix testified that he had heard from his court-appointed lawyer that his case was on appeal and he also testified, generally, that from his own knowledge his case was on appeal. Nix swore that his plea agreement or plea bargain was that he would be assessed two years confinement in the Colorado penitentiary and that, if the trial judge had assessed only two years, no appeal would be pending. Nix swore that, if he had been assessed two years, he would have served the same without an appeal.

By a penitentiary packet, out of Colorado, the State showed that Nix had been charged with aggravated robbery and that the final disposition thereof was seven years confinement. The judgment of conviction, the sentence and the order to the sheriff (Mittimus) were in the prison pack.

TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC.ANN. Art. 37.07, Sec. 3 (Vernon 1981 and Vernon Supp.1988) authorizes the State to introduce evidence of prior criminal records of an accused in criminal cases, after a finding of guilty in a bifurcated trial. Art. 37.07, Sec. 3(a) contains this relevant sentence:

“(a) ... The term prior criminal record means a final conviction in a court of record, or a probated or suspended sentence that has occurred prior to trial, or any final conviction material to the offense charged.”

When the State introduces correct, certified copies of a judgment of conviction and sentence, which appear to be facially regular and final, then the State has made out a prima facie case demonstrating prior criminal records, prior criminal final convictions and final conviction material. This the State did in the case subjudice. After this prima facie showing, the burden of going forward and the burden of proof, then, is placed upon the accused to produce evidence demonstrating irregularity, infirmities or lack of finality. Acosta v. State, 650 S.W.2d 827 (Tex.Crim.App.1983); Tucker v. State, 689 S.W.2d 235 (Tex.App.—El Paso 1985, pet. ref'd). Under this record, it is clear that the burden was placed upon the Appellant herein to produce evidence attacking the finality of the Colorado decree. Diremiggio v. State, 637 S.W.2d 926 (Tex.Crim.App.1982); Williams v. State, 596 S.W.2d 862 (Tex.Crim.App.1980). Appellant failed in his burden.

Appellant testified that the Colorado conviction was on appeal. In Pena v. [351]*351State, 669 S.W.2d 156 (Tex.App.—Dallas 1984, no pet.), the unanimous court held that the accused’s oral statements, that the conviction was not final, was no evidence on that issue. Pena, supra, stands for the proposition that the accused must produce documentary evidence to rebut the State’s prima facie case. A letter purporting to be from the accused’s Colorado lawyer was hearsay as to the State. TEX.R.CRIM. EVID. 801(a), (b), (c), (d). In fact, the contents of the letter, itself, although the same are hearsay, merely state what the issues on appeal will be. This point is overruled.

As a second point of error, the Appellant argues that the prosecutor argued to the jury in a manner that amounted to a comment on the failure of the Appellant to testify at the guilt/innocent phase of the trial. We disagree.

The opening argument, by the State, simply exhorted the jury to have the courage to walk back into the courtroom and, holding their heads high, say to Ross Wayne Nix, that you, Nix, are guilty of murder. The State’s prosecutor said:

“... I will tell him. Ross Wayne Nix, you are guilty of the murder of Raymond William Gamer.
“THE DEPENDANT: Fuck you.”

Then, while Appellant’s counsel was making his argument, he took the position that the Appellant simply did not have the physical ability or the mental strength to persuade someone like Gates, who was also involved in the criminal episode, to do something that Gates did not want to do.

The State’s closing argument was simply a response to the Appellant’s profane and obscene exclamation and the argument of his counsel. The State’s attorney, in the closing argument, was merely taking the position that the jury could consider his mental and physical abilities from their observance of the Appellant. The prosecutor remarked that Nix had the physical and mental ability to glare at the State’s attorneys, that he had the physical and mental ability to make rude remarks in front of the jury and the judge and, hence, the jury should consider the totality of his physical and mental abilities. It was not a comment, in anywise, by the prosecutor, on the failure of the Appellant to testify. Furthermore, no objection was made to the State’s closing argument in this regard. The prosecutor’s statements and arguments and remarks were strictly dealing with the Appellant’s physical and mental abilities and nothing else. Harris v. State, 684 S.W.2d 687 (Tex.Crim.App.1984). Certainly it was an invited rebuttal argument. Todd v. State, 598 S.W.2d 286 (Tex.Crim.App.1980); Alejandro v. State, 493 S.W.2d 230 (Tex.Crim.App.1973); See and compare the interesting case of Owen v. State, 656 S.W.2d 458 (Tex.Crim.App.1983, En Banc).

We sanguinely conclude that the prosecutor’s argument was not intended and certainly was not manifestly intended, nor was it of such a nature or character that the jury would naturally and necessarily take it to be a comment on the accused’s failure to testify. We disallow this point.

As a third point of error, Nix contends that the lower court erred in sustaining Texas’ objection to his argument, pontificating that Gates, a key witness for the prosecution, could have been sentenced to life in prison for armed robbery in Oklahoma and that the attorney for the Appellant should have been allowed to argue that matter to demonstrate to the jury that Gates, who was involved in the murder of Gamer, traded a possible life sentence in the penitentiary for his testimony, but Appellant’s lawyer readily admitted that he did not know what the Oklahoma law was. No proof was offered showing that the Oklahoma law is different from Texas law.

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Bluebook (online)
750 S.W.2d 348, 1988 Tex. App. LEXIS 1366, 1988 WL 57436, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nix-v-state-texapp-1988.