Parson v. State

193 S.W.3d 116, 2006 WL 567973
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 4, 2006
Docket06-05-00063-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 193 S.W.3d 116 (Parson 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
Parson v. State, 193 S.W.3d 116, 2006 WL 567973 (Tex. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by Justice ROSS.

Stanley Mark Parson appeals from his conviction by a jury for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 1 The jury found that Parson had been previously convicted of two felony offenses and set his punishment at ninety-nine years’ imprisonment.

Parson appeals, contending the trial court erred: 1) by admitting into evidence the victims’ prior inconsistent statements when the victims recanted those statements at trial; 2) by improperly admitting evidence of extraneous offenses at both the guilt/innoeence and punishment phases of the trial; 3) by admitting opinion testimony from a licensed professional counselor that the alleged victims, Parson’s wife and stepson, suffered from “battered woman’s syndrome”; and 4) by several mistakes in the court’s charge to the jury. Parson also contends the evidence is factually and legally insufficient to support his conviction on one count involving his wife because there was no evidence he caused her bodily injury or that he used a deadly weapon. We affirm.

Background

The evidence shows that, while Parson was drinking himself into a near stupor at his home, his wife, Waynell Parson, and his sixteen-year-old stepson, Richard Hav-ner, went next door to the home of Way-nell’s 2 sister-in-law, Terry McCloud. Parson telephoned next door and told Waynell and her son to return home. They did, and an argument ensued between Parson and Waynell, which escalated when Way- *120 nell and Havner tried to leave once more. There is evidence that Havner exited the house, but when Waynell attempted to leave, Parson got a gun and pushed Way-nell back into the house, injuring her in the process. There are also statements in evidence made by Waynell and Havner that Parson pointed the gun at them and threatened them. The evidence further shows that Waynell and Havner managed to retreat to McCloud’s house, where an emergency call was placed to the Lamar County sheriffs office. When officers arrived, they spent over two hours attempting to locate Parson. They finally found him behind his house, beside a small chicken coop and under a bush, unconscious, and with two rifles nearby.

At trial, Waynell and Havner recanted their prior statements to the officers and recanted their grand jury testimony, and testified Parson never actually pointed a weapon at them. Parson was convicted of aggravated assault by pushing Waynell into a door while using a deadly weapon. He was also found guilty of aggravated assault by threatening Waynell while pointing a deadly weapon at her. In the other case, the jury found Parson guilty of aggravated assault by threatening Havner with imminent bodily injury while using a deadly weapon.

Prior Inconsistent Statements

Parson first contends the court erred by admitting Havner’s statements into evidence. Parson objected to the admission of the exhibits based on hearsay and because the witness admitted in court he had made the prior statements.

Rule 613 of the Rules of Evidence provides that a prior inconsistent statement of a witness is admissible for impeachment of the witness. Tex.R. Evid. 613. However, the rule also explicitly states that the extrinsic evidence of the statement itself is only admissible if the witness refuses to admit making the statement. This is not merely a refusal to admit making a statement, but refusing to admit making the contents of the statement. See McGary v. State, 750 S.W.2d 782, 786 n. 3 (Tex.Crim.App.1988); Staley v. State, 888 S.W.2d 45, 49 (Tex.App.-Tyler 1994, no pet.). The courts reason that, when a defendant admits making the statement, it is unnecessary to admit the document itself because the witness impeaches himself or herself. McGary, 750 S.W.2d at 786.

In this case, Havner testified that Parson never threatened him with the gun, but admitted he had made a previous written statement that said otherwise. He was asked:

Q. Did he ever threaten you with that gun?
A. No, sir.
Q. Have you ever testified or had a statement that says otherwise?
A. Yes, sir.

A written statement was given to Parson to read silently. After he read the statement, he admitted that he signed it voluntarily. He then testified:

Q. You testified today that he didn’t threaten you?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you previously make a statement that he did threaten you?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Is the statement true, or is what you’re telling today true?
A. What I’m telling today.

The State then offered the statement as an exhibit. Over objection, the court admitted the exhibit.

Havner was then questioned at trial about the testimony he had given before the grand jury. In that testimony he had said his statement was true and correct, *121 and then testified regarding what had happened on the occasion in question. Hav-ner testified at trial that what he had told the grand jury was not true. Over objection, the State also introduced three exhibits, consisting of three pages of the proceedings before the grand jury.

After the written statement was introduced into evidence, the State questioned Havner about the way the statement was taken and about the witnesses thereto (his mother, his aunt, and his sister), whose signatures were on the documents.

The State’s counsel asked Havner:

Q. You told those three people that he put this gun up, pointed it at somebody and threatened to shoot.
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And that’s true?
A. No, sir.
Q. So today you’ve got a different story?
A. I didn’t see him point the gun at anybody.
Q. According to this: “He came at us with his gun, saying stop or I’ll shoot you. Then he pushed my mom into the door.”
A. I didn’t see it.
Q. Did he say stop or I’ll shoot you?
A. No, sir.
Q. Have you ever testified other— other than just the statement, have you ever testified differently to that?
A. Yes, sir.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
193 S.W.3d 116, 2006 WL 567973, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parson-v-state-texapp-2006.