Peake v. State

822 S.W.2d 166, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 2885, 1991 WL 248678
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 27, 1991
DocketNo. 01-87-00590-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 822 S.W.2d 166 (Peake 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
Peake v. State, 822 S.W.2d 166, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 2885, 1991 WL 248678 (Tex. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

OPINION ON REMAND FROM THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

MIRABAL, Justice.

The Court of Criminal Appeals has remanded this case for further consideration of appellant’s remaining points of error. Peake v. State, 755 S.W.2d 541 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1988) (Peake I), remanded, Peake v. State, 792 S.W.2d 456 (Tex.Crim.App.1990) (Peake II).1

Appellant was convicted by a jury of indecency with a child. Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 21.11(a)(1) (Vernon 1989). The jury also assessed his punishment at 12 years confinement and a $5,000 fine. We reverse and remand for a new punishment hearing.

On direct appeal, appellant raised nine points of error. We address appellant’s six remaining points of error.

In point of error eight, appellant argues that the trial judge committed reversible error by including an unconstitutional charge, concerning parole law, in his jury instruction at the punishment stage. The instruction was patterned after the jury instruction mandated at the time by Tex. Code CRIM.P.Ann. art. 37.07, § 4(a).2 The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals subsequently held the parole charge unconstitutional. Rose v. State, 752 S.W.2d 529, 537 (Tex.Crim.App.1987); see also Gabriel v. State, 756 S.W.2d 68, 70 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, no pet.).

At trial, appellant did not object to the charge. The Rose court, however, held that such a failure does not waive the defendant’s right to challenge the constitutionality of the charge upon appeal. Rose, 752 S.W.2d at 552 (op. on reh’g). The court also determined that the general harm analysis codified in Tex.R.App.P. 81(b)(2) is applicable. Rose, 752 S.W.2d at 553. The rule states:

If the appellate record in a criminal case reveals error in the proceedings below, the appellate court shall reverse the judgment under review, unless the appellate court determines beyond a reasonable doubt that the error made no eontri-[168]*168button to the conviction or to the punishment.

Tex.R.App.P. 81(b)(2).

Some factors to consider in determining whether “Rose error” was harmful are: discussion of parole during voir dire, argument of counsel, notes from the jury, sentence assessed, deadly weapon finding, facts of the case, previous convictions, “curative” instructions, and objections to the charge. Sato v. State, 797 S.W.2d 37, 38 (Tex.Crim.App.1990). A correlation between a request for probation and a section 4 parole instruction may also be a factor to consider in the harm analysis. Arnold v. State, 786 S.W.2d 295, 308 (Tex.Crim.App.1990). There is no specific weight attached to each factor, nor is the presence or absence of any one factor determinative. Sato, 797 S.W.2d at 38.

In the present case, there was no discussion of parole during voir dire, no deadly weapon finding, and no objection to the charge. Other relevant factors, however, are present.

The jury found appellant guilty of indecency with a child, a second degree felony. Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 21.11(a)(1) (Vernon 1989). The punishment range was two to 20 years, plus a fine not to exceed $10,000. TexPenal Code Ann. § 12.33 (Vernon 1974). The jury assessed appellant’s punishment at 12 years confinement and a $5,000 fine.

The complainant testified that the first time appellant, her step-father, had sexual contact with her was while she was a passenger in his car on the way to school in 1985. She stated that he touched his hand to her vagina. She said this happened five or six times before she reported it to her school counselor. She stated that, as a result of these incidents, the family sought counseling and she temporarily moved in with her grandparents. Eventually, she returned to live with her family and appellant did not sexually contact her again until December of 1986 or January of 1987. The complainant testified appellant would enter her bedroom at night or early morning while she and the other members of her family were sleeping, and would put his hand under the blankets, lift her nightgown, and touch her genitals, causing her to awaken. Appellant’s defense was that the complainant was fabricating the incidents in retaliation for appellant’s disciplinary actions.

Following the instructions regarding parole law, the jury charge set out a curative instruction that provided:

You are not to discuss among yourselves how long the accused would be required to serve the sentence that you impose. Such matters come within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Board of Pardons and the Governor of the State of Texas, and must not be considered by you.

See Rose, 752 S.W.2d at 554, and Arnold, 786 S.W.2d at 311.

After a few introductory remarks, the prosecutor began his closing argument by stating:

First thing I’d like to share with you, I’d like to reread a small portion of the trial [sic] concerning the law on pardons and parole. Our law is very restrictive on what I could say. So, I would like to reread one portion of the trial [sic]; and please, if you have any questions, please ask the foreman to read the section for you again under the law applicable in this case.
“If the defendant is sentenced to a term in prison, he will not become eligible for parole until the actual time served plus any good conduct time served equals the sentence imposed.”
At first glance, some jurors think it means defendants are eligible for parole after one-third. That’s not what it is, he’s eligible. He’s eligible — a hypothetical defendant is eligible after actual time served and good time equals a third. I’ll move on from there.

(Emphasis added.)

The prosecutor’s opening remark focused the jury’s attention on the fact that parole was a factor that reduced any term of years imposed. Telling the jury at the outset that “[o]ur law is very restrictive on what I could say,” invited them to listen for subtle nuances and hidden meaning in [169]*169what he would say next; telling them to “ask the foreman to read the section for you again,” underscored the importance of what was about to be said. What the prosecutor then said was, “[HJe’s eligible. He’s eligible — a hypothetical defendant is eligible after actual time served and good time equals a third.”

The Court of Criminal Appeals has noted that stressing the parole law by argument at a strategic place, such as at the beginning of the State’s summation, is likely to cause more harm than a reference in the middle of argument or in the context of a different topic. Sato, 797 S.W.2d at 38.

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Bluebook (online)
822 S.W.2d 166, 1991 Tex. App. LEXIS 2885, 1991 WL 248678, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/peake-v-state-texapp-1991.