Promise Lashawn Kelley v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 12, 2016
Docket05-15-00545-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Promise Lashawn Kelley v. State (Promise Lashawn Kelley 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
Promise Lashawn Kelley v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

Affirmed and Opinion Filed April 12, 2016

S In The Court of Appeals Fifth District of Texas at Dallas No. 05-15-00545-CR

PROMISE LASHAWN KELLEY, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the Criminal District Court No. 2 Dallas County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. F12-56130-I

MEMORANDUM OPINION Before Justices Francis, Lang-Miers, and Myers Opinion by Justice Francis Promise Lashawn Kelley was charged with capital murder by committing murder in the

course of committing or attempting to commit a robbery. A jury convicted him of the lesser-

included offense of murder and assessed punishment at sixty years in prison. In seven issues,

appellant raises complaints about the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction,

improper impeachment of a witness, admission of extraneous offense evidence, and charge error.

For reasons set out below, we conclude appellant’s issues are without merit. We affirm the trial

court’s judgment.

On May 20, 2012, the body of Fredy Villalta was found in the middle of the service road

of LBJ Freeway in Dallas. Villalta had been shot once in the head. A closed knife was found in

his pocket. Two fired cartridge casings were found on the curb of the road. Police identified appellant as a suspect and, through investigation, learned that Villalta

had been a customer of one of appellant’s prostitutes. When the sexual encounter did not go as

planned, Villalta took back his money. Appellant confronted Villalta, and the two fought.

Appellant admitted that he shot Villalta as Villalta ran away but claimed he was acting in self-

defense because he believed Villalta was going for a gun.

Fatima Scott and Alexis Talton, both prostitutes who worked for appellant, were

eyewitnesses to the shooting and testified at trial. Both also had been charged with capital

murder. They came to Dallas from Oklahoma with appellant and another prostitute, Shelby

“Summer” Brown, in May 2012 to make money. According to both, appellant required they earn

a daily “quota” of $500. They rented a room at a hotel on LBJ Freeway near Coit Road in North

Dallas, and the women tried to generate business through the internet and by walking the “strip.”

On their second night, Alexis met Villalta while working the street with Fatima and

Summer. Alexis told Villalta she charged $100 for thirty minutes, got in his car, and directed

him to the hotel. Fatima and Summer went with appellant, who followed Villalta back to the

hotel. Alexis and Villalta went to the room while Fatima, Summer, and appellant waited in the

car on the parking lot. When the “date” appeared to be taking too long, appellant told Fatima

and Summer to go upstairs and check on Alexis. When they reached the room, Fatima listened

at the door and heard Alexis telling Villalta to “stop” and also heard a slapping sound.

Fatima and Summer told appellant, who went upstairs to the hotel room. Before he could

open the door, Villalta walked out with Alexis behind him. Appellant went into the room, then

came back out and followed Alexis and Villalta downstairs. Fatima and Summer waited before

they followed. When Fatima got to the bottom of the staircase, she saw appellant and Villalta

fighting; Alexis was “just standing there.” According to Fatima, Villalta was able to get away

and ran out the door. Appellant ran after him, and the fight continued on the parking lot. As the

–2– two reached the grassy area next to the service road, Fatima said Villalta “started running” and

appellant shot him twice.

Alexis testified Villalta never hit or slapped her, but “in the middle of the date,” he

wanted to engage in anal sex. Alexis refused and asked him to leave. Villalta picked up the

$100 bill he had given her before they had sex and left the room. Alexis said she knew appellant

would beat her badly if she did not give him money after her “date” with Villalta, so she

followed Villalta and demanded he return her money. Villalta refused.

Once in the stairwell, appellant was beside her and told Villalta, “You’re not going to pay

my bitch?” The two began fighting. While appellant and Villalta struggled with each other,

Alexis tried to reach in Villalta’s pocket to get the money. She also noticed that Villalta was

reaching for appellant’s front pocket, where he kept a gun. Alexis said the imprint of the gun

was visible in appellant’s pocket. Appellant pushed Villalta toward the door, and Villalta turned

and ran out with appellant chasing him. As the two neared the service road, Alexis said

appellant shot Villalta. She said she heard two shots and saw Villalta fall to the ground. Alexis

said appellant knew Villalta had not paid her because she was chasing Villalta and did not give

appellant money at the hotel door as soon as she saw him.

After the shooting, the women got in the car with appellant and fled the scene. Summer

was driving and dropped appellant and Alexis on a nearby street while Fatima and Summer went

back to the hotel to get their belongings. Afterwards, they picked up appellant and Alexis and

the four returned to Oklahoma that night. A day later, Alexis left appellant. Appellant, Fatima,

and Summer went to Houston, where they were arrested two days later. Houston police found a

Ruger 9mm pistol wrapped in a towel and hidden under the mattress in a hotel room where

appellant was found; the loaded magazine of the pistol was on the bed. A firearms expert

determined the two cartridges recovered from the shooting scene were fired from the Ruger

–3– pistol. Dallas Detective Scott Sayers went to Houston, where he interviewed appellant. A

recording of the interview was admitted into evidence.

Police learned the hotel where the shooting occurred had thirty-two surveillance cameras,

sixteen inside and sixteen outside, that captured the shooting as well as some of the events

leading up to the shooting. The recordings were admitted at trial. They showed (1) Alexis and

Villalta walking down the hallway before appellant came into the frame; (2) appellant and

Villalta fighting in the stairwell; (3) Alexis trying to take something from Villalta during the

fight; (4) Villalta fleeing the building; (5) appellant chasing Villalta across the parking lot (6) a

brief struggle before Villalta ran to the street; (7) muzzle fire from appellant’s gun, and (8) the

women and appellant immediately running to the car and driving away.

The medical examiner testified Villalta died of a single gunshot wound to the head. The

bullet entered behind his left ear and exited his right eye. Because no soot or stripling was

detected, the medical examiner believed the shooter was at least three to four feet from Villalta at

the time he shot him. In addition to the gunshot wound, Villalta had multiple fresh contusions

and abrasions to his head, neck, trunk, and extremities, which the medical examiner agreed could

have been sustained in a fight.

Appellant’s version of what happened differed from that of Fatima and Alexis. He

testified that when he first saw Villalta that night, he looked like he might “be trouble.”

Appellant said he called both Fatima and Summer to warn them not to get in his car, but he could

not reach Alexis. When Alexis got in Villalta’s car, he followed them. Appellant said when they

arrived at the hotel parking lot, Alexis walked to his car to get the hotel key. Appellant said he

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