Randy Wilson v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 28, 2010
Docket02-08-00433-CR
StatusPublished

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Bluebook
Randy Wilson v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

                                                COURT OF APPEALS

                                                 SECOND DISTRICT OF TEXAS

                                                                FORT WORTH

                                        NO. 2-08-433-CR

RANDY WILSON                                                                  APPELLANT

                                                   V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS                                                                STATE

                                              ------------

        FROM CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT NO. 1 OF TARRANT COUNTY

                                MEMORANDUM OPINION[1]

I.  Introduction


Appellant Randy Wilson appeals his conviction for murder.  In four points, Wilson argues that the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to sustain his conviction; that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing the State to introduce photographs of the deceased=s body; and that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing a witness to testify that the victim had worked as a prostitute for Wilson prior to her murder.  We will affirm.

II.  Background

In the early morning, August 19, 2007, two fishermen saw what they believed to be a floating deer carcass in Lake Arlington.  What they found was Brittany Rapoza=s partially nude, heavily decomposed body.  The fishermen called 9-1-1, and the Arlington Police Department investigated.

After the fishermen called 9-1-1, Officer Leonor Cerda arrived, and the fishermen escorted him to the body.  Cerda said that due to the bloated and decomposed condition of the body, which was laying face down in the lake, it was initially difficult to determine whether the body was male or female.  After retrieving the body from the lake, officers were able to determine that the body was female.


Detective Jim Ford also arrived at the lake that day.  Ford testified that the body had no identifying marks and that no forms of identification were found on the body.  Ford again observed the body once it had been delivered to the medical examiner.  The body had multiple stab wounds.  Initially, Ford researched missing persons databases but was unable make an identification.  Ford then issued a press release soliciting information.  According to Ford, a witnessCJenny YeagerCcame forward on October 8, 2007, with information regarding the body.  Yeager identified the body as being that of Brittany Rapoza.  The next day, Yeager escorted Ford to a location near where Rapoza=s body was found.  There, in a storm drain, Ford collected a portion of a burned shoe.  Ford contacted the Tarrant County Medical Examiner=s Office and requested that they conduct DNA testing on the shoe.

Yeager also accompanied Ford to McCray ParkCa park located on Lake Arlington near where Rapoza=s body was found.  There, along a path and near an embankment, Yeager pointed out Aan orang[]ish-colored bathing suit strap.@  In addition to information pertaining to Rapoza=s murder, Yeager also provided Ford with additional names of witnessesCCyndi Garcia, Laura Mallard, Delicia Traylor, and Joseph Grant.  Yeager even personally escorted Ford to Grant=s residence.

Based on information from Yeager, Garcia, and Mallard, Ford obtained arrest warrants for Wilson and Grant.  Because Grant cooperated, Ford did not arrest Grant; rather, Ford interviewed Grant twice.  Grant provided further information about Rapoza=s murder.


At trial, Grant identified Wilson as the man he knew by the nickname, AC.@  Grant met Wilson at the house of Grant=s sister, along with Garcia, Yeager, and Rapoza in August 2007.  Grant said that he, Wilson, Rapoza, Yeager, and Garcia drove to Lake Arlington in the late evening of August 13, 2007.  When they arrived, Wilson and Rapoza got out of the car and walked away by themselves.  Roughly fifteen minutes later, Grant went to find them.  When he found them, Grant saw Wilson and Rapoza fighting.  Grant testified that he was going to break up the fight when he noticed that Wilson had a knife in his hand.  Grant said that he witnessed Wilson repeatedly stab Rapoza with the knife.  According to Grant, Wilson then kicked Rapoza in the stomach and kicked her over a small ledge and into the lake.  Grant said that he attempted to Aget her out [of] the lake@ and tried to push her up a ledge.  Rapoza was trying to climb up the ledge when Grant either let her go or dropped her because Wilson was walking toward him.  Grant became scared and ran back to the car.  Wilson eventually returned to the car covered in blood, and the remaining four returned to the house of Grant=s sister. 

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