Raul Longoria v. the State of Texas

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 26, 2023
Docket09-21-00203-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Raul Longoria v. the State of Texas (Raul Longoria v. the State of Texas) 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
Raul Longoria v. the State of Texas, (Tex. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

In The

Court of Appeals

Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont

________________ NO. 09-21-00203-CR ________________

RAUL LONGORIA, Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

________________________________________________________________________

On Appeal from the 435th District Court Montgomery County, Texas Trial Cause No. 19-05-06404-CR ________________________________________________________________________

MEMORANDUM OPINION

In a single appellate issue, Appellant challenges his conviction for aggravated

sexual assault of a disabled individual. Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 22.021. Specifically,

he contends that the “trial court erred by failing to provide a jury charge related to

the issue of consent as it relates to Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Disabled

Person[.]” We affirm.

1 I. Background

Appellant and Rachel were in a dating relationship and Appellant was staying

in a garage apartment on Rachel’s property. Rachel’s thirty-one-year-old disabled

daughter, Angie1, lived with Rachel in Rachel’s home on Rachel’s property.

According to State’s Exhibit 9, which was admitted into evidence without objection,

Angie is subject to a permanent guardianship because she is “incapacitated because

of a mental condition and [she][] is totally without capacity as provided by the Texas

Probate Code to care for herself, to manage her property and financial affairs, to

operate a motor vehicle and to vote in a public election.” Rachel is Angie’s

permanent guardian. On May 7, 2019, Angie called 911 from a gas station and

alleged that Longoria (her Mother’s boyfriend) had sexually assaulted her. Longoria

was indicted for aggravated sexual assault of a disabled person, with two

enhancement paragraphs (a prior felony for DWI and a prior felony of attempted

murder). Tex. Penal Code 22.021 (a)(2)(c). The jury found Appellant guilty of the

offense as alleged in the indictment, the trial court sentenced Appellant to eighty

years in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and

1 We refer to the victim and her family by pseudonyms to conceal their identities. See Tex. Const. art. I, § 30(a)(1) (granting crime victims “the right to be treated with fairness and with respect for the victim’s dignity and privacy throughout the criminal justice process”). 2 Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal. We summarize the testimony and evidence

below.

1. Karen Bailey’s Testimony

Bailey was one of the paramedics who responded to Angie Stewart’s 911 call.

She outlined her training and experience in her position, noting that records of

patient interactions are made at or near the time of the events reflected in those

records. Bailey described Angie as not only barefoot and very upset when the

paramedics first encountered her, but as wet from the rain. She further recalled that

Angie seemed to be “socially challenged[,]” in that although Angie was able to

answer basic questions, she did not seem to understand some of the things that were

happening.

During the drive to the hospital, Bailey made notes of Angie’s description of

the assault. The notes were admitted into evidence as part of State’s Exhibit 10.

According to the notes, EMS arrived on the scene and found Angie inside the gas

station, and they escorted Angie to the ambulance. Angie was “crying and upset and

wet from heavy rain.” According to the EMS notes, Angie told them “her Mom’s

boyfriend attacked her…that he came to the house smelling like alcohol and

appeared drunk…that he came in and started trying to kiss her and pulled her by the

hair…she tried to stop him but was unable…he ended up taking her shirt off and

sucking on her breasts…he forced her back to the bedroom [and] she was able to get

3 her taser and use it on him twice before he took it from her…then he used it on the

right side of her head, her right arm, and multiple times on her breasts…he sucked

on her private areas…and inserted his fingers in her vagina… . [She] ran from the

house once she was able and went to the gas station to call 911.”

Bailey’s notes further indicate that Angie was in pain but declined the offer

of pain medication.

2. Deputy Brown’s Testimony

Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff Joneataa Brown testified that she was

dispatched to Memorial Hermann Hospital to interview Angie regarding Angie’s

report of having been sexually assaulted. Her impression was that Angie was not

only distraught and frightened, but she also had the impression about her being

mentally delayed, that her demeanor and her speaking was “very childlike.”

While working with Angie and her mother, Brown obtained permission to

search their home for evidence, and she relayed information to the officers who went

to Rachel’s house to gather evidence. Deputy Brown also photographed Angie, and

State’s Exhibits 42-51 are photographs Brown took of Angie at the hospital. The

photographs of her showed scratches and bruises but Deputy Brown agreed the

photos do not show serious injuries. On cross-examination Deputy Brown agreed

that she did not see any “defensive wounds” on Angie, however that “just depends

on the person” and “[e]very situation is different depending on the type of trauma.”

4 3. Deputy Heaton’s Testimony

Deputy Sam Heaton, of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, testified

that on the day of Angie Stewart’s assault, he and other deputies searched Angie and

her mother’s residence, and gathered evidence from that location. He recalled that

they found a “Taser” 2 on the bed, and a brass candlestick on the floor beside the bed.

Elsewhere in the home, they located and photographed what later was shown to be

Angie’s shirt and brassiere, her broken glasses, and a variety of other household

items.

4. Detective Frisina’s Testimony

Detective Anthony Frisina testified, describing his training and his law

enforcement experience during his eight years with the Montgomery County

Sheriff’s Office. On the day after Angie reported her assault, Frisina interviewed

Appellant at the jail. He described his approach to conducting a custodial interview,

noting that he begins by reading Miranda warnings,3 and ensuring that the suspect

expresses his understanding of his rights. He also recorded the interview. It is also

his standard procedure to attempt to build a rapport with the suspect in the hope of

obtaining truthful information about relevant events. Generally, he uses a technique

when conducting the interview that allows the suspect “to minimize” what happened

Although many of the trial participants referred to this object as a Taser, 2

other evidence shows that it was a Night Watchman brand stun gun. 3 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S.436, 1966. 5 and give them a way to tell what happened without in a way that wouldn't portray

them in as bad of a light had they been fully forthcoming initially.”

Longoria did not testify at trial. However, his recorded interview was played

for the jury at trial. Describing the interview, Detective Frisina explained that in the

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