Renfro v. State

958 S.W.2d 880, 1997 WL 755162
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 4, 1998
Docket06-97-00085-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by43 cases

This text of 958 S.W.2d 880 (Renfro 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
Renfro v. State, 958 S.W.2d 880, 1997 WL 755162 (Tex. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

OPINION

ROSS, Justice.

The appellant, Bennie Carl Renfro, appeals from a conviction for the offense of burglary of a habitation, a second degree felony. Ren-fro was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment.

In his sole point of error, Renfro argues that the trial court erroneously overruled his motion to suppress confession on the following grounds:

(1) the confession was not voluntary;
(2) the confession was the fruit of an illegal detention and arrest;
(3) the appellant was not taken before a magistrate before making his written confession; and
(4) the oral confession does not comply with Article 38.22 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.

Background

On May 30, 1996, Mark Hays discovered that his parents’ home in rural Rusk County had been burglarized. He called the sheriff's office and reported the burglary. Officers Cruse and Ellis responded and inspected the house and surrounding area. About forty paces south-southwest of the home, the deputies found small items which had been stolen *883 from the home. Every few feet there were additional items on the ground that appeared to be from the Hayses’ home. Officers Cruse and Ellis followed this trail of items to a group of houses approximately a mile and a half away from the Hayses’ home. The group of houses appeared to share a common outside area, and several people were outside in this area when the deputies arrived. The deputies spoke with the people who were outside, and then went to all four homes to look around and ask questions of the inhabitants about'the burglary. Renfro was living in one of the homes. After getting his consent, the officers looked around Renfro’s home, but the search yielded no evidence.

Back outside, Officer Cruse noticed a woman wearing a necklace which matched the description of an item stolen in the robbery. When questioned about the necklace, the woman told the officer that Renfro had given her the necklace as payment for driving him to Laneville early that morning. The officers then arrested Renfro without a warrant. Officer Ellis advised Renfro of his Miranda 1 rights and placed him in the police car. Ren-fro then orally confessed that he had committed the burglary.

Shortly thereafter, Investigator Wiggins of the sheriffs office arrived on the scene. He asked Renfro if he had been read his rights, and Renfro responded in the affirmative. Wiggins then asked Renfro if he had committed the burglary. Renfro again verbally confessed to the burglary. He was then transported to the sheriffs office. There, in the presence of Wiggins and Officer Cruse, Ren-fro initialed and signed a written form acknowledging that he had been advised of his Miranda rights as enumerated on the form. Wiggins and Renfro then prepared a written confession, which Renfro also signed. It is undisputed that, from the time of his arrest to the time of his written statement, Renfro was not taken before a magistrate.

Renfro claims that he was never advised of his Miranda rights and that he would not have confessed had he been so advised. He also asserts that Wiggins told him, if he cooperated, he would not receive jail time, but would be placed in a drug rehabilitation program. Wiggins acknowledges that he told Renfro “it was possible that he could get some assistance in his cocaine addiction,” but denies the statement was intended as a promise. Additionally, Renfro asserts that Wiggins threatened additional prosecutions if he did not cooperate. Wiggins claims that he simply stated that he would advise the district attorney of Renfro’s assistance with the case and that the more cooperative Renfro was, the more likely the matter could be handled as one offense.

Renfro filed a motion to suppress confession with the trial court on January 23, 1997. An evidentiary hearing on the motion was held on February 3, 1997. After hearing testimony presented by both parties, the trial court overruled the motion to suppress.

Analysis

At a suppression hearing, the trial judge is the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses and of the weight to be given their testimony. The judge may believe or disbelieve all or any part of a witness’s testimony. His findings should not be disturbed absent a clear abuse of discretion. Meek v. State, 790 S.W.2d 618, 620 (Tex.Crim.App.1990).

The State argues that Renfro did not properly preserve error at the trial court level because he did not object to the introduction of the confessions during trial on the same basis used in his motion to suppress. When a pretrial motion to suppress evidence is overruled, the accused need not subsequently object to the admission of the same evidence at trial to preserve error as long as the pretrial motion to suppress is supported by evidence and the error presented on appeal is the same as was presented to the trial court. TexR.App. P. 52(b); Writt v. State, 541 S.W.2d 424, 426 (Tex.Crim.App.1976); Riojas v. State, 530 S.W.2d 298, 301 (Tex.Crim.App.1975).

Since the trial court conducted an eviden-tiary hearing and Renfro is reurging the same issues on appeal as were contained in his motion to suppress, the point of error is properly preserved.

*884 T. Voluntariness of the Oral and Written Confessions

Renfro claims that he confessed in response to Investigator Wiggins’ promises to him that he could avoid jail time and get help with his drug addiction if he cooperated with the police. Renfro also asserts that Wiggins threatened him with additional .prosecutions if he did not cooperate.

For a confession to be rendered involuntary by promises from law enforcement, the accused must show that the promise was (1) positive; (2) of some benefit to the defendant; (3) made or sanctioned by someone in authority; and (4) of such an influential nature that a defendant would speak untruthfully in response thereto. Sos-samon v. State, 816 S.W.2d 340, 345 (Tex. Crim.App.1991). Renfro asserts that, during the taking of his confession, Wiggins told Renfro: (1) he would try to get Renfro help for his drug problem; and (2) Renfro had nothing to worry about. Renfro interpreted Wiggins’ statements to mean that he would receive treatment for his drug problem and would not receive jail time.

These statements do not indicate the “if-then” relationship required to establish a promise. These statements do not rise to the level of an “unequivocal conditional agreement” whereby in exchange for a confession Wiggins would see to it that Renfro received drug treatment. See Chambers v. State, 866 S.W.2d 9, 20 (Tex.Crim.App.1993).

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Bluebook (online)
958 S.W.2d 880, 1997 WL 755162, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/renfro-v-state-texapp-1998.