Rickey Ellison v. State

494 S.W.3d 316, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 8483, 2015 WL 5190453
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided August 13, 2015·No. 11-12-00019-CR·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

OPINION

JOHN M. BAILEY, JUSTICE

The jury convicted Rickey Ellison of murder. The trial court assessed Appellant’s punishment at confinement for life in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. We affirm.

Background, Facts

This appeal arises from Appellant’s conviction in 2011 for the murder of Jimmy Milo on or about February 19, 1981. Appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support his conviction. However, a summary of the evidence offered at trial is necessary to provide context for Appellant’s issues on appeal and our analysis of those issues. As set forth in greater detail below, the State alleges that Appellant engaged in a crime spree in February of 1981 that resulted in the murder of Cassandra Jackson, the murder of Jimmy Milo, the abduction of Barbara Bailey Scott, and the attempted capital murder of Deputy Charles B. Lacey. The State further contends that Appellant used the same gun to commit these crimes. Among other things, Appellant contends that his rights under the Confrontation Clause were violated by the State’s ballistics evidence linking him to a murder occurring thirty years prior to his conviction.

Murder of Cassandra Jackson

In February 1981, Carlos B. Wilson was dating Cassandra Jackson. Wilson and Jackson lived in San Antonio. Wilson owned a 1965 Pontiac LeMans, He had a .357 magnum derringer and some ammunition for it that he kept in the glove box of the car. On February 17,1981, he left San Antonio for Florida in connection with his employment as a truck driver. Wilson loaned his car to Jackson to use while he was on his trip to Florida. When Wilson *320 returned to San Antonio, he could not find Jackson or his car. On February 21,1981, Wilson reported to police that his car had been stolen.

Also on February 21, 1981, the police found Jackson’s body at a location in Bas-trop County. Jackson had been shot once in the head and once in her right leg. At her autopsy, the medical examiner, Dr. Roberto G. Bayardo, recovered a fragmented copper jacket lead bullet from Jackson’s brain and another bullet from her knee area. The medical examiner gave an envelope containing the bullets to Texas Ranger Ronald Stewart, Ranger Stewart submitted the bullets to the Department of Public Safety Laboratory in Austin for ballistics testing.

Ranger Stewart learned that Jackson was the subject of a missing persons report. On February 26, 1981, Ranger Stewart met with Wilson about Jackson’s disappearance. After the meeting, Wilson saw his car parked on a street in downtown Austin. Wilson testified that the windows of the car were rolled down, that the car keys were inside the car, and that there were five parking tickets in the seat of the car. Wilson said that the derringer that he kept in the glove box of the car was missing. As of the date of the underlying trial, no one had been tried for the murder of Jackson.

Murder of Jimmy Milo

As noted previously, this appeal arises from Appellant’s conviction in 2011 for the 1981 murder of Jimmy Milo. During the early morning hours of February 19,1981, police responded to a■ call that there had been a shooting in east Austin. Milo, who was a “transvestite,” had been shot in the head.- Dr. Bayardo also performed Milo’s autopsy. Detective Edward Villegas was employed in the homicide division of the Austin Police Department in 1981. Through his- employment as a police officer, Detective Villegas knew Milo’s identity. Detective Villegas testified that Milo was a transvestite who went by the street name, “Rachel.” Detective Villegas testified that he was present at Milo’s autopsy and that the decedent at the autopsy was Milo. During the autopsy, Dr. Bayardo recovered a copper jacket and a lead core from a single bullet. He gave an envelope containing the pieces of the bullet to Sergeant Lloyd Polk of the Austin Police Department. Sergeant Polk submitted the envelope containing the bullet pieces to the DPS Lab in Austin for ballistics testing.

Abduction of Barbara Bailey Scott and Attempted Capital Murder of Deputy Charles B. Lacey

On February 19, 1981, Barbara Bailey Scott worked at her job in the comptroller’s office in downtown Austin. She left work at about 7:00 p.m. and walked to her car in a nearby parking garage. Scott testified that a man, who was later identified as Appellant, followed her' into the garage. She ran to her car, but Appellant continued to follow her. Appellant got into the car with her, and he drove away. Appellant was carrying a pistol in his pants. He showed the gun to Scott.

Later that night, Travis County Deputy Sheriff Charles B. Lacey activated the lights on his police vehicle to stop Appellant as Appellant and Scott were traveling on State Highway 183. Appellant stopped Scott’s car on the side of the road. As Deputy Lacey approached the car, Appellant shot him with the pistol that he had been carrying in his pants. Scott saw Appellant shoot Deputy Lacey.

After Appellant shot Deputy Lacey, he drove away from the scene in Scott’s car with Scott still inside. Appellant told Scott that he had used four bullets that day and that he had three bullets left. On February 20,1981, at about 2:00 a.m., they *321 stopped at a convenience store in Hemp-stead to get gas for the car. Appellant went into the store to pay for the gas. Scott escaped from Appellant by driving away in her car. Scott stopped at a café in Hempstead and asked someone to call the police. In the, meantime, Appellant stole a car and a watch from a man in Hempstead. At about 7:45 a.m., officers attempted to stop Appellant. After a chase, the vehicle that Appellant was driving got stuck in the mud. Appellant got out of the vehicle, and the officers arrested him.

Deputy Lacey was seriously injured and was taken to the hospital. A bullet was recovered at the hospital. Lieutenant Richard Gruetzner of the Travis County Sheriffs Department submitted the bullet to the DPS Lab in Austin for testing.

Waller Coupty .Deputy Sheriff Odis Pfeiffer brought a metal detector to the scene where Appellant was arrested near Hempstead to look for. a weapon in the mud. During his search, he found a two-shot derringer pistol. Deputy Pfeiffer gave the gun to Dan Fullerton of the Travis County Sheriffs Department. 1 The gun was submitted to the DPS Lab in Austin for ■ ballistics testing. Appellant was convicted in 1982 of the attempted capital murder of Deputy Lacey in cause styled The State of Texas v. Rickey Ellison, No. 62,502, in the 167th District Court of Travis County; Texas. The jury convicted Appellant in that trial and assessed his punishment at life in prison. Appellant appealed his 1982 conviction to the Austin Court of Appeals in Cause No. 3-83-047-CR. The Austin court affirmed the conviction.

Events after Appellant’s 1982 Conviction

On January 3, 2001, Serena Lambright, a parole officer, interviewed Appellant for the purpose of “pre-parole.” Her interview of Appellant included the matter of Milo’s murder. Appellant told Lambright that he had asked a transvestite for a cigarette. Appellant told Lambright that the person responded that he did not smoke.

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Rickey Ellison v. State, 494 S.W.3d 316, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 8483, 2015 WL 5190453 (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

494 S.W.3d 316 (Rickey Ellison v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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