Robert Anderson Ryan v. State of Texas

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 30, 2002
Docket10-01-00177-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Robert Anderson Ryan v. State of Texas (Robert Anderson Ryan v. 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
Robert Anderson Ryan v. State of Texas, (Tex. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

Robert Anderson Ryan v. State


IN THE

TENTH COURT OF APPEALS


No. 10-01-177-CR


     ROBERT ANDERSON RYAN,

                                                                         Appellant

     v.


     THE STATE OF TEXAS,

                                                                         Appellee


From the 18th District Court

Johnson County, Texas

Trial Court # F34372

O P I N I O N

      Robert Anderson Ryan was charged with five counts of injury to a child. Judy was Ryan’s girlfriend. The victims were Judy’s two daughters: Jennifer, age 5 and Sheila, age 9. The jury found him guilty of two counts of intentionally causing bodily injury to Jennifer and one count of recklessly causing bodily injury to Sheila. Punishment was assessed at eight years in prison and a $1,000 fine for each count against Jennifer. The jury assessed punishment at two years in a state jail facility and a $500 fine for the offense against Sheila. Ryan now appeals his conviction. We affirm.

Background

      Ryan lived with Judy and her four children. Ryan stayed with the children while Judy worked. One evening, the youngest child, Jennifer, was vomiting and having seizures. Judy took Jennifer and the other children over to Jennifer’s grandmother’s house. Jennifer’s grandmother took them all to the hospital. Jennifer was admitted to the hospital with multiple bruises to her brain and bruising all over her body. The most severe external bruising appeared on her buttocks. Investigators questioned Ryan about Jennifer’s injuries. He admitted to spanking Jennifer with a flip-flop and to throwing her onto the bed where she bumped her head. Later, the other children were taken to the Advocacy Center and interviewed. During the interviews, similar external bruising was found on Sheila, Jennifer’s 9 year old sister.

Voluntariness of Confession

      In his first issue, Ryan contends that the trial court erred in admitting his written confession and videotaped statement because he was mentally coerced by investigators with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.

      An accused must give his confession voluntarily before it can be used against him. Penry v. State, 903 S.W.2d 715, 744 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995); Sendejo v. State, 953 S.W.2d 443, 447-48 (Tex. App.—Waco 1997, pet. ref’d). Once the accused contests the admission of his statement on the ground of “involuntariness,” the due process guarantee requires the trial court to hold a hearing on the admissibility of the statement outside the presence of the jury. Alvarado v. State, 912 S.W.2d 199, 211 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995) (citing Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 380, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964)). See also Tex. Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 38.22 § 6 (Vernon 1979). At the hearing, the trial court is the sole judge of the weight and credibility of the evidence, and the court’s findings may not be disturbed on appeal absent a clear abuse of discretion. Alvarado, 912 S.W.2d at 211.

      Ryan contends on appeal that his confession was involuntary because he was mentally coerced into signing it. Involuntary confessions offend due process when they flow from the improper conduct of law enforcement officials. Lane v. State, 933 S.W.2d 504, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996). Mental compulsion is a subtle force associated with offering a defendant two choices, one of which results in a penalty, punishment, or detriment from which the defendant is entitled to be free. Thomas v. State, 723 S.W.2d 696, 704 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986) (consent to breath test); see also Flemming v. State, 949 S.W.2d 876 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1997, no pet.) (citing Thomas, supra). The voluntariness of a confession is determined by a review of the totality of the circumstances. Creager v. State, 952 S.W.2d 852, 855 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).

      Prior to trial, the trial court held a hearing to determine the voluntariness of Ryan’s written and videotaped statements. At the hearing, Ryan admitted that he accompanied a police officer to the Johnson County Law Enforcement Center for questioning about the injuries to Jennifer. He knew he was not under arrest. He was read his Miranda warnings prior to any questioning. Ryan testified that he understood those rights and decided to talk to the investigators anyway. He stated that he knew he could be arrested for what he told them. His complaint, however, was that he felt he was threatened to admit to throwing Jennifer on the bed where she then hit her head on the bed post or Judy would be arrested and all her children taken away from her. By the end of his testimony, Ryan admitted that the investigators did not tell him that they would arrest Judy if he did not sign a statement.

      Detective Michael Gaudet testified at the hearing that he conducted an interview of Ryan which was videotaped. He denied ever threatening Ryan with Judy’s arrest. He also denied implying that Judy would be arrested unless Ryan admitted to causing Jennifer’s head injury. Detective Allan Gilreath also interviewed Ryan. He watched Gaudet conduct his interview from an observation room. Gilreath stated that he did not hear Gaudet threaten Ryan with Judy’s arrest if he did not give a full confession. When Gaudet completed his interview, Gilreath testified that he then conducted an interview of Ryan. He stated that at no time did he threaten Ryan with Judy’s arrest unless Ryan confessed. Gilreath also watched from a different room when Lieutenant Troy Fuller interviewed Ryan. He did not observe Fuller threaten Ryan with Judy’s arrest if Ryan did not confess.

      After Ryan gave a statement, Fuller spoke with him. Fuller testified to the same statements made by Detectives Gaudet and Gilreath: that no one threatened Ryan with the arrest of Judy if Ryan did not confess.

      The videotape of Ryan’s interview was admitted into evidence. It corroborates the investigators’ testimony. The trial court reviewed the video after the hearing.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jackson v. Denno
378 U.S. 368 (Supreme Court, 1964)
Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Kelley v. State
22 S.W.3d 642 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2000)
Najar v. State
74 S.W.3d 82 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002)
Thomas v. State
723 S.W.2d 696 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Hudson v. State
675 S.W.2d 507 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Jimenez v. State
804 S.W.2d 334 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Chamberlain v. State
998 S.W.2d 230 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Carlsen v. State
654 S.W.2d 444 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1983)
Hernandez v. State
726 S.W.2d 53 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Lane v. State
933 S.W.2d 504 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Sendejo v. State
953 S.W.2d 443 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1998)
Geesa v. State
820 S.W.2d 154 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Stafford v. State
813 S.W.2d 503 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Thompson v. State
691 S.W.2d 627 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1984)
Meek v. State
790 S.W.2d 618 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Lunde v. State
736 S.W.2d 665 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Butler v. State
769 S.W.2d 234 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1989)
Green v. State
840 S.W.2d 394 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Robert Anderson Ryan v. State of Texas, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robert-anderson-ryan-v-state-of-texas-texapp-2002.