Robles v. State

577 S.W.2d 699, 1979 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1304
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 24, 1979
Docket54643
StatusPublished
Cited by85 cases

This text of 577 S.W.2d 699 (Robles v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Robles v. State, 577 S.W.2d 699, 1979 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1304 (Tex. 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

ONION, Presiding Judge.

This appeal is taken from a burglary of a habitation conviction, where the punishment was assessed at life imprisonment after a verdict finding the appellant guilty and a finding that he had been previously convicted of two felonies as alleged in the indictment.

On appeal appellant contends that there was no voluntary and knowing waiver of the right to counsel, and no findings to that effect, and that he was required to represent himself without being made aware of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation.

The record reflects that the indictment was returned on March 17, 1976 alleging the primary offense occurred on or about January 12, 1976. Arraignment was on April 9, 1976. On April 29, 1976, at the first setting of the case, the record shows the following colloquy:

“THE COURT: Mr. Robles, as I understand, I think you are having some misunderstanding with your attorney. The State has announced ready in these cases, and we have a Jury available, if you want a trial by a Jury. And, the Court wants to proceed with the cases. I want to get them disposed of.
“Now, you have previously employed Mr. Pena, who is a very good lawyer. The Court has a real high regard for him. But, I understand sometimes Defendants and lawyers do disagree.
“Now, it’s going to be necessary for us to go on with the trial. If you don’t want Mr. Pena to be your lawyer, I am still going to require that he stay here during the trial so that if, somewhere along the line, you change your mind and you do want him, he can just pick it up there. You have been in jail for a good while. I don’t want you to be in jail longer than necessary.
“So, I want to go ahead with the trial.
“Now, if you have another lawyer that is ready to come right in and start the trial right now, you can have a different lawyer; otherwise, you are either going to have to go on with Mr. Pena, or you will have to represent yourself with him standing by.
“MR. ROBLES: Well, I don’t want him to represent me.
“THE COURT: You don’t want Mr. Pena?
“MR. ROBLES: No.
“THE COURT: I am going to require that he stay here in the Courtroom during the trial anyway, but that’s not what you are doing. I’m going to make him do that so that if something happens in the middle of the trial and you say, hey, wait a minute. I have changed my mind. I do need a lawyer. He will be here.
“So, Mr. Pena, you can sit at the counsel table or back at the bench or wherever you are going to be most comfortable.
“Now, do you want to plead guilty or not guilty?
“MR. ROBLES: Not guilty.
“THE COURT: You want to plead not guilty. All right. Do you want a trial with a Jury or do you want a trial just before me, without a Jury?
“MR. ROBLES: I want a lawyer. I don’t want him.
“THE COURT: Okay. Okay. You don’t have him. You don’t have him. *702 But, the thing is, we have got to start right now. And, if you have another lawyer, he can come in right now, but the trial has to begin now. You know we have been putting it off and putting it off. And now this is Thursday and we are about to run out of this week. And, I just don’t want you to stay in jail any more.
“THE COURT: Okay. Let’s get a Jury Panel.
“Now, do you want to get another lawyer of you own choosing?
“MR. ROBLES: Yes, sir. I would like to have another lawyer.
“THE COURT: All right. Do you have somebody that you have hired?
“MR. ROBLES: No, sir.
“THE COURT: Okay. I won’t delay the case to get another one. And, Mr. Pena is the lawyer, as far as this Court is concerned. And you can talk to him about any questions that you have, or you don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to. But we are going to go ahead with the trial and, from time to time, he will tell you things and I will tell you things, too. But we are going to go on with the trial now. So you can be seated.
“MR. PENA: Could I have a statement read into the Record, please?
“THE COURT: Sure.
“MR. PENA: My name is Richard Pena and I am the attorney of record in the State of Texas Versus Armando Robles, in Cause Number 76-CR-568, and that I have, on this day, filed a Motion with the Honorable 175th Judicial District Court to be allowed to withdraw as an attorney of record for the said Armando Robles. That said Motion was denied and that there are three cases pending against said Defendant. That with the habitual counts upon a finding of guilty, will automatically sentence the Defendant to life imprisonment, that after strenuous negotiations with the District Attorney’s Office, we have agreed upon a recommendation of thirty years in two cases, and dismissal of the third. That the Defendant was apprised by his attorney that he believed that the agreement was reasonable and that the Defendant agreed to plead guilty and accept the recommendation of the District Attorney’s Office, subject to the Court’s approval. That when the stipulations were made, the Defendant refused to sign them and stated that he would not plead guilty, against his attorney’s advice. And also stated that he did not want the said Richard Pena to represent him. Again, in open Court, on this date, the 29th day^of April, he has reiterated that he would represent himself and that the Court has instructed the said Richard Pena to stand by said Defendant, Armando Robles, if he needed him for any reason.

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Bluebook (online)
577 S.W.2d 699, 1979 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/robles-v-state-texcrimapp-1979.