Rodolfo Pena v. the State of Texas

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 27, 2024
Docket14-23-00216-CR
StatusPublished

This text of Rodolfo Pena v. the State of Texas (Rodolfo Pena 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
Rodolfo Pena v. the State of Texas, (Tex. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

Affirmed and Memorandum Opinion filed August 27, 2024.

In The

Fourteenth Court of Appeals

NO. 14-23-00215-CR NO. 14-23-00216-CR

RODOLFO PENA, Appellant V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 461st District Court Brazoria County, Texas Trial Court Cause Nos. 92200-CR & 92330-CR

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Appellant Rodolfo Pena appeals his conviction for evading arrest with a vehicle in case number 14-23-00215-CR (92200-CR) and his conviction for murder in case number 14-23-00216-CR (92330-CR). He contends the evidence is legally insufficient to support his convictions. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

After Appellant killed his stepson, discarded the firearm, and fled the scene by car on February 6, 2021, he was indicted for murder in cause number 92330-CR and for evading arrest with a vehicle in cause number 92200-CR. A jury trial was held on March 27, 28, and 29, 2023. At trial, numerous witnesses testified, including Complainant’s mother and son as well as several police officers, investigators, and a medical examiner. The evidence showed the following.

Appellant and Jennifer had been a couple for 23 years; together they had an adult daughter Olivia. Jennifer had two sons from a previous relationship: twenty- nine-year-old Complainant Osvaldo and twenty-seven-year-old James. On February 6, 2021, Jennifer planned a birthday party for her son James, who was at Appellant’s and Jennifer’s house with James’s two young sons. Olivia arrived around 7 p.m. Thereafter, Complainant arrived with his three sons: twelve-year-old Michael, ten- year-old Gabriel, and eight-year-old Joshua. Complainant’s wife Thelma arrived a little later. Jennifer testified that there was barbecue in the backyard, “music was playing, and there was some drinks.” She gave Complainant a bottle of Jack Daniels because “he had just had a birthday also.”

Appellant returned from a visit with his mother around 8 p.m. He saw the Jack Daniels bottle and stated, “I’m not going to drink because something bad always happens when I drink;” nonetheless, he started drinking Jack Daniels from the bottle. Appellant then made derogatory comments in Spanish about Jennifer and Olivia, which Thelma heard and translated for Jennifer. Complainant started arguing with Appellant, telling Appellant that he was tired of Appellant always calling his mother names and putting her down. Olivia and Thelma also started arguing.

Jennifer went to the barbecue pit in the backyard. When she turned to look through the window, she saw Thelma and Olivia fighting and punching each other in the living room. Jennifer also saw Appellant “come around the counter and he jumped on [Complainant]’s back and got him in a chokehold. [Jennifer] came

2 inside” and saw Complainant flip Appellant over onto the floor and start hitting Appellant. Thereafter, “James came out of the room and asked everybody, ‘What are y’all doing? Stop.’” Olivia and Thelma continued arguing, but Complainant stopped hitting Appellant and “got up off of” Appellant. Appellant “jumped up off the floor and went to the bedroom.”

Jennifer testified that when Complainant “got up off of [Appellant], he said “Come on, everybody. Let’s go. And Michael was getting the kids ready to put [them] in the truck to leave since they were all leaving[:] [Complainant], Thelma, Michael, Joshua, and Gabriel.” Jennifer testified that “since there was still some arguing going on with Olivia and Thelma, it took a couple of minutes for them to get all the kids and stuff together and then I had my dog running in and out.” Michael had taken his brothers to the truck and was walking back towards the house while Thelma, Complainant, Jennifer, and Olivia were in the hallway walking toward the front door. As they were walking, they heard a click. Jennifer testified that she, Olivia, and Complainant turned around “to see what the click was and [Appellant] was standing there with a gun and he pointed the gun, he shot [Complainant]. I was looking him in his face when he shot the gun. I saw the fire come out of the gun.” Complainant crawled to the front patio area and collapsed.

Jennifer testified she saw Appellant running to their bedroom and then running outside into the backyard trying to open the fence. In the meantime, James and Michael called 9-1-1. Police Officer Holmes arrived within a few minutes and performed CPR on Complainant. While everyone was in the front of the house concerned with Complainant, Appellant ran to his Dodge Challenger parked outside by the driveway. At that time, Officer Holmes’s partner, Officer Lugo, arrived at the scene. Officer Lugo saw her partner running after the Challenger and heard him instruct her to stop Appellant’s car. Officer Lugo reversed her police car to block

3 Appellant in, but Appellant went around her car and fled the scene.

Officer Lugo and officers from other police departments pursued Appellant for 26 minutes. Appellant led them on a high-speed chase through several jurisdictions. The police had to deploy spike strips and, even then, Appellant continued fleeing for several minutes until he stopped at a mobile home park. He attempted to flee on foot, but he was apprehended and taken into custody. Officer Mezzino, who assisted in the pursuit of Appellant, confirmed that he, Officer Lugo, and another police officer had been pursuing Appellant for 26 minutes at speeds of up to 124 m.p.h. before Appellant finally came to a stop at a mobile home park. Officer Mezzino’s in-car video recording showed the speed at which police had to drive to catch Appellant.

Complainant’s son Michael also testified at trial and confirmed much of Jennifer’s testimony. He stated that his family was at Jennifer’s and Appellant’s home for his uncle’s birthday party. Complainant drank one beer but Appellant and Olivia were drinking whiskey out of a bottle. The argument started when Appellant said “something about [Michael’s] grandma” and then something about Michael’s mother Thelma, which upset Complainant.

Because his two brothers were upset about the argument, Michael took them to the truck and then returned to the house. He did not see who took the first swing, but he stated that Complainant was on top of Appellant and hitting Appellant. Michael stated that Olivia and Thelma also were fighting; Olivia was pulling Thelma’s hair and Michael had to pull Olivia off of Thelma. Complainant and Appellant stopped fighting at the time.

Michael testified that he and his parents started leaving, but that he went outside ahead of them to put one of his brothers back into the car because he “got out the car.” After Michael took his brother to the car, Michael turned around 4 looking toward the front door. He saw Appellant pointing a gun at Complainant’s back as Complainant, Thelma, and Jennifer were walking toward the front door. Michael saw Appellant shooting Complainant as Complainant was trying to leave the house and Complainant falling into the flowerbed. Michael testified that he had called 9-1-1 trying to get an ambulance for his dad. While he was calling for help, Michael observed Appellant get into his Challenger and drive away. Michael testified that same night while at the hospital, he found out his dad had died.

Chief medical examiner Barnhart testified that Complainant died from a gunshot wound. The bullet entered Complainant’s left chest; struck his heart, esophagus, diaphragm, and liver; and exited on his right flank. Barnhart testified that the direction the bullet travelled is consistent with a scenario in which a person “faced straight and then turned around just slightly.”

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Rodolfo Pena v. the State of Texas, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rodolfo-pena-v-the-state-of-texas-texapp-2024.