Rodriguez v. State

743 S.W.2d 287, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 9239, 1987 WL 35067
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided November 12, 1987·No. No. 04-86-00069-CR·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinions

OPINION

CANTU, Justice.

Appeal is from a conviction for voluntary manslaughter as a lesser included offense of murder. Punishment was assessed by the jury at confinement for a period of ten years.

The salient facts are as follows:

On the evening of July 10, 1983, Seguin police were dispatched to the R & R Drive-In, an establishment licensed to sell alcoholic beverages, to investigate a report that a patron was in possession of a weapon. When police arrived the owner described the person alleged to be in possession of a gun as being a male wearing a black cowboy hat and boots. According to the owner, another patron, later identified as appellant, saw the suspect, Pedro Gomez, in possession of a gun when he (appellant) went to the bathroom. When police searched Gomez they found nothing and left. Within a few minutes they were advised to return to the premises for a shooting.

Appellant testified that he had gone to the bathroom once again as soon as police conducted the search of Gomez and left. According to appellant, Gomez followed him into the restroom and attempted to rob him. A struggle ensued and appellant was hit on the head by Gomez with the gun. Appellant, nevertheless, managed to seize the gun from Gomez’s possession and leave the bathroom. Gomez allegedly followed appellant demanding the return of the gun under threat of death. Appellant then shot Gomez when Gomez lunged at him. One of the other patrons, however, contradicted appellant’s version of the events. He stated that appellant shot at Gomez without provocation.

In his first point of error appellant complains that the trial court erred in having the judgment recite that appellant “used a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense, to wit: a firearm.”

The indictment charged that appellant did “intentionally and knowingly cause the death of an individual, to wit: Pedro Gomez, by shooting him with a gun.”

Appellant was convicted of voluntary manslaughter under a charge that required the jury to find that appellant caused the death of Gomez by shooting him with a gun.

Appellant argues that because trial on both phases was to a jury, the trial court was without authority to make an affirmative finding that appellant used a deadly weapon. Reliance is had upon Ex parte Grabow, 705 S.W.2d 150 (Tex.Crim.App.1986) (en banc); Polk v. State, 693 S.W.2d 391 (Tex.Crim.App.1985); Boyett v. State, 692 S.W.2d 512 (Tex.Crim.App.1985) (en banc); and other cases.

In Boyett v. State, a case remarkably similar to the instant one, the court stated:

We note first that since appellant was tried by a jury the court had no authority to make an affirmative finding that appellant used a deadly weapon. Art. 42.-12, Sec. 3f(a)(2) V.A.C.C.P.; Ex parte Thomas, 638 S.W.2d 905 (Tex.Crim.App.1982). Further, we have held that where the jury is the trier of fact, the indictment specifically alleges ‘deadly weapon’ or names a weapon that is a deadly weapon per se, and the jury’s verdict finds the defendant guilty ‘as charged in the indictment,’ the jury has made an affirmative finding as to the use of a deadly weapon. Polk v. State, [693 S.W. 2d 391] (1985). A ‘gun’ is not a deadly weapon per se. Chavez v. State, 657 S.W.2d 146 (Tex.Crim.App.1983). Therefore, the indictment in this case does not allege a deadly weapon so as to permit a verdict of ‘guilty as alleged in the indictment’ to be considered an affirmative finding. No special issue was submitted to the jury on the issue. The affirmative finding was therefore improperly entered on the amended judgment. We order the affirmative finding stricken from the amended judgment and reform that judg[290]*290ment by deleting the improper finding. Boyett, 692 S.W.2d at 517.

The State recognizes that Boyett is controlling but argues in favor of adoption of a per se ruling as a deadly weapon when the word utilized in the indictment is gun. We decline to do so. We sustain appellant’s first point of error and order the affirmative finding stricken from the judgment and reform the judgment by deleting all references to deadly weapon.

In his second point of error appellant complains of the trial court’s charge which contained an instruction on “parole and good time.” See TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC. ANN. art. 37.07, § 4(a) (Vernon Supp.1987).

Appellant objected to the court’s charge on punishment claiming that the charge violated the separation of powers doctrine embodied in Article II, § 1 of the Texas Constitution.

Article II, § 1 provides for a division of powers among the Legislative, Executive and Judicial branches of government. There is therein embodied a prohibition on the exercise of power attached to one branch by either of the other branches. It has been said that:

[A] power which has been granted to one department of government may be exercised only by that branch to the exclusion of the others ... and any attempt by one department of government to interfere with the powers of another is null and void. Ex parte Giles, Tex.Cr.App., 502 S.W.2d 774 [1973]. Smith v. Blackwell, Tex.Cr.App., 500 S.W.2d 97 [1973]. (Emphasis in original).

Sanders v. State, 580 S.W.2d 349, 352 (Tex.Crim.App.1978).

The same contention was raised and rejected by a panel of this Court in the recent opinion found in Gaines v. State, 723 S.W.2d 302 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 1987, pet. granted). We adhere to the holding in Gaines and reject appellant’s contention. We note that the precise question remains unanswered before the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in the following cases: Spelling v. State, 719 S.W.2d 404 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1986, pet. granted); Patton v. State, 717 S.W.2d 772 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1986, pet. granted). Nevertheless, in deciding as we do, we align ourselves with the better reasoning supporting constitutionality of the statute. Appellant’s second point of error is overruled.

In his third point of error appellant alleges that the trial court committed fundamental error when it included a charge on the parole laws and good time when there was no finding by the jury that appellant used a deadly weapon during the commission of the offense.

Appellant recognizes that TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC.ANN. art. 37.07, § 4(a) provides for such a charge as was given by the trial court “if the offense of which the jury has found the defendant guilty is listed in § 3f(a)(l), article 42.12 of this code or if the judgment contains an affirmative finding under § 3f(a)(2), article 42.12 of this code.” 1

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Rodriguez v. State, 743 S.W.2d 287, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 9239, 1987 WL 35067 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

743 S.W.2d 287 (Rodriguez v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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