Ruiz, Antonio Mejia

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided August 11, 2015·No. PD-0789-15·Published

Opinion

PD-0789-15

PD-0789-15 COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS

Transmitted 8/10/2015 11:24:18 AM Accepted 8/11/2015 3:54:50 PM ABEL ACOSTA

IN THE CLERK TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

ANTONIO MEJIA RUIZ, Petitioner,

vs. No. 08-14-00026-CR THE STATE OF TEXAS, Respondent.

*************************************************************

PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW *************************************************************

Jeffrey C. Grass & Associates

Jeffrey Grass

SBN 00787581

101 E. Park Blvd., Ste. 107 Plano, Texas 75074

Tel: (972) 422-9999

Fax: (972) 423-2646

Jeff@GrassLaw.com

Counsel for Petitioner

August 11, 2015

PETITIONER REQUESTS ORAL ARGUMENT

IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL Attorney for Appellant

PDR Appellate Counsel: Jeffrey C. Grass 101 E. Park Blvd., Suite 107 Plano, TX 75074

Appellate Counsel: Mitchell Nolte 2780 Virginia Parkway, Suite 401 McKinney, Texas 75071

Trial Counsel: Gregg Gibbs 2780 Virginia Parkway, Suite 401 McKinney, Texas 75071

Attorney for the State on Appeal

John R. Rolater, Jr. 2100 Bloomdale Rd., Suite 200 McKinney, TX 75071

Original Trial Court Judge

Honorable John Roach 2100 Bloomdale Rd., Suite 20012 McKinney, TX 75071

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Identity of Parties and Counsel…………………………………………………….....2 Index of Authorities…………………………………………………………………..4 Statement Regarding Oral Argument………………………………………………...5 Statement of the Case………………………………………………………………...5 Statement of Procedural History……………………………………………………..6 Abbreviations and References………………………………………………………..6 Grounds for Review………………………………………………………………….7 Factual and Procedural Background…………………………………………………7 Argument……………………………………………………………………………10

I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY INSTRUCTING THE JURY ON CONTINUOUS CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT WHILE DENYING PETITIONER’S REQUEST FOR AN INSTRUCTION ON THE LESSER-INCLUDED OFFENSE OF AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A CHILD WHEN THERE WAS EVIDENCE ADMITTED AT TRIAL THAT COULD HAVE CONVICTED THE PETITIONER OF THE LESSER OFFENSE.

Prayer for Relief…………………………………………………………………….15 Certificate of Service………………………………………………………………..16 Certificate of Compliance…………………………………………………………..16 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………17

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

Cases Goad v. State, 354 S.W.3d 443, 446 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) Hall v. State. 225 S.W.3d 524 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) Hicks v. State, 372 S.W.3d 649 (Tex.Crim.App.2012) Rice v. State, 333 S.W.3d 140, 144 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) Rice, 333 S.W.3d at 144. Solis v. State, 353 S.W.3d. 850 (Tex.Crim.App.2012) Statutes TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. art. 37.09 TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. 21.02 (West Supp.2012) TEX. R. APP. PRO. 25.2

STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT Petitioner believes oral argument would be helpful to the Court because the issues raised are novel and may significantly affect public policy. As a result, these issues should be more thoroughly resolved in oral argument, where the Court can ask questions and consider alternatives that counsel are prepared to discuss.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

The Petitioner was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for Continuous Sexual Assault of a Child based on a jury charge that precluded the jury from finding the Petitioner guilty of the lesser-included offense of Aggravated Child Sexual Assault. TRAP 66.3(f). The court of appeals declined to rule in favor of the Petitioner on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the abuse did not occur multiple times within thirty days. TRAP 66.3(a)-(d), (f). Petitioner argues herein that the standard applied by the trial court and court of appeals is an unconstitutional shifting of the burden of proof. Furthermore there existed some evidence that affirmatively rebutting or negating an element of the greater offense, or some evidence which is subject to different interpretation, one of which rebuts or negates the crucial element. Id. at 227. McGinty v. State, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 2546 (Tex. App. El Paso Mar. 18, 2015)

STATEMENT OF PROCEDURAL HISTORY (1) Date of opinion from Court of Appeals: May 29, 2015 (2) Date of Motion for Rehearing: None was filed.

(3) Date Motion for Rehearing Disposed: N/A

ABBREVIATIONS AND REFERENCES The required documents from the trial are attached to this Petition in the Appendix. The pages of the Appendix are numbered in the lower, right-hand corner for ease of reference and use by the Court.

The Clerk’s Record (CR) is referred to by page number (e.g., CR422).

The Reporter’s Record (RR) is referred to by volume number, then page number (e.g. 3 RR 88-90).

The Clerk’s Record (CR) is referred to by page number (e.g., CR422).

The Reporter’s Record (RR) is referred to by volume number, then page number (e.g. 3 RR 88-90).

GROUNDS FOR REVIEW

The trial court erred by denying Petitioner’s request for a jury instruction on the offense of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child (ASAC), a lesser-included offense of the charged offense of Continuous Child Sexual Assault (CSAC), when the evidence admitted at trial warranted the instruction.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND The underlying case is an appeal from a conviction for Continuous Child Sexual Assault in which the Petitioner was found guilty and assessed a life sentence on 11/22/2013 by a jury in State of Texas v. Antonio Mejia Ruiz, TC# 296-82375-2012, in the 296th Judicial District Court, Collin County, Texas. The case was appealed to the Court of Appeals of Texas, Eighth District, El Paso May 29, 2015, No. 08-14-00026-CR wherein they appellate court rendered its decision on May 29, 2015 affirming the conviction of the trial court.

The indictment in this case alleged that, from on or about March 30, 2012 to June 1, 2012, Ruiz committed eight separate and distinct acts of sexual abuse against N.P., including six instances of ASAC: (1)-(2) penetrating N.P.’s vagina with his penis and finger; (3)-(5) contacting N.P.’s vagina, anus, and mouth with his penis; and (6) contacting N.P.’s vagina with his mouth. At the time of the commission of each of these acts, Ruiz was 19 years old and N.P. was 12 years old. It is a statutory requirement that, “at the time of the commission of each of

the acts of sexual abuse, the actor is 17 years of age or older and the victim is a child younger than 14 years of age.” TEX.PENAL CODE ANN. § 21.02 (b)(2).

Likewise, the offense of continuous sexual abuse of a child (hereinafter, “CSAS”) occurs when a person commits any of several enumerated acts of sexual abuse two or more times “during a period …30 or more days in duration[.]” See TEX.PENAL CODE ANN. § 21.02 (b)(1), (c)(1)-(8)(West Supp. 2014). One of the enumerated acts is aggravated sexual assault of a child (hereinafter, “ASAC”). See id. § 21.02 (c)(4).

At trial, Petitioner contended the state did not meet its burden as to the 30 or more day required time interval pursuant to which he requested a jury instruction on the lesser-included offense of ASAC. Petitioner argued that the facts of the case show that neither of the state’s witnesses (the 12-year-old (NP) or Antonio Ruiz (Petitioner)) were certain about the dates of the sexual encounters and neither could say with certainty that the sexual encounters happened multiple times in a thirty-day period. Specifically, Detective Caballero1 stated that the Petitioner said in his original interview with the Police that the first sexual encounter with NP happened in November or December 2011, and then later stated a different date. The Petitioner then stated the second sexual encounter occurred in March or April of 2012. (RR v3 p144).

1 Detective Caballero was the Law Enforcement Officer that originally interviewed the Petitioner before he was indicted.

Finally, the Petitioner testified the third instance of sexual intercourse happened in May of 2012. (RR v3 p 145). Accordingly, the State cannot say without a doubt that the jury would have believed the inconsistent testimony of the two witnesses, raising enough doubt to allow the jury to consider the lesser offense.

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