Sibley v. State

956 S.W.2d 832, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 6152, 1997 WL 735770
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 26, 1997
DocketNo. 09-95-428 CR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 956 S.W.2d 832 (Sibley v. State) 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
Sibley v. State, 956 S.W.2d 832, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 6152, 1997 WL 735770 (Tex. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

STOVER, Justice.

A jury found Donald Ray Sibley, Jr. guilty of aggravated assault. Punishment was assessed by the jury as confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice—Institutional Division for a term of 15 years and a fine of $10,000.

Sibley submits three points of error. First, he contends the evidence is insufficient to sustain the conviction. Second, he alleges he was entitled to a lesser included offense instruction in the jury charge. Lastly, he complains he was denied effective assistance of counsel. We overrule his points of error and affirm the judgment.

LEGAL SUFFICIENCY

In his first point of error, Sibley contends the evidence was insufficient to establish that he intentionally and knowingly caused bodily injury to the victim. In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we determine “whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, 573 (1979); Rabbani v. State, 847 S.W.2d 555, 558 (Tex.Crim.App.1992). This standard of review remains the same for both direct and circumstantial evidence eases. Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154, 159-61 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). Circumstantial evidence is legally sufficient to support a criminal conviction. See Eaglin v. State, 872 S.W.2d 332, 337 (Tex.App.—Beaumont 1994, no pet.).

In January of 1995, a fight ensued at a party that was being held at a house in a residential area. Gunfire erupted between Sibley and another boy known as “Tiger.” As a result the partygoers scattered down the road from the party house. Sibley ended up in front of Mr. Edward Michael’s house, which was located several houses down from the party house. Tiger and some of the other partygoers ran to a “yellow house” [834]*834which is located at an angle across the street from the Michael home.

Three family members were home in the Michael house when the gun shots began, Mr. Michael, his wife Laura, and his daughter Kristy. All three family members testified as to the events witnessed by them. As revealed by the testimony of all three family members, Sibley was the gunman who fired shots toward the Michael home, injuring Mr. Michael.

Mrs. Michael was in her bedroom when she heard one loud shot. She then went to the front door and saw Sibley aim and shoot at the yellow house after which the boys at the yellow house scattered. She started yelling at Sibley, scolding him for shooting and threatening to call the police. Mr. Michael came to the door and pushed his wife aside, but she could still see out. Sibley turned, aimed the gun, and shot at the Michaels’ door, hitting Mr. Michael in the leg. Mrs. Michael had a clear view in which to see Sibley as there was a streetlight in that area. Mrs. Michael also testified there was no one else around when Sibley fired the shots at their house.

Mr. Michael, who had been in a back room, testified that he also heard “[a] whole lot of shots all over the street, all over the place” and went to the front door. After pushing his wife out of the doorway, he was standing in the center of the storm door. Mr. Michael testified he saw a boy walking toward his house and shooting toward a yellow house. Mr. Michael testified that after firing the shots at the yellow house, the gunman fired in the direction of his house. A bullet went through the storm door and hit Mr. Michael in the left knee. Although he could not clearly see the gunman’s face since he had recently undergone eye surgery, he did notice that the gunman was wearing a jacket that had bulls on it.

The Michaels’ daughter, Kristy, also witnessed Sibley’s actions. Kristy was immediately able to identify the person walking down the street as Sibley. She had known Sibley for three to four years, went to school with him, and she and Sibley were in the same physical education class at school. Kristy recognized Sibley’s jacket as one he was wearing in school earlier that day.

During his testimony, Sibley repeatedly denied firing shots toward the Michael’s house. He testified that after gunfire came from the yellow house he fired back toward the yellow house two times. He stated he heard a bullet whiz by his ear and then heard glass shatter. He was standing in front of the Michaels’ home at that time. He testified that after Tiger and the other boys ran away from the yellow house, Tiger shot at Sibley two more times. He admitted firing his gun but stated that all shots were fired at Tiger in a direction away from the Michael home.

Officers were given the name of Donald Sibley as a suspect’s name by Kristy Michael. When found, Sibley was wearing a red, black, and white Chicago Bulls jacket. In his possession, Sibley had a black Lorcin .880 caliber automatic gun.

Sibley was taken to the Michael home for identification. Both Laura and Kristy Michael identified Sibley without hesitation.

’Two spent shell casings were found out on the street in front of the Michael house. Both shell casings were seen in the same area and both were .380 shell casings.

There were two fired bullets of particular concern, one in Mr. Michael’s leg, the other found in the wall of the Michaels’ home. The bullet in Mr. Michael’s leg was not removed as removal would have caused more trauma to the wound. A criminalist examined the casing found in the Michaels’ yard. He determined that the casing was fired from Sib-ley’s Lorcin .380 pistol. He also examined the fired bullet found in the Michaels’ wall. This, he determined, was not fired from the .380 pistol, but instead, was a 9 millimeter Luger bullet. A diagnostic radiologist and deputy coroner, experienced in interpreting radiographs of gunshot wounds, examined the x-rays of Mr. Michael’s leg and concluded the bullet in Mr. Michael’s leg was consistent with either a 9 millimeter or .380 bullet. He could not say with certainty if the bullet was a .380 caliber. For such a determination, the bullet would have to be removed and examined.

[835]*835Sibley argues that the evidence introduced through the State’s witnesses did not establish guilt as to every element beyond a reasonable doubt. He specifically alludes to the fact that there was another gunman shooting during the event and argues the only way to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Sib-ley fired the shot injuring Mr. Michael, is to remove and examine the bullet in Mr. Michael’s leg.

As applied to this case, the standard of review is whether any rational person could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that Sibley was the gunman who fired the shot which injured Mr. Michael. Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319, 99 S.Ct. at 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d at 573-74. It is clear that Sibley’s testimony is in direct conflict with that of the Michael family. However, it is axiomatic that the witnesses’ credibility and the weight to be given their testimony are within the jury’s province. Tex.Code CRIM. Proc. Ann. art. 38.04 (Vernon 1979). The jury may accept or reject all or any part of a witness’s testimony. Penagraph v. State, 623 S.W.2d 341, 343 (Tex.Crim.App.1981). As such, our legal sufficiency review is a very limited one.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
956 S.W.2d 832, 1997 Tex. App. LEXIS 6152, 1997 WL 735770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sibley-v-state-texapp-1997.