Smith, Demetrius Dewayne

• Court: Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
• Decided: May 6, 2009
• Docket: AP-75,479
• Status: Published

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS NO. AP-75,479

DEMETRIUS DEWAYNE SMITH, Appellant

v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS

ON DIRECT APPEAL FROM CAUSE NO. 1021168 IN THE 183RD DISTRICT COURT HARRIS COUNTY

K EASLER, J., filed a concurring opinion.

CONCURRING OPINION

I join the Court’s opinion with the exception of its resolution of points of error

eighteen and nineteen.1 I would hold that State’s Exhibits 73 and 74, the TDCJ-ID

penitentiary packets containing disciplinary reports and hearing records concerning

Demetrius Dewayne Smith’s past prison conduct, are business records that do not constitute

1 Russeau v. State, 171 S.W.3d 871, 887-88 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005) (Keasler, J., dissenting.). testimonial hearsay under Crawford v. Washington.2 The analysis set out in Ohio v. Roberts 3

controls, and because the records fall within a firmly rooted hearsay exception, Smith’s rights

under the Confrontation Clause were not violated.

DATE DELIVERED: May 6, 2009 PUBLISH

2 541 U.S. 36 (2004). 3 448 U.S. 56 (1980).