State v. Martinez

570 S.W.3d 278
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 20, 2019
DocketNO. PD-0878-17
StatusPublished
Cited by88 cases

This text of 570 S.W.3d 278 (State v. Martinez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Martinez, 570 S.W.3d 278 (Tex. 2019).

Opinion

Walker, J., delivered the opinion of the Court in which Keasler, Hervey, Richardson, Keel, and Slaughter, JJ., joined.

After Appellee, Juan Martinez, Jr., was indicted for intoxication manslaughter, he filed a motion to suppress challenging the State's seizure and search of vials of his blood which were previously drawn at a hospital for medical purposes. The trial court granted the motion, and the court of appeals affirmed. Because, under the facts of this case, Appellee has a privacy interest in the private facts contained in his blood and because the State's acquisition and subsequent testing of the blood went beyond the scope of the hospital's blood draw, Appellee's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures was violated, and the trial court correctly granted his motion to suppress. The judgment of the court of appeals, upholding the grant, is affirmed.

I - The Motion to Suppress

In reviewing a trial court's ruling on a motion to suppress, appellate courts apply a bifurcated standard of review. Lerma v. State , 543 S.W.3d 184, 189-90 (Tex. Crim. App. 2018) ; Ford v. State , 158 S.W.3d 488, 493 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005). Under this bifurcated standard:

The trial court is given almost complete deference in its determination of historical facts, especially if those are based on an assessment of credibility and demeanor. The same deference is afforded the trial court with respect to its rulings on application of the law to questions of fact and to mixed questions of law and fact, if resolution of those questions depends on an evaluation of credibility and demeanor. However, for mixed questions of law and fact that do not fall within that category, a reviewing court may conduct a de novo review.

Crain v. State , 315 S.W.3d 43, 48 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010) ; Guzman v. State , 955 S.W.2d 85, 89 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997). Additionally, we review de novo questions of law, such as whether particular historical facts give rise to a reasonable expectation of privacy. State v. Hardy , 963 S.W.2d 516, 523 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).

In this case, Appellee was involved in a traffic accident. He was taken to a hospital where his blood was drawn for medical purposes. The State later acquired and tested the blood, both without a warrant. Appellee filed a motion to suppress, arguing that the blood was obtained in violation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and through an improper use of the grand jury subpoena process. Appellee also argued that the acquisition and testing of the *282blood violated a laundry list of constitutional and statutory rights, including the protections against unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and article 1, section 9 of the Texas Constitution. A hearing was held, and the trial court granted Appellee's motion to suppress. The trial court made the following findings of historical fact, to which we defer:

1. On February 5, 2014, Juan Martinez was transported, by ambulance, from the scene of a traffic accident to Christus Spohn Hospital in Beeville, Texas. The Defendant was not under arrest.
2. Nurse Gary Calloway testified that, upon arrival to the hospital, "trauma procedures" were begun on the Defendant which included the taking of blood from the Defendant by the nurse for medical purposes. The Defendant was conscious during the blood draw, though not entirely coherent. There was testimony that Defendant's blood, as contained in the hospital vials, ceased to metabolize or change and that the passage of time would not change the results of a test on the drawn blood.
3. Nurse Calloway testified that, during the course of the "trauma procedures" Defendant became aware of his blood being drawn and was informed of the need for a urine sample. Defendant told the nurse he could not afford any tests and needed to leave the hospital as his daughter was out in the parking lot. Defendant removed all monitors and IV's, got dressed and ran out of the hospital.
4. Trooper Quiroga testified that he arrived at the hospital shortly before the defendant left; however, the Trooper was unaware the defendant was running away from the hospital and did not have the opportunity to speak with the defendant before he fled. At no time was the defendant placed under arrest.
5. Hospital staff told Trooper Quiroga that they had Defendant's blood. Trooper Quiroga testified that he told the hospital not to destroy the blood and proceeded to obtain a Grand Jury Subpoena from the Bee County District Attorneys' Office to gain possession of Defendants' blood.
6. Upon presentation of the Grand Jury Subpoena, the Hospital released Defendant's blood (four vials of blood) to an agent of The Department of Public Safety, Trooper Keese. The Hospital's representative testified as to their lab procedures and stated that the Hospital had no policy in place to show a chain of custody on the vials of blood. There was no documentation as to the chain of custody for the vials of blood while in the Hospital's care and control. It was testified to that the blood was not tested by the Hospital and there were no medical records indicating a test of the drawn blood.
7. Upon receipt of the vials of Defendant's blood, Trooper Keese immediately placed it in a DPS box (standard DPS blood kit) and mailed it, using the U.S. Postal Service, to the DPS lab in Austin, Texas for testing.

Order on Def.'s Mot. to Suppress, Clerk's R. 8, 8-9. The trial court's written conclusions of law stated:

1. The Court finds the seizure of the Defendant's blood from the Hospital and subsequent search of that blood by the DPS lab constitute a search and seizure within the scope of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 9 of the Texas Constitution.
2. The initial seizure of Juan Martinez's blood from the Hospital by the *283State using a Grand Jury Subpoena was a valid seizure. However,
3. The search of the blood was performed without the necessary search warrant. The blood had been drawn and was no longer subject to mutation or metabolization. Further, the blood was in the possession of the DPS and not subject to destruction. There were no exigent circumstances to justify a search of the blood without a warrant.
4.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Stuart Bradley Finch v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Kendell Jerrell Morris v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
De H Nguyen v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Adrian Ramos Jr. v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Andrew Neil Fox v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Jay Rotter v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Jimmy Coung Duc Tran v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Tyrone Oliver Jr. v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Gary Spindle v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Jesse Aaron Wilkerson v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Troy E. Hollins v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Raul Lopez v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Luis Moron Romero v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Darius Harris v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Alvin Arnold v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Justin William Hardy v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
The State of Texas v. Anthony Sibrian
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Jeremy Kane Quaschnick v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
570 S.W.3d 278, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-martinez-texcrimapp-2019.