Stiggers v. State

506 S.W.2d 609, 1974 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1567
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 13, 1974
Docket47927
StatusPublished
Cited by88 cases

This text of 506 S.W.2d 609 (Stiggers v. State) 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
Stiggers v. State, 506 S.W.2d 609, 1974 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1567 (Tex. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

REYNOLDS, Commissioner.

The challenged conviction is for the offense of murder with malice. Punishment, set by the jury at appellant’s election, is life imprisonment.

Appellant’s conviction resulted from the accusation that he was one of two armed men who killed A1 Wilson, a liquor store clerk, during an attempted robbery of the Airport Liquor Store in Dallas. The sufficiency of the evidence to support the conviction is not questioned.

*611 Relying on constitutional and case law prohibitions against unreasonable searches and seizures, appellant initially contends that his conviction should be reversed because his warrantless arrest was illegal. There is no contention that any evidence supportive of the conviction arose from, or grew out of, the arrest. Conceding that appellant’s arrest was unlawful, the State submits that, in the absence of any authority to the contrary, the illegal arrest, from which neither fruits nor instrumentalities of the offense were discovered, does not justify a reversal of the conviction. We agree.

The sanction imposed against an unlawful search and seizure is the denial of admissibility of evidence seized in the unlawful search. Unlike an unreasonable search producing evidence offered to support a conviction, an arrest is not in itself an evidentiary element of a conviction. An unreasonable seizure of the person that does not produce evidence of culpability does not per se vitiate a conviction. This is particularly true where, as here, there is no claim that any circumstance of the alleged illegal arrest led to appellant’s conviction, the evidence supporting which is unchallenged. The first ground is overruled.

Secondly, relying on the same authorities, appellant complains of the trial court’s failure to suppress the evidence obtained in a warrantless search of his residence. Overlooked by appellant in drafting this complaint and his ensuing argument is that he does not contend, and the record does not reflect, that any evidence obtained as a result of this search was introduced in evidence. Under these circumstances, no error is shown or presented for review. See Mortier v. State, 498 S.W.2d 944 (Tex.Cr.App.1973), and cases cited therein. The second ground is overruled.

Thirdly, appellant contends that his arrest in, and the warrantless search of, his residence with the purported consent of a person who was not authorized, and who did not have the right, to consent to the search is reversible error. The disposition made of appellant’s first two grounds determines this ground adverse to appellant’s contention. The third ground is overruled.

Fourthly, appellant asserts, in reliance on Paprskar v. State, 484 S.W.2d 731 (Tex. Cr.App.1972), that the trial court erred in failing to suppress the evidence obtained in the search of the house of Dolores Jean Jacobs because her consent therefor was not voluntarily given. Paprskar is not controlling of the facts here. There, the evidence resulting from the search was declared inadmissible because the premises were the residence of Paprskar, who was present and under arrest at the time the consent relied on for the search was coerced from his wife, who also was under arrest.

Here, the premises were not under the control of appellant and he was not present when the search was made. Mrs. Jacobs was not, as appellant states, related to appellant. Even if the consent Mrs. Jacobs said she gave freely because she had no objection was in fact a coerced consent under all the circumstances, appellant is in no position to complain of the search or the evidence seized. Appellant has no standing to question the legality of the search of premises not under his control when he was not present at the time of the search. Schepps v. State, 432 S.W.2d 926 (Tex.Cr.App.1968). The fourth ground is overruled.

Appellant’s fifth complaint is that the trial court erred in failing to grant a mistrial on its own motion when the prosecutor accused defense counsel of giving signals to the witness in the following colloquy:

“MR. BANKS (a prosecutor) : Could we have Mr. Phillips (the defense attorney) instructed not to be giving any signals to the witness on the stand at this time ? I believe he’s trying—
“THE COURT: Without assuming that you are, don’t.
*612 “Q. (By Mr. Hill, a prosecutor) : Now, did you know where the Airport Liquor Store was?
“A. (the witness): No, I did not.
“Q. Never had seen it before ?
“A. No, I’m not familiar with Dallas, period, but just the street I stay on and quite a few places I’ve been.
“MR. PHILLIPS: Let me interject first of all — let me make the statement to the Court and to the jury that—
“MR. HILL: I object to Mr. Phillips making some kind of speech here.
“THE COURT: If you have an objection, state it.
“MR. PHILLIPS: The only thing I object to is the action of the District Attorney indicating that I would coach the witness or make any kind of signals to a witness as to how they testify.
“THE COURT: Neither side indicate in any way what any witness should answer. I am not accusing you one way or the other, Mr. Phillips.”

The complaint made is that the allegation of the prosecutor surely prejudiced and inflamed the minds of the jurors to the extent that it could not be cured, as the Court held in Bray v. State, 478 S.W.2d 89 (Tex.Cr.App.1972), by an instruction by the court.

The reliance on Bray is misplaced and the complaint here is not well made. The conduct condemned in Bray was a highly improper jury argument about the representation of the accused by his court appointed attorney that so flagrantly violated the canons of legal ethics and so demeaned the highest traditions of the legal profession in its role to defend indigent prisoners that it could not be cured by an instruction.

Here, the circumstance giving rise to the prosecutor’s remark is not recorded. Defense counsel apparently was satisfied with the court’s response; counsel did not press for any further response to his objection, he did not request any instruction be given to the jury, and he made no request for a mistrial.

An instruction could have rectified the situation appellant now complains about and, absent a request for the curative instruction regarding the conduct, a reversal is not warranted. Cherry v. State, 488 S.W.2d 744 (Tex.Cr.App. 1972). Moreover, since appellant did not further pursue the matter, he has not preserved for review, and he is in no position to complain of, any reversible error, Burks v.

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

Related

Mary Alice Palacios v. State
511 S.W.3d 549 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2014)
David McKeand v. State
430 S.W.3d 572 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2014)
State v. Chupik
343 S.W.3d 144 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2011)
Brennan v. State
140 S.W.3d 779 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Edward Christopher Arndt v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2003
Raymundo Perales Vasquez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001
Baker v. State
956 S.W.2d 19 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Cockrell v. State
933 S.W.2d 73 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Millard Bryan Vinson v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 1996
James White v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 1995
Wall v. State
878 S.W.2d 686 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1994)
Lemmons v. State
818 S.W.2d 58 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1991)
Leach v. State
770 S.W.2d 903 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1989)
State v. Brady
763 S.W.2d 38 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
McKenna v. State
761 S.W.2d 380 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)
Wilkerson v. State
731 S.W.2d 752 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Garcia v. State
726 S.W.2d 231 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1987)
Ellis v. State
714 S.W.2d 465 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Hamm v. State
709 S.W.2d 14 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Moraguez v. State
701 S.W.2d 902 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
506 S.W.2d 609, 1974 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1567, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stiggers-v-state-texcrimapp-1974.