Stone v. State

510 S.W.2d 612, 1974 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1749
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 19, 1974
Docket48283
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 510 S.W.2d 612 (Stone 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
Stone v. State, 510 S.W.2d 612, 1974 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1749 (Tex. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

CHADICK, Commissioner.

This is an appeal from a murder with malice conviction. Punishment of twenty-six years’ confinement was assessed in a jury trial.

It is first urged that argument by the prosecutor that he would not prosecute an innocent man constituted reversible error. Appellant’s counsel objected to such argument and moved that the jury be instructed to disregard it. The objection was sustained and the instruction given. No ruling adverse to the appellant was made. All relief requested was given. The record presents nothing for appellate review. Burks v. State, 432 S.W.2d 925 (Tex.Cr.App.1968); Randolph v. State, 464 S.W.2d 658 (Tex.Cr.App.1971). The sufficiency of the instruction to cure the alleged error is not an appeal issue, nor is the question of invited error reached.

In the course of summation, the prosecutor on three separate occasions *614 mentioned that criminal trials are bifurcated and undertook a partial explanation of the procedure. The first and third such statements were objected to by appellant’s counsel. The second was allowed to pass without objection. In response to each objection the trial judge gave the jury an instruction to disregard the prosecutor’s argument. Such instructions were followed by motions for mistrial which were overruled. The sufficiency and remedial effect of the court instruction is not questioned and appellant has not suggested the specific actual or theoretical harm that resulted from such comment. Under the circumstances shown, the instruction is presumed to have corrected any error in the argument. Terry v. State, 481 S.W.2d 870 (Tex.Cr.App.1972). And, of course, no reviewable error is preserved in the instance where no objection was made. Thurmond v. State, 441 S.W.2d 528 (Tex.Cr.App.1969); 5 Tex.Jur.2d, Appeal and Error— Criminal, Sections 44 and 436.

The fourth segment of the prosecutor’s argument that is brought into question is his statement that “we” (referring to prosecuting counsel) “are not bound by the same rules as they are” (referring to the defense). Objection was that such an argument was a misstatement of the law. The objection was overruled. The prosecutor proceeded to explain to the jury that the prosecution was compelled by law to furnish a defendant a list of prosecution witnesses, but that the defendant was not required to furnish the prosecution a list of defense witnesses. The explanation clarified the prosecutor’s inept statement and clearly showed that he was merely saying that because of the differing positions of the parties the rules sometimes affect the parties differently. In the context of the whole record, no prejudice to the appellant is shown. Vineyard v. State, 96 Tex.Cr.R. 401, 257 S.W. 548 (1924); Evans v. State, 168 Tex.Cr.R. 591, 330 S.W.2d 455 (1959); 5 Tex.Jur.2d, Section 436. Appellant has cited no authority in support of the contention urged.

Unlike the argument heretofore discussed, all of which occurred in summation following the guilt-innocence phase of trial, the sixth and last segment of the argument objected to occurred during summation in the penalty phase. The prosecutor argued that, “It is up to the Board of Pardons and Paroles to determine how long he will be down there regardless of what you give, so keep that in mind.” No objection was voiced, no motion to disregard or motion for mistrial was made. For reasons initially discussed herein and authorities cited, nothing was preserved for review. See also Fairley v. State, 493 S.W.2d 179 (Tex.Cr.App.1973).

The indictment herein alleged, “. . that Vernon Frank Stone . . . did kill Alvin Dwain Cornish by shooting him with a gun . . . .” At the close of evidence by the prosecution, counsel for appellant moved for an instructed verdict on the ground that the prosecution “has totally failed to prove the allegations ifi the indictment, to-wit, that the deceased was Alvin Dwain Cornish as alleged in the indictment.” Here, as in Saulter v. State, 151 Tex.Cr.R. 550, 209 S.W.2d 184 (1948), the question is: “. . . identification of the body of the person alleged in the indictment as having been killed rather than want of sufficient evidence of the corpus delicti.” In Lopez v. State, 482 S.W.2d 179 (Tex.Cr.App.1972) a similar question of identity was disposed of in this language: “Officer Bolling testified without objection that the name of the deceased was Guadalupe Flores Garcia. Again, without objection, he testified that he learned that the deceased was a Mexican National named Guadalupe Flores Garcia. The contention that the deceased was not identified is overruled.”

In this case, the appellant testified that Alvin Dwain Cornish displayed a *615 handgun and threatened him while both were in a restroom at the Am Vet Club in Odessa. Shortly after the alleged threat the two met face to face at the entrance of the club, and, according to appellant’s testimony, Alvin Dwain Cornish reached for a gun in his belt, and he, the appellant, pulled his pistol and shot it in Cornish’s direction, then turned and ran. Appellant swore he intended to shoot over Cornish’s head to scare him and did not know whether he hit Cornish or not. A State’s witness and a companion of Cornish on the fatal occasion testified that as appellant, with pistol in hand, and Cornish met in the club doorway appellant shot Cornish in the left eye. This witness also testified as to the “person who was killed, Mr. Cornish” and referred to Cornish as the “deceased” a number of times in his testimony. A pathologist testified to performance of an autopsy on “Mr. Cornish” the day of the alleged killing and determined death was caused by “a single gunshot wound that entered the head through the left eye and extended through the head, causing extensive brain damage and skull fracture.” This, together with assumption of identity in the statements and questions of counsel and answers of witnesses appearing throughout the record, clearly identified the person killed by appellant as Alvin Dwain Cornish, the person the indictment alleged appellant killed. The evidence meets the requirements of Article 1204, Vernon’s Ann.P.C. The ground of error is without merit.

Appellant acknowledged having a pistol in hand as he entered the club door and his testimony describing the conduct of Cornish just prior to the shooting episode developed in this fashion:

“Q. As you started to go back in to use the phone, did you see the deceased, Alvin Dwain Cornish, and where was he ?
“A. Right here, coining around (pointing to a drawing of the Am Vet Club’s premises).
“Q. Were there several other black dudes with him ?
“A. Yes.
“Q. Was he making any type of motion towards his gun ?
“A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
510 S.W.2d 612, 1974 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1749, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stone-v-state-texcrimapp-1974.