Torey Lewayene Shamburger v. the State of Texas

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 15, 2021·No. 05-20-00108-CR·Published

Opinion

REVERSE and REMAND and Opinion Filed June 15, 2021

S In The

Court of Appeals

Fifth District of Texas at Dallas No. 05-20-00108-CR

TOREY LEWAYENE SHAMBURGER, Appellant V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 265th Judicial District Court Dallas County, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. F-1934438-R

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Before Justices Molberg, Goldstein, and Smith Opinion by Justice Smith

Torey Lewayene Shamburger appeals his aggravated robbery with a deadly

weapon conviction. A jury convicted appellant and sentenced him to sixty-five years’ confinement. Appellant argues the evidence is legally insufficient to establish he participated in a robbery or that he used or knew a co-defendant would use a deadly weapon; the trial court failed to require the jury to find he was acting with others in order to establish party liability or that he used or knew a co-defendant would use a deadly weapon; and the trial court erred by instructing the jury that he was entitled to good conduct time. We reverse the trial court’s judgment on punishment and remand for a new trial on that issue alone.

In August 2019, appellant was charged by indictment with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. At trial in January 2020, Michael Watts testified he was walking to a 7-Eleven near his house just after 11:30 p.m. on July 20, 2019 when he saw “three gentlemen” who had stopped to tie their shoes. Watts thought the men were “guys from the neighborhood,” but as soon as he walked by, something hit him in the back of the head. When Watts turned around, there were “guns in [his] face,” and the men said “we want your money.” Watts described the men as “three black males” who were all wearing red bandanas. One of the men seemed significantly younger than the other two. Watts identified appellant as one of the men. The men tried to push Watts away from the road and hit Watts with their guns when Watts told the men to shoot him. There was “a little bit of a fight,” and one of the men got behind Watts and ripped the pocket containing his wallet off his shorts. The men ran away, and Watts chased after them. One of the men turned around and shot at Watts with a small-caliber handgun. The men ran toward a parked car with dark windows that Watts had seen earlier driving “peculiarly slow.” Watts saw the men getting in the car when the car’s light came on; the men “got in quick and started the car and it started driving towards [Watts] really fast.” Watts “ducked between the houses,” and the car slowed down. Watts heard another shot that was “a louder shot from a higher caliber weapon,” and the car drove away. Watts’ cell phone was broken in the fight, but he made his way to the 7-Eleven where he called 911. When

police arrived, Watts assisted in searching the scene where he found his cell phone and a single shoe that did not belong to Watts.

Irving police officer Jonathan Towns testified he was dispatched to the scene and spoke to Watts, who described the suspects’ vehicle as a dark blue or purple “PT Cruiser-type vehicle.” Towns reported the description of the car, and he later went to assist in the traffic stop of a vehicle matching the description. Towns went to the scene of the traffic stop and observed the suspect vehicle, a Chevrolet HHR, similar in appearance to a PT Cruiser. Towns saw appellant taken into custody, and Towns searched the car looking for the “small caliber, chrome- or silver-colored revolver” Watts described seeing. Towns found a .22 caliber revolver under the driver’s seat, and it appeared the gun had been placed there from the back seat.

Irving police officer E. Cloud testified he saw the suspect vehicle parked at a Raceway gas station, followed the vehicle when it drove away, and stopped the vehicle after it failed to signal a lane change. The driver of the vehicle was a heavy- set woman. Appellant was riding in the front passenger seat. After the traffic stop, Cloud returned to the Raceway to look for evidence. The State showed surveillance video of the front seat passenger discarding a small, dark object out the window while the suspect vehicle was parked at the Raceway. Cloud testified he found Watts’ wallet and identification at the Raceway.

Irving police officer Eric Mosby testified he tested appellant’s hands for gunshot residue and submitted the samples to a laboratory. Pursuant to a search

warrant, Mosby searched the suspect vehicle and found a Luger pistol inside the front passenger seat. Among other things, Mosby also found five Aguila .380 caliber bullets, a red bandana, a red scarf, a black bandana, and appellant’s driver’s license.

Nicole Palmer, a trace evidence examiner at Dallas County’s Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences, testified she tested the samples taken from appellant’s hands. The samples contained eight particles consistent with primer gunshot residue. Five particles were found on the sample from appellant’s left hand, and three particles were found on his right hand.

Irving police detective Kevin Burkleo testified he investigated this case and determined that the driver of the HHR was appellant’s girlfriend, Janice Allen, and the two males in the back seat of the vehicle were Allen’s sons, one of them a minor. Appellant rode in the front passenger seat. Burkleo collected video from the 7- Eleven near the location of the scene of the offense. The video showed one of Allen’s sons exiting the 7-Eleven prior to the offense and walking toward a car that looked “consistent with a Chevrolet HHR.” Borkleo testified a shoe matching the shoe found at the scene of the offense was found in the back of the HHR; however, Borkleo could not determine who owned the shoes. At the conclusion of the evidence, the jury convicted appellant of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. This appeal followed.

In his first issue, appellant argues the evidence is legally insufficient to establish that he participated in a robbery either as a principal or a party. When

reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we examine all of the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979); Temple v. State, 390 S.W.3d 341, 360 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013). Although we consider everything presented at trial, we do not reevaluate the weight and credibility of the evidence or substitute our judgment for that of the fact finder. See Williams v. State, 235 S.W.3d 742, 750 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). The jury is the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be given their testimony, and we defer to the jury’s credibility and weight determinations. See Jackson, 443 U.S. at 326; Brooks v. State, 323 S.W.3d 893, 899 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010). Our review includes both properly and improperly admitted evidence. See Clayton v. State, 235 S.W.3d 772, 778 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). We also consider both direct and circumstantial evidence, as well as any reasonable inferences that may be drawn from the evidence. Id.

The elements of aggravated robbery, as relevant here, are that the defendant committed robbery and used or exhibited a deadly weapon. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 29.03(a)(2). A person commits robbery, as relevant here, if he intentionally or knowingly threatens or places another in fear of imminent bodily danger or death in the course of committing theft and with intent to obtain or maintain control of the property. See id. § 29.02(a)(2). “In the course of committing theft” means conduct that occurs in an attempt to commit, during the commission of, or in immediate flight

after the attempt or commission of theft. Id. § 29.01(1). And a person commits theft if he unlawfully appropriates property with intent to deprive the owner of property. Id. § 31.03(a).

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

Torey Lewayene Shamburger v. the State of Texas, (Tex. Ct. App. 2021).

Torey Lewayene Shamburger v. the State of Texas (Torey Lewayene Shamburger v. the State of Texas) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Jackson v. Virginia
443 U.S. 307 (Supreme Court, 1979)
Williams v. State
235 S.W.3d 742 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Clayton v. State
235 S.W.3d 772 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2007)
Guevara v. State
152 S.W.3d 45 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Malik v. State
953 S.W.2d 234 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Plata v. State
926 S.W.2d 300 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1996)
Hooper v. State
255 S.W.3d 262 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Allen v. State
253 S.W.3d 260 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2008)
Powell v. State
194 S.W.3d 503 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Rogers v. State
38 S.W.3d 725 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2001)
Villarreal v. State
205 S.W.3d 103 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2006)
Brooks v. State
323 S.W.3d 893 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2010)
Adams v. State
552 S.W.2d 812 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1977)
Stephens v. State
717 S.W.2d 338 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1986)
Gross v. State
380 S.W.3d 181 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Vasquez v. State
389 S.W.3d 361 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Boston, Ronald Glen
410 S.W.3d 321 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Temple, David Mark
390 S.W.3d 341 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Price, Eric Ray
457 S.W.3d 437 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2015)
Ronald Glen Boston v. State
373 S.W.3d 832 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2012)