Valenciano v. State

705 S.W.2d 339, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 12440
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 12, 1986
Docket04-84-00530-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 705 S.W.2d 339 (Valenciano v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Valenciano v. State, 705 S.W.2d 339, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 12440 (Tex. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

OPINION

BUTTS, Justice.

This is an appeal from a conviction for indecency with a child (sexual contact). TEX.PENAL CODE ANN. § 21.11(a)(1) (Vernon Supp.1986). A jury found appellant guilty and assessed punishment at two years’ imprisonment.

Appellant asserts seven grounds of error, the first challenging the sufficiency of the evidence to prove appellant touched the complainant with intent to gratify his sexual desire. A related ground of error concerns the admission of extraneous evidence.

When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we view it in the light most favorable to the jury verdict. Wilson v. State, 654 S.W.2d 465, 468 (Tex.Crim.App. 1983). The complainant, six years old at the time of the incident, testified that appellant was a neighbor and that she visited his house about four times a week to play with his step-daughter. She related that on this occasion, while she was at appellant’s home watching television with the step-daughter, appellant put his hand inside the complainant’s pants and rubbed her “pee pee.” Complainant also demonstrated this act through the use of “anatomically correct” dolls. She said appellant warned her not to tell anyone about the touching. 1

There was testimony by complainant’s mother that on January 30, 1984, her daughter’s genitalia were inflamed and irritated. Her daughter told her that “Joe rubbed her down there” and that she was not going to play at appellant’s house anymore “because Joe was making her pee pee worse.” She also stated that her daughter did not masturbate and had no history of touching herself since she was fifteen months old.

Further, Dr. James Duke testified to having examined the complainant and diagnosing a “noted rash over the external genitalia.” He stated this was an uncom *342 mon condition for a six year old girl and is ordinarily the result of “being traumatized or traumatizing herself by constant rubbing.” And, he noted, complainant did not have a history of traumatizing herself.

The State also introduced, over timely objection, extraneous evidence that appellant had exposed himself to the complainant on other occasions. It is a general rule that a defendant is entitled to be tried on the accusation in the State’s pleading and not for being a criminal generally. Jones v. State, 587 S.W.2d 115, 119 (Tex. Crim.App.1979). However, extraneous acts of misconduct by the accused are admissible to prove scienter where intent or guilty knowledge is an essential element of the State’s case and cannot be inferred from the act itself. Morgan v. State, 692 S.W.2d 877, 880 (Tex.Crim.App.1985).

Admissibility of extraneous transactions is nonetheless dependent upon a showing that the act is relevant to a material issue in the case and that its probative value outweighs any prejudicial effect. Morgan v. State, supra, at 879; Williams v. State, 662 S.W.2d 344, 346 (Tex.Crim. App.1983). Where intent or guilty knowledge is an essential element of the offense, as in this case, materiality is established. Morgan v. State, supra, at 880. Further, that the required intent cannot be inferred from the act itself establishes the relevancy of the extraneous evidence. When the defendant’s conduct alone can be considered as consistent with accident as with a specific lascivious intent, any extraneous act committed by the defendant which would tend to demonstrate such intent is admissible. Morgan v. State, supra, at 881.

The extraneous acts were therefore admissible to prove appellant’s intent to arouse or gratify his sexual desire. We hold the evidence was thus sufficient to prove the required intent. Grounds of error one and two are overruled.

Complaint is made of error in overruling an objection to this portion of the State’s jury argument at the punishment phase:

Now, one thing I have to touch on, because you were mislead very much in argument? Defense Counsel told you he never has been convicted of a felony. Then he said this is his first brush with the law. That is not true. That was a lie. This man has been arrested before for indecent exposure. [Emphasis added.]

The court overruled the objection and the prosecutor continued:

It is not his first brush with the law. You think about that too_ Is someone going to have the courage, if you put him on probation, to report it if he does it again? Because most of them don’t tell their parents. When they do tell their parents — most of them don’t want to report it, they are embarrassed and frighten[ed]. So how many haven’t been reported already? How many haven’t been reported already. Think about that.

Appellant did not object to this last argument.

To be appropriate, jury argument must come within one of these areas: (1) summation of the evidence; (2) reasonable deduction from the evidence; (3) answer to argument of opposing counsel; or (4) plea for law enforcement. Walker v. State, 664 S.W.2d 338, 340 (Tex.Crim.App.1984); Darden v. State, 629 S.W.2d 46, 52 (Tex.Crim. App.1982). Further, for a jury argument to constitute reversible error, it must be manifestly improper, harmful and prejudicial, violative of a statute, or inject new and harmful facts into the case. Thomas v. State, 621 S.W.2d 158, 164 (Tex.Crim. App.1981); Williams v. State, 607 S.W.2d 577, 581 (Tex.Crim.App.1980). The record shows appellant’s counsel made the following jury argument during the punishment phase;

[Appellant] has never been convicted of a felony anywhere. This is his first brush with the law. [Emphasis added.]

The invited argument rule permits prosecutorial arguments outside the record in response to defense argument which goes outside the record. Johnson v. State, *343 611 S.W.2d 649, 650 (Tex.Crim.App. 1981). However, a prosecutor may not stray beyond the scope of the invitation. Id.

Clearly the remark that this was the appellant’s first brush with the law invited a response by the State. The question is whether the State’s argument outside the record in response exceeded defense counsel’s invitation on the subject. We find the argument which was objected to did not exceed the invitation.

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Bluebook (online)
705 S.W.2d 339, 1986 Tex. App. LEXIS 12440, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/valenciano-v-state-texapp-1986.