Victor Lee Wilks v. State

Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 17, 2019·No. 05-18-00184-CR·Published

Opinion

MODIFY and AFFIRM; and Opinion Filed June 17, 2019.

In The Court of Appeals Fifth District of Texas at Dallas No. 05-18-00184-CR

VICTOR LEE WILKS, Appellant V. THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the Criminal District Court No. 7 Dallas County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. F-1641359-Y

MEMORANDUM OPINION Before Justices Brown, Schenck, and Pedersen III Opinion by Justice Brown Following a jury trial, Victor Lee Wilks appeals his conviction for aggravated robbery. In

four issues, he contends the evidence is insufficient to prove he committed the offense as a party;

the trial court erred in overruling his motion for new trial based on ineffective assistance of counsel

and on discovery of new evidence; and the trial court erred in quashing two subpoenas duces

tecum. We modify the trial court’s judgment to reflect the fine imposed by the jury and affirm the

judgment as modified.

BACKGROUND

The indictment charging appellant with aggravated robbery alleged that he “intentionally

and knowingly, while in the course of committing theft of property and with intent to obtain or

maintain control of said property, cause[d] bodily injury to another, JUAN DAVILA . . . by SHOOTING THE COMPLAINANT, and [appellant] used and exhibited a deadly weapon, to-wit:

A HANDGUN.” See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 29.03(a). The person who shot Davila was

Bradden Braxton. At trial, Davila testified that at about 6:30 a.m. on the morning of July 25, 2016,

he went to get a money order at a business called PLS on Town East near his home in Mesquite.

After getting the money order, he went straight home. When he got out of his car, someone yelled,

“Give me your money.” Davila saw a man in a mask holding a gun. The man pointed a gun at

Davila’s face from about a yard away. After Davila saw the man in the mask, he also saw a black

Audi with a broken headlight pass by. Davila refused to give the man his money, and they argued.

The man shot Davila in the face, shattering his left jaw. Davila was hospitalized for two months

as a result of the shooting.

Mesquite Police Officer Zach Embrey was one of the first people to respond to a 9-1-1 call

from Davila’s house. He saw Davila’s vehicle in the driveway, a large amount of blood outside

the car, and a trail of blood leading to the front door of the house. Davila was on the ground in

front of the door. Embrey tended to Davila, and officers spoke to family members who were inside

the house. After medical help arrived for Davila, Embrey and others briefly canvassed the

neighborhood. A crime scene investigator, Officer Gary O’Pry, arrived to document the incident

with photographs and collect evidence at the scene. Embrey stood with O’Pry while O’Pry took

photos and collected evidence to preserve the scene. Embrey identified various photographs as

true and accurate depictions of the crime scene and testified about what was depicted in the photos.

Over appellant’s objection, Jose Romero testified for the State. Like Davila, Romero also

visited the PLS store in Mesquite on the morning of July 25, 2016. Romero testified that on that

day he woke up around 7 a.m. and the first thing he did was go to the PLS at Gus Thomasson and

Town East Boulevard to cash a check. He left the store without any cash because “the check . . .

didn’t have sufficient funds.” Romero went to a nearby McDonald’s and then back to his

–2– apartment complex. While Romero was still sitting in his vehicle, a man approached his truck.

The man put a gun through the open window and held it close to Romero’s neck. The man said,

“Give me your money.” When Romero responded that he did not have any money, the man said,

“Yes, you have the money . . . I followed you from the place where you cash the checks.” The

man was wearing a black mask, and he threatened to kill Romero if Romero did not give him

money. Romero again said he did not have any money, and the man shot him in the neck. When

Romero managed to get out of his vehicle, the man ran off. Like Davila, Romero was also

hospitalized for two months.

Detective Steven Birk, with the Mesquite Police Department, was assigned to investigate

Romero’s shooting, and Detective Jerry Corder was assigned to investigate Davila’s shooting.

Corder and Birk coordinated their investigations due to the timing and similarities in the

offenses—both victims had just left PLS when they were shot. There are cameras near the PLS at

the intersection of Town East Boulevard and Gus Thomasson. The detectives asked a police crime

analyst to look for the victims’ cars on the camera footage to see if anyone was following them.

The analyst identified a black Audi with some damage to the front passenger side; the right front

headlight was covered with black duct tape. On the video, police saw the Audi following Romero’s

vehicle, but could not tell who the driver was. Police put a picture of the Audi “out for Crime

Stoppers, airing it to the media.” Two days after the shootings, on July 27th, police got a tip that

the Audi was at an apartment complex in Dallas. Detective Birk learned the vehicle belonged to

a Victor Wilks who lived at the complex. Birk waited at a nearby business and watched for the

Audi to leave the apartment complex. When Birk saw the car, he contacted undercover officers

who followed it. The Audi went through the parking lot of the PLS business. Marked patrol units

conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. Appellant was driving the Audi at that time and Braxton

was with him. Both men were arrested and taken into custody. When police executed a search

–3– warrant on the Audi, they found in the trunk a loaded Glock handgun as well as two plastic masks,

one blue and one black.

Following appellant’s arrest, Detective Corder conducted two custodial interrogations of

him on July 27th and 28th. Video recordings of the interrogations were played for the jury. On

July 27th, appellant told Corder he owned the Audi and he was driving it on the morning of July

25th. His “co-defendant” Braxton was with him. Appellant indicated his co-defendant directed

him to follow both victims. Appellant gave the detective details about the route he took from the

PLS to Davila’s house. Appellant waited in the car for Braxton each time. Appellant knew they

were going to get money. He said they never discussed how Braxton was “going to do it,” but

appellant knew Braxton “probably wasn’t going to do something good.” Braxton told appellant

he did not get any money from the first victim, and they then went back to the PLS. Appellant

denied seeing a gun or any masks and denied hearing gunshots. When Corder told appellant he

knew appellant had to have seen Braxton with a mask, appellant denied seeing Braxton get in the

car. Corder testified that appellant seemed shocked to learn two people had been shot in the face.

The next day, July 28th, appellant asked to speak to Corder again. Appellant recanted his

entire confession. He told Corder he was never there and that he was not in the car. Corder did

not believe appellant’s recantation.

Appellant’s brother, Jeffrey Wright, testified for the defense about how he and appellant

spent the day on July 25, 2016. Wright and appellant shared an apartment at that time, and during

the early morning hours, they were home playing a video game. Wright testified they played from

6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then went to a restaurant. Braxton occasionally stayed with them for three

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