Washington v. State

59 S.W.3d 260, 2001 WL 958068
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 24, 2001
Docket06-01-00020-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 59 S.W.3d 260 (Washington 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
Washington v. State, 59 S.W.3d 260, 2001 WL 958068 (Tex. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

59 S.W.3d 260 (2001)

Jessie Lee WASHINGTON, Appellant,
v.
The STATE of Texas, Appellee.

No. 06-01-00020-CR.

Court of Appeals of Texas, Texarkana.

Submitted August 17, 2001.
Decided August 24, 2001.

*261 David S. Barron, Bryan, for appellant.

Bill R. Turner, Brazos County District Attorney, Douglas Howell III, Assistant District Attorney, Bryan, for appellee.

Before CORNELIUS, C.J., GRANT and ROSS, JJ.

OPINION

Opinion by Chief Justice CORNELIUS.

A jury convicted Jessie Lee Washington of sexual assault. Washington pleaded *262 true to the State's allegation that he had previously been convicted of a felony, and the jury assessed his punishment at confinement for life.

In his first issue on appeal, Washington challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence. In reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we determine whether after viewing all of the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560, 573 (1979); Lane v. State, 933 S.W.2d 504, 507 (Tex.Crim.App.1996). We evaluate all of the evidence in the record, both direct and circumstantial, and whether admissible or inadmissible. Johnson v. State, 871 S.W.2d 183, 186 (Tex. Crim.App.1993).

Washington contends the evidence is legally insufficient because there is a variance between the indictment and the proof at trial. The indictment alleged that Washington sexually assaulted M.L. He contends the State failed to prove that the victim, whose initials are M.L. and whose full legal name was used at trial, was known as M.L. or that M.L. is a pseudonym.

A variance between the indictment and the evidence may be fatal to a conviction because due process guarantees that the defendant have notice of the charges against him. Rojas v. State, 986 S.W.2d 241, 246 (Tex.Crim.App.1998). However, only a material variance is fatal. In determining whether a variance is material, we determine whether the indictment informed the defendant of the charge against him sufficiently to allow him to prepare an adequate defense at trial and whether prosecution under the indictment as drawn would subject the defendant to the risk of being prosecuted later for the same crime. Gollihar v. State, 46 S.W.3d 243, 257 (Tex.Crim.App.2001) (citing United States v. Sprick, 233 F.3d 845, 853 (5th Cir.2000)).

Article 57.02(b) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure permits a victim to choose a pseudonym to be used in all public files, records, and legal proceedings concerning the offense. Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 57.02(b), (f) (Vernon Supp. 2001). A victim who elects to use a pseudonym must complete a pseudonym form and return it to the law enforcement agency investigating the offense. Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 57.02(b). The victim's name may be disclosed only to the defendant and his attorney; disclosure to anyone else requires a court order. Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 57.02(d), (g) (Vernon Supp.2001).

The fatal variance doctrine is inapplicable to pseudonym cases as long as the defendant's due process right to notice is satisfied. See Stevens v. State, 891 S.W.2d 649, 651 (Tex.Crim.App.1995). In the present case, the record does not indicate whether the victim filed a pseudonym form, and as noted earlier, the parties used her full legal name at trial. In Stevens, also, there was no indication that the victim filed a pseudonym form, and the parties used her full name at trial. Id. at 650.

Washington says Stevens is distinguishable because, in that case, the victim's name was alleged to be XXXXXX-XXXXXX, an obvious pseudonym that the court concluded accomplished the dual purposes of protecting the defendant's due process right to notice and the victim's right to privacy. Id. at 651 n. 2. The court expressed no opinion, however, concerning whether a due process violation would occur if, as here, the State alleged a less obvious or nonnumeric pseudonym.

*263 The pseudonym M.L., is an obvious pseudonym such that the fatal variance doctrine and Washington's due process right to notice are not implicated. Even if M.L. were not an obvious pseudonym, however, the variance in the indictment is not material.

In Stevens, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that the variance was not material because the State disclosed the victim's name in response to pretrial discovery requests and in its notice of intent to use outcry witness testimony. Stevens v. State, 891 S.W.2d at 650-51. In addition, the defendant used the victim's name in pretrial filings and both parties used the victim's name at a pretrial hearing.

In Greeno v. State, 46 S.W.3d 409, 412 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2001, no pet. h.), the indictment alleged the defendant committed aggravated sexual assault of two children, J.G. and T.G. Two children testified at trial, both of whom had the initials J.G. Nevertheless, the court of appeals held that the defendant failed to show surprise because the victims were the appellant's own children and he used their legal names in his pretrial motions.

In Graves v. State, 994 S.W.2d 238, 245 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 1999, pet. ref'd), and Hernandez v. State, 943 S.W.2d 930, 937 (Tex.App.-El Paso 1997), rev'd on other grounds, 988 S.W.2d 770 (Tex. Crim.App.1999), the State informed the defendant of the victim's legal name before trial.

Washington contends the explicit notifications given in Stevens, Graves, and Hernandez were not given here. He also contends that in contrast with Stevens, there is no indication he was made aware of the victim's legal name through pretrial filings or pretrial hearings. Further, in contrast to Greeno, the evidence showed that Washington was not related to the victim and that he did not know her. Moreover, Washington contends we cannot infer from a silent record the lack of surprise necessary to show a nonmaterial variance. He cites Stevens' discussion of the indications in the record that the defendant knew the victim's name and posits that such a discussion would have been unnecessary if the court believed the defendant was required to object to show surprise.

The record in the present case is not completely silent, however. At a pretrial hearing, Washington's attorney admitted the State provided him with copies of all medical records, laboratory reports, and photographs. State's exhibit six was a sexual assault kit containing the victim's legal name. In addition, two scraps of paper, both of which contained the victim's first name and a telephone number, were found in Washington's pocket when he was arrested.

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Bluebook (online)
59 S.W.3d 260, 2001 WL 958068, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/washington-v-state-texapp-2001.