Watson v. State

762 S.W.2d 591, 1988 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 258, 1988 WL 132195
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 14, 1988
Docket1052-86
StatusPublished
Cited by158 cases

This text of 762 S.W.2d 591 (Watson 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
Watson v. State, 762 S.W.2d 591, 1988 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 258, 1988 WL 132195 (Tex. 1988).

Opinions

OPINION ON APPELLANT’S PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

ONION, Presiding Judge.

Appellant was convicted by a Dallas County jury of burglary of a habitation. V.T.C.A., Penal Code, § 30.02. Finding the enhancement paragraph in the indictment to be true, the trial court assessed punishment at 25 years’ imprisonment.

The Fort Worth Court of Appeals reversed the conviction based on an error in the jury charge. Watson v. State, 660 S.W.2d 882 (Tex.App. — Ft. Worth 1983). This Court reversed the judgment of the Court of Appeals citing Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157 (Tex.Cr.App.1985), and finding that no harm accrued to appellant as a result of the jury charge submitted by the trial court. Watson v. State, 693 S.W.2d 938, 940 (Tex.Cr.App.1985). The cause was remanded to the Court of Appeals for consideration of appellant’s remaining grounds of error.

On this second go around the Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction, holding inter alia that appellant’s silence after being advised of his rights and being asked to make a statement was not sufficient under the circumstances to indicate that he wished to remain silent and to cut off questioning. Watson v. State, 715 S.W.2d 864, 868-874 (Tex.App. — Ft. Worth 1986).

The sole ground of review set forth in appellant’s petition for discretionary review urges that the “Court of Appeals improperly held that an arrestee has an affirmative obligation to explicitly state his objection to further questioning by police where [he] [593]*593has been given and understood the Miranda warnings and where there is no evidence of coercion or undue pressure depriving the accused [of] control of the interrogation.”

We granted said petition to determine the correctness of the ruling by the Court of Appeals.

The record reflects that appellant and one Larry Jordan were caught in the act of attempting to burglarize a habitation at 1517 King Arthur1 in Grand Prairie in the evening of December 26,1981. On December 28, 1981, appellant, while in jail, was interrogated on four separate occasions by Officer Myer and Detective Shaw concerning an earlier burglary that had occurred on December 20, 1981, at the Perkins’ residence at 1509 Austrian in Grand Prairie in the same neighborhood as the location of the said attempted burglary. At the last interrogation appellant made certain oral statements that led to some of the items that were taken in the Perkins burglary. See Article 38.22, § 3(c), Y.A.C.C.P.

Appellant filed a pretrial motion requesting that before any evidence of a confession, oral or written, be introduced a hearing on the voluntariness of any admission or confession be conducted in the jury’s absence, contending that if there were conversations with the officers they occurred while appellant was in custody. See Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964); Article 38.22, V.A.C. C.P.

At trial the Jackson v. Denno hearing was conducted outside the presence of the jury to determine the voluntariness of appellant’s statements made during custodial interrogation. At such hearing Grand Prairie Police Officer Dennis Myer was called by the State and was the only witness to testify.2

Myer testified that he and Detective Shaw first interviewed appellant about the Perkins burglary between 9 and 9:30 a.m. on December 28, 1981. Myer first read to appellant his Miranda warnings3 and stat[594]*594ed that appellant acknowledged to him that he understood those rights. The record then reflects:

“Q. And after he acknowledged those did he indicate to you that he wished to speak with you?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Did he at any time ask for an attorney?
“A. Not at that time.”

On cross-examination Officer Myer testified as to the first interrogation:

“Q. [Defense Counsel] You say you read Mr. Watson his rights?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And he refused to talk?
“A. Yes.
“Q. Who was doing the talking during that thirty or forty-five minutes?
“A. We were [Officer Myer and Detective Shaw].
“Q. What were you saying?
“A. Just asking questions.
“Q. He wasn’t answering?
“A. No, Sir.
“Q. And you did that for thirty or forty-five minutes?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Did he ever answer any of your questions?
“A. No, sir.
# * * * * *
“Q. At any time during that thirty or forty-five minute interrogation did Mr. Watson indicate to you that he didn’t wish to talk to you anymore?
“A. No, sir.
“Q. Just sat silent?
“A. Yes, sir.” (Emphasis supplied.)

Appellant was returned to his jail cell about 10:30 a.m.

The record reflects that thereafter in response to the prosecutor’s questions about appellant being “arraigned”4 Officer Myer agreed that appellant was “arraigned” about 11 a.m. No further details of that action were elicited and it is unclear whether appellant was “arraigned” on the Perkins burglary or on some other offense. Myer then testified the second interrogation of appellant began about 1 p.m., the same being initiated by the officers. Again appellant was given his Miranda warnings and acknowledged he understood his rights. Appellant did not at any time acknowledge that he wanted to talk to the officers and after 20 minutes he was “placed — back in a cell.” The record reflects on direct examination:

“Q. [Assistant district attorney] He didn’t want to talk to you then?
“A. No, sir.”

On cross-examination the record reflects:

“Q. Had Mr. Watson indicated to you from his cell he changed his mind and wanted to talk to you?
“A. No, sir.
“Q. Did he talk to you on that occasion? “A. No, sir.”

The third interrogation initiated by the officers took place about 3 p.m. Appellant was again given the Miranda warnings and indicated that he understood his rights. [595]*595For “fifteen or twenty minutes” appellant made no response to any of the questions asked him, then the appellant told the officers that the man with whom he was arrested, Larry Jordan, had a watch with him at the time of arrest that was taken in the Perkins burglary. On cross-examination the record reflects:

“Q. Had Mr. Watson said any word or given any indication to you that after having refused to talk on two prior occasions he changed his mind and wanted to talk on the third occasion?

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

Related

The State of Texas v. Kevin Robles
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2025
Juan David Ortiz v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2024
Fidencio Castillo Cosme v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
Jose Majano v. the State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2023
State v. Gerard Dante Simmons
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2020
Lawson Abram v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2019
Jose Reynaldo Zamora Banegas v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2019
State v. Garcia
569 S.W.3d 142 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2018)
Angel Ricardo Razo v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018
Jacob Ryan Damm v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018
Torres v. State
543 S.W.3d 404 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2018)
Roel David Gonzalez v. State
522 S.W.3d 48 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2017)
Paul Rodriguez v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2016
Roderick Beham v. State
476 S.W.3d 724 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015)
Esaw Lampkin v. State
470 S.W.3d 876 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015)
Darius Dontae Lovings v. State
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2015
Ruben Escobedo Juarez v. State
409 S.W.3d 156 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Ricardo L. Hernandez v. State
387 S.W.3d 881 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Johnson, Charles Michael
357 S.W.3d 653 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2012)
Leza v. State
351 S.W.3d 344 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 2011)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
762 S.W.2d 591, 1988 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 258, 1988 WL 132195, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watson-v-state-texcrimapp-1988.