Williams Sr., Billy Ray v. State

CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 30, 2013
Docket05-11-01013-CR
StatusPublished

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Williams Sr., Billy Ray v. State, (Tex. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

AFFIRM; Opinion Filed .January 30, 2013.

In The (!nurt uf Apprnt 211ff!! Oitrict uf ixa at Jattaa

No. 05-11-01013-CR

BILLY RAY WILLIAMS, SR., Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

On Appeal from the 363rd Judicial District Court Dallas County, Texas Trial Court Cause No. F10-71348-W

OPINION Before Justices Moseley, Fillmore, and Myers Opinion By Justice Myers

Appellant Billy Ray Williams, Sr., was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon

and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. In three issues, he contends the evidence is insufficient, the

trial court erred by refusing to allow defense counsel to impeach a State’s witness with a prior

inconsistent statement, and the court should have admitted evidence of the complainant’s gang

membership. We affirm.

BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Appellant rented a room from complainant David Crow’s uncle at a house on Medill Street,

in Dallas, Texas. Fifty-seven years old at the time of trial, appellant was unemployed and receiving

Social Security disability payments. He had rheumatoid arthritis, gout, liver problems, and suffered a heart attack in 20(J6. David Crow testified that, on the morning of February 8. 2010. the day before

the offense, appellant entered their house drunk while David was on the couch watching television.

Appellant stepped on David’s shoes. When David asked appellant to apologize, appellant pulled out

a knife and swung at David. David testified he “had no choice but to defend himself,” and that he

“beat up” appellant.

On the kllowing day, February 9, David and his family went shopping. When they returned

to their apartment complex, which was located on Park Row in Dallas, Texas, appellant drove up,

and he and two of his sons “jumped out” of the car. David believed his family had been followed

because he saw one of appellant’s sons at the store when they were shopping. After getting out of

the car, appellant “pulled out a knife” and swung at David’s brother, Eric, trying to stab him. Eric

backed away. Appellant’s son ran towards David and his family, and appellant went back to the car

and retrieved a rifle. David testified that appellant pointed the rifle directly at him. Appellant shot

David in the right shoulder, David fell back, then appellant stood over him and shot him two more

times—in the foot and the left buttocks. David denied doing or saying anything to appellant up to

that point to provoke him, and David also denied possessing a weapon or making any threatening

movements. David admitted he had several prior drug convictions.

Eugene Crow was a cousin of Evelyn Crow, who was the mother of Eric and David. He

testified that, on the day before the shooting, after the confrontation between David and appellant,

he had a brief conversation with appellant as he was leaving the Grand City grocery store. Appellant

was sitting in a “little white car.” He told Eugene, “I’m going to kill your cousin.” ‘When appellant

made this statement, Eugene saw what looked like a shotgun on appellant’s lap. Eugene told Evelyn

what he had heard; David was also there. Eugene also testified that, in 1991, he had been convicted

of delivery of a controlled substance.

—2-- According to Evelyn Crow, on February 9, 2010, she, David, Eric, and her common-law

husband, Robert Kinney, went shopping to celebrate Evelyn’s birthday. They stopped at the Grand

City grocery store, then returned to their apartment. They had just returned from the store when

appellant and his son pulled up approximately five feet behind them. Appellant got out of the car,

walked over to Eric and punched him in the face. When Eric tried to hit appellant, Evelyn grabbed

him because she could see appellant had a switchblade knife. Appellant got a ritle out of the

backseat of his car and pointed it at Evelyn, who was standing between Eric and David. Appellant

told David to “quit being a coward” and “step away from your momma.” When David broke free

from Evelyn, appellant shot him in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Appellant then shot

David two more times, hitting him in the heel and the buttocks. Evelyn testified that neither she, her

two sons, nor Robert made any threatening movements toward appellant. Appellant fled before the

police arrived.

Eric Crow testified that after he and his family returned from shopping on the day of the

shooting, appellant pulled up behind them and got out of his car. He asked Eric, “What’s up now?’

Eric asked appellant what he was talking about, after which appellant hit him in the face. Eric

contended he had no weapon and did not make any threatening movement towards appellant, nor did

he say anything to provoke him.

Eric put down the shopping bags and prepared to defend himself. Appellant pulled out a

switchblade knife and opened up the blade, then backed up to his open car door and pulled out a

single-barrel “long” rifle. Appellant pointed the rifle at Eric, David, and Evelyn. Appellant told Eric

and David to “quit being cowards” and step away from their mother. When David moved away from

his mother, appellant shot him in the shoulder. David fell down, and appellant fired several more

shots. David was shot three times. Eric added that appellant “kept trying to fire, but I guess the gun

—3— jammed, because he kept messing with it, trying to get it to shoot and it wouldn’t shoot.” At that

point, someone punched Eric on the back of the head and said, “This is for my daddy, you mess with

my daddy.” Eric admitted he had three prior convictions concerning controlled substances.

After being recalled by the defense, Eric testified that he was intoxicated at the time of the

shooting. His blood alcohol level was .27, which is more than three times the legal limit. Eric also

testified that he joined a gang, the Park Row Posse, when he was approximately sixteen or seventeen

years old. David Crow was also a member of this gang. Eric admitted having a “Park Row” tattoo

on his chest and the number “187,” which was also the police code for a murder, tattooed on his

back. Eric testified that he was involved with the Park Row Posse for approximately seven or eight

years, until he graduated from high school in 1997, and was not involved in gang activity “[p]retty

much after that.”

Joyce Rahb testified that she was at the Park Row apartment complex visiting a friend on

February 9, 2010. At approximately 5:30 in the evening, she heard “a lot of commotion” outside of

her friend’s apartment. She looked out the window and saw “a guy standing over a boy laying on

the ground.” The man was pointing a “big long gun” at “the person that was on the ground.” When

Rabb went outside, she saw the man shoot the boy. She could not identify anyone in court as the

shooter. Rabb acknowledged that she had been convicted of several theft offenses.

Robert Kinney lived with Evelyn, David, and Eric at the Park Row apartment. On February

9, 2010, they went shopping, were followed home, and as they unloaded their purchases from the

tnthk of their car. another car pulled up behind them. Kinney testified that appellant exited the car,

went over to Eric, hit him in the jaw, then pulled out a knife. A second person also exited the car.

This second person had his hand in his pocket, and Kinney “saw something silver coming out of his

pocket, but he didn’t take it all the way out.” Kinney “figured it was a gun.” After hitting Eric,

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