Opinion
No. 13-08-00729-CR
Delivered and filed April 1, 2010. DO NOT PUBLISH. Tex. R. App. P. 47.2(b).
On appeal from the 319th District Court of Nueces County, Texas.
Before Justices YAÑEZ, RODRIGUEZ, and GARZA.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Appellant Everett Duran challenges his conviction after a jury trial for first-degree murder, for which the jury sentenced him to seventy-five years' imprisonment. See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 19.02 (b)(1), (2) (Vernon 2003). By one issue, Duran argues that the evidence was legally and factually insufficient to prove he had the requisite mens rea. We affirm.
I. Background
In the late afternoon of April 4, 2008, fifteen-year-old Duran called 911 from his mother's apartment and told the dispatcher that his fourteen-year-old girlfriend, Tiffany Gonzalez, had been shot. Officers with the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD) rushed to the scene and found Duran pacing outside the apartment. Duran appeared agitated and upset. The officers went inside the apartment and discovered Gonzalez slumped over on the floor by Duran's bed with a gunshot wound to her head. The paramedics arrived on the scene and took Gonzalez to the hospital because she still exhibited vital signs. Gonzalez was pronounced dead that night. A medical examiner later determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound to the head. Duran was interviewed by CCPD but when he began to relate information that the investigators felt was incriminating, Duran was transported to the courthouse to be read his rights by a magistrate, as is required in juvenile interrogations. See Tex. Fam. Code Ann. § 51.095(a) (Vernon 2008). After being read his rights, Duran gave a written statement to the police. Duran was initially charged as a juvenile with aggravated assault and then manslaughter, but the State sought to transfer Duran's case out of juvenile court and certify him to stand trial as an adult. The juvenile court agreed that Duran should be tried as an adult and waived its jurisdiction over his case. See id. § 54.02(a) (Vernon Supp. 2009). Thereafter, Duran was charged as an adult in a two-paragraph, one-count indictment for first-degree murder. The indictment read as follows:[T]hat [Duran] . . . did then and there intentionally and knowingly cause the death of an individual, Tiffany Gonzalez, by shooting Tiffany Gonzalez with a firearm . . .
. . . that [Duran] did then and there with the intent to cause serious bodily injury to an individual, Tiffany Gonzalez, do the act of shooting her with a firearm; that this act was clearly dangerous to human life; and that this act caused the death of Tiffany Gonzalez. . . .See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 19.02(b)(1), (2). Duran pleaded not guilty, and the jury trial of his case commenced on December 16, 2008.
A. The State's Evidence
The State's first witness was Luis Gonzalez, Tiffany's father. Luis testified that, on the morning of the shooting, he dropped Tiffany off at her friend's house before school. He stated that Tiffany was very happy that morning. Luis testified that he had given Tiffany $200 to go shopping that afternoon after school. He stated that Tiffany never told him she had a boyfriend. Next, the State presented the testimony of Sgt. Roberto Rodriguez, the CCPD officer who was the first on the scene in response to Duran's 911 call. Sgt. Rodriguez testified that when he arrived at the apartment, he found Duran waiting outside. Sgt. Rodriguez stated that Duran told him Gonzalez had shot herself; Duran also told Sgt. Rodriguez that he was in the shower when he heard the shot and that he thought Gonzalez was playing with the gun. Sgt. Rodriguez testified that he went into the apartment and found Gonzalez in Duran's bedroom, slumped over by the side of the bed, and that the gun was three to four feet from her. Sgt. Rodriguez stated that the blood from Gonzalez's wound was congealing, which was an indication that it had been there for a while. Finally, Sgt. Rodriguez testified that he found half-eaten containers of food, school books, and papers in the bedroom. The State then called Lydia Curiel, a communications manager for CCPD who handled the 911 call Duran made after the shooting. Curiel testified that, in the call, Duran stated that Gonzalez was playing with the gun. Curiel stated that Duran seemed upset and said several times "please hurry up," "please come quick," and "I don't know what to do." Next, the State called Jason Smith, a CCPD officer who investigated the case. Officer Smith testified that he interviewed Duran on the day of the shooting. Duran told Officer Smith that he was "freaking out" and could not "think straight." Officer Smith testified that Duran seemed panicked and scared. Officer Smith testified that Duran described the events of that day to him. Duran told Officer Smith that he and Gonzalez had an argument that day, had consensual sex, had lain on Duran's bed to watch a movie, and that Gonzalez was playing with the gun. Duran also told Officer Smith that Gonzalez had given him the gun two weeks earlier; however, Officer Smith testified that Duran had earlier told a different officer that Gonzalez gave him the gun on the day of the shooting. Officer Smith stated that when Duran began making incriminating statements, he took Duran to the magistrate to be read his rights. Officer Smith further testified that he found a pregnancy test at the scene. Finally, Officer Smith testified that no money was recovered from Gonzalez's person. Deanie King, the municipal court judge who read Duran his rights, testified next. Judge King read the text of Duran's written statement to the jury, which included, in relevant part, the following:My name is Everett Duran. . . . On 4/4/08 I was at the apartment with my girlfriend Tiffany Gonzalez. We were lying on my bed, my gun was lying next to me. Tiffany wanted to see my gun, Tiffany tried to grab my gun. I asked her why. She didn't answer me. She just said, "Let me see it." I didn't let her. I grabbed it before she could. She had grabbed hold of the barrel and I was trying to get it from her, and I was telling her, "What are you doing? It's going to go off." When I tried to take the gun from her, she was fighting for it. We were kind of rolling around on the bed and the gun went off. The gun went off as I was trying to stand up. I was still on the bed when the gun went off. It only went off one time. There should be five more rounds in it. She was lying on the bed after the gun went off. I looked at her head and saw blood gushing out. I picked her up and looked at her head and put her down on the floor. I had the gun in my hand and I put it on the floor next to her, then I grabbed her. I don't remember if I put the gun in her hand or not. I was freaking out and my mind was spinning. I had blood on my hands and my shirt. I took off my shirt and put it into the closet. . . . I called my mom and told her that Tiffany shot herself and was dead. After I called my mom, I called 911 and told them to come, that my girlfriend was dead. I washed my hands in the bathroom upstairs and changed my shirt. Tiffany gave me the gun about two weeks ago. I do not know where she got it, but she gave it to me and told me to keep it. I kept the gun on the side of my bed. . . . I have shot the gun before on the first day she gave it to me. . . . I did not mean for this to happen. I was trying to prevent it from happening when I was trying to get the gun from her. Then I tried to clean the gun with a shirt.After Judge King, the State called Carolyn Martinez and Kelly Martinez, both of whom performed forensics investigations on the night of the shooting. Carolyn testified that the gun found at the scene was a single-action revolver. Kelly described the crime scene and testified that she found condom wrappers on the bed and blood on the bedding and edge of the bed. Kelly also testified that she found blood smeared on the wall of the bedroom and a bullet on the floor. Kelly stated that no gunshot residue tests were performed on Gonzalez's hands because she was in the hospital intensive care unit at the time of Kelly's investigation on the night of the shooting. Victoria Alvarado was the next witness called by the State. Alvarado testified that she was one of Gonzalez's friends. In her testimony, Alvarado described two incidents involving Duran and the gun that occurred in the months prior to the shooting. Alvarado testified that, one time, she was at Duran's apartment with Gonzalez. Alvarado stated that Gonzalez was sitting on the bed beside Duran when Duran got on top of Gonzalez, pointed the gun at her, and asked Gonzalez if she was scared. In the second incident described by Alvarado, she and Gonzalez were at Duran's sister's house, and Duran showed them the gun again. Alvarado testified that both incidents occurred more than two weeks before the shooting. Next, the State presented the testimony of Ray Fernandez, M.D., the medical examiner for Nueces County who performed the autopsy on Gonzalez's body. Dr. Fernandez testified that the fracture pattern at the base of Gonzalez's skull, the periorbital bleeding within Gonzalez's skull, and the gunshot residue particles in the tissue around the wound indicated that the muzzle of the gun was flush against Gonzalez's right temple when it was fired. Based on the foregoing, Dr. Fernandez concluded that the wound on Gonzalez's right temple was a contact wound. Dr. Fernandez also testified that the entrance wound on Gonzalez's temple was higher than the exit wound on the back of her head, which indicated that the bullet was on a downward path. Dr. Fernandez noted that there were no powder burns on Gonzalez's hands but that she had bruising on her upper right arm and left wrist that were consistent with blunt force trauma. On cross-examination, Dr. Fernandez stated that there was no muzzle imprint on Gonzalez's forehead; that the bruises on Gonzalez's arm and wrist could have been caused by any blunt trauma, including bumping into something; and that, even if a person was holding onto a gun when it fired, it is possible that there would be no powder burns on that person's hands. Finally, the State called CCPD Detective Robert Lee McFarland, who investigated the text messaging records of Duran and Gonzalez. Detective McFarland testified that there was no information in either Gonzalez or Duran's text messages indicating that Gonzalez and Duran had been arguing or that Gonzalez was having suicidal thoughts.
B. The Defense's Evidence
The defense presented the testimony of several witnesses rebutting the State's evidence and regarding the nature of Duran's relationship with Gonzalez. Hallie Rodriguez, Duran's sister, testified that Alvarado came to their mother's apartment on several occasions because she wanted a relationship with Duran. Hayley Ochoa, a friend of Duran and Gonzalez, stated that Alvarado is known to be a liar; Ochoa also testified that Duran and Gonzalez were a happy couple. Ruben DeLeon, Duran's grandfather, testified that he had been at the apartment on the day of the shooting to drop off a couch that he and Duran's grandmother were giving to the family. Ruben stated that he had met Gonzalez on several occasions and that Duran and Gonzalez seemed to be in love. Next, the defense called Rachel DeLeon, Duran's mother. Rachel testified that she picked up Gonzalez on the day of the shooting and brought her to the apartment. Rachel stated that she helped Gonzalez take a pregnancy test, that the results were negative, and that Gonzalez and Duran were relieved by the results. Rachel then testified that she left Gonzalez and Duran at the apartment to go shopping with Hallie. While they were shopping, Rachel received a call from Duran that Gonzalez had shot herself. Rachel testified that she then rushed back to the apartment and found law enforcement and emergency medical personnel there when she arrived. Rachel confirmed that Alvarado had been to the apartment before on other occasions. Finally, the defense presented the testimony of Reymundo Rodriguez, a deputy in the Nueces County Constable's office. Deputy Rodriguez stated that he was the firearms instructor for the constable's office and an adjunct law enforcement and firearms instructor at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. Deputy Rodriguez testified that the gun that shot Gonzalez was an unsafe and unreliable weapon. Deputy Rodriguez stated that the gun was a remake of an western-style Colt single-action revolver and that it had a high probability of accidental discharge. Deputy Rodriguez explained that the firing pin in the gun is located directly over the ammunition round with the hammer resting on top of the firing pin. Deputy Rodriguez testified that the gun can fireif you touch the hammer without fully cocking the weapon. . . . All you need to do is just very slightly just pull this back slightly, let it go. It's a rim fire. If it hits the rim of that case the weapon will go off. Kind of like similar back in the old western movies, fanning, you barely touch it, you can make the gun go off real first [sic] fast. You know, the cowboys. So you don't even have to completely cock the hammer back to the fourth position to press the trigger for this weapon to go off. This weapon can go off at the slightest.Deputy Rodriguez also testified that he had experience in criminal investigations and that, if there was no ring around an entrance wound, it was not a contact wound. After the close of evidence, the trial court presented the charge to the jury. The murder charge, tracking the indictment, authorized the jury to find Duran guilty of murder if it found beyond a reasonable doubt that Duran either: (1) intentionally or knowingly caused Gonzalez's death by shooting her with a firearm; or (2) with the intent to cause serious bodily injury, shot Gonzalez, which was an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused Gonzalez's death. After considering the evidence, the jury returned a general verdict convicting Duran of murder; the jury sentenced him to seventy-five years' incarceration and assessed a $7,500 fine. This appeal followed.