Keydrin Arceneaux v. State ( 2017 )


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  • Opinion issued February 7, 2017
    In The
    Court of Appeals
    For The
    First District of Texas
    ————————————
    NO. 01-15-00996-CR
    ———————————
    KEYDRIN ARCENEAUX, Appellant
    V.
    THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee
    On Appeal from the 185th District Court
    Harris County, Texas
    Trial Court Case No. 1486680
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    A jury convicted appellant, Keydrin Arceneaux, of reckless injury to a
    child.1 After he pleaded true to enhancement paragraphs, the jury assessed his
    1
    See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.04 (West Supp. 2016).
    punishment at seventy-five years’ confinement.2 In three issues, appellant argues
    that (1) the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction; (2) the trial court
    erred in allowing evidence of an extraneous offense; and (3) the trial court erred in
    refusing to charge the jury on the lesser-included offense of negligently causing
    bodily injury to a child.
    We affirm.
    Background
    The complainant is K.J., a girl who was five months old at the time of her
    death. K.J.’s mother, Laquisha Jackson, had begun dating appellant after she
    became pregnant with K.J. Before Jackson gave birth to K.J., she and appellant
    moved into a two-bedroom apartment with appellant’s father and appellant’s
    father’s girlfriend. After K.J.’s birth, Jackson continued to live with appellant, and
    appellant sometimes helped her care for both K.J. and K.J.’s older sister.
    On January 9, 2013, Jackson took K.J. to the emergency room because she
    had been suffering from an eye infection and nasal congestion that had appeared to
    worsen. The emergency room doctor described K.J. as appearing alert and normal,
    aside from the eye infection and congestion. Jackson returned home at
    approximately 3:30 a.m. and put K.J., who was sleeping, in her bassinet. K.J. later
    2
    See 
    id. § 12.42(b)
    (West Supp. 2016) (providing punishment range for repeat and
    habitual offender convicted of second-degree felony with prior felony
    convictions); § 22.04(e) (providing that reckless injury to child is second degree
    felony).
    2
    woke up. Appellant offered to feed her a bottle and eventually left the room with
    K.J. At approximately 9:00 a.m., appellant woke Jackson to tell her he was leaving
    for the day. As he left, Jackson checked on K.J. and found that she was not
    breathing. Despite efforts to revive her by the Baytown Fire Department, Baytown
    EMS, and personnel from the emergency room at San Jacinto Hospital, K.J. was
    officially pronounced dead at 10:31 a.m. Appellant was charged with recklessly
    causing serious bodily injury to a child in connection with K.J.’s death. The
    indictment alleged that he recklessly caused serious bodily injury to K.J. by
    shaking her with his hands or by striking her against a blunt object.
    At appellant’s trial, Jackson testified regarding the events of January 8 and
    9, 2013. On January 8, 2013, Jackson took K.J. to her pediatrician, Dr. Maryam
    Taghadosi, because K.J. had congestion in her eyes and nose. The pediatrician
    prescribed an eye cream and warned Jackson to take K.J. to the emergency room if
    she seemed to be having an allergic reaction. Later that night, Jackson observed
    that K.J.’s left eye was swollen, so she took K.J. to the emergency room where she
    was seen by Dr. Robert Panzarella.
    Both Taghadosi and Panzarella testified at trial that K.J. appeared alert and
    was a happy, normal baby with an eye infection and congestion. Panzarella
    testified that when he examined K.J., she was alert, sitting upright, and playing.
    Neither doctor saw any sign of injury.
    3
    Jackson and K.J. returned home at approximately 3:30 a.m. on January 9,
    2013, and Jackson put K.J. to bed. K.J was fussy because she was hungry, and
    appellant offered to feed her. Jackson testified that, at one point, she observed
    appellant sitting with K.J. at the edge of the bed and she asked him if everything
    was okay. Appellant told her that he could not get K.J. to burp. Jackson stated that
    she told appellant to stand up and walk around with K.J., and appellant told her he
    would take K.J. to the other room so Jackson could get some sleep. Jackson saw
    him leave the room with K.J. and then fell back asleep. Jackson did not hear
    appellant come back in the room or lay K.J. in her bassinet, but she woke up later
    and noticed that appellant was in the bed beside her.
    At approximately 9:00 a.m., appellant woke Jackson just before he left the
    apartment for the day. As appellant left, Jackson checked on K.J. and discovered
    she was not breathing. Jackson ran out the door to try to catch appellant, and she
    called him to tell him to return home. She then called 9-1-1 and attempted to
    resuscitate K.J. When the paramedics arrived, they took over care for K.J. Jackson
    testified that she could not understand what had happened and that she had
    examined K.J. looking for any sign of injury or explanation. Before she left the
    home with the paramedics and K.J., she asked appellant, who had returned home
    by this point, what had happened earlier that morning:
    I said, Did you feed her right? Like, What happened? You know, Was
    she able to burp? Did you burp her right? What happened whenever
    4
    you went in the living room? Did you bump her head against
    something? Did you have a seizure?
    And he was just, like, No, no, no, no. You know, I did burp her,
    she didn’t drink all her bottle, you know.
    I said, Well, did you lay her down right? . . . . He said, I laid her
    down on her side and she must have turned over on her back. . . .
    Jackson also testified that, on a different occasion prior to K.J.’s death, she
    had asked appellant to put K.J. into her bassinet. Jackson left the room to use the
    restroom, then she heard K.J. start to cry. Through the crack of the door, Jackson
    observed appellant standing over the bassinet and making a motion with his left
    arm, leading Jackson to believe that either K.J. kicked appellant, or appellant hit
    K.J. Jackson also acknowledged, however, that appellant had been a good
    caregiver to K.J.
    Finally, the State presented evidence in the form of testimony from K.J.’s
    former daycare teacher, Cynthia Hill. The trial court held a hearing outside the
    presence of the jury to determine whether Hill’s testimony was properly admissible
    pursuant to Texas Code of Criminal Procedure article 38.37. Appellant objected to
    Hill’s testimony on the ground that the State was attempting to admit evidence of
    an extraneous bad act, that the State was offering the evidence in order to establish
    the bad character of appellant, and that its evidentiary value was outweighed by its
    prejudicial effect. The State argued that the evidence was admissible in that it was
    evidence of a similar circumstance in which appellant was informed of the risk
    involved in shaking a baby.
    5
    Over appellant’s objection, the trial court allowed Hill to testify about an
    incident between appellant and K.J. that Hill witnessed in October 2012, when K.J.
    was approximately three months old. As appellant dropped K.J. off at daycare, Hill
    came to greet them. Hill testified that K.J. was awake and alert. Hill turned to get
    K.J. signed in for the day in the school’s “daily book.” When she looked back, Hill
    witnessed appellant saying “Wake up, wake up, wake up” to K.J. while shaking the
    baby so violently that K.J.’s arms were flailing. He then appeared to be trying to
    put K.J. on the floor, and Hill took K.J. from appellant. Hill became concerned
    with the way appellant was holding his hands and asked if he required medical
    assistance. Appellant declined and responded that his hands were “cramping up.”
    Hill also stated that appellant appeared alert, that he was still able to speak, and
    that he was able to walk around. Hill testified that she was shocked by the incident
    because she had never “see[n] someone just shake a baby like that in person.” She
    told appellant that he could not shake a baby in that manner, and she reported the
    incident to the director of day care.
    Jackson was aware of this incident. She testified that she was “shocked”
    when she learned of what happened at the daycare. She testified that appellant did
    not tell her about the incident, but she was able to discuss it with him later.
    Appellant told her “that he almost had a seizure, that he was having a seizure and
    he almost dropped [K.J.].” She stated that, at that point, she did not have any
    6
    reason to doubt him because she was not at the daycare when it happened.
    However, she also testified that from that point forward, she and appellant “started
    to grow apart” and their relationship became “strained.”
    Regarding the investigation of K.J.’s death, the State presented the testimony
    of Baytown Police Department Officer H. Shedd, who was the first officer on the
    scene on January 9, 2013. Officer Shedd testified that when she approached the
    apartment, she saw appellant outside talking on his phone and crying. Although
    Shedd interviewed appellant, he made no mention of any interaction he had had
    with K.J. that morning.
    Detective G. Gonzalez was assigned to investigate K.J.’s death. During his
    initial interview with appellant at the apartment, appellant told Gonzalez that K.J.
    had been sick, that Jackson had taken K.J. to the pediatrician and the emergency
    room the day before, that he had also been sick, and that he was worried he may
    have gotten the baby sick. Gonzalez further testified that appellant told him he
    woke up around 7:30 a.m., went to the restroom, and checked on K.J. but did not
    see anything suspicious. Appellant told Gonzalez that he had not handled K.J. that
    morning and could not tell Gonzalez what time K.J. was put down in her bassinet.
    Gonzalez asked appellant questions such as, “[D]id she fall, was she disciplined,
    has she been . . . hit; and [appellant] says no, that she was too young to be hit and
    that she hadn’t fallen.”
    7
    Detective Gonzalez made several attempts to interview appellant at the
    police department, but appellant continuously put him off, making excuses and
    rescheduling appointments. Gonzalez was eventually able to interview appellant at
    the police station on February 8, 2013, and appellant admitted for the first time that
    he had been the one to put K.J. down to sleep on January 9, 2013, contradicting his
    earlier statement to Gonzalez. Appellant cut that meeting short, complaining of leg
    pain.
    Gonzalez was unable to persuade appellant to come in to the police
    department again. After receiving the preliminary report from the Medical
    Examiner’s office, declaring K.J.’s death a homicide, Gonzalez contacted appellant
    on April 11, 2014. Detective Gonzalez conducted a phone interview with
    appellant, which he recorded. During the course of this interview, Gonzalez asked
    appellant about K.J.’s death, and appellant again “change[d] his account of the
    early morning hours of January the 9th,” telling Gonzalez that he held K.J. and
    shook her to get her to settle down to sleep. Appellant also expressed that he
    worried that something he had done had hurt the baby, that he was concerned about
    what had happened to K.J., and that he viewed K.J. as his own child. Detective
    Gonzalez followed up with more questions about what appellant meant when he
    said he “shook” her. Appellant told Detective Gonzalez that he gently shook or
    rocked K.J. while she ate, then he laid her down, and she moved, so “it wasn’t like
    8
    she was dead already, to me.” Following this conversation, Gonzalez contacted the
    district attorney’s office, and appellant was charged in relation to K.J.’s death.
    Assistant medical examiner Dr. Morna Gonsoulin conducted the autopsy on
    K.J. She found a bruise at K.J.’s left temple and on her right arm. She also found
    some abrasions. This was concerning to Gonsoulin because K.J. did not have the
    mobility necessary to inflict these injuries upon herself at the age of five months.
    Gonsoulin found a large volume of blood inside K.J.’s skull and spinal column.
    Gonsoulin also found both a subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhage in K.J.’s skull,
    a subdural hemorrhage to K.J.’s optic nerve, and a subcutaneous hemorrhage in
    K.J.’s back. Gonsoulin concluded that K.J.’s cause of death was the hemorrhages
    in her skull caused by blunt force trauma, that these injuries occurred within 24 to
    48 hours before K.J.’s death, and that the effects of the injuries would have been
    noticeable almost immediately. Gonsoulin testified that after sustaining injuries
    such as those suffered by K.J., if the child “didn’t seem at least a little sleepy or
    dazed, [she] would just pass out or become limp immediately.” Gonsoulin testified
    that a child who had the type of acute injury that killed K.J. would not be very
    responsive, nor would she eat or play.
    Dr. Gonsoulin also testified that blunt force trauma, as demonstrated in
    K.J.’s case, meant that “the child has been subjected to some force, either through
    an impact or through some, what we call rotational force, that was enough to cause
    9
    bleeding or damage to the vessels.” She testified that the type of force necessary to
    create such an injury was “outside the range of what is normal . . . in handling a
    child. . . . It’s not like even, say, you know, you drop a baby onto a couch or maybe
    the baby bumps its head against a wall. It’s something that’s extraordinary.”
    Gonsoulin further testified that it was not necessary that there be an outward sign
    of injury such as a gash or visible bruise in order for a child to have sustained a
    blunt force trauma to the head, such as the one K.J. had. She testified that there
    were various mechanisms for creating the type of blunt force trauma K.J.
    exhibited—in which there were traumatic internal injuries, but minimal external
    signs—such as shaking, grabbing, squeezing, or hitting the baby’s head against
    some object that was solid but padded in some way.
    Appellant questioned Dr. Gonsoulin regarding the scientific basis for her
    statement that K.J.’s injuries were caused by blunt force trauma, potentially
    consistent with being shaken. Dr. Gonsoulin testified that scientific observations
    and case studies supported her conclusion, but she also acknowledged that some
    pathologists believe that shaking alone could not cause the type of injuries that K.J.
    sustained. However, she testified that it was generally accepted within the
    scientific community that someone could shake a baby to death. Regarding K.J.’s
    death specifically, she testified:
    I can’t necessarily say [that the cause of death is] exclusively shaking,
    because there’s evidence of impact that [is] not part of the routine in a
    10
    five-month-old. The child’s head has obviously been subjected to
    some blunt force on two sides of the head in addition to whatever
    mechanism, shaking or hitting up against something. So whatever the
    cause is, it’s not exclusively shaking. There is some impact. So either
    way, it’s still a blunt force.
    Dr. Glenn Sandberg, a forensic neuropathologist, testified that he observed
    subdural hematomas in K.J.’s brain that “occurred at or around the time of death.”
    Sandberg also observed subarachnoid hemorrhages in K.J.’s brain, bleeding around
    her spinal cord, and hemorrhages in her eyes, including around the retinas and
    optic nerve. He testified that these injuries were indicative of “significant traumatic
    injury.” Sandberg also testified that K.J. had some resolving injuries that could
    have been consistent with an injury two or three months prior to her death.
    However, he identified the acute injuries as occurring at or near her time of death.
    Sandberg stated that he would expect a person with the acute injuries he observed
    in K.J. to be “immediately symptomatic in some way,” such as becoming dazed or
    unconscious, or experiencing seizures, vomiting, or nausea. He further testified
    that, based on her age and the extent of her injuries, he would have expected K.J.
    to experience “an immediate loss of consciousness.”
    Sandberg testified that the type of injuries sustained by K.J. were consistent
    with “rotational acceleration/deceleration injuries.” He stated that such injuries
    could be caused by shaking, by “tak[ing] a punch to the side of the face, the chin,
    that would spin your head around,” or by some other impact or mechanism that
    11
    would cause the “head [to] whip[] around all over the place.” Sandberg
    acknowledged that there “is controversy” about whether an infant can experience
    this type of injury due to shaking alone, but he believed that it was possible and
    consistent with the injuries he had observed.
    Dr. Sandberg stated that K.J.’s injuries could not have been the result of “[a]
    simple accidental injury like household injury”:
    Just, you know, dropping an infant on the floor, an infant falling off a
    couch, off a changing table, you know, just the usual things that, if
    any of you have kids, that happen to them around the house usually do
    not result in these sorts of catastrophic injuries.
    Sandberg testified that the types of injuries he observed in K.J. could be consistent
    with several causes:
    [P]robably the most common scenario is an impact. So a caregiver
    impacting a child’s head against a firm object or a hard object, and
    that generates quite a bit of force. I can also imagine a scenario where
    there could be previous shaking and shaking combined with an
    impact, and that’s also an accepted way of finding these changes.
    Dr. Deborrah Pinto, a forensic anthropologist, found fractures on K.J.’s ribs
    that were consistent with forcefully grabbing a baby around her chest and that were
    inconsistent with the normal handling of a baby, although she also stated that they
    could have been inflicted by performing CPR.
    These experts, having examined K.J., concluded that K.J. suffered some sort
    of blunt trauma to the head, such as that caused by shaking accompanied with a
    blow to the head by an unidentified object. This severe head trauma caused K.J. to
    12
    vomit and aspirate the vomited baby formula, leading to respiratory distress, and,
    ultimately, cardiac arrest.
    Appellant presented testimony of family members that he suffered from
    epileptic seizures. His godmother, Kim Cook, testified that she believed appellant
    suffered from epilepsy and that she had witnessed him having seizures on two
    occasions. On one occasion, while she was home visiting her mother Cynthia
    Jackson, who had been appellant’s guardian for most of his life, appellant was in
    his room when he “stopped talking mid sentence,” and she “noticed that there was
    sort of a glaze over his eyes.” She asked if he was okay, but he could not respond.
    His hands and body began to shake and his “body had become very tense.” Once
    he relaxed, she asked again if he was okay, and “he just shook his head.” Cook also
    recounted a second occasion when she observed appellant have a seizure in the
    garage at her mother’s house. Cook believed that appellant had obtained medical
    treatment for his seizures.
    Cynthia Jackson, appellant’s aunt who raised him from a young age, also
    testified that appellant, who was 31 at the time of trial, had been suffering from
    seizures since he was approximately 25 or 26 years old, and she had observed
    several of them. She stated that the seizures were “very intense” and that appellant
    “would be very, very tired afterwards and would have to rest up and kind of gather
    13
    his thoughts.” She did not recall having any conversations with appellant regarding
    his having had a seizure at or around the time that K.J. died.
    Appellant also introduced into evidence his medical records from treatment
    he received in February 2012. The records demonstrate that he was admitted to the
    hospital experiencing “sudden clenching of his hand,” during which episode he did
    not lose consciousness. He was evaluated for “seizure activity,” although the
    testing conducted was “negative for epileptiform activity” and revealed “[n]o
    findings to explain the patient’s seizures.”
    The jury charge instructed the jury that “[o]ur law provides that a person
    commits an offense if he recklessly, by act, causes to a child, serious bodily
    injury.” The charge further instructed the jury on the elements of reckless injury to
    a child.
    The charge allowed the jury to convict appellant if it found:
    from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that on or about the 9th
    day of January, 2013, in Harris County, Texas, [appellant] did then
    and there unlawfully, recklessly cause serious bodily injury to [K.J.], a
    child younger than fifteen years of age, by shaking [K.J.] with a
    deadly weapon, namely his hand; or
    If [it found] from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that on or
    about the 9th day of January, 2013, in Harris County, Texas,
    [appellant] did then and there unlawfully, recklessly cause serious
    bodily injury to [K.J.], a child younger than fifteen years of age, by
    striking [K.J.] against a deadly weapon, namely a blunt object, then
    you will find the defendant guilty of recklessly causing serious bodily
    injury to a child younger than fifteen years of age, as charged in the
    indictment.
    14
    The charge further admonished the jury, “Unless you so find from the evidence
    beyond a reasonable doubt, or if you have a reasonable doubt thereof, you will
    acquit the defendant and say by your verdict ‘Not Guilty.’”
    Appellant objected to the jury charge, requesting an instruction on the lesser-
    included offense of criminally negligent injury to a child. He based his objection
    on an argument that he had a history of seizures and that a seizure could have been
    the cause of the injury to K.J. The trial court overruled appellant’s objection to the
    jury charge.
    The jury convicted appellant of recklessly causing serious bodily injury to
    K.J., as charged in the indictment. During the punishment phase, appellant pled
    true to having been previously convicted of the felony offense of burglary of a
    habitation in 2005 and 2008. The jury subsequently assessed appellant’s
    punishment at seventy-five years’ confinement. This appeal followed.
    Sufficiency of the Evidence
    In his first issue, appellant argues that the evidence was insufficient to
    support his conviction.
    A.    Standard of Review
    When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we view all of the evidence
    in the light most favorable to the verdict to determine whether any rational fact
    finder could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable
    15
    doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 
    443 U.S. 307
    , 319, 
    99 S. Ct. 2781
    , 2789 (1979);
    Adames v. State, 
    353 S.W.3d 854
    , 859 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (holding that
    Jackson standard is only standard to use when determining sufficiency of
    evidence). The jurors are the exclusive judges of the facts and the weight to be
    given to the testimony. Bartlett v. State, 
    270 S.W.3d 147
    , 150 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2008). A jury, as the sole judge of credibility, may accept one version of the facts
    and reject another, and it may reject any part of a witness’s testimony. See Sharp v.
    State, 
    707 S.W.2d 611
    , 614 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986); see also Henderson v. State,
    
    29 S.W.3d 616
    , 623 (Tex. App.––Houston [1st Dist.] 2000, pet. ref’d) (stating jury
    can choose to disbelieve witness even when witness’s testimony is uncontradicted).
    We may not reevaluate the weight and credibility of the evidence or
    substitute our judgment for that of the fact finder. Williams v. State, 
    235 S.W.3d 742
    , 750 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). We afford almost complete deference to the
    jury’s credibility determinations. See Lancon v. State, 
    253 S.W.3d 699
    , 705 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 2008). We resolve any inconsistencies in the evidence in favor of the
    verdict. Curry v. State, 
    30 S.W.3d 394
    , 406 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); see also
    Clayton v. State, 
    235 S.W.3d 772
    , 778 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) (“When the record
    supports conflicting inferences, we presume that the factfinder resolved the
    conflicts in favor of the prosecution and therefore defer to that determination.”).
    Circumstantial evidence is as probative as direct evidence in establishing guilt, and
    16
    circumstantial evidence alone can be sufficient to establish guilt. Sorrells v. State,
    
    343 S.W.3d 152
    , 155 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (quoting 
    Clayton, 235 S.W.3d at 778
    ). “Each fact need not point directly and independently to the guilt of the
    appellant, as long as the cumulative force of all the incriminating circumstances is
    sufficient to support the conviction.” Hooper v. State, 
    214 S.W.3d 9
    , 13 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 2007).
    B.    Injury to a Child
    A person commits the offense of injury to a child if he “intentionally,
    knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence, by act . . . causes to a
    child . . . serious bodily injury.” TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.04(a)(1) (West Supp.
    2016); Jefferson v. State, 
    189 S.W.3d 305
    , 312 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006). The
    offense is a second degree felony when the conduct is engaged in recklessly. TEX.
    PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.04(e). The offense is a “state jail felony when the person
    acts with criminal negligence.” 
    Id. § 22.04(g).
    A person acts recklessly, or is reckless, with respect to circumstances
    surrounding his conduct or the result of his conduct when he is aware of but
    consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances
    exist or the result will occur. 
    Id. § 6.03(c)
    (West 2011). The risk must be of such a
    nature and degree that its disregard constitutes a gross deviation from the standard
    17
    of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances as
    viewed from the actor’s standpoint. 
    Id. “Injury to
    a child is a result-oriented offense requiring a mental state that
    relates not to the specific conduct but to the result of that conduct.” 
    Williams, 235 S.W.3d at 750
    . Thus, “[t]he State must prove that a defendant caused a child’s
    serious bodily injury with the requisite criminal intent.” Id.; see also 
    Jefferson, 189 S.W.3d at 312
    (“This Court’s prior case-law also supports a decision that the
    essential element or focus of the statute is the result of the defendant’s conduct (in
    this case, serious bodily injury to a child) and not the possible combinations of
    conduct that cause the result.”); Alvarado v. State, 
    704 S.W.2d 36
    , 39 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 1985) (holding that because injury-to-child statute does not specify “nature of
    conduct,” conduct is inconsequential to its commission as long as conduct is
    voluntary and done “with the required culpability to effect the result the
    Legislature has specified”) (emphasis in original); Beggs v. State, 
    597 S.W.2d 375
    ,
    377 (Tex. Crim. App. 1980) (stating that injury-to-child statute focuses on result of
    defendant’s conduct).
    Direct evidence of the required mental state is not required. Hart v. State, 
    89 S.W.3d 61
    , 64 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002). Instead, the required culpable mental state
    may be inferred from the surrounding circumstances. Ledesma v. State, 
    677 S.W.2d 529
    , 531 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984).
    18
    C.    Analysis
    Here, the State presented evidence that K.J. was acting normally into the
    early morning hours of January 9, 2013, the day she died. Jackson, Dr. Taghadosi,
    and Dr. Panzarella all testified that, other than exhibiting symptoms of congestion
    and an eye infection, K.J. was a normal and healthy five-month-old. Jackson
    testified that she returned home from the hospital at approximately 3:30 a.m. on
    January 9, 2013, and put K.J. to bed. K.J. became fussy, and appellant offered to
    feed her and walked out of the room with her. Jackson did not see K.J. again until
    later in the morning of January 9, when Jackson discovered K.J. in her bassinet,
    not breathing.
    Appellant gave inconsistent statements to the police regarding his contact
    with K.J. on January 9. Officer Shedd testified that when she interviewed
    appellant, he made no mention of any interaction he had had with K.J. that
    morning. Detective Gonzalez testified that appellant was evasive about completing
    his interview. Although appellant originally denied having any contact with K.J.,
    during the interview with Gonzalez on February 8, 2013, appellant acknowledged
    for the first time that he had been the one to put K.J. down to sleep on January 9,
    2013. He later told Detective Gonzalez that he gently shook or rocked K.J., but he
    did not believe his actions caused the baby’s death.
    19
    However, medical experts testified regarding K.J.’s condition at the time of
    her death and her cause of death. Dr. Gonsoulin testified that K.J. had a bruise over
    her left temple and that she had some abrasions, which was unusual because K.J.,
    at the age of five months, did not have the mobility necessary to inflict these
    injuries on herself. Gonsoulin found a large volume of blood inside K.J.’s skull and
    spinal column, and she also found both subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages in
    K.J.’s skull, a subdural hemorrhage to K.J.’s optic nerve, and a subcutaneous
    hemorrhage in K.J.’s back. Gonsoulin concluded that K.J.’s cause of death was the
    hemorrhages in K.J.’s skull due to blunt force trauma. Dr. Sandberg testified that
    the subdural and subarachnoid findings in K.J.’s brain combined with her spinal
    cord injuries and hemorrhages in her eyes and optic nerve were indicative of a
    traumatic injury like shaking or impacting her head against a firm object. The
    experts also testified that K.J.’s injuries did not come from a simple injury or an
    accidental fall, but rather from impacting her head against a firm object or shaking
    combined with an impact. This caused severe head trauma, which caused K.J. to
    vomit. K.J. then aspirated her baby formula, which resulted in respiratory distress
    and cardiac arrest. The medical experts also all testified that the effects of her
    injuries would have been immediately noticeable and that the injuries occurred
    shortly before her death.
    20
    Considering all of this evidence together, we conclude that there is sufficient
    evidence supporting the jury’s finding that appellant recklessly caused serious
    bodily injury to K.J. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.04(a)(1); 
    Jefferson, 189 S.W.3d at 312
    . K.J. had been acting normally prior to appellant’s leaving the room
    to feed her early on January 9, 2013. Just a few hours later, Jackson found K.J. not
    breathing. No one had touched K.J. between the time when appellant had fed her
    and walked around with her and when Jackson discovered that she was not
    breathing. Medical experts agreed that she died from injuries obtained within a few
    hours prior to her death, while she was in appellant’s care, and that her injuries
    could not have been caused by a simple injury or an accidental fall. See Bearnth v.
    State, 
    361 S.W.3d 135
    , 140–41 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2011, pet. ref’d)
    (holding that evidence was sufficient to support felony-murder conviction when
    defendant was only adult present when child sustained injuries, defendant provided
    “changing narrative” of how injuries occurred, and medical evidence demonstrated
    that defendant’s explanation of cause of injuries was not possible); Williams v.
    State, 
    294 S.W.3d 674
    , 683 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2009, pet. ref’d)
    (holding that evidence was sufficient in injury-to-child case when medical
    examiner testified that child’s injuries could not have occurred as defendant
    described and were sustained by violent physical abuse at time when defendant
    was alone with child).
    21
    Appellant argues that the evidence was insufficient because there was no
    eyewitness or other direct evidence that he shook or otherwise harmed K.J.
    However, the State need not have established appellant’s guilt with direct
    evidence—circumstantial evidence is as probative as direct evidence in
    establishing guilt, and circumstantial evidence alone can be sufficient to establish
    guilt. See 
    Sorrells, 343 S.W.3d at 155
    . “Injury to a child cases particularly depend
    on circumstantial evidence because ‘there is rarely direct evidence of exactly how
    the child’s injuries occurred.’” 
    Bearnth, 361 S.W.3d at 140
    (quoting 
    Williams, 294 S.W.3d at 683
    ). Here, the combined and cumulative force of all the circumstances
    permits the conclusion that the jury was rationally justified in finding appellant
    guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. See 
    id. Appellant was
    the person caring for K.J.
    at the time she received the fatal injuries. See id.; see also Garcia v. State, 
    16 S.W.3d 401
    , 405 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2000, pet. ref’d) (“Texas case law is replete
    with holdings that when an adult defendant has had sole access to a child at the
    time its injuries are sustained, the evidence is sufficient to support a conviction for
    injury to a child, or murder if the child dies.”).
    Appellant also points to evidence that he argues is so overwhelming that it
    outweighs the evidence of his guilt. He argues that the jury received evidence that
    he was crying when police arrived, that K.J. showed no outward sign of trauma,
    that lethal aspiration can be caused by failure to burp, that appellant was a careful
    22
    caregiver, that some medical experts believe that it is impossible to shake a baby to
    death, and that appellant’s seizures could have contributed to K.J.’s death.
    We first observe that appellant’s argument that contrary evidence in the
    record “outweighs” evidence of his guilt does not conform to the applicable
    standard of review used in evaluating challenges to the sufficiency of the evidence.
    When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we view all of the evidence in the
    light most favorable to the verdict to determine whether any rational fact finder
    could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
    
    Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319
    ; 
    Adames, 353 S.W.3d at 859
    (holding that Jackson
    standard is only standard to use when determining sufficiency of evidence).
    Employing this standard, viewing all of the evidence in the light most favorable to
    the jury’s verdict, we conclude that, even considering the evidence identified by
    appellant, the jury could have found the essential elements of the offense beyond a
    reasonable doubt. See 
    Adames, 353 S.W.3d at 859
    .
    The jury, as the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses and the weight
    to be given their testimony, was free to weigh all of the evidence before it,
    including evidence of appellant’s actions and demeanor. See 
    Bartlett, 270 S.W.3d at 150
    ; 
    Williams, 294 S.W.3d at 683
    . Regarding the medical evidence, while Dr.
    Gonsoulin and Dr. Sandberg both acknowledged some controversy within the
    scientific community regarding whether a person can shake a baby with enough
    23
    force to cause injuries like the ones K.J. sustained here, they also testified that it
    was commonly accepted that some combination of shaking and an impact to the
    head was a cause of the types of injuries K.J. received.
    Gonsoulin and Sandberg also agreed that, while K.J. did not show outward
    signs of trauma, her internal injuries were nevertheless consistent with some sort of
    blunt force trauma. And they testified that, although respiratory distress could be
    caused by numerous other causes, given the nature of K.J.’s head injuries, they
    believed her subsequent vomiting and respiratory distress were caused by her head
    trauma. They testified that, in their expert opinions, K.J.’s death was caused by
    blunt force trauma associated with some kind of impact or an impact combined
    with shaking. The jury was entitled to credit this testimony. See Shah v. State, 
    403 S.W.3d 29
    , 34 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2012, pet. ref’d) (“Reconciliation
    of conflicts and contradictions in the evidence was within the province of the
    [factfinder], and such conflicts will not call for reversal if there was enough
    credible testimony to support the conviction.”).
    We overrule appellant’s first issue.
    Admission of Evidence of Extraneous Offense
    In his second issue, appellant argues that the trial court erred in allowing
    evidence of an extraneous offense by permitting Cynthia Hill to testify that she had
    previously seen appellant shaking K.J. and that she had told him he could not
    24
    shake a baby in that manner. Appellant contends that Hill’s testimony should not
    have been admitted because it was irrelevant, it attempted to show his bad
    character, and its prejudicial effect outweighed its probative value.
    A.    Standard of Review
    We review a trial court’s decision to admit or exclude evidence under an
    abuse of discretion standard. Torres v. State, 
    71 S.W.3d 758
    , 760 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2002). A trial court’s ruling will not be reversed unless it falls outside the zone of
    reasonable disagreement. 
    Id. An extraneous
    offense is “any act of misconduct, whether resulting in
    prosecution or not, that is not shown in the charging papers.” Rankin v. State, 
    953 S.W.2d 740
    , 741 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995) (emphasis omitted). In general,
    extraneous offense evidence is inadmissible “to prove a person’s character in order
    to show that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the
    character.” See TEX. R. EVID. 404(b)(1); Batiste v. State, 
    217 S.W.3d 74
    , 84 (Tex.
    App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2006, no pet.).
    However, for crimes against children, such as reckless injury to a child, the
    Texas Code of Criminal Procedure provides:
    Notwithstanding Rules 404 and 405, Texas Rules of Evidence,
    evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts committed by the defendant
    against the child who is the victim of the alleged offense shall be
    admitted for its bearing on relevant matters, including:
    (1) the state of mind of the defendant and the child; and
    25
    (2) the previous and subsequent relationship between the defendant
    and the child.
    TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN art. 38.37, § 1(b) (West Supp. 2016). Code of
    Criminal Procedure article 38.37 also provides that it “does not limit the
    admissibility of evidence of extraneous crimes, wrongs, or acts under any other
    applicable law.” See 
    id. art. 38.37,
    § 4.
    Thus, article 38.37 is itself an exception to Rule 404(b) for certain cases and
    eliminates the necessity of showing that the evidence falls within an enumerated
    exception under Rule 404(b). See Hitt v. State, 
    53 S.W.3d 697
    , 705 (Tex. App.—
    Austin 2001, pet. ref’d) (holding that article 38.37 supersedes Rule 404);
    McCulloch v. State, 
    39 S.W.3d 678
    , 684 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2001, pet. ref’d)
    (holding that article 38.37 eliminates necessity of proving evidence falls within
    Rule 404(b)’s exceptions). However, even when extraneous acts are relevant under
    article 38.37, the evidence may be excluded under Rule 403 if its probative value is
    substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusing the issues,
    misleading the jury, undue delay, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence.
    Belcher v. State, 
    474 S.W.3d 840
    , 847 (Tex. App.—Tyler 2015, no pet.); 
    Hitt, 53 S.W.3d at 706
    .
    The relevant factors in determining whether the prejudice of an extraneous
    offense substantially outweighs its probative value include: (1) how compellingly
    26
    the extraneous-offense evidence serves to make a fact of consequence more or less
    probable—a factor that is related to the strength of the evidence presented by the
    proponent to show the defendant in fact committed the extraneous offense; (2) the
    potential the other offense evidence has to impress the jury “in some irrational but
    nevertheless indelible way”; (3) the time the proponent will need to develop the
    evidence, during which the jury will be distracted from consideration of the
    indicted offense; and (4) the force of the proponent’s need for this evidence to
    prove a fact of consequence, i.e., whether the proponent has other probative
    evidence available to him to help establish this fact, and whether this fact is related
    to an issue in dispute. Burke v. State, 
    371 S.W.3d 252
    , 257 (Tex. App.—Houston
    [1st Dist.] 2011, pet. dism’d) (citing Mozon v. State, 
    991 S.W.2d 841
    , 846–47
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1999)).
    In determining whether potentially prejudicial evidence was properly
    admitted, the appropriate inquiry is not whether the evidence was more prejudicial
    than probative, but rather, whether the probative value was substantially
    outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or needless presentation of
    cumulative evidence. See Resendiz v. State, 
    112 S.W.3d 541
    , 545 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2003). In the balancing analysis, however, a presumption favors probative value
    over unfair prejudice or cumulative effect. See Goldberg v. State, 
    95 S.W.3d 345
    ,
    375 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2002, pet. ref’d). Whether evidence is
    27
    admissible under Rule 403 is within the sound discretion of the trial court. See
    Powell v. State, 
    189 S.W.3d 285
    , 288 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006).
    B.    Analysis
    Here, the trial court conducted a hearing outside the presence of the jury to
    determine whether Hill’s testimony would be adequate to support a finding by the
    jury that appellant committed the extraneous act beyond a reasonable doubt. See
    TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 38.37, § 2-a (West Supp. 2016). The State made
    a proffer of Hill’s anticipated testimony, and appellant objected on the grounds that
    the State was attempting to admit evidence of an extraneous bad act, that the State
    was offering the evidence in order to establish appellant’s bad character, and that
    its evidentiary value was outweighed by its prejudicial effect. The State argued that
    the evidence was admissible pursuant to article 38.37 and that it was necessary to
    prove that appellant acted recklessly, in that he had been involved in a previous
    incident of shaking K.J. and knew the harm that could result from handling a baby
    in that manner.
    The trial court overruled appellant’s objections and permitted Hill to testify.
    Hill testified that she witnessed appellant saying “Wake up, wake up, wake up” to
    K.J. while shaking the baby so violently that K.J.’s arms were flailing. Hill
    testified that she was shocked by the incident because she had never “see[n]
    someone just shake a baby like that in person.” She told appellant that he could not
    28
    shake a baby in that manner, and she reported the incident to the director of K.J.’s
    day care.
    We agree with the State that the evidence of this incident falls under article
    38.37, which provides that for crimes against children, such as reckless injury to a
    child, “evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts committed by the defendant
    against the child who is the victim of the alleged offense” is admissible “for its
    bearing on relevant matters” such as the defendant’s state of mind and the previous
    relationship between the defendant and the child. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN.
    art. 38.37, § 1. Thus, to the extent appellant is complaining on appeal that Hill’s
    testimony constituted extraneous offense evidence that violated Rule 404(b) in that
    it sought “to prove [his] character in order to show action that on [this] particular
    occasion [he] acted in accordance with the character,” we overrule his complaint.
    In creating an exception to Rule 404(b) for certain cases, article 38.37 eliminates
    the necessity of establishing that the evidence falls within an exception enumerated
    under Rule 404(b) in order for it to be admissible. See 
    Hitt, 53 S.W.3d at 705
    ;
    
    McCulloch, 39 S.W.3d at 684
    .
    Appellant also complained that the evidentiary value of Hill’s testimony was
    outweighed by its prejudicial effect. Evidence admissible under article 38.37 is still
    subject to analysis under Rule 403. See 
    Belcher, 474 S.W.3d at 847
    ; 
    Hitt, 53 S.W.3d at 706
    . In determining whether the trial court erred in admitting Hill’s
    29
    testimony under Rule 403, we first consider the probative value of Hill’s
    testimony. See 
    Burke, 371 S.W.3d at 257
    . Here, the extraneous act evidence was
    probative of the relationship between appellant and K.J., in that it showed a
    previous incident in which appellant’s conduct subjected K.J. to a risk of harm. See
    Hinojosa v. State, 
    995 S.W.2d 955
    , 957–58 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.]
    1999, no pet.) (evidence of extraneous acts committed by appellant against
    complainant, including other incidents of abuse, showed their previous and
    subsequent relationship as well as their states of mind).
    Nor did this evidence have strong potential to impress the jury “in some
    irrational but nevertheless indelible way.” See 
    Burke, 371 S.W.3d at 257
    . Although
    startling, the incident described in Hill’s testimony did not cause serious bodily
    injury to K.J. and, thus, is no more heinous than the alleged conduct that caused
    K.J.’s death. See, e.g., Jones v. State, 
    119 S.W.3d 412
    , 422–23 (Tex. App.—Fort
    Worth 2003, no pet.) (holding that evidence of extraneous offense that was less
    heinous than charged acts was not likely to create such prejudice in minds of
    jurors); see also Taylor v. State, 
    920 S.W.2d 319
    , 323 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996)
    (holding extraneous evidence of prior murder was no more heinous than charged
    offense and was not likely to create such prejudice that jurors would have been
    unable to limit their consideration of extraneous evidence to its proper purpose).
    And Hill’s testimony that she saw appellant shake K.J. was not likely to create an
    30
    irrational or overly emotional response in the minds of the jurors such that they
    would have been unable to limit their consideration of the evidence to its proper
    purpose. See Salazar v. State, 
    90 S.W.3d 330
    , 336 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002)
    (assessing prejudicial effect of victim impact evidence and standard for assessing
    “the potential of the evidence to impress the jury in some irrational, but
    nevertheless indelible way,” including through overly emotional evidence).
    The State did not spend an excessive amount of time in developing Hill’s
    testimony. Hill’s testimony regarding the incident constituted only seven pages of
    a lengthy record in which the State spent the majority of its effort in establishing
    the elements of the charged offense. See 
    Burke, 371 S.W.3d at 257
    . And, as the
    State argued, this evidence was relevant in establishing that appellant acted
    recklessly in relation to K.J. at the time of her death, in that he knew handling the
    baby in a rough manner was dangerous. Thus, the evidence was necessary to show
    an essential and disputed element of the charged offense. See Prescott v. State, 
    123 S.W.3d 506
    , 515 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2003, no pet.) (holding evidence was
    admissible for limited purpose of proving culpable mental state in case involving
    reckless injury to child). The evidence was also necessary to rebut the defensive
    theory that appellant was a good caregiver and did not cause K.J.’s death.
    Accordingly, we conclude that appellant has failed to show that any
    prejudice created by the admission of Hill’s testimony regarding appellant’s
    31
    shaking of K.J. at the daycare substantially outweighed its probative value. We
    hold that the trial court did not err in overruling appellant’s Rule 403 objection.
    We overrule appellant’s second issue.
    Charge Error
    In his third issue, appellant argues that the trial court erred by denying his
    request to charge the jury on the lesser-included offense of criminally negligent
    injury to a child.
    A.    Standard of Review
    We use a two-step process in reviewing jury charge error. Ngo v. State, 
    175 S.W.3d 738
    , 743 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005); Steele v. State, 
    490 S.W.3d 117
    , 126
    (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2016, no pet.). First, we determine whether error
    exists in the charge. 
    Ngo, 175 S.W.3d at 743
    ; 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 126
    . If error
    does exist, we review the record to determine whether the error caused sufficient
    harm to require reversal of the conviction. 
    Ngo, 175 S.W.3d at 743
    ; 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 126
    . When the defendant properly objected to the error in the charge,
    reversal is required unless the error was harmless. 
    Ngo, 175 S.W.3d at 743
    –44;
    
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 126
    ; see also Almanza v. State, 
    686 S.W.2d 157
    , 171 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 1984) (providing that, to preserve error in jury charge, defendant must
    object or request specific charge).
    32
    Here, appellant was charged with recklessly causing serious bodily injury to
    K.J., but he contends that he was entitled to a jury instruction on the lesser-
    included offense of negligently causing serious bodily injury to a child. We review
    the trial court’s decision regarding the failure to submit a lesser-included offense
    instruction for an abuse of discretion. 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 126
    ; Brock v. State,
    
    295 S.W.3d 45
    , 49 (Tex. App.––Houston [1st Dist.] 2009, pet. ref’d).
    Code of Criminal Procedure article 37.09 provides that an offense
    constitutes a lesser-included offense of a charged offense if:
    (1) it is established by proof of the same or less than all the facts
    required to establish the commission of the offense charged;
    (2) it differs from the offense charged only in the respect that a less
    serious injury or risk of injury to the same person, property, or public
    interest suffices to establish its commission;
    (3) it differs from the offense charged only in the respect that a less
    culpable mental state suffices to establish its commission; or
    (4) it consists of an attempt to commit the offense charged or an
    otherwise included offense.
    TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 37.09 (West 2006); 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 127
    .
    We use the statutory elements and the facts alleged in the charging instrument to
    find lesser-included offenses. See Hall v. State, 
    225 S.W.3d 524
    , 535–36 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 2007); 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 127
    .
    We employ a two-step analysis in determining whether the trial court should
    have given an instruction on a lesser-included offense. 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 535
    –
    33
    36; 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 127
    . First, we must determine whether an offense is a
    lesser-included offense of the charged offense, and this is a question of law that
    does not depend on the evidence to be produced at trial. 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 535
    ;
    
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 127
    . This step must be capable of being performed before
    trial “by comparing the elements of the offense as they are alleged in the
    indictment or information with the elements of the potential lesser-included
    offense.” 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 535
    –36. The second step of the analysis asks
    whether there is evidence that supports giving the lesser-included offense
    instruction to the jury. 
    Id. at 536.
    The Court of Criminal Appeals has held that:
    [a] defendant is entitled to an instruction on a lesser-included offense
    where the proof for the offense charged includes the proof necessary
    to establish the lesser-included offense and there is some evidence in
    the record that would permit a jury rationally to find that if the
    defendant is guilty, he is guilty only of the lesser-included offense.
    
    Id. (quoting Bignall
    v. State, 
    887 S.W.2d 21
    , 23 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994)). There
    must be affirmative evidence that both raises the lesser-included offense and rebuts
    or negates an element of the greater offense. See Cavazos v. State, 
    382 S.W.3d 377
    , 385 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012). In this portion of the analysis, anything more
    than a scintilla of evidence entitles the defendant to the instruction. 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 536
    . The evidence must establish the lesser-included offense as “a valid,
    rational alternative to the charged offense.” Id.; 
    Williams, 294 S.W.3d at 681
    34
    (stating that “[t]here must be affirmative evidence in the record raising the lesser
    offense before an instruction is warranted”).
    The test for determining whether evidence is legally sufficient and the test
    for determining whether to submit a lesser-included offense instruction are “quite
    different.” Wasylina v. State, 
    275 S.W.3d 908
    , 909 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009)
    (quoting Hampton v. State, 
    165 S.W.3d 691
    , 693 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005)); 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 128
    . “The evidence could easily be legally sufficient to support a
    conviction for a lesser-included offense but not justify the submission of a lesser-
    included-offense instruction because the evidence does not show that the defendant
    is guilty only of the lesser-included offense.” See 
    Wasylina, 275 S.W.3d at 909
    –10
    (emphasis in original).
    B.    Analysis
    Appellant’s indictment alleged that he recklessly caused serious bodily
    injury to K.J. by shaking her with his hands or by striking her against a blunt
    object. The trial court’s charge likewise instructed the jury that it could find
    appellant guilty if it found that he recklessly caused serious bodily injury to K.J.
    either by shaking her or by striking her against a blunt object. Appellant objected
    to the jury charge, arguing that he was entitled to a jury instruction on the lesser-
    included offense of negligent injury to a child. In the first step of our analysis, we
    must determine whether the trial court’s refusal to include this instruction in the
    35
    jury charge constituted error. See 
    Ngo, 175 S.W.3d at 743
    ; 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 126
    .
    The State concedes that negligent serious bodily injury to a child is a lesser-
    included offense of the charged offense here, reckless serious bodily injury to a
    child. See 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 535
    ; 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 127
    . A person acts
    recklessly, or is reckless, with respect to circumstances surrounding his conduct or
    the result of his conduct when he is aware of but consciously disregards a
    substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will
    occur. TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 6.03(c). The risk must be of such a nature and
    degree that its disregard constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that
    an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances as viewed from the
    actor’s standpoint. 
    Id. On the
    other hand, a person acts with criminal negligence
    when he takes some action and ought to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable
    risk that the result (in this case, injury to a child) will occur. See 
    id. § 6.03(d).
    Negligent serious bodily injury to a child is distinguishable from reckless
    serious bodily injury to a child only in the culpable mental state that the State is
    required to prove, and criminally negligent conduct requires a lesser culpable
    mental state than reckless conduct. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 37.09(1),
    (3); see also Wortham v. State, 
    412 S.W.3d 552
    , 555 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013)
    36
    (holding that reckless and criminally negligent injury to child are lesser-included
    offenses of intentional and knowing injury to child).
    However, the State argues that there is no affirmative evidence to support an
    instruction on the lesser-included offense of criminally negligent serious bodily
    injury to a child, and we agree. Appellant argues that “the evidence shows that
    Laquisha Jackson testified that [a]ppellant described to her how his seizure caused
    him to almost drop the baby at the daycare.” He also points to Cook’s and Cynthia
    Jackson’s testimony of his history of seizures and his medical records. However,
    none of this evidence indicates that he had a seizure on the morning that K.J. was
    injured and died. The fact that appellant had a history of seizures does not
    constitute evidence that he had a seizure while he was caring for K.J. on January 9,
    2013, or that his having a seizure while caring for K.J. could have caused the type
    of injuries that K.J. received. There were no witnesses or medical evidence
    indicating that appellant had a seizure on January 9, 2013. See 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 536
    ; see also 
    Wortham, 412 S.W.3d at 558
    (holding that evidence that defendant is
    guilty only of lesser-included offense “cannot be mere speculation—it must consist
    of affirmative evidence that both raises the lesser-included offense and rebuts or
    negates an element of the greater offense”).
    Furthermore, there is no evidence that rebuts the culpability element of the
    greater offense, recklessly causing serious bodily injury to a child. See Wortham,
    
    37 412 S.W.3d at 558
    . There was no evidence that appellant was merely criminally
    negligent in caring for K.J. in spite of his history of seizures, rather than reckless in
    causing the fatal blunt force trauma. Laquisha Jackson testified that, after K.J. was
    taken away by the paramedics, she asked appellant what had happened, and he
    specifically denied having a seizure. And Dr. Gonsoulin and Dr. Sandberg both
    testified that the injuries K.J. sustained could not have been caused by a simple
    injury or an accidental fall, but rather were caused by a substantial and forceful
    impact to her head or by a combination of an impact and shaking.
    Thus, the jury could not have rationally found that appellant was guilty only
    of criminally negligent injury to a child and not the greater offense of reckless
    injury to a child. See 
    Hall, 225 S.W.3d at 536
    . Accordingly, the trial court did not
    abuse its discretion in refusing to submit an instruction on criminally negligent
    injury to a child to the jury. See 
    Steele, 490 S.W.3d at 126
    ; 
    Brock, 295 S.W.3d at 49
    .
    We overrule appellant’s third issue.
    38
    Conclusion
    We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
    Evelyn V. Keyes
    Justice
    Panel consists of Justices Keyes, Higley, and Lloyd.
    Do not publish. TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
    39