Allan Latoi Story v. State ( 2015 )


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  •                              NUMBER 13-14-00038-CR
    COURT OF APPEALS
    THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
    CORPUS CHRISTI - EDINBURG
    ALLEN LATOI STORY,                                                                    Appellant,
    v.
    THE STATE OF TEXAS,                                                                   Appellee.
    On appeal from the 19th District Court
    of McLennan County, Texas.
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    Before Chief Justice Valdez and Justices Rodriguez and Perkes
    Memorandum Opinion by Justice Perkes1
    Appellant Allan Latoi Story appeals his conviction for murder, a first-degree felony,
    enhanced by prior convictions. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. §§ 12.42(c), 19.02(b)(1), (c)
    1
    Pursuant to a docket-equalization order issued by the Supreme Court of Texas, the appeal has
    been transferred to this Court from the Tenth Court of Appeals in Waco, Texas. See TEX. GOV'T CODE
    ANN. § 73.001 (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.).
    (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.).        A jury found appellant guilty and assessed
    punishment at life imprisonment. By two issues, appellant argues the trial court erred:
    (1) by excluding evidence of a recorded interview between appellant and a police officer;
    and (2) by refusing to give a jury instruction on self-defense. We affirm.
    I. BACKGROUND
    Appellant was indicted for murder relating to the stabbing death of Zachary Davis.
    Joyce Akers testified that she was a longtime friend of Rene Davis, Zachary’s sister.
    Akers was at Rene’s apartment with Zachary, Rene, and appellant on the night of the
    altercation. She recalled that Rene and appellant were arguing, when appellant said “if
    you keep at it, I’m going to put my hands on you.” Zachary responded “as long as I’m
    here, you’re not going to put hands on her.” Appellant told Zachary that if he interfered,
    he would kill him. Akers testified that appellant then left the room, and when he returned,
    Zachary told him “whatever you went back there to get or whatever you call yourself doing,
    you’re going to have to use it.” Appellant then walked out the back door, and Rene
    followed as the two continued arguing. Akers testified that appellant then grabbed Rene
    and lifted her up by her throat. At that time, Zachary intervened and struck appellant with
    his fist, which resulted in a physical altercation between Zachary and appellant. Akers
    recalled that, as Zachary and appellant were punching each other, appellant fell to the
    ground and Rene started hitting appellant. Akers testified that the fighting stopped and
    appellant stood up and walked toward the back door, while Zachary walked away from
    the back porch and into the yard. As appellant was walking away, he dropped a knife
    and picked it up. Akers stated appellant then approached Zachary who fell to the ground
    2
    on his back. Akers testified appellant got on top of Zachary and stabbed him several
    times, while she yelled “please stop stabbing him.” After the stabbing, Rene ran into the
    house and came back outside with a hammer. Appellant stood up and entered the
    apartment, while Zachary ran away from the apartment.           Akers stated that neither
    Zachary nor Rene had a weapon when they were fighting appellant.
    Officer Jason Ireland with the Waco Police Department testified that he responded
    to the scene and observed Zachary on the ground gasping for breath. Zachary died
    shortly after his arrival. Officer Ireland learned that appellant was suspected of stabbing
    Zachary and obtained his cell phone number. He attempted to locate appellant’s cell
    phone by determining its GPS location. For three to four hours, Officer Ireland and other
    law enforcement officials searched for appellant using “pings” from appellant’s cell phone.
    Officer Ireland narrowed appellant’s location to a residence within four to five blocks of
    the crime scene. After confirming appellant was located in the house, an officer with a
    canine called for him to come out. After two commands from the officer, appellant exited
    the residence. Officer Ireland did not observe any physical injuries, and appellant did
    not request medical treatment. Appellant was arrested and taken to the county jail.
    Appellant’s counsel questioned Officer Ireland outside the presence of the jury
    concerning his interview with appellant. Officer Ireland testified he talked to appellant in
    his patrol car shortly after his arrest, and the interview was recorded.        During the
    interview, appellant stated “[Rene and Zachary] were jumping me and I defended myself.”
    Appellant claimed that he saw a hammer and some knives. Appellant stated he was on
    3
    the ground and “they hit me first.” Appellant explained that “[Zachary] hit me and I fell to
    the ground and [Rene] came over and kicked me.”
    Appellant’s counsel moved to admit the recorded interview as impeachment of
    Officer Ireland’s testimony “about [appellant’s] voluntariness of coming out of the house
    and also about injuries and so forth.” Appellant’s counsel also argued the recording was
    admissible under “Texas Rules of Evidence 107, the Rule of Optional Completeness.”
    The State objected that the video was hearsay and irrelevant. The trial court sustained
    the State’s objections.
    Angelika McCallister, a crime scene technician for the Waco Police Department,
    testified concerning photographs of the crime scene and the parties involved in the
    altercation. McCallister explained that appellant had a number of superficial and non-life
    threatening injuries, but that Rene did not exhibit any injuries.
    Dr. Janice Townsend-Parchman, the Dallas County medical examiner, performed
    Zachary’s autopsy. She testified that Zachary suffered three stab wounds to the: (1)
    front left shoulder, penetrating 4¾ inches; (2) liver, penetrating 4¾ inches; and (3) right
    thigh, penetrating 3 inches. Dr. Townsend-Parchman concluded the three stab wounds
    caused Zachary’s death.
    Rene testified during appellant’s case-in-chief. Rene stated that after arguing
    with appellant, she went outside with Zachary.         Appellant followed them, and they
    continued to argue.       Rene testified Zachary punched appellant “because [appellant]
    acted like he was going to choke me.” Rene denied that appellant picked her up by her
    throat. During the altercation between appellant and Zachary, appellant ended up on the
    4
    ground, and she began hitting appellant with a stick. Rene estimated that the stick was
    two to three feet long and less than four inches in diameter. After she saw appellant stab
    Zachary, she went inside the apartment to get a hammer. Rene was not sure if she hit
    appellant with the hammer or not.      Following the altercation, appellant ran into the
    apartment and locked the door, while Zachary ran toward the parking lot.
    On cross-examination, Rene testified that she gave a statement to police on the
    night of Zachary’s death, but did not mention the stick or the hammer because she was
    scared. Rene acknowledged she visited appellant in the jail on four occasions following
    Zachary’s death. She admitted appellant asked her to marry him during one of the visits
    and discussed his upcoming trial with her.
    The jury found appellant guilty and assessed punishment at life imprisonment.
    This appeal followed.
    II. HEARSAY
    By his first issue, appellant argues “the trial court erred in excluding from evidence
    an audio recording of an interview of appellant by a police officer that was made 3–4
    hours after the stabbing of the victim.”     Specifically, appellant maintains the video
    recording was not hearsay because it was not offered to prove the truth of the matter
    asserted. We disagree.
    A.    Preservation
    We must first address whether the issue raised on appeal comports with the
    objection made at trial.   To have evidence admitted over a hearsay objection, the
    proponent of the evidence must specify which exception he is relying upon or how the
    5
    evidence was not hearsay. Willover v. State, 
    70 S.W.3d 841
    , 845–46 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2002); see also Reyna v. State, 
    168 S.W.3d 173
    , 177 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005) (“So it is
    not enough to tell the judge that evidence is admissible. The proponent, if he is the losing
    party on appeal, must have told the judge why the evidence was admissible.”).
    Additionally, to complain about a trial court's evidentiary ruling, a party must have first
    made his complaint to the trial court in a manner that states the grounds for the desired
    ruling with sufficient specificity to make the trial court aware of the complaint. See TEX.
    R. APP. P. 33.1(a)(1)(A). If the trial court never has the opportunity to rule upon the
    proponent's appellate rationale, the argument cannot be raised on appeal. See 
    Reyna, 168 S.W.3d at 178
    .
    At trial, appellant’s counsel argued that the recorded interview was admissible over
    the State’s hearsay objection to impeach Officer Ireland’s testimony “about [appellant’s]
    voluntariness of coming out of the house and also about injuries and so forth.”2 On
    appeal, appellant argues two theories for the admissibility of his statements to Officer
    Ireland.   First, appellant maintains that the statements are admissible to show that
    “appellant began to say he was defending himself far earlier than the State had
    deliberately misled the jury to think.” Appellant did not make this argument to the trial
    court with respect to his statements to Officer Ireland. Rather, the argument was made
    with respect to appellant’s later interview with Detective Steve January.3 Appellant does
    2 Appellant’s counsel also argued, at trial, that the recording was admissible under “Texas Rules
    of Evidence 107, the Rule of Optional Completeness,” but he does not raise that argument on appeal.
    3 Story’s counsel argued to the trial court that the statements made to Detective January were
    admissible as impeachment of Rene’s testimony “that they were getting their plan together and so forth as
    far as this case.”
    6
    not challenge the trial court’s ruling concerning the admissibility of his statements to
    Detective January. Therefore, this argument is not preserved for appeal. See 
    Reyna, 168 S.W.3d at 178
    .
    Second, appellant maintains on appeal his statements to Officer Ireland were not
    hearsay because they were offered “to show that Officer Ireland’s testimony that appellant
    was uncooperative . . . was not correct.” We will address this argument to the extent it
    comports with the argument actually raised in the trial court. See 
    Willover, 70 S.W.3d at 845
    –46.
    B.     Standard of Review and Applicable Law
    We review the trial court's decision to admit or exclude evidence under an abuse
    of discretion standard. Martinez v. State, 
    327 S.W.3d 727
    , 736 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010);
    Whipple v. State, 
    281 S.W.3d 482
    , 499 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2008, pet. ref'd). The trial
    court does not abuse its discretion unless its determination lies outside the zone of
    reasonable disagreement. 
    Martinez, 327 S.W.3d at 736
    ; 
    Whipple, 281 S.W.3d at 499
    –
    500. We will uphold a trial court's decision so long as it is supported by the record and
    is correct under any theory of applicable law. De LaPaz v. State, 
    279 S.W.3d 336
    , 344
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2009); Martin v. State, 
    173 S.W.3d 463
    , 467 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005).
    Hearsay is defined by the rules of evidence as “a statement, other than one made
    by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the
    truth of the matter asserted.” TEX. R. EVID. 801(d). It is well-settled that when the
    accused does not take the stand, self-serving statements are generally not admissible.
    Hafdahl v. State, 
    805 S.W.2d 396
    , 402 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990), disavowed on other
    7
    grounds by Cook v. State, 
    858 S.W.2d 467
    , 469–470 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993); see Reado
    v. State, 
    690 S.W.2d 15
    , 17 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 1984, pet. ref'd).
    [S]elf-serving declarations of the accused are ordinarily inadmissible in his
    behalf, unless they come under some exception, such as: being part of the
    res gestae of the offense or arrest, or part of the statement or conversation
    previously proved by the State, or being necessary to explain or contradict
    acts or declarations first offered by the State.
    Singletary v. State, 
    509 S.W.2d 572
    , 576 (Tex. Crim. App. 1974); see Allridge v. State,
    
    762 S.W.2d 146
    , 152 (Tex. Crim. App. 1988); Davis v. State, 
    970 S.W.2d 758
    , 761 (Tex.
    App.—Austin 1998, no pet.). “The theory behind the third exception is to prevent the fact
    finder from being misled or perceiving a false, incorrect impression when hearing only a
    part of an act, declaration, conversation or, especially, a writing.” 
    Reado, 690 S.W.2d at 17
    . Under this exception, the proffered testimony may be admitted only if necessary to
    prevent the jury from being misled or mistaken. 
    Id. C. Analysis
    Appellant does not argue that his self-serving statements were admissible as being
    part of the res gestae of the offense or arrest or that his statements were part of a
    statement or conversation previously proved by the State. Rather, appellant maintains
    that his statements to Officer Ireland were admissible “to show that Officer Ireland’s
    testimony that appellant was uncooperative . . . was not correct.” To determine whether
    appellant’s self-serving declaration would be admissible under this theory, we must
    decide whether such statements “were necessary to explain or contradict acts or
    declarations first offered by the State.”4 See 
    Singletary, 509 S.W.2d at 576
    .
    4 While appellant argued at trial that the statements were admissible under Texas Rule of Evidence
    613, he does not raise this argument on appeal. Further, rule 613 would have no application here, because
    8
    Appellant contends Officer Ireland’s testimony that he was uncooperative
    necessitated admission of his entire recorded statement. Officer Ireland testified that it
    took officers three to four hours to locate appellant and that appellant did not exit the
    residence until an officer with a canine issued commands for appellant to come out.
    Appellant’s statements to Officer Ireland focused on his assertions that he acted in self-
    defense. Officer Ireland offered no testimony concerning his conversation with appellant
    or whether he acted in self-defense.
    In reviewing the record, we find no portion of Officer Ireland’s testimony that
    created a false impression or misled the jury.               Therefore, we cannot conclude that
    appellant’s recorded statement was necessary to explain or contradict acts or
    declarations first offered by the State. See 
    Reado, 690 S.W.2d at 17
    ; see also 
    Allridge, 762 S.W.2d at 153
    (explaining that “to adopt appellant's position would mean that all self-
    serving statements by an accused would be admissible”).                     Accordingly, appellant’s
    statements to Officer Ireland constitute inadmissible self-serving hearsay, and the trial
    court did not abuse its discretion in excluding those statements. See 
    Martinez, 327 S.W.3d at 736
    ; 
    Hafdahl, 805 S.W.2d at 402
    . We overrule appellant’s first issue.
    appellant’s statements do not constitute a prior inconsistent statement made by Officer Ireland. See
    Willover v. State, 
    70 S.W.3d 841
    , 846 n. 8 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002) (“Texas Rule of Evidence 613 allows into
    evidence (for impeachment purposes) proof of a witness's prior inconsistent statements (provided the
    proper predicate is established). Such prior inconsistent statements are considered hearsay and, unless
    they fall within some hearsay exception, they are admissible for impeachment purposes only (as opposed
    to substantive purposes).”).
    9
    III. JURY INSTRUCTION
    By his second issue, appellant argues the trial court erred by “den[ying] his request
    for a jury instruction on self-defense because the issue was raised by the evidence.” We
    disagree.
    A.    Standard of Review
    Appellate review of alleged jury charge error generally involves a two-step process.
    Kirsch v. State, 
    357 S.W.3d 645
    , 649 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012); Ngo v. State, 
    175 S.W.3d 738
    , 743 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005). First, we must determine whether error occurred.
    Wooten v. State, 
    400 S.W.3d 601
    , 606 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013). If there is error in the
    charge, we must then analyze whether sufficient harm resulted from the error to require
    reversal. Id.; 
    Ngo, 175 S.W.3d at 744
    . If error has been properly preserved, as in this
    case, reversal is required if the error is “calculated to injure the rights of defendant,”
    meaning there must be some harm. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 36.19 (West,
    Westlaw through 2015 R.S.); Sakil v. State, 
    287 S.W.3d 23
    , 25–26 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2009). The defendant must have suffered some actual, rather than merely theoretical,
    harm from the error. Reeves v. State, 
    420 S.W.3d 812
    , 816 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013).
    We consider “‘the entire jury charge, the state of the evidence, including the contested
    issues and weight of probative evidence, the argument of counsel and any other relevant
    information revealed by the record of the trial as a whole.’” Barron v. State, 
    353 S.W.3d 879
    , 883 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (quoting Almanza v. State, 
    686 S.W.2d 157
    , 171 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 1984)).
    10
    B.     Applicable Law
    The trial court is required to instruct the jury on statutory defenses, affirmative
    defenses, and justifications whenever they are raised by the evidence. TEX. PENAL CODE
    ANN. §§ 2.03(d), 2.04(d) (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.); Walters v. State, 
    247 S.W.3d 204
    , 208–09 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). A defendant is entitled to an instruction on
    every defensive issue raised by the evidence, regardless of whether the evidence is
    strong, feeble, unimpeached, or contradicted, and even when the trial court thinks the
    testimony is not worthy of belief. 
    Walters, 247 S.W.3d at 209
    .          A defensive issue is
    raised by the evidence if there is some evidence, regardless of its source, on each
    element of a defense that, if believed by the jury, would support a rational inference that
    the element is true. See Shaw v. State, 
    243 S.W.3d 647
    , 657–58 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007).
    In determining whether a defensive instruction should have been given, “we view the
    evidence in the light most favorable to the defendant's requested submission.” Bufkin v.
    State, 
    207 S.W.3d 779
    , 782 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006). The question of whether a defense
    is raised by the evidence is a sufficiency question, which we review as a question of law.
    
    Shaw, 243 S.W.3d at 658
    .
    In order for a trial court to submit a self-defense instruction to the jury, a defendant
    must produce sufficient evidence on each element to raise the issue. TEX. PENAL CODE
    ANN. § 2.03 (West, Westlaw through 2015 R.S.). Sections 9.31 and 9.32 of the Texas
    Penal Code provide in relevant part that a person is justified in using deadly force against
    another “when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately
    necessary . . . to protect the actor against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful
    11
    deadly force.” 
    Id. §§ 9.31(a),
    9.32(a). “Deadly force” means force that is intended or
    known by the actor to cause, or in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of
    causing, death or serious bodily injury.” 
    Id. § 9.01(3).
    “Serious bodily injury” means
    bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death or that causes death, serious
    permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily
    member or organ. 
    Id. § 1.07(a)(46).
    C.    Analysis
    Appellant did not testify. However, he argues he was entitled to a self-defense
    instruction on the use of deadly force because he “was on the ground, being assaulted
    by two adults, one of whom was hitting him with a stick that was 2–3 feet long and as
    thick as a female’s wrist, immediately before he stabbed [Zachary].” The trial court
    denied the requested instruction, concluding there was “no evidence or testimony that
    [appellant] reasonably believed that deadly force was necessary to protect himself against
    somebody else's use of deadly—of unlawful deadly force.”
    The evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the requested instruction,
    reflects that appellant threatened Rene by saying “if you keep at it, I’m going to put my
    hands on you.”    When appellant “acted like he was going to choke [Rene,]” Zachary hit
    appellant with his fist, and the two began punching each other. Zachary and Rene were
    both hitting appellant while he was on the ground, but at some point appellant was able
    to get up and Zachary walked away from him. It was at this time appellant approached
    the unarmed Zachary and stabbed him with a knife and Zachary fell to the ground. While
    12
    Rene testified she previously struck appellant with a stick, the evidence shows the three
    had already separated when appellant approached Zachary and stabbed him.
    Assuming appellant was initially justified in using non-deadly force in response to
    being hit by Zachary, there is no evidence that he reasonably believed the use of deadly
    force was immediately necessary to protect himself at the time he stabbed Zachary. See
    Bennett v. State, 
    726 S.W.2d 32
    , 37–38 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986) (holding that
    reasonableness of fear for a self-defense claim must be judged from the standpoint of the
    accused at the “instant he responds to the attack”); Trammell v. State, 
    287 S.W.3d 336
    ,
    341 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2009, no pet.) (concluding that the defendant was not entitled
    to self-defense instruction in absence of immediacy of threat from victim); Oestrick v.
    State, 
    939 S.W.2d 232
    , 238 (Tex. App.—Austin 1997, pet. ref'd) (determining that the
    defendant was not entitled to a self-defense instruction when victim had a baseball bat
    but was walking away from defendant when defendant shot the victim).
    We conclude appellant was not entitled to a self-defense instruction, and the trial
    court did not commit error in denying the requested instruction.       See Wooten, 400
    S.W.3de at 606. We overrule appellant’s second issue.
    IV. CONCLUSION
    We affirm the judgment of the trial court.
    GREGORY T. PERKES
    Justice
    Do not publish.
    TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
    Delivered and filed the
    19th day of November, 2015.
    13