Gonzales, Henry Jr. ( 2015 )


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  •                                                                    PD-0584-15
    PD-0584-15                       COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS
    AUSTIN, TEXAS
    Transmitted 5/14/2015 4:20:00 PM
    Accepted 5/15/2015 11:47:13 AM
    ABEL ACOSTA
    NO. PD-______-15                                          CLERK
    IN THE TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS
    AUSTIN, TEXAS
    HENRY GONZALES, JR.,
    Petitioner
    V.
    THE STATE OF TEXAS,
    Respondent
    PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW
    OF THE DECISION OF
    THE COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE THIRD DISTRICT OF TEXAS
    AUSTIN, TEXAS
    ON APPEAL FROM THE JUDGMENT RENDERED BY
    THE 299TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
    OF TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS
    CRIMINAL ACTION NO. D-1-DC-12-904023
    HONORABLE KAREN SAGE, JUDGE PRESIDING
    ORAL ARGUMENT REQUESTED
    RICHARD D. REED
    316 W. 12th Street, Suite 313
    Austin, Texas 78701-1820
    512-322-9443
    rick.reed@maverickcounsel.com
    May 15, 2015                 State Bar No. 16686100
    LEAD COUNSEL FOR PETITIONER
    IDENTITY OF JUDGE, PARTIES, AND COUNSEL
    Trial Court Judge:                  Hon. Karen Sage, Judge
    299th Judicial District Court
    509 West 11th Street, 8th Floor
    Austin, Texas 78701-2103
    Petitioner:                         Henry Gonzales, Jr.
    Mark W. Stiles Unit
    3060 FM 3514
    Beaumont, Texas 77705-7635
    Trial Counsel for Petitioner:       Richard D. Reed
    Law Office of Rick Reed
    316 W. 12th Street, Suite 313
    Austin, Texas 78701-1820
    Hipolito ‘Polo’ Gonzalez, III
    Hipolito Gonzalez Law Firm, P.C.
    1411 West Avenue, Suite 100
    Austin, Texas 78701-1537
    Appellate Counsel for Petitioner:   Richard D. Reed
    Law Office of Rick Reed
    316 W. 12th Street, Suite 313
    Austin, Texas 78701-1820
    Respondent:                         The State of Texas
    Trial Counsel for State:            Mona Shea
    Travis County District Attorney’s Office
    509 West 11th Street, Suite 1.100
    Austin, Texas 78701-2103
    Christopher H. Baugh
    Travis County District Attorney’s Office
    509 West 11th Street, Suite 1.100
    Austin, Texas 78701-2103
    - ii -
    Appellate Counsel for State:   Georgette Hogarth
    Travis County District Attorney’s Office
    509 West 11th Street, Suite 1.100
    Austin, Texas 78701-2103
    - iii -
    TABLE OF CONTENTS
    IDENTITY OF JUDGE, PARTIES, AND COUNSEL ................................................. ii
    INDEX OF AUTHORITIES .............................................................................................. v
    STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT..................................................... 2
    STATEMENT OF THE CASE........................................................................................... 2
    STATEMENT OF PROCEDURAL HISTORY .............................................................. 3
    GROUNDS FOR REVIEW ................................................................................................ 4
    Is the trial court’s erroneous exclusion of the following commitment
    question that Petitioner’s trial counsel sought to ask prospective jurors
    during his voir dire examination of the jury panel subject to a harm
    analysis: If you served as a juror in a murder case, and you heard enough
    evidence during the trial that you were convinced that the defendant
    probably committed the offense charged, but you were not convinced
    beyond a reasonable doubt that he did so, could you follow the law and
    acquit him?
    REASONS FOR GRANTING REVIEW ......................................................................... 4
    STATEMENT OF FACTS ................................................................................................... 4
    ARGUMENT ......................................................................................................................... 8
    PRAYER FOR RELIEF ..................................................................................................... 16
    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE.......................................................................................... 17
    CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE............................................................................... 18
    APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................... Post
    - iv -
    INDEX OF AUTHORITIES
    CASES
    Arizona v. Fulminante, 
    499 U.S. 279
    (1991).................................................................... 10, 13
    Cage v. Louisiana, 
    498 U.S. 39
    (1990)................................................................................ 9, 10
    Easley v. State, 
    424 S.W.3d 535
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2014)................................................... 2, 6
    Gonzales v. State, 
    994 S.W.2d 170
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1999).....................................2, 6, 9, 10
    Homan v. State, 
    662 S.W.2d 372
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1984) ................................................... 10
    In re Winship, 
    397 U.S. 358
    (1970) ....................................................................................... 
    10 Jones v
    . State, 
    223 S.W.3d 379
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) ......................................................... 2
    Morgan v. Illinois, 
    504 U.S. 719
    (1992) .................................................................................. 16
    Nunfio v. State, 
    808 S.W.2d 482
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1991)...................................................... 2
    Rose v. Clark, 
    478 U.S. 570
    (1986) .................................................................................. 12, 13
    Sullivan v. Louisiana, 
    508 U.S. 275
    (1993) .................................. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
    RULES
    TEX. R. APP. P. 44.2................................................................................................................. 6
    TEX. R. APP. P. 66.3(b) ........................................................................................................ 6, 7
    -v-
    NO. PD-______-15
    IN THE TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS
    AUSTIN, TEXAS
    HENRY GONZALES, JR.,
    Petitioner
    V.
    THE STATE OF TEXAS,
    Respondent
    PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW
    OF THE DECISION OF
    THE COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE THIRD DISTRICT OF TEXAS
    AUSTIN, TEXAS
    ON APPEAL FROM THE JUDGMENT RENDERED BY
    THE 299TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT
    OF TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS
    CRIMINAL ACTION NO. D-1-DC-12-904023
    HONORABLE KAREN SAGE, JUDGE PRESIDING
    TO THE HONORABLE JUDGES OF SAID COURT:
    NOW COMES Petitioner, Henry Gonzales, Jr., by and through his attorney of
    record, Richard D. Reed, and, pursuant to the provisions of Rule 66, Texas Rules of
    Appellate Procedure, et seq., hereby petitions this Court to review the decision of the
    court of appeals affirming the judgment rendered by the trial court in the above-
    referenced criminal action.
    STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT
    This case presents significant issues of state and federal constitutional law, the
    resolution of which potentially affects every murder case tried before a jury in this
    state. Oral argument would be helpful because the issues presented are similar to, but
    nevertheless fundamentally distinguishable from, certain questions that this Court has
    previously addressed. See, e.g., Nunfio v. State, 
    808 S.W.2d 482
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1991),
    Gonzales v. State, 
    994 S.W.2d 170
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1999), Jones v. State, 
    223 S.W.3d 379
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2007), and Easley v. State, 
    424 S.W.3d 535
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2014).
    Accordingly, the proper resolution of such issues will require a thorough
    understanding of how they differ from questions that this Court has previously
    addressed. Oral argument can facilitate such an understanding.
    STATEMENT OF THE CASE
    On March 12, 2012, a Travis County grand jury issued an indictment in the
    above-referenced criminal action charging Petitioner, as a habitual felony offender,
    with the first-degree felony offense of murder. C.R. at 1–2.1 On August 27, 2012, the
    299th Judicial District Court of Travis County empaneled a jury for trial of the
    aforesaid criminal action, and Petitioner subsequently entered a plea of “not guilty” to
    1
    As used herein, “C.R.” refers to the clerk’s record, and “R.R.” refers to the reporter’s record.
    2
    the aforesaid charge. C.R. at 72–80, 153; III R.R. at 177; IV R.R. at 18–23. C.R. at
    72–80; III R.R. at 177.
    On August 31, 2012, the jury convicted Petitioner of the aforesaid charge, and
    the trial court thereupon held a hearing before the jury to determine Petitioner’s
    punishment. C.R. at 153; VII R.R. at 110–111, 113–122, 126–136. At the conclusion
    of the punishment hearing, the jury returned a verdict finding the enhancement
    allegations set forth in the indictment to be true and assessing Petitioner’s punishment
    at imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life. C.R. at 137;
    VII R.R. at 146.
    On September 4, 2012, Petitioner filed a motion for new trial with the trial
    court. C.R. at 171–172; VIII R.R. at 1, 8. On January 9, 2013, Petitioner filed a
    written notice of appeal with the trial court.2
    STATEMENT OF PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    On December 4, 2014, the Court of Appeals for the Third District of Texas
    2
    On September 5, 2012, the trial court entered an order removing Petitioner’s trial counsel as his
    attorney of record in the case below and appointing another attorney to represent him in all post-
    conviction proceedings related thereto. That order effectively divested Petitioner’s trial counsel of
    the authority to file a notice of appeal on behalf of Petitioner, prompting him to file a petition for
    writ of mandamus with the Court of Appeals for the Third District of Texas seeking vacation of
    the order. C.R. at 335–386. The court of appeals subsequently dismissed the petition as moot after
    Judge Bob Perkins, who was assigned to the case below after the trial judge recused herself, signed
    an order granting Petitioner’s motion to set aside the trial court’s order removing his trial counsel as
    his attorney of record in the case below. In re Gonzales, No. 03-12-00611-CV (Tex. App.—Austin
    Jan. 17, 2013, no pet.) (mem. op. not designated for publication).
    3
    issued a memorandum opinion affirming the judgment of the trial court.            On
    December 19, 2014, Petitioner filed a motion for rehearing, which was subsequently
    denied on March 25, 2015. On April 9, 2015, Petitioner filed a motion for en banc
    reconsideration, which was denied on April 14, 2015.
    GROUNDS FOR REVIEW
    Is the trial court’s erroneous exclusion of the following commitment
    question that Petitioner’s trial counsel sought to ask prospective jurors
    during his voir dire examination of the jury panel subject to a harm
    analysis: If you served as a juror in a murder case, and you heard enough
    evidence during the trial that you were convinced that the defendant
    probably committed the offense charged, but you were not convinced
    beyond a reasonable doubt that he did so, could you follow the law and
    acquit him?
    REASONS FOR GRANTING REVIEW
    The court of appeals has erroneously decided important questions of
    state and federal law that have not been, but should be, settled by this
    Court. TEX. R. APP. P. 66.3(b).
    STATEMENT OF FACTS
    During his voir dire examination of the jury panel, Petitioner’s trial counsel
    sought to ask each prospective juror the following commitment question: “Let’s
    suppose that you serve on a jury in a criminal case, the charge is murder, […] and you
    have heard enough evidence that you think that he or she probably did do it, […]
    4
    You’re convinced that it is more likely than not that he did commit the murder, but
    you are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt. If you found yourself in that
    situation, could you follow the law and acquit the person on trial?” III R.R. at 141–
    44.
    The lead prosecutor objected that the foregoing question constituted “an
    improper commitment question.” III R.R. at 144. The trial court carefully avoided
    expressly ruling upon the objection and instead articulated a different question that it
    deemed “the proper question,” i.e., “will you follow the law and hold the State to its
    standard of beyond a reasonable doubt,” “are you going to hold the State to its
    standard of beyond a reasonable doubt.” 
    Id. Petitioner’s trial
    counsel, however,
    demurred to the trial court’s suggestion that he ask the judicially-approved question
    and informed the court, “I’m asking that I be permitted to ask them whether they can
    follow the law and acquit if they are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of this
    man’s guilt.” 
    Id. The trial
    court responded equivocally, “That’s fine. Yes,” prompting
    Petitioner’s trial counsel to inquire, “Is the Court instructing me that I’m not
    permitted to ask that question?” The trial court then unequivocally replied, “Yes.” III
    R.R. at 144–145.
    In his first point of error on appeal, Petitioner contended that “[t]he trial court
    committed reversible error in prohibiting defense counsel from asking the prospective
    jurors whether they could follow the law and acquit someone charged with murder if
    5
    they were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he had committed the
    offense charged.” App. Br. at 29–30. The court of appeals concluded that defense
    counsel’s question “was proper because it sought to determine whether the venire
    members could follow the law by committing to an acquittal if they were not
    convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of [Petitioner’s] guilt and because it did not
    include any additional facts beyond those required for this legal requirement.”
    Gonzales v. State, No. 03-12-00620-CR, slip op. at 3 (Tex. App.—Austin Dec. 4, 2014)
    (mem. op. not designated for publication). Consequently, the court of appeals held
    that the trial court abused its discretion in prohibiting Petitioner’s trial counsel from
    asking the question. 
    Id. However, in
    apparent reliance upon this Court’s opinion in
    Gonzales v. State, 
    994 S.W.2d 170
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1999), the court of appeals went on
    to conduct a harm analysis under Rule 44.2 of the Texas Rules of Appellate
    Procedure. 
    Id. After concluding
    that Petitioner’s trial counsel “was not entirely precluded from
    discussing and explaining the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard,” the court of
    appeals, relying upon dicta contained in this Court’s opinion in Easley v. State, 
    424 S.W.3d 535
    , 541–42 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014), reviewed the trial court’s erroneous
    exclusion of his question under the non-constitutional harm standard set forth in Rule
    44.2(b), which provides that any non-constitutional “error, defect, irregularity, or
    variance that does not affect substantial rights must be disregarded.” Gonzales, slip op.
    6
    at 4–5; TEX. R. APP. P. 44.2(b). Then, following the guidelines suggested in Rich v.
    State, 
    160 S.W.3d 575
    , 577 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005), the court of appeals considered the
    trial court’s voir dire error in the context of the following factors: Petitioner’s “ability
    to generally pursue the issue of reasonable doubt during voir dire,”3 the trial court’s
    jury instructions, the evidence of Petitioner’s guilt, which the court characterized as
    “overwhelming,” and certain remarks made by Petitioner’s trial counsel during closing
    argument suggesting that the prosecutors had “proven that [Petitioner] probably did
    kill [the deceased], but they didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he did.” The
    court concluded that when viewed in context of the aforesaid factors, “the trial
    court’s error in prohibiting defense counsel from asking his one preferred voir-dire
    question did not have a substantial and injurious influence in determining the jury’s
    verdict.” Gonzales, slip op. at 5. Consequently, the court overruled the point of error
    that gives rise to the grounds for review presented in this petition. 
    Id. 3 The
    court of appeals erroneously concluded that defense counsel “was allowed to elicit the same
    general information as that likely to be gleaned from his preferred question.” As Petitioner pointed
    out in his briefs filed with the court of appeals, obtaining a definitive commitment from every
    prospective juror in a murder case that he or she could follow the law and acquit the defendant if he
    or she were convinced from the evidence that the defendant probably committed the offense, but he
    or she were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did so, elicits substantially more
    information from such prospective juror than the abstract and purely-conceptual question, “[A]re
    you going to hold the State to its standard of beyond a reasonable doubt[?]” See App. Br. at 55–61,
    App. R. Br. at 15–24.
    7
    ARGUMENT
    When the court of appeals affirmed the judgment rendered by the trial court in
    the above-referenced criminal action, it erroneously decided important questions of
    state and federal law that have not been, but should be, settled by this Court. TEX. R.
    APP. P. 66.3(b). The issue presented in Petitioner’s first point of error on appeal was
    not whether the erroneous exclusion of his trial counsel’s voir dire question had a
    substantial and injurious influence upon the jury’s deliberations.      Rather, it was
    whether the error precluded Petitioner’s trial counsel from ensuring that each person
    who ultimately served as a juror was legally qualified to serve vis-à-vis the
    constitutionally-mandated standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that jurors
    are required to apply in every criminal case. Any prospective juror who would convict
    someone of murder merely because he or she were convinced from the evidence that
    the defendant probably committed the offense would be legally disqualified from
    serving as a juror in a murder case.
    The question that Petitioner’s trial counsel sought to ask was intended to trigger
    genuine, soul-searching responses from the prospective jurors, asking them to imagine
    serving on a jury where the person on trial was charged with murder; to imagine that
    they had heard enough evidence that they were convinced that the defendant probably
    committed the murder but they were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that he
    8
    had done so, and then to say whether they could follow the law and acquit the person
    on trial. It was a carefully-worded, hypothetical question designed to compel each
    prospective juror to solemnly consider the State’s burden of proof and search his or
    her conscience and decide whether he or she could really follow the law and acquit
    someone charged with murder in such a circumstance. Had defense counsel been
    permitted to ask that question and elicit truthful answers from each member of the
    jury panel, he undoubtedly would have obtained valuable information that would have
    assisted him in intelligently exercising his peremptory challenges and challenges for
    cause. In stark contrast to the question that defense counsel sought to ask, the one
    that the trial court permitted him to ask was categorically different; it was purely
    conceptual and required no such soul-searching. As a result, defense counsel was
    unable to glean any such information from any member of the panel.
    This Court has previously observed that the United States Supreme Court has
    “never held that erroneously restricting proper questions during jury voir dire is
    structural error of a federal constitutional nature.” 
    Gonzales, 994 S.W.2d at 171
    .
    However, Sullivan v. Louisiana, 
    508 U.S. 275
    (1993), one of the cases cited in Gonzales
    where the Supreme Court found a structural error, involved an issue remarkably
    similar to the one presented in the case at bar. In Sullivan, the trial court had given the
    jury a definition of “reasonable doubt” that was, as the State had conceded below,
    “essentially identical to the one held unconstitutional in Cage v. Louisiana, 
    498 U.S. 39
    9
    (1990)(per curiam).” 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 277
    . According to the Supreme Court’s
    opinion in Cage, “a reasonable juror could have interpreted the instruction to allow a
    finding of guilt based on a degree of proof below that required by the Due Process Clause.”
    
    Cage, 498 U.S. at 41
    (emphasis added).
    The error committed by the trial court in the case below is categorically
    immune to a harmless error analysis because it constitutes structural error of a federal
    constitutional nature tantamount to the error committed by the trial court in Sullivan v.
    Louisiana, 
    508 U.S. 275
    (1993).4 The burden of the State to prove each and every
    element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt applies to every criminal
    case. Homan v. State, 
    662 S.W.2d 372
    , 374 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984), citing In re Winship,
    
    397 U.S. 358
    (1970). It need not be raised by any evidence; it is raised by the mere
    presentment of an indictment. It necessarily follows that the right of a defendant to
    an acquittal if the State fails to sustain its burden also applies to every criminal case.
    Consequently, conducting a harm analysis would not make sense here, where the
    question that was erroneously excluded sought to ensure that each person who
    4
    In a footnote to the Gonzales opinion, the Court of Criminal Appeals observed,
    “Structural” error as explained in Arizona v. Fulminante, is a “defect affecting the
    framework within which the trial proceeds, rather than simply an error in the trial
    process itself.” Arizona v. Fulminante, [
    499 U.S. 279
    , 309] (1991). The United States
    Supreme Court has found structural errors only in a very limited class of cases. . . .
    Sullivan v. Louisiana, [
    508 U.S. 275
    ] (1993) (erroneous reasonable-doubt instruction to
    jury).
    Gonzales v. State, 
    994 S.W.2d 170
    , at n. 4.
    10
    ultimately served as a juror was capable of applying the constitutionally-mandated
    standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, a rule involving a fundamental right
    that applies to the trial of every criminal case.
    In addressing the harm of the error in Sullivan, the Supreme Court stated that
    “[a]lthough most constitutional errors have been held amenable to harmless error
    analysis, [internal citation omitted] some will always invalidate the conviction.”
    
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 279
    . In concluding that the error committed by the trial court in
    that case fell within the latter category, the Supreme Court reasoned that there had
    been no jury verdict within the meaning of the Sixth Amendment because the verdict
    that was actually rendered was based upon an unconstitutional definition of
    “reasonable doubt.” 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 280
    . Essentially, the Supreme Court held
    that, although the jury had rendered a de facto verdict of “guilty,” it had not rendered a
    de jure verdict of “guilty” because its verdict was based upon a constitutionally-
    deficient definition of “reasonable doubt” that permitted it to convict the appellant
    upon a degree of proof that fell below what was required by the Due Process Clause.
    Having concluded that there was “no jury verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable
    doubt,” the Supreme Court concluded, “[t]here is no object, so to speak, upon which
    harmless error scrutiny can operate.” 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 280
    (italics in original).
    This case presents essentially the same issue as the one presented in Sullivan.
    Both cases involve constitutional errors relating to the standard of proof that the
    11
    State is required to meet before a jury may convict anyone accused of a criminal
    offense. The errors simply occurred at opposite stages of the proceedings. In Sullivan
    the error occurred at the conclusion of the trial, when the jury retired to deliberate
    with a constitutionally-deficient instruction of “reasonable doubt.” 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 277
    . In this case, the error occurred at the beginning of the trial, when the trial
    court prohibited defense counsel from properly examining the prospective jurors to
    ensure that each of them was qualified to follow the constitutionally-mandated
    standard of proof that would ultimately govern their deliberations. III R.R. at 142-45.
    In Sullivan, the Supreme Court concluded that the error committed by the trial
    court constituted a structural error that was not subject to a harm analysis for two
    reasons. First, the court noted that Chapman v. California, 
    386 U.S. 18
    (1967), the
    opinion wherein the court had rejected the proposition that all constitutional errors in
    the course of a criminal trial require reversal, instructed appellate courts to consider
    “not what effect the constitutional error might generally be expected to have upon a
    reasonable jury, but rather what effect it had upon the guilty verdict in the case at
    hand.” 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 279
    . Citing Rose v. Clark, 
    478 U.S. 570
    , 578 (1986), the
    court stated:
    [T]he essential connection to a “beyond a reasonable doubt” factual
    finding cannot be made where the instructional error consists of a
    misdescription of the burden of proof, which vitiates all the jury’s
    findings. A reviewing court can only engage in pure speculation — its
    view of what a reasonable jury would have done. And when it does that,
    “the wrong entity judge[s] the defendant guilty.”
    12
    
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 281
    (italics in original). Because the error in that case precluded a
    jury verdict finding the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the court
    concluded that there was no jury verdict to consider in conducting a harm analysis.
    
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 280
    .
    The Supreme Court concluded that “[a]nother mode of analysis [led] to the
    same conclusion that harmless error analysis [did] not apply” in that case. 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 281
    . The court noted that in Arizona v. Fulminante, 
    499 U.S. 279
    (1991), the
    court had distinguished between “structural defects in the constitution of the trial
    mechanism, which defy analysis by ‘harmless error’ standards,” and “trial errors which
    occur during the presentation of the case to the jury, and which may therefore be
    quantitatively assessed in the context of other evidence presented.” 
    Id. The court
    went on to observe as follows:
    Denial of the right to a jury verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt
    is certainly an error of the former sort, the jury guarantee being a “basic
    protection[n]” whose precise effects are unmeasurable, but without
    which a criminal trial cannot reliably serve its function, 
    Rose, supra
    , 478
    U.S. at 577. The right to trial by jury reflects, we have said, “a profound
    judgment about the way in which law should be enforced and justice
    administered.” Duncan v. 
    Louisiana, 391 U.S. at 155
    . The deprivation of that
    right, with consequences that are necessarily unquantifiable and indeterminate,
    unquestionably qualifies as “structural error.”
    
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 281
    –282 (emphasis added).
    Like the errors in Fulminante and Sullivan, the error in this case constitutes a
    “defect affecting the framework within which the trial proceed[ed], rather than simply
    13
    an error in the trial process itself.” 
    Fulminante, 499 U.S. at 310
    ; 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 282
    (Rehnquist, C.J., concurring).      It simply occurred at a different stage of the
    proceedings, i.e., during the constitution, rather than the instruction, of the jury. Whereas
    the trial in Sullivan presumably began with twelve jurors who had been properly
    qualified on their ability to acquit the defendant in the event that they had a
    reasonable doubt as to his guilt but ended with those same jurors being governed by a
    constitutionally-deficient definition of “reasonable doubt,” the trial in this case ended
    with the jurors being properly instructed about their duty to acquit Petitioner in the
    event that they had a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, but it began with twelve jurors
    who had not been properly qualified—at least to Petitioner’s satisfaction—on their
    ability to acquit Petitioner under such circumstances. Both errors relate to the same
    issue: the constitutionally-mandated standard of proof that the State must always
    meet before a jury may convict someone accused of a criminal offense. Both errors
    defy analysis by ‘harmless error’ standards” because their consequences “are
    necessarily unquantifiable and indeterminate.” Moreover, the risks inherent in both
    errors are identical: one or more of jurors might acquiesce in a verdict of “guilty”
    after applying a constitutionally-impermissible standard of proof.
    Considering the depth and breadth of public familiarity with the long-
    established principle of American jurisprudence forbidding the conviction of anyone
    accused of a criminal offense except upon proof beyond a reasonable doubt, it is
    14
    conceivable that all twelve jurors who convicted the appellant in Sullivan disregarded
    the constitutionally-deficient definition of “reasonable doubt” given to them by the
    trial court and applied the correct standard of proof instead. However, because it
    found the consequences of such an error to be “necessarily unquantifiable and
    indeterminate,” the Supreme Court concluded that it had no way of assuring itself
    that none of the jurors reached his or her verdict based upon the constitutionally-
    deficient definition. 
    Sullivan, 508 U.S. at 281
    –282. Consequently, the court held that
    such an error is structural, requiring automatic reversal. 
    Id. The same
    can be said of the error committed in the case below. While it is
    conceivable that all twelve jurors who convicted Petitioner were willing and able to
    acquit him in the event that they had a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, the court of
    appeals had no way of assuring itself of that fact because the trial court prohibited
    defense counsel from asking them, before they were empaneled, if they could follow
    the law and acquit Petitioner in the event that they were convinced that he probably
    committed the offense charged but they were not convinced of his guilt beyond a
    reasonable doubt. Like the error considered in Sullivan, the consequences of the trial
    court’s error in this case are “necessarily unquantifiable and indeterminate.” The
    possibility that even one person who served on the jury that convicted Petitioner was
    unwilling, unable, or indisposed to follow the law and acquit him in the event that
    such person was convinced that he probably committed the offense charged but was
    15
    not convinced of his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt invalidates the verdict that was
    eventually rendered. See Morgan v. Illinois, 
    504 U.S. 719
    , 729 (1992).
    If even one such person served on the jury that convicted Petitioner, it would
    taint Petitioner’s conviction just as the erroneous definition of “reasonable doubt”
    given to the jury in Sullivan v. Louisiana, 
    508 U.S. 275
    (1993), tainted the conviction
    rendered therein. It would mean that the verdict that was rendered did not constitute
    a unanimous verdict of “guilty beyond a reasonable doubt” because at least one
    member of the jury acquiesced in the verdict without being governed by the only
    constitutionally-acceptable standard of proof for a criminal case: proof beyond a
    reasonable doubt. See Sullivan v. 
    Louisiana, 508 U.S. at 280
    ; Morgan v. 
    Illinois, 504 U.S. at 729
    . For the foregoing reasons, this Court should grant this petition for discretionary
    review, reverse the judgment of the court of appeals, and remand the case for a new
    trial.
    PRAYER
    WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, the Petitioner respectfully prays
    that this Court grant his petition for discretionary review and, upon reviewing the
    decision of the court of appeals, reverse the judgment of the court of appeals
    affirming the judgment rendered by the trial court in the above-referenced criminal
    action, and remand the case for a new trial.
    16
    Respectfully submitted,
    ______________________________
    RICHARD D. REED
    316 W. 12th Street, Suite 313
    Austin, Texas 78701-1820
    512-322-9443
    rick.reed@maverickcounsel.com
    State Bar No. 16686100
    LEAD COUNSEL FOR PETITIONER
    CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
    I hereby certify that on this, the fourteenth, day of May, A.D. 2015, I personally
    served a copy of the above-and-foregoing Petition for Discretionary Review upon
    Rosemary Lehmberg, District Attorney of Travis County, Texas, whose address is 509
    West 11th Street, Suite 1.100, Austin, Texas 78701-2103, by electronically delivering a
    copy     of    the     said    petition    to    the     following     email    address:
    appellatetcda@traviscountytx.gov.
    I further certify that on this, the fourteenth, day of May, A.D. 2015, I
    personally served a copy of the above-and-foregoing Petition for Discretionary
    Review upon Lisa C. McMinn, State Prosecuting Attorney, whose address is 209 West
    14th Street, Austin, Texas 78701-1614, by electronically delivering a copy of the said
    petition to the following email address: lisa.mcminn@spa.texas.gov.
    ______________________________
    Richard D. Reed
    17
    CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE
    Pursuant to Rule 9.4(i)(3), Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, I hereby certify
    that the above-and-foregoing Petition for Discretionary Review contains a total of
    2,305 words exclusive of the caption, identity of judge, parties, and counsel, statement
    regarding oral argument, table of contents, index of authorities, statement of the case,
    statement of issues presented, statement of jurisdiction, statement of procedural
    history, signature, proof of service, certification, certificate of compliance, and
    appendix.
    ______________________________
    Richard D. Reed
    18
    TEXAS COURT OF APPEALS, THIRD DISTRICT, AT AUSTIN
    NO. 03-12-00620-CR
    Henry Gonzales, Jr., Appellant
    v.
    The State of Texas, Appellee
    FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF TRAVIS COUNTY, 299TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
    NO. D-1-DC-12-904023, HONORABLE KAREN R. SAGE, JUDGE PRESIDING
    MEMORANDUM OPINION
    Appellant was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He appeals
    his conviction in seven points. We will affirm the trial court’s judgment.
    FACTUAL BACKGROUND
    Appellant was charged with murder after Mary Rivas was found deceased on the
    porch of her boyfriend’s home. At trial, the medical examiner testified that Rivas had been killed
    in an assault by intentionally inflicted stab wounds. Rivas’s boyfriend, Ruben Gonzales (appellant’s
    brother), testified that he had been staying at the hospital during the time frame in question and that
    Rivas had called him at the hospital from his home phone the night before her body was found.
    Ruben testified that during the phone call, he could hear appellant’s voice in the background,
    demanding to talk to him. He further testified that at one point during the phone call he heard Rivas
    say “mother fu—,” but that before she finished the curse word, the call was abruptly disconnected.
    Ruben testified that this was the last contact he had with his girlfriend before his daughter found
    Rivas’s deceased bloody body on the porch the following day. No other witnesses testified to the
    events of that evening.
    Appellant did not testify at trial, but in a video recording that was shown to the jury,
    he admitted to police detectives during a custodial interrogation that he had been drinking and
    smoking crack at Ruben’s house with Rivas on the night in question and that, although he did not
    remember stabbing her, he did remember standing over her bloody body at some point after he and
    the deceased had an argument. Evidence showed that appellant sustained two cuts on the fingers of
    his left hand during the evening in question and that drops of his blood were found throughout the
    living room and kitchen of Ruben’s house as well as progressing along several blocks of sidewalk
    and ceasing at a water faucet outside a gas station. A bloody six-inch knife was found behind a
    dumpster near the gas station, and DNA testing confirmed that the blood on the knife belonged to
    both the deceased and appellant.
    DISCUSSION
    Appellant’s first issue asserts that the trial court erred in prohibiting defense counsel
    from asking the following question during voir dire: “You’re convinced that it is more likely than
    not that [the defendant] did commit the murder, but you are not convinced beyond a reasonable
    doubt. If you found yourself in that situation, could you follow the law and acquit the person on
    trial?” The State objected that this was an improper commitment question, to which the trial court
    responded that it would allow proper questions such as, “Will you hold the State to its standard of
    beyond a reasonable doubt?” and “Do you have a problem with that standard in that circumstance?”
    2
    Appellant explained that the question he sought to ask was “Whether [the venire] can follow the law
    and acquit if they are not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of this man’s guilt?” Appellant then
    inquired whether the trial court was instructing him that he was not permitted to ask that question,
    to which the trial court replied, “Yes.” Defense counsel then asked a rephrased question about
    reasonable doubt, to which the State did not object.
    Both the State and appellant agree that appellant sought to ask a commitment
    question, and we concur. See Standefer v. State, 
    59 S.W.3d 177
    , 180 (Tex. Crim. App. 2001)
    (commitment question binds prospective juror to verdict or asks prospective juror to refrain from
    resolving issue, based on one or more facts contained in question). The point of contention is
    whether the commitment question was proper. 
    Id. at 181-82.
    We conclude that the question was
    proper because it sought to determine whether the venire members could follow the law by
    committing to an acquittal if they were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of appellant’s
    guilt and because it did not include any additional facts beyond those required for this legal
    requirement. See id.; Caton v. State, 
    66 Tex. Crim. 473
    , 475 (1912) (holding as proper questions
    substantively same as question here); see also Fuller v. State, 
    363 S.W.3d 583
    , 588 n.28 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 2012) (prospective juror would be challengeable for cause if she equated proof beyond
    reasonable doubt with preponderance of evidence or clear and convincing evidence). Accordingly,
    the trial court abused its discretion in prohibiting defense counsel from asking the question. See
    Barajas v. State, 
    93 S.W.3d 36
    , 38 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002); Howard v. State, 
    941 S.W.2d 102
    , 108
    (Tex. Crim. App. 1996). Having determined that the trial court erred, we must conduct a harm
    analysis. See Tex. R. App. P. 44.2.
    3
    While defense counsel was prohibited from phrasing his preferred query in one
    particular way, he was not entirely precluded from discussing and explaining the beyond-a-
    reasonable-doubt standard. Therefore, we will review the harm under the non-constitutional-harm
    analysis, as the limitation that the trial court placed on defense counsel’s preferred voir dire was not
    “so substantial” as to rise to the level of constitutional error. Easley v. State, 
    424 S.W.3d 535
    , 541-
    42 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (where defense counsel was not foreclosed from explaining concept of
    “beyond a reasonable doubt,” error was non-constitutional); Woods v. State, 
    152 S.W.3d 105
    , 109
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2004) (denial of proper question in voir dire assessed as non-constitutional error).
    Accordingly, we will consider whether appellant’s substantial rights were affected thereby and
    disregard the error if they were not. Tex. R. App. P. 44.2(b); Johnson v. State, 
    43 S.W.3d 1
    , 4 (Tex.
    Crim. App. 2001) (substantial right is affected when error has substantial and injurious effect or
    influence in determining jury’s verdict).
    Besides the fact that appellant was allowed to elicit the same general information as
    that likely to be gleaned from his preferred question, the jury was instructed in the charge that “[t]he
    prosecution has the burden of proving the defendant guilty and it must do so by proving each and
    every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt and if it fails to do so, you must
    acquit the defendant” and that “[i]n the event you have a reasonable doubt as to the defendant’s guilt
    after considering all the evidence before you, and these instructions, you will acquit the defendant.”
    This charge properly instructed the jury on the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt and
    the circumstances under which they must acquit appellant. Furthermore, this instruction contained
    substantively the same information as that included in appellant’s preferred voir-dire question.
    4
    Absent evidence to the contrary, which we do not have, we presume the jury followed the trial
    court’s instructions. Hutch v. State, 
    922 S.W.2d 166
    , 172 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996). On this record
    and in light of this presumption, we conclude that the voir-dire error did not have a substantial and
    injurious influence on the jury’s verdict because the jury was charged with the very same duty
    appellant earlier sought to address in voir dire.
    Additionally, the evidence of guilt was overwhelming, considering the physical and
    DNA evidence; the testimony of Ruben, the medical examiner, and the detectives; and appellant’s
    own statements during his custodial interview. In light of the evidence, the voir-dire error would
    have had little, if any, influence on the jury’s deliberations.
    Finally, we note that in closing argument, defense counsel revisited the State’s burden
    of proof and his preferred presentation of that topic by submitting to the jury that the State had
    “proven that [the defendant] probably did kill [the deceased], but [it] didn’t prove beyond a
    reasonable doubt that he did.” (Emphasis added.) Furthermore, the jury charge specifically ordered
    the jury that its verdict must be unanimous and must reflect the individual verdict of each juror rather
    than a “mere acquiescence in the conclusion of the other jurors.” When viewed in context of the
    overwhelming evidence of appellant’s guilt, the trial court’s jury instructions, and appellant’s ability
    to generally pursue the issue of reasonable doubt during voir dire, we conclude that the trial court’s
    error in prohibiting defense counsel from asking his one preferred voir-dire question did not have
    a substantial and injurious influence in determining the jury’s verdict. Accordingly, we overrule
    appellant’s first issue.
    5
    We next address appellant’s complaint that the trial court erred in denying his
    request for a self-defense instruction in the jury charge.1 See Ferrel v. State, 
    55 S.W.3d 586
    , 591
    (Tex. Crim. App. 2001) (defendant is entitled to instruction on self-defense if issue is raised by
    evidence). The State responds, as it did at trial, that there was no evidence on the essential element
    of the offense requiring that the victim be the first aggressor.2 See Tex. Penal Code §§ 9.31, .32.
    Based on our review of the record, we agree.
    The only evidence to which appellant points as allegedly raising the defense is
    (1) two cuts he sustained on the fingers of his left hand during the time of the offense and (2) an
    argument he allegedly had with the victim.3 Although appellant argues on appeal that the cuts
    were defensive wounds, sustained in response to the victim’s first aggressive act towards him with
    the knife that caused her death, there is nothing in the record to support such an inference. As the
    trial court correctly concluded, the cuts on appellant’s hand, without more, were insufficient as a
    matter of law to raise the element of self-defense requiring the victim to have been the first
    aggressor. See Shaw v. State, 
    243 S.W.3d 647
    , 657-58 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007) (“raised by the
    1
    This is appellant’s sixth issue, but for the sake of brevity, we address his points out of
    order. See Tex. R. App. P. 47.1, 47.4.
    2
    The State also argues that appellant did not admit the underlying acts, another requirement
    for a self-defense instruction. See VanBrackle v. State, 
    179 S.W.3d 708
    , 715 (Tex. App.—Austin
    2005, no pet.). We need not reach this argument because of our determination of the self-defense
    issue on the basis of first aggression.
    3
    As appellant did not testify at trial, evidence of the argument to which he refers arose only
    in the context of his statements to police officers during the videotaped custodial interrogation after
    his arrest. It is not a requirement that a defendant testify to raise the issue of self-defense, but there
    must nonetheless be evidence that he believed himself to be in danger and of an attack or apparent
    attack by the victim. Smith v. State, 
    676 S.W.2d 584
    , 585 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984).
    6
    evidence” means there is some evidence on each element of defense that, if believed by jury,
    would support rational inference that element is true). The argument appellant allegedly had with
    the victim is also insufficient, without more, to raise the defense, as an argument does not equate
    with an act or attempted act of violence.
    Appellant’s contention that he acted in self-defense against the victim’s initial
    aggression relies on mere speculation rather than reasonable inferences that the jury could have
    made from the admitted evidence. See Hooper v. State, 
    214 S.W.3d 9
    , 15-16 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2007) (“Speculation . . . about the possible meaning of facts and evidence . . . is not sufficiently
    based on facts or evidence to support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt.”). The trial court did not
    err in ruling that the evidence did not raise the issue of self-defense and in not giving an instruction
    accordingly. See 
    Shaw, 243 S.W.3d at 657-58
    . We overrule appellant’s sixth issue.
    Appellant’s fourth issue asserts that the trial court erred in excluding evidence
    of the victim’s criminal history allegedly demonstrating her character for violence, specifically
    evidence that she had previously threatened an Austin peace officer with a knife when he arrested
    her for prostitution and for which she was convicted of assault eleven years prior to her murder.
    However, while evidence of a pertinent character trait of the victim of a crime offered by the
    defendant is admissible, such evidence must generally be in the form of opinion or reputation
    testimony. See Tex. R. Evid. 404(a)(2); Ex parte Miller, 
    330 S.W.3d 610
    , 619 (Tex. Crim. App.
    2009); Torres v. State, 
    71 S.W.3d 758
    , 760 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002). Evidence of other crimes,
    wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of the victim to show action in conformity
    therewith. Tex. R. Evid. 404(b).
    7
    Specific acts of violence may be admissible to show that the victim was the first
    aggressor but only to the extent that the acts are relevant apart from showing action in conformity
    with such character, for instance to prove the victim’s specific intent, motive, or state of mind with
    respect to the offense for which the defendant is being tried. 
    Torres, 71 S.W.3d at 760
    . However,
    in the context of a defendant’s intent to prove that the deceased was the first aggressor, in order to
    introduce evidence of a specific, violent act, there must first be some evidence of a violent or
    aggressive act by the deceased that tends to raise the issue of self-defense and that the specific act
    may explain. 
    Id. at 761;
    see also Torres v. State, 
    117 S.W.3d 891
    , 895 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003)
    (before defendant may introduce evidence of prior specific act that tends to explain decedent’s later
    conduct, there must be some evidence of aggression by deceased during events that gave rise to
    criminal charges in case).
    Thus, for the victim’s criminal history to have been admissible in this case, there must
    have first been some evidence of her aggression that raised the issue of self-defense. As already
    discussed, there was not. Therefore, evidence of the victim’s criminal history was not admissible,
    and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding it. See Tienda v. State, 
    358 S.W.3d 633
    ,
    638 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (trial court’s ruling on evidentiary matter is reviewed for abuse of
    discretion, which does not occur if ruling is within zone of reasonable disagreement). We overrule
    appellant’s fourth issue.
    In his fifth issue, appellant argues that the trial court abused its discretion in
    denying his motion for continuance so that he could procure the attendance of an allegedly material
    witness—the peace officer whom the deceased had threatened with a knife eleven years prior. See
    8
    Renteria v. State, 
    206 S.W.3d 689
    , 699 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006) (granting or denying continuance
    is within sound discretion of trial court); see also Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 29.13 (trial court
    may grant continuance “when it is made to appear to the satisfaction of the court that by some
    unexpected occurrence since the trial began, which no reasonable diligence could have anticipated,
    the applicant is so taken by surprise that a fair trial cannot be had”).
    After reviewing the entire record, we conclude that appellant has not demonstrated
    that he was actually prejudiced by the trial court’s denial of his motion for continuance. See Gallo v.
    State, 
    239 S.W.3d 757
    , 764 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). As already discussed, the peace officer’s
    testimony about the assault committed by the victim would not have been admissible. Additionally,
    in his motion for new trial, appellant did not raise the issue of the trial court’s denial of his motion
    for continuance and offered no affidavit from the peace officer indicating what his testimony would
    have been. See Tex. R. App. P. 21.2 (motion for new trial is prerequisite for issue on appeal when
    necessary to adduce facts not in record); Flores v. State, 
    18 S.W.3d 796
    , 798 (Tex. App.—Austin
    2000, no pet.) (motion for new trial alleging facts outside record without supporting affidavits
    is fatally defective). A motion for new trial is ordinarily the means by which to make a showing
    of prejudice, Gonzales v. State, 
    304 S.W.3d 838
    , 843 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010), and even if the
    peace officer’s testimony would have been admissible, appellant made no showing as to what the
    additional evidence would have demonstrated from which we could evaluate whether he was
    prejudiced. We overrule appellant’s fifth issue.
    Appellant’s second issue complains that his rights to due process and to counsel
    were violated by virtue of the State’s alleged withholding of exculpatory evidence prior to trial. See
    9
    Brady v. Maryland, 
    373 U.S. 83
    , 87 (1963). Specifically, appellant complains that the State withheld
    evidence of the deceased’s criminal record, not disclosing it until the penultimate day of trial, despite
    his prior requests for exculpatory evidence and despite the court’s granting of his motion for
    disclosure of exculpatory evidence. However, to find reversible error under Brady, the appellant
    must show that the evidence central to the Brady claim would have been admissible, besides making
    other required showings; the State does not have a duty to disclose material evidence favorable to
    the defense if it would be inadmissible. See Pena v. State, 
    353 S.W.3d 797
    , 809, 814 (Tex. Crim.
    App. 2011). Because, as discussed above, the evidence of the victim’s prior criminal acts was not
    admissible, there was no reversible Brady error.4 Accordingly, we overrule appellant’s second issue.
    In his third issue, appellant argues that the trial court erred in denying his request
    for a limiting instruction regarding out-of-court statements made by two homicide detectives during
    their custodial interrogation of him. At trial, appellant objected on the basis of hearsay to all of the
    declaratory statements made by the detectives and published to the jury in the form of the video
    recording of his interrogation.5 Appellant argues that the detectives’ statements were inadmissible
    hearsay, and to the extent that they were admissible for a purpose other than the truth of the matters
    asserted, the trial court was required to instruct the jury about the limited scope of the evidence due
    4
    Because the issue of the inadmissibility of the victim’s criminal record is dispositive, we
    do not reach appellant’s additional allegation that the State in fact withheld the evidence.
    5
    Representative of the objected-to statements was the following, made by Detective White:
    I mean, I mean when y’all were fighting, when, when you and [the
    deceased] were having the argument, and get—and when, when
    things were starting to get heated. You said that you were hitting it
    [i.e., smoking the crack pipe] and you went—you lost control and
    then the next thing you knew you were standing over her.
    10
    to his request for such instruction. See Tex. R. Evid. 105(a) (when evidence that is admissible as
    to one party or for one purpose but not admissible as to another party or for another purpose is
    admitted, court shall restrict evidence to proper scope and instruct jury accordingly), 802 (hearsay
    is not admissible except as provided by statute or rules).
    The record reflects that twice the State represented to the trial court that it was
    offering the challenged evidence for the truth of the matters asserted. We conclude that the detectives’
    videotaped statements were inadmissible as hearsay unless an exception applied. See 
    id. R. 801
    (hearsay is statement, other than one made by declarant while testifying at trial, offered to prove truth
    of matter asserted), 802 (hearsay is not admissible except as provided by statute or rules). Neither
    at trial nor on appeal has the State identified any applicable hearsay exception. Accordingly, we hold
    that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting the detectives’ statements for all purposes,
    including for the truth of the matters asserted to by the detectives, instead of admitting them with an
    appropriate limiting instruction as appellant requested. See 
    id. R. 105(a).
    Having determined that the trial court erred in failing to give a limiting instruction,
    we must consider whether appellant’s substantial rights were affected. Jones v. State, 
    119 S.W.3d 412
    ,
    424-25 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2003, no pet.) (failure to give limiting instruction is non-constitutional
    error); see also Tex. R. App. P. 44.2(b) (review of non-constitutional errors); Jones v. State,
    
    944 S.W.2d 642
    , 653 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996) (court’s failure to give rule 105(a) limiting instruction
    is reviewed for harmless error).
    Having examined the record as a whole, we have fair assurance that this error did
    not influence the jury or had but a slight effect. See Routier v. State, 
    112 S.W.3d 554
    , 577 (Tex.
    11
    Crim. App. 2003); see also Motilla v. State, 
    78 S.W.3d 352
    , 355-56 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002) (in
    determining whether substantial rights were affected, appellate court should consider testimony and
    physical evidence, nature of evidence, character of alleged error, and overwhelming evidence of
    guilt). Most of the detectives’ statements were paraphrases of appellant’s own properly admitted
    statements that he made during the custodial interview and therefore were cumulative of that
    evidence. Furthermore, the statements would likely have been understood by a reasonable juror to
    have been relevant for a purpose other than for their truth (as the detectives did not witness the
    murder), such as to glean information from appellant as an investigative technique. The remaining
    statements by the detectives were paraphrases of statements allegedly made by Ruben during
    Detective White’s interview with him at the hospital and were cumulative of facts contained in
    Ruben’s trial testimony and in phone records admitted at trial. Also, both detectives and Ruben
    were available for cross-examination at trial.
    Moreover, as already discussed, there was overwhelming evidence of appellant’s guilt
    in the form of DNA and physical evidence, including the bloody knife containing appellant’s and
    the victim’s DNA and evidence that appellant was with the deceased at the time of the offense. After
    examining the entire record, we conclude that appellant’s substantial rights were not affected by the
    trial court’s error in failing to give the jury a limiting instruction about the detectives’ videotaped
    statements, and we accordingly overrule his third issue.
    Finally, appellant’s seventh issue asserts that the trial court made multiple errors
    throughout the trial proceedings that, viewed together, cumulatively resulted in depriving him
    of a fair trial. Although a number of errors may be found harmful in their cumulative effect,
    12
    Chamberlain v. State, 
    998 S.W.2d 230
    , 238 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999), the “cumulative error doctrine
    provides relief only when constitutional errors so ‘fatally infect the trial’ that they violated the trial’s
    fundamental fairness,’” United States v. Bell, 
    367 F.3d 452
    , 471 (5th Cir. 2004).
    Besides the six issues already addressed, appellant cites an additional nineteen
    alleged errors within this seventh issue. We have previously cautioned parties bringing cumulative-
    harm claims to brief each alleged error separately before discussing their cumulative effect,
    with appropriate citations to the record and relevant legal authority; otherwise, the party runs the
    risk of having the claim dismissed as multifarious. Walls v. State, No. 03-12-00055-CR, 
    2014 WL 1208017
    , at *5 n.2 (Tex. App.—Austin Mar. 20, 2014, no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for
    publication); see also Davis v. State, 
    329 S.W.3d 798
    , 803 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010) (concluding that
    single point of error asserting constitutional and statutory claims was multifarious). However, we
    regard appellant’s true issue here to be that the trial court exhibited an improper bias or prejudice
    against him, depriving him of a fair trial, rather than that the cumulative effect of these multiple
    alleged “errors” sufficiently raised the harm level to one warranting a reversal. See Bracy v. Gramley,
    
    520 U.S. 899
    , 904-05 (1997). Therefore, we consider whether the trial court’s conduct, as reflected
    in the record as a whole, rises to a level displaying “deep-seated favoritism or antagonism.” See
    Liteky v. United States, 
    510 U.S. 540
    , 554 (1994) (judicial remarks during course of trial that are
    critical, disapproving, or even hostile to counsel, parties, or their cases, ordinarily do not support bias
    or partiality challenge). Having viewed the record in its entirety, we conclude that the trial court’s
    conduct—in the form of appellant’s cited twenty-plus “errors” and the trial court’s verbal remarks
    made throughout trial—do not rise to such a level. Accordingly, we overrule appellant’s seventh issue.
    13
    CONCLUSION
    For the foregoing reasons, we overrule each of appellant’s issues and affirm the
    trial court’s judgment.
    _____________________________________________
    Scott K. Field, Justice
    Before Justices Puryear, Goodwin, and Field
    Affirmed
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Do Not Publish
    14