Aven v. State

Decision Date12 May 1915
Docket Number(No. 3544.)
Citation177 S.W. 82
PartiesAVEN v. STATE.
CourtTexas Court of Criminal Appeals

Appeal from District Court, Goliad County; John M. Green, Judge.

A. M. Aven was convicted of crime, and appeals. Affirmed.

Dupree & Pool, of Victoria, for appellant. C. C. McDonald, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.

PRENDERGAST, P. J.

Appellant was convicted of accomplice to arson, and assessed the lowest punishment. The evidence is amply sufficient to sustain the verdict. The indictment is in the usual form, and avers that Mal Reeves was the principal, and set fire to and burned a certain house, and that the appellant was an accomplice.

In the trial of an accomplice the statute requires that the evidence must be such as would have convicted the principal. In other words, the evidence must show the guilt of the principal. P. C. art. 89. All the authorities hold that any competent evidence to show the guilt of the principal is admissible, the same as if the principal was on trial. There are many decisions down to this date to that effect, and the decisions are uniform. We cite only a few of them. Simms v. State, 10 Tex. App. 131; Crook v. State, 27 Tex. App. 198, 11 S. W. 444; Arnold v. State, 9 Tex. App. 435; Poston v. State, 12 Tex. App. 408.

The record shows that said principal had been convicted some time before the trial of appellant, and that in his case he testified, admitting that he had set fire to the house, and showing his guilt as principal. The state, over appellant's objections, introduced the whole of said principal's testimony on his trial in the trial of this case. Appellant objected to the whole of that evidence. Unquestionably part of it was admissible. It may be that part of it which would tend to show that appellant himself was an accomplice was inadmissible, if the proper objections had been made thereto, but no such objections were made. The rule on that subject is well established in this state, to the effect that, where objections are interposed to the whole of certain testimony, a part of which is admissible and a part of which is not admissible, the action of the court in overruling such objections does not present error. Ortiz v. State, 68 Tex. Cr. R. 525, 151 S. W. 1056; Pinkerton v. State, 71 Tex. Cr. R. 203, 160 S. W. 87, and authorities therein cited.

Appellant's contention in the lower court and in this is that said testimony was inadmissible on the theory that the confession of a...

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8 cases
  • Newchurch v. State, 19707.
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • May 11, 1938
    ...the statement that tends to show a threat. Hence, under the rule announced in the following cases, no error is shown. See Aven v. State, 77 Tex.Cr.R. 37, 177 S.W. 82; McKinney v. State, 80 Tex.Cr.R. 31, 187 S.W. 960; Davis v. State, 83 Tex.Cr.R. 539, 204 S.W. Bills of exceptions Nos. 4 and ......
  • Tucker v. State, 43226
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • November 25, 1970
    ...of appellant, and in our opinion said judgment of conviction was admissible in evidence against said Singleton.' In Aven v. State, 77 Tex.Cr.R. 37, 177 S.W. 82, where Aven was tried as an accomplice to arson, the Court 'The record shows that said principal had been convicted some time befor......
  • Powell v. State, 19319.
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • February 16, 1938
    ...196 S.W. 851; Martin v. State, 80 Tex.Cr.R. 199, 201, 189 S.W. 264; Davis v. State, 83 Tex.Cr.R. 539, 545, 204 S.W. 652; Aven v. State, 77 Tex.Cr. R. 37, 177 S.W. 82; McKinney v. State, 80 Tex.Cr.R. 31, 35, 187 S.W. 960. Moreover, the record discloses that appellant elicited similar testimo......
  • Maynard v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • March 29, 1950
    ...Bill of Exception No. 10, complaining of such evidence as a whole, presents no error. See Branch's P.C., Sec. 211; Aven v. State, 77 Tex.Cr.R. 37, 177 S.W. 82; and Phillips v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 216 S.W.2d 213, Appellant's bill complaining of the overruling of his motion for serverance is ......
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