Ex Parte Knipp

Decision Date03 October 2007
Docket NumberNo. AP-75624.,AP-75624.
PartiesEx Parte Kenneth Everett KNIPP, Applicant.
CourtTexas Court of Criminal Appeals

Kenneth Everett Knipp, pro se.

Gail Kikawa McConnell, Assistant District Atty., Conroe, Matthew Paul, State's Atty., Austin, for State.

OPINION

HERVEY, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court.

In this case, applicant raises a meritorious double-jeopardy claim in a subsequent application for a writ of habeas corpus filed pursuant to Article 11.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.1 We will grant habeas corpus relief.

The meritorious double-jeopardy claim presented in applicant's subsequent writ is that applicant was twice convicted for the same delivery of a controlled substance. We adopt the following supported-by-the-record statement of facts from the State's answer to applicant's subsequent writ:

Applicant, Kenneth Everett Knipp, was indicted in Cause No. 03-12-08654-CR in a three-count indictment for the offenses of delivery of methamphetamine, in an amount of one gram or more but less than four grams by aggregate weight, including adulterants and/or dilutants, alleged to have occurred on or about September 5, 12, and 25, 2003. Applicant was also indicted in this cause, Cause No. 04-10-08609-CR, for the offense of delivery of methamphetamine, in an aggregate [sic] of four grams or more but less than 200 grams by aggregate weight, including adulterants and/or dilutants, alleged to have occurred on or about September 12, 2003. Pursuant to a plea agreement in both causes, Applicant pleaded guilty. On April 15, 2005, in accordance with the plea agreements, the trial court found Applicant guilty as charged in each indictment and sentenced him to ten years imprisonment, probated for five years, in all three counts in Cause No. 03-12-08654-CR, and in this cause [Cause No. 04-10-08609-CR].

On September 20, 2005, the State filed a motion to revoke community supervision in all cases. On October 11, 2005, Applicant was indicted in Cause No. 05-10-08941-CR for the offense of possession of methamphetamine, in an amount of one gram or more but less than four grams, including adulterants and/or dilutants, alleged to have occurred on or about September 5, 2005. Pursuant to plea agreements, the State moved to dismiss Cause No. 05-10-08941-CR, and Applicant pleaded true to the allegations in the State's motions to revoke. On May 11, 2006, in accordance with the plea agreements, the trial court found true the allegations in the State's motions to revoke, dismissed Cause No. 05-10-08941-CR, revoked Applicant's community supervision in all cases in both Cause No. 03-12-08654-CR and this cause [Cause No. 04-10-08609-CR], and reformed the sentences to five years imprisonment.[2]

(Emphasis supplied).

The indictment in this case, therefore, alleges that applicant delivered between 4 and 200 grams of methamphetamine on or about "September 12, 2003." However, the trial court's original judgment in this case erroneously reflects that applicant committed this offense on "September 12, 2004." On June 26, 2006, applicant filed his initial writ, which, among other things, alleged that his counsel was ineffective for not asserting his actual innocence of this offense on the basis that applicant was incarcerated on September 12, 2004, and, therefore, could not have committed the offense on that date. On July 24, 2006, the convicting court filed a nunc pro tunc judgment reflecting that the offense in this case was committed on September 12, 2003. This Court denied relief on applicant's initial writ on August 9, 2006. Ex parte Knipp, WR-65, 381-01.

On December 12, 2006, applicant filed this subsequent writ asserting that the offense for which he was convicted in this case (i.e., delivering between 4 and 200 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 12, 2003, as reflected by the nunc pro tunc judgment) is actually the same offense alleged in count 2 of the indictment in cause number 03-12-08654-CR (i.e., delivering between 1 and 4 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 12, 2003). In its answer to applicant's subsequent writ, the State agrees and confirms that further investigation after the filing of applicant's subsequent writ reveals that:

Applicant made only one delivery to Detective Likens on September 12, 2003, at about 4:30 p.m., in the Academy parking lot, North Loop 336, Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas. [Exhibit E, being the affidavit of DEA agent Kirk Ervin] The lab report in this case reflected a gross weight of 24.7 grams, which included the heat sealed plastic bag used to transport and store the methamphetamine. [Ex E] The methamphetamine delivered by Applicant weighed 1.1 grams, which is approximately the 1.4 gram weight reflected in the report of Conroe Police Detective David Womack. [Ex E]

Exhibit E to the State's response to applicant's subsequent writ is an affidavit from DEA agent Kirk Ervin, dated January 11, 2007, stating:

I have reviewed the files of the agency relating to the drug purchase made by Detective Don Likens on September 12, 2003, at about 4:30 p.m., from the applicant, Kenneth Knipp, in the Academy parking lot, North Loop 336, Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas. Only one buy was made from Mr. Knipp on that day at that time and place. The DEA laboratory determined that the substance containing the methamphetamine purchased from Mr. Knipp, weighed 1.1 grams. The lab report in this case reflects a Gross Weight of 24.7 grams. The difference in the weight of the methamphetamine substance and the gross weight is the packaging material-a heat sealed plastic bag, used to contain the methamphetamine for transport to the laboratory and storage.

The laboratory weight of the methamphetamine substance approximates the 1.4 gram weight reflected in the report of Conroe Police Detective David Womack in this case.

In its answer to applicant's subsequent writ, the State further asserts that it erroneously believed that applicant committed two deliveries on September 12, 2003, which apparently explains the two indictments alleging two separate deliveries on or about that date:

The State apparently mistook the gross weight in the DEA lab report as being the weight of methamphetamine delivered in some other delivery than that reported by Det. Womack, which was indicted as Count 2 in Cause No. 03-12-08654-CR, and again indicted Applicant [sic] in this cause. There is no legitimate state interest in enforcing any procedural default in this case.[3] Because Applicant was twice convicted and sentenced for the same delivery, Applicant is entitled to habeas corpus relief in this cause.

We, therefore, understand the record in this case to reflect that count 2 of the indictment in cause number 03-12-08654-CR alleged that applicant delivered between 1 and 4 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 12, 2003. The indictment in this case (cause number 04-10-08609-CR) alleged that applicant delivered between 4 and 200 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 12, 2003. Applicant was convicted in the other case (count 2 of the indictment in cause number 03-12-08654-CR) of delivering between 1 and 4 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 12, 2003. Applicant was also convicted in this case (cause number 04-10-08609-CR) of delivering between 4 and 200 grams of methamphetamine on or about September 12, 2003. The record further...

To continue reading

Request your trial
34 cases
  • Ex parte Marascio
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • 7 Octubre 2015
    ...be remedied in a habeas proceeding or was procedurally defaulted because no objection was raised in the trial court.22Following GonzalezandKnipp,we held that an applicant's double jeopardy claim may be reviewed on collateral attack, under an exception to the procedural bar, if two condition......
  • Ex parte Denton
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • 22 Mayo 2013
    ...further proceedings for the purpose of introducing additional evidence in support of the double-jeopardy claim. Ex parte Knipp, 236 S.W.3d 214, 216, n. 3 (Tex.Crim.App.2007); Gonzalez v. State, 8 S.W.3d at 643. In this case, there is no need for such expansion of the record because the writ......
  • Isreal v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • 8 Agosto 2018
    ...purpose of introducing additional evidence in support of the double jeopardy claim. Denton, 399 S.W.3d at 544; Ex parte Knipp, 236 S.W.3d 214, 216, n.3 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). In this case, there is no need for expansion of the record because the record contains all of the information neede......
  • Isreal v. State, 03-17-00296-CR
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • 26 Octubre 2018
    ...purpose of introducing additional evidence in support of the double jeopardy claim. Denton, 399 S.W.3d at 544; Ex parte Knipp, 236 S.W.3d 214, 216, n.3 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). In this case, there is no need for expansion of the record because the record contains all of the information neede......
  • Request a trial to view additional results

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT