Jaubert v State
| Decision Date | 31 October 2000 |
| Docket Number | No. 10-99-094-CR,No. 10-99-092-CR,No. 10-99-093-CR,No. 10-99-090-CR,No. 10-99-091-CR,10-99-090-CR,10-99-091-CR,10-99-092-CR,10-99-093-CR,10-99-094-CR |
| Citation | 74 S.W.3d 1 |
| Parties | JAMES HARMON JAUBERT, JR., AKA JAMES HARMON, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS, AppelleeIN THE TENTH COURT OF APPEALS Opinion delivered and filed |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Tenth Circuit |
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee No. 10-99-090-CR No. 10-99-091-CR No. 10-99-092-CR No. 10-99-093-CR No. 10-99-094-CR IN THE TENTH COURT OF APPEALS Opinion delivered and filed October 31, 2000
From the 372nd District Court Tarrant County, Texas Trial Court No. 0548270D Trial Court No. 0594393A Trial Court No. 0594394A Trial Court No. 0594396A Trial Court No. 0594398A
Before Chief Justice Davis, Justice Vance, and Justice Gray (Justice Gray dissenting)
OPINION ON PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW
James Jaubert, Jr. pled guilty to one count of murder and four counts of attempted murder. He elected to have the jury assess punishment. After the punishment hearing, Jaubert was sentenced to sixty years for the murder charge, twenty years for one attempted murder charge, and ten years for each additional attempted murder charge. He appeals, asserting only that trial counsel was ineffective in failing to request that the State give notice of its intent to offer evidence of extraneous offenses or bad acts. We will reverse the judgment and order a new punishment hearing.
On March 15, 2000, we issued an opinion affirming Jaubert's conviction. His only assertion on appeal was ineffective assistance of counsel, which we declined to review on the basis that it had not been preserved in compliance with Rule 33.1. See Tex. R. App. P. 33.1. Jaubert filed a petition for discretionary review on April 7. On April 13, the Court of Criminal Appeals issued Robinson v. State, holding that compliance with Rule 33.1 is not necessary to bring a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel on appeal. Robinson v. State, 16 S.W.3d 808, 813 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000). Thus, we granted rehearing in this cause on our own motion so that we could address the merits of Jaubert's complaint. Tex. R. App. P. 50.
Jaubert and fellow gang-members were involved in three drive-by-shootings in Fort Worth during April 1994 and July 1995. Bullets killed one young man and wounded four others. Jaubert pled guilty to five separate indictments and elected to have a jury assess punishment. During the punishment stage, Jaubert testified about the shootings and presented character evidence from several witnesses. Jaubert argues that he was ambushed when the State repeatedly attempted to elicit evidence of extraneous offenses and bad acts. For example, during the cross-examination of Louis Pedleton, Jaubert's uncle, the following exchange took place:
Q. [By Ms. Box, the State's attorney]: Okay. You just mentioned that the Defendant's father has given you an impression of the Defendant's behavior and attitude while he's been in jail; is that correct?
A. Yes, ma'am.
Q. And did his father also make you aware of a variety of disciplinary actions this Defendant has had while he's been in custody?
A. No, ma'am.
Q. And did you hear from the Defendant's father, I guess starting with 1995, that the Defendant, in fact, got into a fist fight back in February of '95?
A. I heard that something of that nature, someone had - in jail, you know, things happen in jail.
Q. And did he also make you aware of this Defendant's involvement in a rape while he was in jail?
A. No, he didn't.
This testimony was elicited without an objection by Jaubert's trial counsel. While questioning Jaubert's father, the State's counsel asked the following questions:
Q. And as far as the rape offense in jail, are you aware that your son actually was the person who slapped the victim so hard he became unconscious?
A. No, I was not.
Q. Were you aware that the officer that interviewed the victim in that case observed bruises on the victim's face and arms and he had hair falling out of his head?
A. No.
Q. Are you aware that the victim also had blood coming from his anus?
A. No, I was not.
Q. Were you aware that the victim told the nurse that he had been beaten and raped four times in the last week?
A. No.
Q. Were you aware that the victim was so afraid of your son that he refused to prosecute this case?
A. I was not aware.
This testimony was also elicited without an objection by Jaubert's trial counsel. In her cross-examination of the Defendant, counsel for the State asked the following questions of the Defendant, not only about the alleged rape, but other incidents of misconduct:
Q. We'll get back to that conflict in a minute. What I'm asking you is: Do you recall back on April 11th of 1994, refusing to obey an order of a female officer over in the jail?
A. No, I don't.
Q. Let me ask you about February 12th of 1995. Do you recall hitting another inmate as he left the shower with your fist?
A. No, I don't.
Q. And of course, let's talk about the April 11th, 1995 rape of Kevin Manning. Is it still your position that you were in a different cell at that time?
A. Exactly.
Q. Okay. There's no way that you could have participated in that?
A. No way possible.
Q. Do you recall telling the victim in that case, Mr. Kevin Manning, that, quote, unquote, "Come here, Bitch, or I'll kill you"? Do you recall saying that?
A. No, ma'am.
Q. Do you recall hitting Mr. Manning to such an extent that he passed out and was unconscious?
A. No, ma'am.
Q. So it's your position that you never raped Mr. Manning; is that right?
A. That's right.
Q. Never participated in it?
A. I never participated.
Q. Are you aware that other inmates observed you while this was going on?
A. I never participated.
In his sole issue for review, Jaubert contends that his retained trial counsel failed to render effective assistance of counsel as required by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and by Article 1, Section 10 of the Texas Constitution. In particular, Jaubert argues his trial counsel did not render effective assistance of counsel during the punishment phase of the trial because he failed to request that the State give notice of its intent to offer evidence of extraneous offenses or bad acts. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 37.07, § 3(g) (Vernon Supp. 2000).
Article 37.07, section 3(a) permits the court to admit evidence at punishment of extraneous offenses or bad acts. Id. § 3(a). Evidence admitted under section 3(a) serves to provide the jury "with all relevant evidence in order to assess fair and appropriate punishment." Beasley v. State, 902 S.W.2d 452, 457 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995); Chimney v. State, 6 S.W.3d 681, 697 (Tex. App.--Waco 1999, no pet.). However, through article 37.07, section 3(g), a defendant can discover if the State intends to offer this type of evidence. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 37.07, § 3(g).
Texas courts adhere, as we must, to the United States Supreme Court's two-pronged Strickland test to determine whether counsel's representation was so inadequate as to violate a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984); Thompson v. State, 9 S.W.3d 808, 812 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). The Court of Criminal Appeals recently held that Strickland applies to the punishment phase of a noncapital case. Hernandez v. State, 988 S.W.2d 770, 772 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999).1
Strickland requires a defendant to show that: (1) counsel's representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and (2) counsel's deficient performance prejudiced the defendant. Roe v. Flores-Ortega, 528 U.S. 470, 120 S.Ct. 1029, 1034, 145 L.Ed.2d 985 (2000); Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. The assessment of whether a defendant received effective assistance of counsel must be made according to the facts of each case. Thompson, 9 S.W.3d at 813. The appellant bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that counsel was ineffective. Id.
However, sometimes a single error is so substantial that it alone causes an attorney's assistance to fall below the Sixth Amendment standard. Thompson, 9 S.W.3d at 813; Mitchell v. State, 23 S.W.3d 582, 586 (Tex. App.--San Antonio, no pet.). Courts have frequently found counsel ineffective because of a single error affecting only the punishment assessed. Ex parte Scott, 581 S.W.2d 181, 182 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979); Cooper v. State, 769 S.W.2d 301, 305 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1989, pet. ref'd); May v. State, 660 S.W.2d 888, 890 (Tex. App.--Austin 1983), aff'd, 722 S.W.2d 699 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984); Burnworth v. State, 698 S.W.2d 686, 690 (Tex. App.--Tyler 1985, pet. ref'd). To ignore a grievous error simply because it is single, while granting relief where multiple errors cumulatively reach the same magnitude, would be contrary to the reasons that caused the creation of the doctrine of ineffective assistance of counsel. Valencia v. State, 966 S.W.2d 188, 191 (Tex. App.--Houston [1st Dist.] 1998, pet. ref'd).
Jaubert argues his trial counsel was ineffective when he failed to request that the State give notice of its intent to offer evidence of extraneous offenses or bad acts. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 37.07, § 3(g). The State claims that Jaubert's trial counsel was prepared, and that Jaubert has failed to overcome the presumption that his counsel's conduct might be considered sound trial strategy.
When reviewing a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel under the first prong, there exists a strong presumption that defense counsel's conduct was reasonable and constitutes sound trial strategy. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. at 2065. We evaluate the totality of the representation from counsel's perspective at trial, rather than counsel's isolated acts or omissions in hindsight. Gutierrez v. State, 8 S.W.3d 739, 749 (Tex. App.--Austin 1999, no pet.). Appellant has the ultimate burden to overcome this presumption and demonstrate not only that counsel's performance was unreasonable under the...
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