Kennedy v. State, 49684

Decision Date26 March 1975
Docket NumberNo. 49684,49684
PartiesEvie K. KENNEDY, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
CourtTexas Court of Criminal Appeals

George Street, Dallas, for appellant.

Henry Wade, Dist. Atty., Richard W. Wilhelm and H. Jay Ethington, Asst. Dist. Attys., Dallas, Jim D. Vollers, State's Atty., and David S. McAngus, Asst. State's Atty., Austin, for the State.

OPINION

DALLY, Commissioner.

This is an appeal from a conviction for murder without malice under the provisions of Article 802c, Vernon's Ann.P.C. The punishment is imprisonment for five years. The appellant complains that the court erroneously admitted in evidence prior acts of his intoxication and that comments made by the prosecutor in his jury argument constitute reversible error.

In his first ground the appellant argues it was error to permit the state to cross-examine the appellant on collateral acts of intoxication. While he was being cross-examined the appellant testified that he had had five cans of beer between 12:00 noon and 3:30 p.m., the time when his automobile struck and killed a young girl. He also testified he did not feel that he was intoxicated at the time. The prosecutor then asked him if he had ever been intoxicated. Objection to that question was overruled, and the appellant said he had never been intoxicated. He was then asked if he was intoxicated on the 13th day of June, 1964, and the 3rd day of July, 1965. His answers to both questions were: 'They said I were, but I wasn't.' The cross-examination about this matter was then terminated. The objection made at the time of trial was that the appellant could not be asked these questions because he was not an expert and because he did not know the definition of intoxication. The appellant in his ground of error on appeal has enlarged and changed his objection. He now argues that the prosecutor improperly elicited admission of specific acts of prior misconduct. Even if the trial objections had been the same as that now made on appeal no error would be shown. The questions and answers did not show that the appellant was guilty of any offense or misconduct. After the appellant testified that he had never been intoxicated although he had consumed five cans of beer before he hit the child the questions which followed were within the bounds of proper cross-examination. See Hoffman v. State, 514 S.W.2d 248 (Tex.Cr.App.1974). This ground of error is overruled.

In the second ground the appellant asserts the court erred by permitting the state during closing arguments to misquote testimony concerning a material point. The argument complained of was that: 'If he had been going 30 or less he could have stopped.' The appellant had testified he was driving at between 30 and 35 miles per hour. Officer Holt testified that: 'You can't stop at 30 miles an hour in 24 feet, and that's the width of Wilhurt (Street).' The officer was not asked if a car traveling 30 miles per hour at the intersection of ...

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  • Bates v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • January 10, 1979
    ...he tried to assist Riklin on several occasions and did not show that he was guilty of any offense or misconduct. See Kennedy v. State, 520 S.W.2d 776 (Tex.Cr.App.1975). Appellant asserts that the court erred in refusing to allow John Tanner, an undercover officer of the Harris County Sherif......
  • Villarreal v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • December 13, 1978
    ...to disregard the statement. No other relief was sought. See Rasberry v. State, 535 S.W.2d 871 (Tex.Cr.App.1976); Kennedy v. State, 520 S.W.2d 776 (Tex.Cr.App.1975). Appellant's objection to the second remark, referring to "every police officer in South Texas," was also general. The prosecut......
  • Wyatt v. State
    • United States
    • Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
    • May 10, 1978
    ...deduction from the evidence. Pesch v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 524 S.W.2d 299; Parish v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 523 S.W.2d 665; Kennedy v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 520 S.W.2d 776; Hunt v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 511 S.W.2d 954; Alejandro v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 493 S.W.2d 230. Further, the prosecutor's argum......
  • Angel v. State
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    • Texas Court of Appeals
    • May 23, 1985
    ...he received all the relief he requested at trial. Stoner v. State, 585 S.W.2d 750, 755 (Tex.Crim.App.1979); Kennedy v. State, 520 S.W.2d 776, 778 (Tex.Crim.App.1975). Therefore, we overrule the fourth ground of We next entertain appellant's complaint of trial court error in submitting to th......
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