NO. 03-14-00818-CR

IN THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS

CLINTON DAVID BECK,

Appellant

v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS,

Appellee

Appealed from the

207th District Court

Comal County, Texas

BRIEF FOR THE APPELLANT

ZIMMERMANN LAVINE 

& ZIMMERMANN, P.C.

770 South Post Oak Lane, Suite 620

Houston, Texas 77056

(713) 552-0300 * (713) 552-0746 fax

TERRI R. ZIMMERMANN

State Bar No. 00797883

Terri.Zimmermann@ZLZSlaw.com

JACK B. ZIMMERMANN

State Bar No. 22266500

Jack.Zimmermann@ZLZSlaw.com

Attorneys for the Appellant,

CLINTON DAVID BECK

THE APPELLANT RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS ORAL ARGUMENT

ACCEPTED

03-14-00818-CR

4576568

THIRD COURT OF APPEALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS

3/20/2015 10:45:46 AM

JEFFREY D. KYLE

CLERK

 FILED IN 3rd COURT OF APPEALS AUSTIN, TEXAS 3/20/2015 10:45:46 AM JEFFREY D. KYLE Clerk
IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL

Pursuant to TEX. R. APP. P. 38.1(a), a complete list of the names of all

interested parties is provided below:

The Appellant:

Mr. Clinton David Beck

Counsel for Clinton David Beck:

Ms. Terri R. Zimmermann (on the writ and appeal only)

Mr. Jack B. Zimmermann

Zimmermann Lavine & Zimmermann, P.C.

770 South Post Oak Lane, Suite 620

Houston, Texas 77056

Mr. Robert M. “Matt” Kyle (trial only)

The Kyle Law Firm

707 N. Walnut Avenue

New Braunfels, Texas 78130

Counsel for the State:

Mr. Joshua D. Presley (on the writ and appeal only)

Ms. Jennifer C. Smith (trial only)

Comal County District Attorney’s Office

150 N. Seguin Ave, Suite 307

New Braunfels, Texas 78130-5122

i
TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

IDENTITY OF PARTIES AND COUNSEL.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

TABLE OF CONTENTS.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

INDEX OF AUTHORITIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

STATEMENT OF THE CASE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

ISSUES PRESENTED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

GENERAL STATEMENT OF FACTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

ARGUMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ISSUE ONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

THE TRIAL COURT REVERSIBLY ERRED BY DENYING MR.

BECK’S APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

BECAUSE THE EVIDENCE IS LEGALLY INSUFFICIENT TO

SUSTAIN A CONVICTION IN THIS CASE; NO RATIONAL

FINDER OF FACT COULD FIND THAT MR. BECK ACTED

WITH UNLAWFUL INTENT.

STATEMENT OF FACTS PERTINENT TO ISSUE ONE. . . . . . . . . . . . 9

ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF

ISSUE ONE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

A. Standard of Review... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

ii
PAGE

B. The Statute of Conviction Required an Unlawful Intent.. . . . . 11

C. The State Abandoned and Presented No Evidence of

Unlawful Intent – The Evidence is Legally

Insufficient.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

D. Conclusion.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

ISSUE TWO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

THE TRIAL COURT REVERSIBLY ERRED BY DENYING MR.

BECK’S APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

BECAUSE THE STATUTE UPON WHICH THIS

CONVICTION RESTS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND WAS

A NULLITY AB INITIO.

STATEMENT OF FACTS PERTINENT TO ISSUE TWO.. . . . . . . . . . 14

ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF

ISSUE TWO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

A. Standard of Review... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

B. The Instant Conviction Relies Exclusively on the 

Violation of an Invalid Statute; therefore, the Trial

Court Erred in Denying Habeas Relief.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

1. Section 33.021(b) is Unconstitutional... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2. Mr. Beck’s Conviction and Sentence 

Are Defective and Void.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

C. Conclusion.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

CONCLUSION AND PRAYER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

iii
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

iv
INDEX OF AUTHORITIES

PAGE

State Cases

Ex Parte Chance, 2014 WL 1796648 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) .. . . . . . . 16, 17, 19

Ex Parte Cooper, 2014 WL 1871722 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ex Parte Downs, 2014 WL 2609723 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ex parte Hollowell, No. 03-11-00240-CR, 2012 WL 1959309

(Tex. App. June 1, 2012).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11, 14

Ex parte Lewis, 219 S.W.3d 335 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Ex parte Lo, 424 S.W.3d 10 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013)), 

reh'g denied, (Mar. 19, 2014).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 15, 16

Ex parte Martin, 6 S.W.3d 524 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Ex Parte Peterson, 117 S.W.3d 804 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Ex parte Rodriguez-Grimaldo, No. 03-12-00019-CR, 

2013 WL 2631629 (Tex. App. June 5, 2013).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Ex Parte Wheeler, 203 S.W.3d 317 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Ex Parte Williams, 2014 WL 2527787 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ex Parte Zavala, 421 S.W.3d 227 (Tex. App. – San Antonio 2013). . . . . . . . . 18

Freeman v. State, 425 S.W.3d 289 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Freeman v. State, No. 05-12-00923-CR,

2014 WL 6602691 (Tex. App. Nov. 21, 2014). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Ravenbark v. State, 942 S.W.2d 711 (Tex. App. – 

Houston [14th Dist.] 1997, no pet.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

v
PAGE

Reyes v. State, 753 S.W.2d 382 (Tex. Crim. App. 1988)). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Sanders v. State, 2014 WL 887781 (Tex. App. – Texarkana 2014). . . . . . . . . . 18

Schuster v. State, 435 S.W.3d 362 (Tex. App. – 

Houston [1st Dist.] 2014).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Thomas v. State, 444 S.W.3d 4 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Federal Cases

Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Reyes–Requena v. United States, 243 F.3d 893 (5th Cir. 2001).. . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Constitutions, Statutes, and Rules

Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 21.12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 12

TEX. R. APP. P. 9.4(1)(3).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

TEX. R. APP. P. 38.1(a). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

vi
NO. 03-14-00818-CR

IN THE THIRD COURT OF APPEALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS

CLINTON DAVID BECK,

Appellant

v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS,

Appellee

Appealed from the

207th District Court

Comal County, Texas

BRIEF FOR THE APPELLANT

TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS:

COMES NOW CLINTON DAVID BECK, the Appellant in the abovestyled and numbered cause, and files this Brief for the Appellant.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

This is a direct appeal from the trial court’s denial of relief from the

Application for Writ of Habeas Corpus that Mr. Beck filed pursuant to Section

11.072 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In late 2010, Mr. Beck, a middle school health teacher and coach in New

Braunfels, was investigated based on text messages he sent to one of his

students. The investigation resulted in his arrest and he was charged in

Cause No. CR2011-197 with two offenses: Online Solicitation of a Minor,

Count I; and engaging in an Improper Relationship Between

Educator/Student, Count II. Original Indictment at Clk. R. 4-5. There was 1

no allegation of unlawful touching.

On September 26, 2011, Mr. Beck pleaded guilty to Count II, Improper

Relationship Between Educator/Student, and the State dismissed the Online

Solicitation charged in Count I. Judgments at Clk. R. 15-20. On November 7,

2011 the trial court sentenced Mr. Beck to ten years in the Institutional

Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, suspended the

confinement for ten years, and fined him $2,000.00. Id. Mr. Beck did not

appeal his conviction.

On September 4, 2014, Mr. Beck filed his Application for Writ of Habeas

Corpus. Clk. R. 21. The trial court held a hearing on October 21, 2014. The

TheClerk’sRecordis contained in one original volume andone supplemental

1

volume, cited as “Clk. R. Page Number” and “Supp. Clk. R. Page Number,” respectively. 

For example, “Clk. R. 1.” The court reporter’s record from the writ hearing is in one

volume cited as “Rptr. R. Page Number.” For example, “Rptr. R. 1.”

2
State submitted to the trial court proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions

of Law, and the trial court signed them along with an Order denying relief on

November 24, 2014. Clk. R. 28-32. Mr. Beck’s counsel received the order on

December 11, 2014, and filed by mail Objections to the Findings and

Conclusions on December 18, 2014. Clk. R. 33-39. The trial court did not 2

withdraw or amend any of the Findings or Conclusions.3

Mr. Beck timely filed his Notice of Appeal on December 22, 2014. Clk. 4

R. 40-41.

STATEMENT REGARDING ORAL ARGUMENT

Mr. Beck respectfully requests oral argument. The issues involved in

this case are novel and present questions of first impression in the State. 

Because there are no cases directly on point under the exact same fact pattern,

oral argument would facilitate and aid this Court’s decisional process by

Although counsel mailed and emailed the document on December 18, 2014, 2

it was not officially filed until December 29, 2014, presumably due to the holidays.

The trial court’s Court Administrator called the undersigned counsel on 3

December 19 to inform her that he had handed the Objections to the judge and the judge

denied relief.

Again, there was a slight delay between the mailing of the document and its 4

official filing.

3
allowing counsel the opportunity to answer any questions that the Court

might have that are not adequately covered in the parties’ Briefs.

ISSUES PRESENTED

Mr. Beck raises the following issues for appellate review:

ISSUE ONE

THE TRIAL COURT REVERSIBLY ERRED BY DENYING MR.

BECK’S APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

BECAUSE THE EVIDENCE IS LEGALLY INSUFFICIENT TO

SUSTAIN A CONVICTION IN THIS CASE; NO RATIONAL

FINDER OF FACT COULD FIND THAT MR. BECK ACTED

WITH UNLAWFUL INTENT.

ISSUE TWO

THE TRIAL COURT REVERSIBLY ERRED BY DENYING MR.

BECK’S APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

BECAUSE THE STATUTE UPON WHICH THIS

CONVICTION RESTS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND WAS

A NULLITY AB INITIO.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF FACTS

As stated above, in late 2010, Mr. Beck was a middle school health

teacher and coach in New Braunfels, Texas. Offense Report, State’s Exhibit

2 from Plea Hearing. He was investigated and charged based on text 5

The Transcript from the plea hearing that took place on September 26, 2011 5

as well as State’s Exhibit 2 (the offense report) were not originally designated for filing with

this Court. Undersigned counsel has requested that the court reporter and District Clerk,

4
messages he sent to one of his students that the State believed were

inappropriate. Original Indictment at Clk. R. 4-5. However, the text messages

did not contain any solicitation of the student to perform any physical act, and

there was never any allegation of any unlawful touching. Mr. Beck resolved

the charges against him by pleading guilty to Improper Relationship Between

Educator and Student in violation of Section 21.12 of the Texas Penal Code;

the State dismissed the Online Solicitation count under Section 33.021(b) of

the Texas Penal Code. Judgments at Clk. R. 15-20. He is currently

successfully serving his ten year probated sentence.

Undersigned counsel did not represent Mr. Beck at the time that the trial

court accepted his plea and sentenced him to probation. When she was hired

to represent him on habeas, she requested a complete copy of the District

Clerk’s file. Clk. R. 42. In response, she received a copy of the original

indictment in this case. It did not contain any pen and ink changes or other

amendments. The allegation in Count II under Section 21.12 in the original

indictment contained all of the required elements of that statute.

respectively, file these documents as soon as possible with this Court.

5
At the hearing on the Application, Mr. Beck argued that his conviction

was void because the Court of Criminal Appeals invalidated the underlying

statute upon which the conviction was based. Rptr. R. 5, 7, 33-37. The State

submitted Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and an Order

denying relief, which the trial court signed. Clk. R. 27-32. Mr. Beck objected

to those Findings and Conclusions, based primarily on two grounds:6

1. Subsequent to the hearing but immediately prior to filing Objections,

Mr. Beck’s counsel discovered that at the plea hearing, the State had deleted

all language in the indictment pertaining to the intent element of the offense. 

In addition, there was no evidence to support that element and the trial

court’s Findings and Conclusions pertaining to Mr. Beck’s intent were

completely without factual support in the record, since the only evidence that

exists is that he had a lawful intent at the time he sent the messages. The

absence of any allegation or proof of the unlawful intent element justified

granting of habeas relief.

Mr. Beck objected to additional Findings and Conclusions as being 6

unsupported by the record, and respectfully incorporates those objections into this Brief

as further evidence of the trial court’s erroneous Findings and Conclusions.

6
2. Even had the indictment been valid, under the undisputed facts of

this case (text messages only; no solicitation and no unlawful touching) the

conviction rests solely upon an allegation that Mr. Beck’s conduct violated

Section 33.021(b) of the Texas Penal Code, which the Court of Criminal

Appeals held unconstitutional. Ex parte Lo, 424 S.W.3d 10 (Tex. Crim. App.

2013), reh'g denied, (Mar. 19, 2014). Therefore, Mr. Beck argued that relief was

justified. Clk. R. 33-39.

The trial court elected not to withdraw or amendthe erroneous Findings

and Conclusions, and therefore the denial of relief stands and this appeal

followed.

SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT

ISSUE ONE

In order to violate Section 21.12 (Improper Relationship Between

Educator and Student), Mr. Beck must have sent the text messages with the

intent “to arouse or gratify the sexual desire of a person.” Although this

language appeared in the original indictment, the State amended the

indictment at trial and struck those words. Therefore, the guilty plea did not

encompass that element. The State offered no witnesses to testify or any other

7
evidence indicating that Mr. Beck had an unlawful intent. The only evidence

before the trial court was that Mr. Beck acted with a lawful intent. The

evidence is legally insufficient.

ISSUE TWO

The Court of Criminal Appeals held the Online Solicitation statute

(Section 33.021(b)) unconstitutional and as such, it was void ab initio and

cannot be used for any purpose. Mr. Beck’s conviction rests solely upon an

allegation that he violated that invalid subsection of the Online Solicitation

statute. There is no allegation or proof that any other subsection of the

Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student statute or the Online

Solicitation statute was implicated in this case. Even had the indictment and

the proofin this case not omitted the required intent element under the Online

Solicitation statute, because that statute was a nullity Mr. Beck’s conviction

of Improper Relationship Between Educator and Student based on the invalid

statute must fail. The trial court should have granted habeas relief.

8
ARGUMENT

ISSUE ONE

THE TRIAL COURT REVERSIBLY ERRED BY DENYING MR.

BECK'S APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

BECAUSE THE EVIDENCE IS LEGALLY INSUFFICIENT TO

SUSTAIN A CONVICTION IN THIS CASE; NO RATIONAL

FINDER OF FACT COULD FIND THAT MR. BECK ACTED

WITH UNLAWFUL INTENT.

STATEMENT OF FACTS PERTINENT TO ISSUE ONE

As noted above, Mr. Beck entered a guilty plea to an amended

indictment that did not allege any unlawful intent. The State called no

witnesses. The offense report contains no admissions by Mr. Beck or other

evidence that he sent text messages to his student for any reason other than

he believed he was answering the student’s questions about topics they had

discussed at school during the health class that he taught. There is no

evidence that Mr. Beck had any intent to arouse anyone’s sexual desires.

Despite the lack of an allegation or evidence, the trial court’s Findings

of Fact state that Mr. Beck acted with an intent “to arouse or gratify the sexual

desire of a person . . . [and without] any legitimate purpose.” Clk. R. 29. Mr.

Beck specifically challenged the trial court’s Finding of Fact Number 5 on this

issue, calling to the court’s attention the lack of evidence in the record. Clk.

9
R. 35. The State did not file a response of any kind to the Objections. The trial

court did not withdraw or amend its Findings or Conclusions.

ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF ISSUE ONE

A. Standard of Review.

This Honorable Court has held that, “When reviewing the trial court’s

denial of an application for writ of habeas corpus under article 11.072 of the

Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, the appellate court must view the facts in

the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling and uphold that ruling

absent an abuse of discretion.” Ex parte Rodriguez-Grimaldo, No.

03-12-00019-CR, 2013 WL 2631629, at *1 (Tex. App. June 5, 2013) (not

designated for publication) (citing Ex Parte Wheeler, 203 S.W.3d 317, 324 (Tex.

Crim. App. 2006)). “However, a deferential abuse of discretion review is not

appropriate in the context of the application of law to facts when the trial

court’s decision does not turn on the credibility or demeanor of witnesses. 

When the trial judge is not in an appreciably better position than the

reviewing court, a de novo review by the appellate court is appropriate.” Ex

parte Hollowell, No. 03-11-00240-CR, 2012 WL 1959309, at *2 (Tex. App. June

1, 2012) (not designated for publication) (citing Ex parte Martin, 6 S.W.3d 524,

10
526 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). “When the resolution of the ultimate question

turns on the application of legal standards, we conduct a de novo review.” Id.

(citing Ex Parte Peterson, 117 S.W.3d 804, 819 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003), overruled

on other grounds by Ex parte Lewis, 219 S.W.3d 335 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007)).

“To determine if there is sufficient evidence to support a criminal

conviction, a reviewing court must ask whether, after viewing the evidence

in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could

have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Thomas v. State, 444 S.W.3d 4, 8 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (citing Jackson v.

Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979).

B. The Statute of Conviction Required an Unlawful Intent.

In order to violate Section 21.12 of the Texas Penal Code, Improper

Relationship Between Educator/Student (the offense of conviction), Mr. Beck

must have either engaged in conduct involving the unlawful touching of the

student (“sexual contact, sexual intercourse, or deviate sexual intercourse”)

or engaged in “conduct described by Section 33.021” with the student. Tex.

Penal Code Ann. § 21.12. Section 33.021 is the Online Solicitation statute. Tex.

Penal Code Ann. § 33.021. As mentioned above, there was never any

11
allegation or proof that Mr. Beck engaged in any unlawful touching of the

student; the only basis for the Improper Relationship charge and conviction

was an alleged violation of the Online Solicitation statute.

There are two ways to violate the Online Solicitation statute:

1) to use the internet to send an electronic mail or text message to

communicate in a sexually explicit manner with a minor or

distribute sexually explicit material to a minor (with the intent to

arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person), which violates

subsection (b); or 

2) to use the internet to knowingly solicit a minor to meet another

person (with the intent that the minor will engage in sexual

contact, sexual intercourse, or deviate sexual intercourse with the

actor or another person), which violates subsection (c).

Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 33.021.

There was never any allegation or proof that Mr. Beck solicited the

student in a way to violate subsection (c) of the statute; the sole basis for the

charged criminal liability was the mere sending of text messages that were

allegedly sexually explicit in violation of Section 33.021(b). That subsection

requires an unlawful intent – the same intent contained in the language the

prosecutor struck from the original indictment at the plea hearing. Amended

Indictment, Clk. R. 7.

12
C. The State Abandoned and Presented No Evidence of Unlawful Intent

– The Evidence is Legally Insufficient.

Mr. Beck argued to the trial court on habeas that, “Neither the State’s

allegation or proof suffices to constitute a criminal offense.” Clk. R. 38. The

State did not refute this claim in any way.

This is a purely legal issue that this Court is capable of adjudicating,

therefore a de novo standard is appropriate. However, based on the

undisputed state of the record, even under an abuse of discretion standard,

the trial court erred. Despite calling the trial court’s attention to the failure of

an allegation or any proof whatsoever as to Mr. Beck’s unlawful intent, and

the statute’s requirement for Mr. Beck to have had such intent for conviction,

the trial court refused to reconsider and withdraw its Findings and

Conclusions denying habeas relief. On this record, no rational finder of fact

could find that Mr. Beck acted with unlawful intent and the evidence is

legally insufficient.

D. Conclusion.

The trial court committed reversible error when it denied relief on Mr.

Beck’s Application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus. This Honorable Court

13
should reverse and enter an appellate acquittal because the evidence is legally

insufficient.

ISSUE TWO

THE TRIAL COURT REVERSIBLY ERRED BY DENYING MR.

BECK’S APPLICATION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

BECAUSE THE STATUTE UPON WHICH THIS

CONVICTION RESTS IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND WAS

A NULLITY AB INITIO.

STATEMENT OF FACTS PERTINENT TO ISSUE TWO

Mr. Beck specifically challenged the trial court’s Conclusions of Law,

which stated that despite the Court of Criminal Appeals’ invalidation of the

Online Solicitation statute subsection at issue in this case, the subsection was

still valid with regard to Section 21.12 prosecutions and that the conviction in

this case was not affected by Lo. Objections at Clk. R. 36-38. The trial court

did not withdraw its Order denying relief.

ARGUMENT AND AUTHORITIES IN SUPPORT OF ISSUE TWO

A. Standard of Review.

As stated above, when issues of law as opposed to fact determine the

resolution of a case, this Court reviews the case de novo. Ex parte Hollowell,

supra.

14
B. The Instant Conviction Relies Exclusively on the Violation of an

Invalid Statute; Therefore, the Trial Court Erred in Denying Habeas

Relief.

As of the date of this filing, there still are no Texas opinions analyzing

the legal relationship between the invalid Online Solicitation statute

subsection and the offense of conviction in this case, the Improper

Relationship Between Educator and Student statute. However, logic dictates

that because the conviction in this case relies exclusively on an invalid statute,

the conviction cannot stand. As a pure legal matter, this Court should review

this issue de novo and find that the trial court erred in denying relief.

1. Section 33.021(b) is Unconstitutional.

In October 2013, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) held that

Section 33.021(b) of the Online Solicitation statute (which is the section

prohibiting the sending of sexually explicit messages) is unconstitutional. Ex

parte Lo, supra. The Court found that the statute infringed on citizens’ First

Amendment rights. Id. Interestingly, Mr. Lo also was a teacher who was

accused of sending sexually explicit messages to a student. See Lo indictment

and news article at Appellant’s Exhibit A. The CCA reversed the decision of 7

The Clerk’s Record filed in this case contains the Application for Writ of 7

Habeas Corpus that Mr. Beck filed; however, it is missing the Exhibits to that document. 

15
the intermediate Court of Appeals (which had upheld the conviction) and

remanded the case “to the trial court to dismiss the indictment.” Id. at 27.

Judge Cochran’s concurrence in another case is instructive on the effect

of this invalidation:

Generally, a statute that has been declared unconstitutional is

void from its inception and cannot provide a basis for any right

or relief. It is thus the general rule that an unconstitutional

statute, even though it has the form and name of law, in reality is

not law and in legal contemplation is as inoperative as if it had

never undergone the formalities of enactment.

Ex Parte Chance, 2014 WL 1796648 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (emphasis added,

citations omitted).

She further explained:

an unconstitutional statute is void from its inception[;] ... when a

statute is adjudged to be unconstitutional, it is as if it had never

been passed [;] ... the statute is stillborn, ... [and] had been fatally

smitten by the Constitution at its birth[,] ... [and] is of no more

force or validity than a piece of blank paper, and is utterly void.

Id.(emphasis added, citingReyes v. State, 753 S.W.2d 382, 383 (Tex. Crim. App.

1988)).

The Lo indictment and article were attached to the Application as Exhibit 3. Counsel has

asked the District Clerk to supplement the record with this exhibit.

16
2. Mr. Beck’s Conviction and Sentence Are Defective and Void.

The CCA has granted relief to other Applicants for writs of habeas

corpus who were convictedofviolating the now-unconstitutional statute. See,

e.g., Ex Parte Chance, supra. Significantly, in Chance, Justice Cochran stated in

her concurring opinion that a person may “always obtain relief” from a

conviction based on a penal statute that is declared unconstitutional based on

the “void ab initio” concept. This means that “one who has been convicted

under a penal statute that is later found unconstitutional is ‘actually innocent’

of any crime because the ‘core idea is that the petitioner may have been

imprisoned for conduct that was not prohibited by law.’” Id. at 2, citing, inter

alia, Reyes–Requena v. United States, 243 F.3d 893, 903 (5th Cir. 2001). She

further states that an unconstitutional statute is “void for all comers.” Id. 

This includes those who have been convicted of violating the statute before

it was declared void, like Mr. Beck: 

He may take advantage of that ‘void ab initio’ status today,

yesterday, tomorrow, or even ten years from now. Anyone who

has been convicted under the now void provisions of Section

[33.021(b)] is ‘innocent’ and may obtain an acquittal, whether it is

in the trial court, on direct appeal, or in a habeas proceeding. 

That is constitutionally required.

Id. at 3.

17
The CCA also granted relief in other cases involving convictions under

Section 33.021(b), including those involving guilty pleas at trial without a

challenge to the statute at trial or on appeal. Ex Parte Williams, 2014 WL

2527787 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (not designated for publication); Ex Parte

Cooper, 2014 WL 1871722 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (not designated for

publication); Ex Parte Downs, 2014 WL 2609723 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (not

designated for publication); see also, Freeman v. State, 425 S.W.3d 289 (Tex.

Crim. App. 2014) (noting that the lower court denied relief prior to Ex Parte

Lo; PDR granted and case remanded “for further action in light of our opinion

in Ex Parte Lo.”; on remand, conviction reversed and remanded for

dismissal ). 8

Other Courts of Appeal around the State also have issued decisions

following Lo and reversing convictions under Section 33.021(b). Sanders v.

State, 2014 WL 887781 (Tex. App. – Texarkana 2014); Schuster v. State, 435

S.W.3d 362 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2014); Ex Parte Zavala, 421 S.W.3d

227 (Tex. App. – San Antonio 2013).

Freeman v. State, No. 05-12-00923-CR, 2014 WL 6602691 (Tex. App. Nov. 21, 8

2014).

18
Therefore, given the factual similarity and legal outcome of Ex Parte Lo,

and subsequent cases decided by the CCA and other Texas intermediate

appellate courts in light of the Lo decision, Mr. Beck submits that his

conviction and sentence are defective and void. As many courts have stated,

unconstitutional statutes are void from their inception, and Mr. Beck cannot

be punished based on his conviction for violating a provision of a statute

(Improper Relationship) that relies exclusively on a void statute (Online

Solicitation subparagraph (b)) for liability. In fact, he is actually innocent. Ex

Parte Chance, supra. Therefore, this Court may enter an acquittal. Ravenbark

v. State, 942 S.W.2d 711 (Tex. App. – Houston [14th Dist.] 1997, no pet.)

(holding on direct appeal “from a conviction under a void statute, we hold the

judgment is void. The judgment is reversed and a judgment of acquittal is

rendered.”).9

C. Conclusion.

The trial court committed reversible error when it denied relief on Mr.

Beck’s Application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus. This Honorable Court

Mr. Beck acknowledges that Lo and its progeny remand for dismissal of the 9

indictment.

19


JOHNCHRISTOPHER LO

200WELLINGTON #5308

MNGWOOD,TX

NaC CODE-369911F3

02471S1S

SPN:

SOB: AM 06-24-1560

DATEPREPARED: 1/5K201O

RELATEDCASES:

FEWNYCHARGE: ONLINE SOLICITATION OFAMINOR

HARRIS COUNTYDISTRICTCOURTNO:

FIRST SETTING DATE*

1246900

248

INTHE NAME ANDBYAUTHORITYOFTHE STATEOFTEXAS:

JOHNCmUSTOFHmiX>,henate^

tfctotofflTOiadfinit^^ _ ^Lj^m^v~l ^bom**» Defendantbelieved to be ymmgerrfwnffffVffnfffnyrai^1

&

^

A

x

rf>

«•

AGAINSTTHE PEACE AND DIGNITY OFTHE STATE.

DJl LOGNUMBER.-1594515

CJIS TRACKING NO.-9W4971430-A001

BY: RZ DANO: 001901698

AGENCYrHFD

O/RNO: 161163409H

ARREST DATE*01-05-2009

BAIL: $5000 J^*

PRIORCASsHjO:

"7F

',Texas, dial inHamsCounty, Texas,

31,2009, did men and tfcercunlawfully,with

inasexuallyexplicitmaimervnQi FOREST

BYTEXTMESSAG^iari&eDefendantwas at

FOREMAN OFTHE GRAND JURY

INDICTMENT

Appellant's Exhibit A

Exhibit 3
html

.Ateacher, sexting and the right to free speech

Posted Tuesday, Feb. 25,2014

BY MITCH MITCHELL

mltchmitchell@star-telegram.com

He was 30 and she was 13— a teacher and hisstudent—but their relationship went far beyond the classroom, authorities say.

In six days in October 2012, they sent 688 text messages to each other, and the conversation became sexual, according toanarrest

warrant affidavit.

The messages —known as "sexting"—included descriptions ofsexual preferences and fantasies and discussions of dreams about each

other, the affidavit says.

SeanArlis Williams, now 31,who was a junior high school teacher intheEverman district, waseventually arrested ona charge ofonline

solicitation ofa minor, which was laterchangedto improper relationship between an educator and student.

But this month, based ona recent appeals court ruling dealing with a similar case in Harris County, Tarrant County prosecutors dismissed

his case.

The Texas Court ofCriminal Appeals ruled inOctober thata 2005 statute, which made sexually explicit online communication between an

adult and minor illegal, violates theFirst Amendment right to free speech. The court examined thecase ofJohn Christopher Lo, who was

arrested in2010 after being accused ofsending sexually explicit text messages to a student he met while working as a choir director in a

school district outside Houston.

'It's OK foradults to talkdirty to children," said Mark Bennett, the Houston attorney who defended Lo.

Bennett hadargued that thestatute is toobroad because "simple profanity orvulgarity —not rising to the level ofobscenity —is

constitutionally protected speech."

Lawyers for the statecontended that without the law "perverts will befree tobombard our children with salacious emails and text

messages."

The court's opinion saidsexualexpression that isindecent but notobscene is protected bythe First Amendment, and includes sexually

explicit literature suchas 50Shades ofGrey andLady Chatterle/s Lover, as wellas Miley Cyrus' "twerking" during the2013 MTV Video

Music Awards.

Jurisprudence experts say the ruling, depending on the appellate process, could throw other casesinto a legal black hole and could force

state legislators to rewrite the law.

Bennettsaid that inthe meantime, prosecutors should contact those convicted under the 2005 statute and tell them they havean avenue

forredress, Bennett said.

"I believe they havea duty to go back and set things right," Bennettsaid.

Tarrant County prosecutors dismissed their case against Williams on Feb. 10.

The recent opinion by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has certainlycaused us to re-examinea handful of cases and, where

appropriate, seek to re-indict them under... online solicitation ofa minor," said Melody McDonald, spokeswoman forthe Tarrant County

districtattorney's office. "In this particular case, however, the facts didn'tfit that statute and that wasn't an option."

Attemptsto contact Williams were unsuccessful. His attorney, Jim Shaw, said the statute is clearly unconstitutional.

"it's (ike having a 16-year-old talking to a 20-year-old and although 16-year-olds aren't naive I guess state lawmakers figured they need

protection,"Shaw said.

Used 'bad judgment'

The student, identified in court documents by the pseudonym Mary Swan, had two classes with Williams at BaxterJunior High, which is

located in Fort Worth and is governed by the Everman school district.

Afterschool officials found that Williams had been sending the text messages to the student, they called the .enforcement authorities and

Appellant's Exhibit A
contacted her mother.

The mother contacted Fort Worth police, who interviewed the student. The student told police that she had exchanged phone numbers and

began texting with Williams on Oct. 2,2012. The messages became sexual, shesaid, and shetold detectives that he had asked her not

to tellanyone about theirconversations, according to the arrestwarrant affidavit.

The text messages included "talking about if either ofthem walked around naked in their homes, keeping the relationship secret until the

victim graduates, dreams that each of them had about each other, virginity and showing restraint while they are in the classroom," the

affidavit says.

Photographs were exchanged, Including one ofthe student wearing a bra with no shirt.

In November 2012, police interviewed Williams, who said that he had used "bad judgment" in sending the messages and that he knew she

was a minor. He said he had not touched the student or met with her alone, according to the affidavit.

He was arrested Jan. 18,2013, on acharge of online solicitation of aminor and was booked into jail on the improper relationship charge

May 20. Hewas released on bail after three days, according tocourt records.

Still has teaching certificate

Williams, who began working in the Everman district in August 2007, left the district Nov. 30, 201Z District officials declined to discuss the

reasons for Williams' departure or the district's response to the criminal investigation of his behavior.

Williams' teacher certification remains valid until July 2017 for teaching secondary history and social studies classes But Williams*

certrfication is under review by the State Board of Education's Professional Discipline Unit, according to Texas Education Agency records.

There are Instances when ateacher is under acriminal investigation and we suspend our investigation until the criminal investigation plays

out, aTEA spokeswoman said. There also have been instances where aperson might be exonerated in acriminal investigation but his

certificate becomes invalid because ofsomething that comes out during aschool district investigation."

A legislative matter?

Though the case against Williams has been dismissed, amotion for rehearing Lo's case is pending at the appeals court level.

Because the appellate jurists voted JH) to overturn the statute, Bennett, who defended Lo, said he doubts that the petition for arehearinq

will be successful. y

Ifthe Court ofCriminal Appeals denies the petition, the state could petition the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alan Curry, chiefofthe appellate division for the Harris County district attorney's office, said his staffis awaiting adecision on the petition before deciding on the nextstep. fwuuwi

He said the best option may be forstate lawmakers to rewrite the law so that it satisfies the courts, "but that's way down the road," Curry

State Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, said the 2005 statute was originally proposed to keep children from being groomed by sexual predators

&tert? 810 b,OCk *•,3W',aWmakefS ^ ^t0 ^^ ^ ^ aU°mey 9enera'and come UP «*"i"*«£w

The purpose ofthe First Amendment was to allow political dissent, not to allow adults to be vulgar with minors," Zedlersaid.

Vague or ambiguous'

Shaw, Williams' attorney, said it would not matter whether an adult sent 2,000 sexually explicit text messages to aminor orjust one

unless the adult« tiying to get the minor to do something illegal, such as ameeting for sex, or is texting something obscene or

pornographic; nonetheless, the state cannot get a conviction using the 2005 statute. . -•

This is not the first time lawmakers in Austin have written a law that did not pass constitutional muster.

"A lot oftimes these statues are vague or ambiguous," Shaw said. "A lot oftimes they fail to say what's illegal."

T^^l^aPPe,!,ate ^Ty who"orked at *» Fort Worth offi°e ofthe Court of Criminal Appeals, said the court's message is directed to state lawmakers, saying they need to rewrite the law so that it achie^s its stated purpose ofprotecting minorsSsLng.

"Our courts have ruled that limits on free speech are permissible but those limits need to be reasonable," Ruback said. "Iknow lawmakers

S"I7 *"wouw "" better ^draftln9 new 'egls,aUon that ls more —•*«—and TM*TM*TcT ,

Appellant's Exhibit A