N O

.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I N T H E

C O U R T O F C R I M I N A L A P P E A L S

O F T E X A S

J I M M Y B E R N A R D B I L L I N G S L E Y

P e t i t i o n e r

v

.

T H E S T A T E O F T E X A S

R e s p o n d e n t

P e t i t i o n i s i n C a u s e N o

. 1 2 3 5 7 4 5 D f r o m

C r i m i n a l D i s t r i c t C o u r t N o

. T h r e e o f T a r r a n t C o u n t y , T e x a s ,

a n d C a u s e N o

. 0 1

- 1 3

- 0 0 0 5 2

- C R i n t h e

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s f o r t h e E l e v e n t h D i s t r i c t o f T e x a s

P E T I T I O N F O R D I S C R E T I O N A R Y R E V I E W

A b e F a c t o r

T B N : 0 6 7 6 8 5 0 0

F a c t o r , C a m p b e l l & C o l l i n s

A t t o r n e y s a t L a w

5 7 1 9 A i r p o r t F r e e w a y

P h o n e : ( 8 1 7 ) 2 2 2

- 3 3 3 3

F a x : ( 8 1 7 ) 2 2 2

- 3 3 3 0

E m a i l : l a w f a c t o r @ y a h o o

. c o m

A t t o r n e y s f o r P e t i t i o n e r J i m m y B e r n a r d B i l l i n g l e yI D E N T I T Y O F P A R T I E S A N D C O U N S E L

T h e f o l l o w i n g i s a c o m p l e t e l i s t o f a l l p a r t i e s t o t h e t r i a l c o u r t ’ s

f i n a l j u d g m e n t

, a s w e l l a s t h e n a m e s a n d a d d r e s s e s o f a l l t r i a l a n d

a p p e l l a t e c o u n s e l

.

P e t i t i o n e r : J i m m y B e r n a r d B i l l i n g l e y

P e t i t i o n e r ’ s T r i a l C o u n s e l : H o n

. A b e F a c t o r

T B N : 0 6 7 6 8 5 0 0

F a c t o r , C a m p b e l l & C o l l i n s

A t t o r n e y s a t L a w

5 7 1 9 A i r p o r t F r e e w a y

F o r t W o r t h

, T e x a s 7 6 1 1 7

P e t i t i o n e r ’ s C o u n s e l H o n

. A b e F a c t o r

o n A p p e a l : T B N : 0 6 7 6 8 5 0 0

F a c t o r , C a m p b e l l & C o l l i n s

A t t o r n e y s a t L a w

5 7 1 9 A i r p o r t F r e e w a y

F o r t W o r t h

, T e x a s 7 6 1 1 7

P h o n e : ( 8 1 7 ) 2 2 2

- 3 3 3 3

A p p e l l e e : T h e S t a t e o f T e x a s

A p p e l l e e ’ s T r i a l C o u n s e l : H o n

. R e b e c c a M c I n t i r e

T B N : 0 0 7 8 9 2 5 4

H o n

. J o s h u a R o s s

T B N : 2 4 0 4 6 7 6 0

D i s t r i c t A t t o r n e y ’ s O f f i c e

4 0 1 W

. B e l k n a p

F o r t W o r t h

, T e x a s 7 6 1 9 6

A p p e l l e e ’ s C o u n s e l H o n

. C h a r l e s M a l l i n

o n A p p e a l : T B N : 1 2 8 6 7 4 0 0

H o n

. A n d y P o r t e r

T B N : 2 4 0 0 7 8 5 7

D i s t r i c t A t t o r n e y ’ s O f f i c e

4 0 1 W

. B e l k n a p S t r e e t

F o r t W o r t h

, T e x a s 7 6 1 9 6

iiT A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

p a g e

I D E N T I T Y O F P A R T I E S A N D C O U N S E L

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i i

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i i i

I N D E X O F A U T H O R I T I E S

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i v

S T A T E M E N T R E G A R D I N G O R A L A R G U M E N T

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

S T A T E M E N T O F T H E C A S E

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

S T A T E M E N T O F P R O C E D U R A L H I S T O R Y

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

G R O U N D S F O R R E V I E W

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

R E A S O N S F O R R E V I E W

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A R G U M E N T

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

I

. T h e C o u r t o f A p p e a l s e r r e d w h e n i t h e l d t h a t P e t i t i o n e r ’ s

g u i l t y p l e a w a s n o t v o i d

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A

. F a c t s

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

B

. O p i n i o n B e l o w

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

C

. C o n t r o l l i n g L a w

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

D

. D i s c u s s i o n

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

P R A Y E R F O R R E L I E F

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

C E R T I F I C A T E O F C O M P L I A N C E

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

C E R T I F I C A T E O F S E R V I C E

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

A P P E N D I X

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

iiiI N D E X O F A U T H O R I T I E S

C a s e s p a g e

B i l l i n g s l y v

. S t a t e , 1 1

- 1 3

- 0 0 0 5 2

- C R

, 2 0 1 5 W L x x x x x ( T e x

. A p p

. –
E a s t l a n d

, F e b r u a r y 2 7

, 2 0 1 5

, n o

. p e t

. h

. )
( m e m

. o p

. , n o t d e s i g n a t e d f o r p u b l i c a t i o n )

. . . 1

- 2

, 3

D e g r a t e v

. S t a t e , N o

. 0 5

– 0 4

– 0 0 2 1 8

– C R

, 2 0 0 5 W L 1 6 5 1 8 2

, ( T e x

. A p p

. –
D a l l a s J a n

. 2 6

, 2 0 0 5

, n o p e t

. )
( m e m

. o p

. , n o t d e s i g n a t e d f o r p u b l i c a t i o n )

. . . . . . 6

J a c k s o n v

. V i r g i n i a , 4 4 3 U

. S

. 3 0 7

, 9 9 S

. C t

. 2 7 8 1

, 6 1 L

. E d

. 2 d 5 6 0 ( 1 9 7 9 )

. . . . . . . . . . . 4

E x p a r t e M a r t i n , 7 4 7 S

. W

. 2 d 7 8 9 ( T e x

. C r i m

. A p p

. 1 9 8 8 )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

, 5

M a t h o n i c a n v

. S t a t e , 1 9 4 S

. W

. 3 d 5 9

, 6 9

– 7 1 ( T e x

. A p p

. – T e x a r k a n a 2 0 0 6

, n o p e t

. )

. . . . 6

M e n e f e e v

. S t a t e , 2 8 7 S

. W

. 3 d 9 ( T e x

. C r i m

. A p p

. 2 0 0 9 )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

N a j e r a v

. S t a t e , 9 5 5 S

. W

. 2 d 6 9 8 ( T e x

. A p p

. – A u s t i n 1 9 9 7

, n o p e t

. )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

S t o n e v

. S t a t e , 9 1 9 S

. W

. 2 d 4 2 4 ( T e x

. C r i m

. A p p

. 1 9 9 6 )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

W e e k s v

. S t a t e , 8 3 4 S

. W

. 2 d 5 5 9

, 5 6 1

– 6 5 ( T e x

. A p p

. – E a s t l a n d 1 9 9 2

, p e t

. r e f ’ d )

. . 6

S t a t u t e s

T e x

. C r i m

. P r o c

. C o d e A n n

. a r t

. 1

. 1 5 ( W e s t 2 0 0 5 )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

- 4

ivT e x

. G o v ’ t C o d e A n n

. § 7 3

. 0 0 1 ( W e s t 2 0 1 3 )

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

T e x

. P e n a l C o d e A n n

. § 1

. 0 7 ( a ) ( 4 6 ) ( W e s t S u p p

. 2 0 1 4 )

. . . . . . . . . . 5

- 6

, 7

vS T A T E M E N T R E G A R D I N G O R A L A R G U M E N T

B e c a u s e P e t i t i o n e r d o e s n o t b e l i e v e t h a t o r a l a r g u m e n t w i l l

m a t e r i a l l y a s s i s t t h e C o u r t i n i t s e v a l u a t i o n o f m a t t e r s r a i s e d b y t h i s

p l e a d i n g , P e t i t i o n e r r e s p e c t f u l l y w a i v e s o r a l a r g u m e n t

.

S T A T E M E N T O F T H E C A S E

P e t i t i o n e r J i m m y B e r n a r d B i l l i n g s l e y ( “ P e t i t i o n e r ” o r “ M r

.

B i l l i n g s l e y ” ) w a s c h a r g e d i n C o u n t F o u r o f a f o u r

- c o u n t i n d i c t m e n t o f

i n t e n t i o n a l l y o r k n o w i n g l y c a u s i n g s e r i o u s b o d i l y i n j u r y t o Q u o n t a

S h a w b y t r a n s m i t t i n g t h e H u m a n I m m u n o d e f i c i e n c y V i r u s ( H I V ) t o

M s

. S h a w t h r o u g h s e x u a l i n t e r c o u r s e

. ( C

. R

. 7

- 8 )

. A p p e l l a n t p l e d g u i l t y

t o A g g r a v a t e d A s s a u l t C a u s i n g S e r i o u s B o d i l y I n j u r y o n D e c e m b e r 2 8

,

2 0 1 2

. ( C

. R

. 1 6 7

- 1 7 1 ) ; ( I I I R

. R

. 4 )

. A p p e l l a n t e n t e r e d a n o p e n p l e a o f

g u i l t y t o t h e C o u r t a n d w a s s e n t e n c e d t o 1 5 y e a r s c o n f i n e m e n t i n t h e

T e x a s D e p a r t m e n t o f C r i m i n a l J u s t i c e

. ( C

. R

. 1 8 7 )

. A p p e l l a n t f i l e d a

t i m e l y N o t i c e o f A p p e a l o n D e c e m b e r 2 8

, 2 0 1 2

. ( C R 1 9 1 )

.

S T A T E M E N T O F P R O C E D U R A L H I S T O R Y

T h e o p i n i o n o f t h e E l e v e n t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s A f f i r m i n g M r

.

B i l l i n g s l y ’ s j u d g m e n t w a s h a n d e d d o w n o n F e b r u a r y 2 7

, 2 0 1 5

. S e e

B i l l i n g s l y v

. S t a t e , 1 1

- 1 3

- 0 0 0 5 2

- C R

, 2 0 1 5 W L x x x x x ( T e x

. A p p

. – E a s t l a n d

,

F e b r u a r y 2 7

, 2 0 1 5

, n o

. p e t

. h

. ) ( m e m

. o p

. , n o t d e s i g n a t e d f o r

1p u b l i c a t i o n )

. T h i s t i m e l y P e t i t i o n f o r D i s c r e t i o n a r y r e v i e w e n s u e d

.

G R O U N D S F O R R E V I E W

G R O U N D F O R R E V I E W O N E

I

. T h e C o u r t o f A p p e a l s e r r e d w h e n i t h e l d t h a t P e t i t i o n e r ’ s

g u i l t y p l e a w a s n o t v o i d

.

R E A S O N S F O R R E V I E W

1

. T h e d e c i s i o n b y t h e E l e v e n t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s h a s d e c i d e d a n

i m p o r t a n t q u e s t i o n o f s t a t e l a w i n a w a y t h a t c o n f l i c t s w i t h t h e

a p p l i c a b l e d e c i s i o n s o f t h e C o u r t o f C r i m i n a l A p p e a l s

.

2

. T h e E l e v e n t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s h a s s o f a r d e p a r t e d f r o m t h e

a c c e p t e d a n d u s u a l c o u r s e o f j u d i c i a l p r o c e e d i n g s , o r s o f a r s a n c t i o n e d

s u c h a d e p a r t u r e b y a l o w e r c o u r t

, a s t o c a l l f o r a n e x e r c i s e o f t h e C o u r t

o f C r i m i n a l A p p e a l s ’ p o w e r o f s u p e r v i s i o n

.

A R G U M E N T

G R O U N D F O R R E V I E W O N E ( R e s t a t e d )

I

. T h e C o u r t o f A p p e a l s e r r e d w h e n i t h e l d t h a t P e t i t i o n e r ’ s

g u i l t y p l e a w a s n o t v o i d

.

B e c a u s e t h i s p e t i t i o n i s p r e d i c a t e d u p o n e r r o r b y t h e E l e v e n t h

C o u r t o f A p p e a l s i n i t s r e v i e w o f M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y ’ s c o m p l a i n t o n a p p e a l

,

a r e v i e w o f t h e e v i d e n c e p r e s e n t e d a n d e v e n t s w h i c h t r a n s p i r e d b e l o w

i s i n o r d e r

.

2A

. F a c t s

A p p e l l a n t J i m m y B i l l i n g s l e y a n d t h e c o m p l a i n a n t Q u o n t a S h a w

h a d a s e x u a l r e l a t i o n s h i p

. ( I V R

. R

. 2 7 )

. P r i o r t o h a v i n g s e x w i t h M s

.

S h a w , M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y w a s H I V p o s i t i v e

. ( I V R

. R

. 2 7 )

. D u r i n g t h i s s e x u a l

r e l a t i o n s h i p M s

. S h a w c o n t r a c t e d H I V f r o m M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y

. M r

.

B i l l i n g s l e y d i d n o t t e l l M s

. S h a w h e w a s H I V p o s i t i v e p r i o r t o t h e i r

s e x u a l r e l a t i o n s h i p

. ( I V R

. R

. 2 7 ) M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y w a s i n d i c t e d b y a f o u r

c o u n t i n d i c t m e n t o f k n o w i n g l y t r a n s m i t t i n g H I V t o M s

. S h a w

. ( C R 7

- 8 )

.

A p p e l l a n t p l e d g u i l t y t o a g g r a v a t e d a s s a u l t c a u s i n g s e r i o u s b o d i l y

i n j u r y a n d w e n t o p e n t o t h e j u d g e f o r p u n i s h m e n t

. ( C

. R

. 1 6 7

- 1 7 1 ) ( I V

R

. R

. 4 )

. A f t e r a t r i a l o n p u n i s h m e n t b e f o r e t h e t r i a l c o u r t

, A p p e l l a n t

w a s s e n t e n c e d t o 1 5 y e a r s c o n f i n e m e n t i n t h e T e x a s D e p a r t m e n t o f

C r i m i n a l J u s t i c e

. ( C R 1 8 7 )

.

B

. O p i n i o n B e l o w

M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y a r g u e d b e l o w t h a t h i s p l e a o f g u i l t y w a s v o i d

b e c a u s e t h e S t a t e f a i l e d t o p r e s e n t a n y e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t h i s p l e a a s

r e q u i r e d b y A r t i c l e 1

. 1 5 o f t h e T e x a s C o d e o f C r i m i n a l P r o c e d u r e

. S e e

B i l l i n g s l y , 2 0 1 5 W L x x x x x a t * 1 ( c i t i n g T e x

. C r i m

. P r o c

. C o d e A n n

. a r t

.

31

. 1 5 )

. I n i t s O p i n i o n , t h e E l e v e n t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s s i m p l y h e l d t h a t 1

M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y ’ s j u d i c i a l c o n f e s s i o n w a s s u f f i c i e n t t o m e e t t h e

r e q u i r e m e n t s o f A r t i c l e 1

. 1 5

. I d

.

C

. C o n t r o l l i n g L a w

W h e n a c r i m i n a l d e f e n d a n t k n o w i n g l y , i n t e l l i g e n t l y , a n d

v o l u n t a r i l y p l e a d s g u i l t y , h e w a i v e s h i s r i g h t t o c h a l l e n g e t h e

s u f f i c i e n c y o f t h e e v i d e n c e u n d e r t h e t r a d i t i o n a l s t a n d a r d s e t o u t i n

J a c k s o n v

. V i r g i n i a , 4 4 3 U

. S

. 3 0 7

, 9 9 S

. C t

. 2 7 8 1

, 6 1 L

. E d

. 2 d 5 6 0 ( 1 9 7 9 )

. E x

p a r t e M a r t i n , 7 4 7 S

. W

. 2 d 7 8 9

, 7 9 1 ( T e x

. C r i m

. A p p

. 1 9 8 8 )

. H o w e v e r ,

w h e n a d e f e n d a n t p l e a d s g u i l t y b e f o r e t h e t r i a l c o u r t t o a n o n c a p i t a l

f e l o n y o f f e n s e , a c o n v i c t i o n i s n o t a u t h o r i z e d u n d e r A r t i c l e 1

. 1 5 u n l e s s

1 No person can be convicted of a felony ex cept upon the ver dict of a jury duly rendere d and recorded, unless the defend ant, upon enter ing a plea,

has in open court in per son waived his right of tr ial by jury in writing in

accordance w ith Art icles 1.13 and 1.14; prov ided, however, t hat it shall be

necess ary for t he state to intro duce evidence in to t he recor d showin g the guilt of the defendant and said evidence s hall be ac cepted by the court as
the basis for it s ju dgment and in no event shall a person charged be convicted upon his pl ea without suff icient evidence to support the same. The evidence may be s tipulated if the defendant in s uch case c onsents in writing, in open court , to waive the appearance, confrontat ion, and

cross-examination of witness es, and f urther consents either to an oral stipulation of the ev idence and testimony o r t o the intr oduction of testimony by affidavits, writt en statements of witness es, and any other documentary ev idence in supp or t of t he jud gment of t he court. Such

waiver and consent mus t be appro ved by t he court in writing, and be filed in the file of the papers of the cause. T ex. Cr im. Proc. Code Ann. art . 1.15).

4t h e r e i s e v i d e n c e o f f e r e d t o s u p p o r t t h e g u i l t y p l e a

. M e n e f e e v

. S t a t e , 2 8 7

S

. W

. 3 d 9

, 1 3 ( T e x

. C r i m

. A p p

. 2 0 0 9 )

. W h e n t h e d e f e n d a n t e n t e r s a

g u i l t y p l e a , t h e r e i s n o r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t t h e s u p p o r t i n g e v i d e n c e p r o v e

t h e d e f e n d a n t ’ s g u i l t b e y o n d a r e a s o n a b l e d o u b t

. E x p a r t e M a r t i n , 7 4 7

S

. W

. 2 d a t 7 9 2

. R a t h e r , i n r e v i e w i n g t h e s u f f i c i e n c y o f t h e S t a t e ’ s

e v i d e n c e , a r e v i e w i n g c o u r t w i l l a f f i r m t h e t r i a l c o u r t ’ s j u d g m e n t i f t h e

e v i d e n c e e m b r a c e s e v e r y e s s e n t i a l e l e m e n t o f t h e o f f e n s e c h a r g e d

. S t o n e

v

. S t a t e , 9 1 9 S

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. 2 d 4 2 4

, 4 2 7 ( T e x

. C r i m

. A p p

. 1 9 9 6 )

. A c o n v i c t i o n

r e n d e r e d w i t h o u t s u f f i c i e n t e v i d e n c e t o s u p p o r t a g u i l t y p l e a

c o n s t i t u t e s t r i a l e r r o r

. M e n e f e e , 2 8 7 S

. W

. 3 d a t 1 4

.

D

. D i s c u s s i o n

T h e i n d i c t m e n t h e r e a l l e g e d t h a t M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y d i d

t h e n a n d t h e r e i n t e n t i o n a l l y o r k n o w i n g l y c a u s e s e r i o u s b o d i l y i n j u r y

t o [ Q

. S

. ]

. . . b y p e n e t r a t i n g t h e f e m a l e s e x u a l o r g a n , a n u s , o r m o u t h o f

[ Q

. S

. ] w i t h t h e [ a p p e l l a n t ' s p e n i s , t h e r e b y c a u s i n g [ Q

. S

. ] t o c o n t r a c t t h e

h u m a n i m m u n o d e f i c i e n c y v i r u s ( H I V )

. . . a g a i n s t t h e p e a c e a n d d i g n i t y

o f t h e S t a t e

.

( C

. R

. 7

- 9 )

. “ S e r i o u s b o d i l y i n j u r y ” m e a n s “ b o d i l y i n j u r y t h a t c r e a t e s a

s u b s t a n t i a l r i s k o f d e a t h o r t h a t c a u s e s d e a t h

, s e r i o u s p e r m a n e n t

d i s f i g u r e m e n t

, o r p r o t r a c t e d l o s s o r i m p a i r m e n t o f t h e f u n c t i o n o f a n y

b o d i l y m e m b e r o r o r g a n

. ” T e x

. P e n a l C o d e A n n

. § 1

. 0 7 ( a ) ( 4 6 ) ( W e s t

5S u p p

. 2 0 1 4 )

. A l t h o u g h M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y p l e d g u i l t y t o “ e a c h a n d e v e r y

a c t ” a l l e g e d i n t h e i n d i c t m e n t

, t h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s a p p a r e n t l y o p e r a t e d

u n d e r t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t c o n t r a c t i n g H I V i s p e r s e “ s e r i o u s b o d i l y

i n j u r y , ” a s t h e i n d i c t m e n t c o n t a i n s n o f u r t h e r e l a b o r a t i o n r e g a r d i n g a n y

c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n H I V a n d “ s e r i o u s b o d i l y i n j u r y

. ” N e i t h e r t h e F o r t

W o r t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s n o r t h e C o u r t o f C r i m i n a l A p p e a l s h a v e h e l d 2

t h a t c o n t r a c t i n g H I V i s “ s e r i o u s b o d i l y i n j u r y

. ” T h e l a c k o f a n y 3

p r i n c i p l e d c o n n e c t i o n t o t h e e s s e n t i a l e l e m e n t o f “ s e r i o u s b o d i l y

i n j u r y ” c a n b e i l l u s t r a t e d h e r e b y s u b s t i t u t i n g t h e w o r d “ f l u ” f o r

2

Or iginally appealed to t he Sec ond Court of Appeals in Fort Wor th, this

case w as transferred t o the Elev enth Court of Appeals in Eas tland by the

Texas Su preme Cour t pursuant to it s docket equalization effor ts. See Tex.

Gov’t Code Ann. § 73.001 (West 2013). The Eleventh Court of Appeals by rule was required to follow the precedent o f the Second Court of Appeals

in decid ing this cas e. See Tex. R. App. P. 41.3.

3 But see gene rally Mat

honican v. S tat e , 194 S.W.3d 59, 69– 71 (Tex.
App.– Texark ana 2006, no pet.) (find ing defendant’s HIV-p ositive seminal

fluid was c apable of cau sing death or ser ious bodily inj ury); Degrate v.

State , No. 05–04– 00218– CR, 2005 WL 165182, at *2, 2005 Tex . App. LEXIS 547, at *4–8 (T ex. App.–D allas J an.26, 2005, no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for publication) (f inding legally and factually su ffic ient

evidence that t he mouth of an HIV-positive defendant was a deadly weapon when

defendant bit the complainan t); Najera v. State , 955 S.W.2d

698, 700– 01 (Tex. App.– Austin 1997, no pet.) (fin ding legally and factually

suffici ent ev idence that defendant’s penis and sem inal flu ids w ere capable

of caus ing death); Weeks v. Stat e , 834 S.W.2d 559, 561– 65 (Tex.
App.– Eastland 1992, pet. ref’d) (fin ding evidence was s uff icient to sustain HIV-positive defendant’s attempted murder conviction for spitting at complainan t).

6“ h u m a n i m m u n o d e f i c i e n c y v i r u s , ” a s n o w h e r e i n t h e r e c o r d i s i t s h o w n

t h a t “ h u m a n i m m u n o d e f i c i e n c y v i r u s ” i s a n y m o r e l i k e l y t h a n t h e

c o m m o n f l u t o c a u s e “ b o d i l y i n j u r y t h a t c r e a t e s a s u b s t a n t i a l r i s k o f

d e a t h o r t h a t c a u s e s d e a t h

, s e r i o u s p e r m a n e n t d i s f i g u r e m e n t

, o r

p r o t r a c t e d l o s s o r i m p a i r m e n t o f t h e f u n c t i o n o f a n y b o d i l y m e m b e r o r

o r g a n

. ” S e e T e x

. P e n a l C o d e A n n

. § 1

. 0 7 ( a ) ( 4 6 )

.

A s s u c h

, t h e c o u r t o f a p p e a l s s h o u l d n o t h a v e h e l d t h a t s u f f i c i e n t

e v i d e n c e w a s a d m i t t e d t o s u p p o r t M r

. B i l l i n g s l e y ’ s p l e a , a s t h e

e s s e n t i a l e l e m e n t o f “ s e r i o u s b o d i l y i n j u r y ” i s n o t s u p p o r t e d

.

P R A Y E R F O R R E L I E F

W H E R E F O R E

, P R E M I S E S C O N S I D E R E D

, P e t i t i o n e r r e s p e c t f u l l y

p r a y s t h a t t h i s C o u r t g r a n t d i s c r e t i o n a r y r e v i e w a n d a l l o w e a c h p a r t y

t o f u l l y b r i e f a n d a r g u e t h e i s s u e s b e f o r e t h e C o u r t o f C r i m i n a l

A p p e a l s , a n d t h a t u p o n r e v i e w i n g t h e j u d g m e n t e n t e r e d b e l o w , t h a t

t h i s C o u r t r e v e r s e t h e o p i n i o n o f t h e E l e v e n t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s a n d

r e v e r s e t h e c o n v i c t i o n e n t e r e d b e l o w

.

R e s p e c t f u l l y s u b m i t t e d

,

/ s / A b e F a c t o r

A b e F a c t o r

T B N : 0 6 7 6 8 5 0 0

F a c t o r , C a m p b e l l & C o l l i n s

7A t t o r n e y s a t L a w

5 7 1 9 A i r p o r t F r e e w a y

F o r t W o r t h

, T e x a s 7 6 1 1 7

P h o n e : ( 8 1 7 ) 2 2 2

- 3 3 3 3

F a x : ( 8 1 7 ) 2 2 2

- 3 3 3 0

E m a i l : l a w f a c t o r @ y a h o o

. c o m

A t t o r n e y s f o r P e t i t i o n e r J i m m y B e r n a r d B i l l i n g l e y

C E R T I F I C A T E O F C O M P L I A N C E

I h e r e b y c e r t i f y t h a t t h e w o r d c o u n t f o r t h e p o r t i o n o f t h i s f i l i n g

c o v e r e d b y R u l e 9

. 4 ( i ) ( 1 ) o f t h e T e x a s R u l e s o f A p p e l l a t e P r o c e d u r e i s

2

, 1 2 4

.

/ s / A b e F a c t o r

A b e F a c t o r

C E R T I F I C A T E O F S E R V I C E

I h e r e b y c e r t i f y t h a t a t r u e a n d c o r r e c t c o p y o f t h e f o r e g o i n g

i n s t r u m e n t h a s b e e n f u r n i s h e d t o c o u n s e l f o r t h e S t a t e ’ s P r o s e c u t i n g

A t t o r n e y a n d t h e T a r r a n t C o u n t y D i s t r i c t A t t o r n e y b y a m a n n e r

c o m p l i a n t w i t h t h e T e x a s R u l e s o f A p p e l l a t e P r o c e d u r e , o n t h i s 3 0 t h

d a y o f M a r c h

, 2 0 1 5

.

/ s / A b e F a c t o r

A b e F a c t o r

8A P P E N D I X

1

. O p i n i o n o f t h e E l e v e n t h C o u r t o f A p p e a l s

.

9Opinion filed February 27 , 2015



## In The 

# Eleventh Court of Appeals

__________



## No. 11

- 1 3

- 00 052

- CR

__________



## JIMMY BERNARD BILLINGSLEY , Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS , Appellee

On Appeal from the Criminal District Court No. 3

Tarrant C ounty, Texas

Trial Court Cause No. 1235745D

M E M O R A N D U M O P I N I O N

Jimmy Bernard Billingsley entered an open plea of guilty to the offense of

aggravated assault. Upon accepting his plea, t he trial court found him guilty of the

offense and assessed his punishment at confinement in the Institutional Division of

the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for a term of fifteen years. In a single

issue, Appellant challenges his conviction by argu ing that the evidence in support

### of his guilty plea was insufficient under T EX



### . C ODE 

### C RIM



### . P ROC



### . A NN



### . art. 1.15

(West 2005 ). We affirm.

Background

Appellant was charged in a four

- count indictment with committing various

forms of assault by transmitting t he human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to Q. S

. Appellant pleaded guilty to Count Four of the indictment. 1 

### Count Four alleged that

Appellant intentionally or knowingly committed assault by causing serious bodily

injury to Q

. S . by causing her to contract HIV . Appellant executed a “Judicial

Confession” whereupon he swore under oath that he had read the indictment “filed

in this case and [he] committed each and every act alleged therein, except those

acts waived by the State.” A t the plea hearing, Appellant t estified that he was

pleading guilty because he was gu ilty “and for no other reason.”

Analysis

Appellant contends that his guilty plea was void because the State did not

present sufficient evidence under A rticle 1.15 that he caused serious bodily injury

b y the transmission of HIV. In support of his argument, Appellant cites various

publications that were not presented to the trial court ; he assert s that the

transmission of HIV should not be considered per se serious bodily injury today

because of medical advancements in the treatment of the disease and the stigma

presented by such a characterization . The State responds by arguing that

Appellant’s judicial confession alone satisfied the requirements of A rticle 1.15.

We agree with the State’s contention.

When a criminal defendant knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily pleads

guilty, he waives his right to challenge the sufficiency of the evidence under the

traditional standard set out in Jackson v. Virginia , 443 U.S. 307 (1979). Ex parte

1 At the plea hearing, the trial court stated that Appellant pleaded guilty to “Count Five.” Appellant acknowledges in his brief, however, that he actually pleaded guilty to Count Four in the

indictment.

### Martin , 747 S. W.2d 789, 791 (Tex. Crim. App. 1988)

. However, when a

defendant pleads guilty before the trial court to a noncapital felony offense, a

conviction is not authorized under A rticle 1.15 unless there is evidence offered to

support the guilty plea. Menefee v. State , 287 S.W.3d 9, 13 (Tex. Crim. App.

2009). When the defendant enters a guilty plea, there is no requirement that the

supporting evidence prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Ex parte Martin , 747 S.W.2d at 792; Staggs v. State , 314 S.W.3d 155, 159 (Tex.

App.

— Houston [1st Dist.] 2010, no pet.); McGill v. State , 200 S.W.3d 325, 330

(Tex. App.

— Dallas 2006, no pet.). Rather, in reviewing the sufficiency of the

State’s evidence, we will affirm the trial court’s judgment if the evidence embraces

every essential element of the offense charged. Stone v. State , 919 S.W.2d 424,

427 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996). A conviction rendered without sufficient evidence to

support a guilty plea constitutes trial error. Menefee , 287 S.W.3d at 14.

A person commits aggravated assault by committing an assault that causes

serious bodily injury to another. T EX



### . P ENAL 

### C ODE 

### A NN



### . § 22.02(a)(1) (West

2011 ). “‘Serious bodily injury’ means bodily injury that creates a substantial risk

of death or that causes death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss

or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.” Id. § 1.07(a)(4 6 )

(West Supp. 2014 ). The indictment alleged in Count Four that Appellant “caused

serious bodily injury to [Q. S .]” by “causing [Q. S .] to contract human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV).” Appellant contends that the State failed to

present evidence that he caused serious bodily injury by transmitting HIV to Q. S

. However, Appellant judicially confessed to this element of the offense by

confessing to “each and every act alleged” in the indictment. A judicial confession

will suffice to support a guilty plea as long as the confession covers all of the

elements of the charged offense. Menefee , 287 S.W.3d at 13. We conclude that

Appellant’s judicial confession covered all of the elements of the charged offense,

### including the element challenged by Appellant on appeal. We overrule

Appellant’s sole issue.

This Court’s Ruling

We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

JOH N M. BAILEY

JUSTICE

February 27 , 2015

Do not publish. See T EX



### . R. A PP



### . P. 47.2(b).

Panel consists of: Wright, C.J.,

Willson , J., and Bailey , J.

### P r i n t t h i s p a g e



# E n v e l o p e 4 6 9 1 8 7 8

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. p d f [ O r i g i n a l ]

e S e r v i c e D e t a i l s

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. c o m S t a t e o f T e x a s E S e r v e S e n t Y e s N o t O p e n e d