S eeT EX . R. A PP . P. 47. 4. 1 

## COURT OF APPEALS

SECOND DISTRICTOFTEXAS FORT WORTH
NO . 2- 07- 127- CR
J ONAT HAN DA R R E L LM AY HE W AP P E L L ANT V . TH E STA TE O F TEXA S STA TE

----- ----- -- FR O M THE 355TH DI STRI CT CO URT O F HO O D CO UN TY

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### M E M ORANDU M OP I NI ON 1

----- ----- -- I . I nt r oduc t i on A j u ry c o n v i c ted A p p e l l a n t Jo n a th a n D a rr e l l M a y h e w o f t h e ft o f pro p e rt y
v a l u e d b e tw e e n $ 1 ,5 0 0 a n d $ 2 0 ,0 0 0 . A p p e l l a n t’ s i n d i c tm e n t co n tai n e d tw o enh anc em entpa r agr aph s, b ot h i nvol vi ng pr evi ousco nvi ct i onsf ort he
unau t hor i zed use ofa m ot or v e h ic l e. Thu s, A ppel l ant ’ s convi ct i on w as2

enh anc ed t o a t h i r d d e g r e e f e l o n y . T h ej u r ya s s e s s e d p u n i s h me n ta te i ght yea r s’ co nf i nem ent
— t he t r i al co urts e n te n ce d Appel l antac cor di ngl y. I n one p o in t , A p p e lla n tc o m p la in s t h a tt h e e v id e n c e is le g a llyin s u f f ic ie n tt o s u p p o rth is
c o n v i c t i o n . We a f f i r m. I I . Fac t ualan d Pr oce duralBac kground M ar y S i l l i ventt est i f i ed t haton Jun e 12 , 20 05 , she sol d a M i t subi shi car t o a per so n na m ed Lor ena A l t am i r ano . She al so t es t i f i ed t hats he si gne d t he ti tl e o f th e c a r o v e r to A l tam i ran o . A l tam i ran o tes ti fi e d tha t sh e i s m a rr i e d to C a r lo s S ilv a a n d t h a tC a r lo s — a s h e h a s d o n e in t h e p a s t
— p u r c h a s e d t h e c a rin h e rn a m e . A lt a m ir a n o a ls o t e s t if ie d t h a tC a r lo s o c c a s i o n a llyb u y s v e h ic le s in h e r n a m e a n d th e c h e c k s h e re c e i v e s a fte r th e y a re s o l d a re m a d e o u t to h e r. C a r lo s k e p tt h e M it s u b is h i c a rf o ra f e w m o n t h s a n d t h e n d e c id e d t o s e ll itin th e W a l -M a rt p a rk i n g l o t i n H o o d C o u n ty , T e x a s . C ar l os and hi s br ot her , M ar cos S i l va, m et A ppel l ant and M i chael H est er abou tsel l i ng t he car . C arlo s typ i cal l y has hi s br ot heraccom pany h i m w hen
se l l i ng c ar s bec aus e M ar coss pea ksbe t t erEngl i sh t han Car l os . Appel l ant
a g ree d to p u rch a se the ca r. A tem p o rary c h e c k fo r $ 2 ,1 0 0 w a s m a d e o u t t o Lor ena A l t am i r ano . Att r i al , Car l osi den t i f i ed A p p e l l a ntast he per so n w ho
w r ot e out t he che ck . Bot h M ar cos and C ar l os i den t i f i ed A ppe l l ant ast he per so n
w h o g a v e M a rc o s th e c h e c ka n d to w h o m th e yg a v e th e k e y s a n d th e c a r.3

A l ta m i ra n o a n d C a rl o s w e n t to c a s h th e c h e c k . A t th e b a n k , th e yw e re t ol d t hat t he check w as w r i t t en on a cl osed accoun t . A bank em pl oyee t est i f i ed t hatt he accoun thad been cl osed f orover t w o year s pr i or t o t he dat e w r i t t en o n t he check and thatt he checki ng accou nthad been o pened by, and w as re g i s te re d i n th e n a m e o f, M i c h a e l H e s te r, n o t A p p e l l a n t. I I I . D i sc us si on I n o n e p o i n t, A p p e l l a n t ch a l l e n g e s th e l e g a l su ffi c i e n c y o f t h e ev i d e n c e to
su pportt he j ury’ s fi ndi ng ofhi s cr i m i nali nt ent . Appel l antco nt end s t hathe la c k e d t h e r e q u is it e in t e n t t o b e f o u n d g u ilt yo ft h e f t . A p p e lla n ta r g u e s t h a tt h is i s m er el y a con t r ac t di sp ut e, an d t hatbe ca us e m al f ea sa nceca nnotbepr ove n, h e i s n o t g u i l tyo f th e ft. S e eBa ker v. S tate , 986 S . W . 2d 271, 274 ( Tex. A p p .— T e x a rk a n a 1 9 9 8 , p e t. re f’d ). W e d i s a g re e . A . S t a n d a r d o fR e v i e w I n r evi ew i ng t he l ega l su f f i ci enc y oft he evi den cet o s upporta con vi ct i on,
w e vi ew al l t he evi dence i n t he l i ght m ost f avor abl e t o t he pr osecut i on i n or der t o det er m i ne w het her any r at i onal t r i eroff actcoul d have f oun d t he essent i al
e l e m e n ts o f th e c ri m e b e y o n d a re a s o n a b l e d o u b t. Ja cks o nv. V ir gin ia , 443 U .S . 3 0 7 , 3 1 9 , 9 9 S . C t. 2 7 8 1 , 2 7 8 9 (1 9 7 9 ); Cl a y to nv. S tate , 235 S. W . 3d 7 7 2 , 7 7 8 (T e x . C ri m . A p p . 2 0 0 7 ).4

B . T h eLa w P e rt a i n i n g to T h e ft B ys t a t u t o r yd e f i n i t i o n , t h e f tisc o m p le t e d w h e n a n a c c u s e d u n la w f u lly app r opr i at esan ot herpe r so n’ s pr ope rt y w i t h t he i nt ent t o dep r i ve t he ow nerof th a t p ro p e rty . S eeT EX . P EN AL C ODE A NN . § 3 1 .0 3 (a ) (V e rn o n S u p p . 2 0 0 7 ); see a l so S teelev. S tate , 22 S . W . 3d 550, 554- 55 ( T e x . A p p .— Fo rtW ort h 2000, p e t. ref’d). F u rt h e rm o re, i t i s p ri m a fac i e ev i d e n c e tha t an ac c u se d i n ten d e d to per m anentl y depr i ve t he ow neroft he pr opert y ati ssue i ft he accu s ed p u rc h a s e d th e p ro p e rtyw i th a c h e c kw ri tte n o n a c l o s e d a c c o u n t. S ee T EX . P EN AL C ODE A NN . § 3 1 .0 6 (a ) (V e rn o n S u p p . 2 0 0 7 ); se e a l so T h o mp so nv. S tate , 8 9 S .W .3 d 8 4 3 , 8 4 9 (T e x . A p p .— H o u s to n [1 s t D i s t.] 2 0 0 2 , p e t. re f'd ). H er e, evi dence w as pr esent ed t o t he j ur y th a t A ppel l antw r ot e a check f or$2, 100 t o pa y f ort he M i t su bi sh i ca r , t huscr ea t i n g a pr es um pt i on i n t he
m i nd s of bo t h C arl os an d M arcos t ha tA pp el l an ti nten de d to p erm an en t ly depr i ve C ar l os oft he car . A ddi t io n a ll y , th e check w as a t em por ar y check
w r i t t en on a n a cc ountt hatha d be en cl os ed f orm or e t h a n tw o ye ar s. The
accoun tw as i n t he nam e of M i chael H est er , w ho accom pani ed A ppel l antw hen A ppe l l antex cha nge d t hi s che ckf ort he ca r . Bas ed on t he r ec or d, w e c onc l ude t hata r at i onal t r i er of f act coul d have f oun d, beyon d a r easonabl e doub t , t hat A p p e l l a n t i n te n d e d to d e p ri v e C a rl o s S i l v a o f th e c a r. W e o v e rru l e A p p e l l a n t’s
s o l e p o i n t.5

I V . C onc l us i on H avi ng ov er r ul ed A ppel l ant ' s sol e poi nt , w e af f i r m t he t r i al court ' s j u d g m e n t.

A N N E GA RD N ER J U S T I C E PA N EL F: LI V I N G STO N , D A U PH I N O T, an d GA RD N ER, JJ. DO NO T P UBLI SH T EX . R. A PP . P. 47. 2( b) DEL I VERE D: M a r c h 13, 2008