NUMBER 13-13-00416-CR

COURT OF APPEALS

THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS

CORPUS CHRISTI – EDINBURG

MICHAEL PATRICK KENNEDY, Appellant,

v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee.

On appeal from the 207th District Court

of Comal County, Texas.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Before Chief Justice Valdez and Justices Rodriguez and Garza

Memorandum Opinion by Justice Garza

Appellant, Michael Patrick Kennedy, was convicted of attempted capital murder, a 

first-degree felony, and was sentenced to sixty-five years’ imprisonment. See TEX. PENAL 

CODE ANN. §§ 15.01, 19.03(a)(1) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.). On appeal, he 

contends: (1) the trial court erred by admitting hospital records; (2) his trial counsel 

provided ineffective assistance by failing to properly object to the admission of the hospital 
2

records; (3) the trial court erred in instructing the jury that only the jury foreperson could 

prepare and submit notes to the court; and (4) the trial court erred in failing to define 

“provocation” in the jury charge. We affirm.

1

I. BACKGROUND

On the night of March 3, 2005, police officer Richard Kunz was patrolling Interstate 

35 in Schertz, Texas, when he observed Kennedy’s vehicle speeding. Kunz activated his 

emergency lights and pursued Kennedy. Kennedy eventually pulled over to the left 

shoulder in between the concrete median barrier and the left travel lane. Kunz exited his

patrol unit and approached Kennedy. Kunz testified:

[W]hen I asked him for his driver’s license and proof of insurance, I 

remember seeing his body kind of tilt a little bit to the left and his hand—or 

a motion that gave me an indication that his hand was going back there to 

the right, and typical of somebody who would be reaching for their driver’s 

license and insurance and the wallet in the right backhand pocket. While 

waiting for that documentation is when I saw coming directly from the 

blackness the barrel of the gun pointed right at me.

Kunz clarified that the gun was pointed at his “upper body.” He stated that he thought he 

was going to die at that point. He “ran for [his] life” back to the patrol unit and called for 

backup. Kennedy opened his driver’s side door and fired at the officer “numerous times” 

with what Kunz thought was a handgun. Kunz took cover behind his patrol unit. There 

was then a pause in the shooting, during which Kunz saw what appeared to be the barrel 

of a rifle “coming out of” Kennedy’s driver’s side door. He then heard gunshots and glass 

shattering around him as he crouched behind the patrol unit. He stated that the shots 

were “definitely [from a] machine gun because they were very rapid and they sounded a 

 

1 This appeal was transferred from the Third Court of Appeals pursuant to an order issued by the 

Texas Supreme Court. See TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 73.001 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.).
3

lot louder than just a handgun.” Kunz, having already twice ordered Kennedy to drop his 

weapon, returned fire. He shot at Kennedy a total of sixteen times, firing until his service 

weapon was empty. Kunz testified:

At that point I stayed behind my vehicle, not firing and waiting for cover. I 

did not know where [Kennedy] was. I did not know if he was still in the 

vehicle. I did not know if I hit him. I did not know if he was coming around 

on the side concrete barrier wall and was going to pop up on the side and 

shoot me. I didn’t even really know . . . if he was on the right side of my 

vehicle and was approaching. And I remained there until the first 

responding officer arrived.

Police closed off the portion of highway where the incident was occurring and approached 

Kennedy’s vehicle from the opposite side of the concrete median barrier. The officers

removed Kennedy, who had multiple gunshot wounds, from his vehicle and placed him 

under arrest.

Subsequent investigation showed that there were forty-five bullet holes in Kunz’s 

patrol unit; Kennedy had fired at least ten rounds from a nine-millimeter handgun and at 

least thirty rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle. The handgun and rifle, along with other 

weapons and ammunition, were recovered from Kennedy’s vehicle.

A video recording taken from a camera in Kunz’s patrol unit was entered into 

evidence and played for the jury. On cross-examination, Kunz conceded that he did not 

tell dispatch or the backup officers that Kennedy had fired at him first. He did not recall 

Kennedy saying on the video “I have been hit” prior to the time he took cover behind his 

patrol unit. Kunz agreed that, according to the video recording, he had actually fired on 

Kennedy from the front of his patrol unit, prior to taking cover and calling for backup, but 

he did not mention this fact in a six-page written statement he prepared the day after the 

incident. Kunz agreed that a portion of his written statement was therefore “inaccurate.” 

When asked by defense counsel what he did to correct this “inaccuracy,” Kunz replied: “I 
4

did not alter my statement or change my report. I let them stand and let the evidence 

stand for those who wish to look at both and interpret what they believe to be accurate 

and true.”

An acoustics expert and a forensic audio expert each testified on Kennedy’s behalf 

that, according to their analyses of the video recording, Kunz fired the first shot. Dennis 

McKnight, who testified for the defense as an expert witness in the field of law 

enforcement, testified that, even if Kennedy displayed a gun when Kunz approached him, 

Kennedy presented no immediate threat to Kunz at the time Kunz took cover behind his 

patrol unit. McKnight opined that Kennedy’s shooting at Kunz was justified as selfdefense.

Kennedy was convicted of attempted capital murder and this appeal followed.2

II. DISCUSSION

A. Admission of Medical Records

By his first issue, Kennedy contends that the trial court erred by admitting medical 

records into evidence over his counsel’s objection. By his second issue, he argues that, 

to the extent his trial counsel failed to preserve the objection, he provided ineffective 

assistance.

 

2

In 2006, Kennedy pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a peace officer with a deadly weapon, 

a first-degree felony, as a result of the events described above. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.02(a)(2), 

(b)(2)(A) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.). The trial court accepted the plea, adjudicated Kennedy 

guilty, and sentenced him to seventy-five years’ imprisonment. Kennedy appealed, contending that the trial 

court erred in denying a pre-trial motion to suppress evidence obtained from a police search of his 

residence. The Austin Court of Appeals held that Kennedy waived error by pleading guilty, but the court of 

criminal appeals reversed. Kennedy v. State, 297 S.W.3d 338, 342 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009) (holding that 

the evidentiary issue was preserved under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 25.2(a)(2) because the State 

and Kennedy entered into a “charge-bargain agreement” under which the State agreed not to pursue certain 

charges in exchange for the guilty plea). On remand, the Austin court held that the police search was 

unconstitutional and ordered a new trial. Kennedy v. State, 338 S.W.3d 84, 100–103 (Tex. App.—Austin 

2011, no pet.). The new trial, which gave rise to this appeal, took place in June 2013 before a Comal 

County jury.
5

We review a trial court’s evidentiary rulings for abuse of discretion. Hernandez v. 

State, 390 S.W.3d 310, 324 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012). We will uphold the ruling unless it 

lies outside the zone of reasonable disagreement. Id. To obtain a reversal of a conviction 

for ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must show that (1) counsel’s 

performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and (2) counsel’s 

deficient performance prejudiced the defense, resulting in an unreliable or fundamentally 

unfair outcome of the proceeding. Davis v. State, 278 S.W.3d 346, 352 (Tex. Crim. App. 

2009) (citing Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687 (1984)).

At the conclusion of its case-in-chief, the State sought to admit its Exhibit 77, 

constituting 107 pages of hospital records documenting Kennedy’s injuries resulting from 

the May 3, 2005 shootout. Defense counsel argued that the records were obtained in 

violation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 

(“HIPAA”) and were therefore inadmissible. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 38.23 

(West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (providing that evidence obtained in violation of 

law is not admissible). The trial court denied the objection.

3

 The State contends that the 

evidence was admissible, that Kennedy failed to preserve error,4 and that any error in 

admitting the evidence would be harmless.

 

3 Defense counsel also argued that the records were inadmissible because they were not properly 

authenticated as business records under Texas Rule of Evidence 903. The trial court sustained that 

objection in part and directed the prosecutor to remove copies of the subpoena and business records 

affidavit that were erroneously included in the proffered exhibit. The trial court overruled the objection as 

to the actual medical records themselves. Defense counsel also objected to two pages of the exhibit on 

grounds that they were protected by the clergy-communicant privilege under Texas Rule of Evidence 505, 

and to another portion of the exhibit on grounds that they contained statements made by police. The trial 

court sustained those objections but admitted the remainder of the exhibit. On appeal, Kennedy asserts 

only that the admitted records were inadmissible because they were obtained in violation of HIPAA.

4

In particular, the State argues that defense counsel failed to specifically reference the statutory

exclusionary rule prior to having his objection overruled. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 38.23 (West, 

Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.).
6

Assuming that the issue has been preserved, we find no abuse of discretion in the 

trial court’s ruling. Regulations promulgated under HIPAA provide that “covered entities” 

such as hospitals generally may not disclose patients’ “protected health information”

except under certain delineated circumstances. 45 C.F.R. § 164.502(a) (West, Westlaw 

through 80 FR 26430). Under this “Privacy Rule,” one of the circumstances under which 

protected information may be disclosed without authorization of the patient is when 

disclosure is “for a law enforcement purpose . . . [p]ursuant to process and as otherwise 

required by law.” Id. § 164.512(f) (West, Westlaw through 80 FR 26430). The applicable 

subsection of the HIPAA Privacy Rule provides as follows:

A covered entity may disclose protected health information:

(i) As required by law including laws that require the reporting of certain 

types of wounds or other physical injuries, except for laws subject to 

paragraph (b)(1)(ii) or (c)(1)(i) of this section; or

(ii) In compliance with and as limited by the relevant requirements of:

(A) A court order or court-ordered warrant, or a subpoena or 

summons issued by a judicial officer;

(B) A grand jury subpoena; or

(C) An administrative request, including an administrative 

subpoena or summons, a civil or an authorized investigative 

demand, or similar process authorized under law, provided 

that:

(1) The information sought is relevant and material to a 

legitimate law enforcement inquiry;

(2) The request is specific and limited in scope to the 

extent reasonably practicable in light of the purpose for 

which the information is sought; and

(3) De-identified information could not reasonably be 

used.

Id. § 164.512(f)(1).
7

The documents at issue here were supplied pursuant to a subpoena duces tecum 

applied for by the State and issued by a Comal County deputy district clerk. Kennedy 

argues that court clerks are not considered “judicial officers” for purposes of this 

regulation, and that subparagraph (ii)(A) of subsection 164.512(f)(1) therefore does not 

apply. See United States v. Zamora, 408 F. Supp. 2d 295, 298 (S.D. Tex. 2006) (holding 

that, because “there is no support for the government’s position that a court clerk is a 

judicial officer, the government did not properly comply with § 164.512(f)(1)(ii)(A) in its 

issuance of the subpoena”). Kennedy further cites State v. Jewell, wherein it was held 

that, under HIPAA, the appellant had “a reasonable expectation of privacy” in his medical 

records, other than his blood-test results, and therefore had “standing to contest how the 

State obtained them.” No. 10-11-00166-CR, 2013 WL 387800, at *4 (Tex. App.—Waco 

Jan. 31, 2013, no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for publication).

Even though the Comal County district clerk may not be a “judicial officer” for 

HIPAA purposes, Kennedy does not address whether the records at issue were properly 

disclosed under paragraph (i) or subparagraph (ii)(C) of the regulation.5 We find that the 

records were, indeed, disclosable under these provisions. First, it is undisputed that the 

 

5

In addition to his argument regarding subparagraph (ii)(A), Kennedy principally argues on appeal

that subsection (e) of the regulation, which concerns “[d]isclosures for judicial and administrative 

proceedings,” does not apply. See 45 C.F.R. § 164.512(e) (West, Westlaw through 80 FR 26430). The 

State does not dispute that the records at issue were not disclosable under this subsection. See id.

(providing that, in order for information to be disclosable in the course of a judicial or administrative 

proceeding, the covered entity must “receive[] satisfactory assurance” that “reasonable efforts have been 

made” by the party seeking the information (1) to ensure that the individual who is the subject of the 

requested information “has been given notice of the request” and (2) to obtain a protective order prohibiting 

the parties from using the information for other purposes and requiring the information to be returned or 

destroyed at the end of the proceeding). But the fact that the records were not disclosable under subsection 

(e) does not mean that the records could not have been disclosed under another subsection. See id.

§ 164.512(a) (“A covered entity may use or disclose protected health information to the extent that such 

use or disclosure is required by law and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant 

requirements of such law. . . . A covered entity must meet the requirements described in paragraph (c), 

(e), or (f) of this section for uses or disclosures required by law.” (emphasis added)).
8

subpoena duces tecum was properly issued by the county clerk at the request of the 

prosecutor and that it possessed the force of law. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. arts. 

24.01, 24.05 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.). The hospital was therefore

authorized to disclose the records at issue because the disclosure was “required by law.” 

45 C.F.R. § 164.512(f)(1)(i)6; see Kennemur v. State, 280 S.W.3d 305, 313 (Tex. App.—

Amarillo 2008, pet. ref’d) (finding that the HIPAA Privacy Rule was not violated when 

medical records were disclosed pursuant to a lawfully-issued subpoena duces tecum). 

Second, the subpoena duces tecum appears to meet the requirements of an 

“administrative subpoena” under subparagraph (ii)(c) in that the information sought was 

relevant to a legitimate law enforcement inquiry, the request made was reasonably 

specific and limited in scope,7 and de-identified information could not have been 

reasonably used under the circumstances. See id. § 164.512(f)(1)(ii)(c). Jewell is 

distinguishable because, in that case, the trial court found and the State conceded that 

the subpoena used to obtain the documents was invalid due to the fact that it did not 

comply with applicable statutory requirements. See 2013 WL 387800, at *4 (citing TEX.

CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 20.11 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.)).

Because disclosure of Kennedy’s hospital records pursuant to the subpoena duces 

tecum was authorized under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, the trial court did not abuse its 

discretion by admitting the records into evidence. For the same reason, Kennedy’s

 

6 As noted, subparagraph (i) of subsection (f)(1) allows a covered entity to disclose protected health 

information “[a]s required by law . . . except for laws subject to paragraph (b)(1)(ii) or (c)(1)(i) of this section.” 

Id. § 164.512(f)(1)(i). The cited paragraphs, which concern disclosures for “public health activities” and 

disclosures “about victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence” respectively, are not applicable here. 

See id. § 164.512(b)(1)(ii), (c)(1)(i).

7 The subpoena requested “copies and [sic] any and all medical records relating to Michael Patrick 

Kennedy, DOB 6/12/1956 . . . admitted on or about 3/4/2005.”
9

ineffective assistance of counsel claim is without merit. See Ex parte White, 160 S.W.3d 

46, 53 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004) (holding that, when claiming ineffective assistance for 

failing to object, a party must demonstrate that if trial counsel had objected, the trial judge 

would have committed error in refusing to sustain the objection). We overrule Kennedy’s 

first two issues.

B. Instruction Regarding Jury Notes

Kennedy’s next two issues argue that the trial court erred by instructing the jury 

that only the foreperson could write and prepare notes to the court during its deliberations, 

and by refusing Kennedy’s requested instruction that any juror could do so. He complains 

by his third issue that the rulings violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial and his 

Fifth Amendment right to due process, see U.S. CONST. amends. V, VI, and by his fourth 

issue that his corresponding rights under the Texas Constitution were violated by the 

rulings. See TEX. CONST. art. I, §§ 10, 19; id. art. V, § 13.

The instruction about which Kennedy complains was contained within the guiltinnocence jury charge and states: “When the jury wishes to communicate with the Court, 

it shall notify the Bailiff, who shall inform the Court thereof. Any communications relative 

to the case must be written, prepared by the Foreperson and shall be submitted to the 

Court through the Bailiff.” Defense counsel objected to this instruction during the charge 

conference and orally proposed that the jury instead be instructed that notes could be 

“prepared by one of your members and shall be submitted to the Court through the bailiff.” 

The trial court denied the objection and requested instruction.

The record in this case does not contain any written communication to the trial 

court from the jury during its deliberations. Kennedy argues that this could have been 
10

because the foreperson refused a juror’s request to submit a note, but that it is not 

possible to determine whether this is so because the rules of evidence prohibit inquiries 

into the jury’s deliberations. See TEX. R. EVID. 606(b)(1). He argues that the error should 

be considered “structural error,” and therefore presumed harmful, because “[t]he inability 

of the eleven other jurors to communicate with the court without essentially seeking the 

foreperson’s permission denies a defendant his right to a unanimous, twelve person 

jury . . . .” See Jordan v. State, 256 S.W.3d 286, 290 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008) (noting that 

an error which “affect[s] the framework within which the trial proceeds, rather than simply 

an error in the trial process itself” and “render[s] a trial fundamentally unfair” is “structural 

error” which is not amenable to a harm analysis).

The trial court is required to give the jury a written charge “distinctly setting forth 

the law applicable to the case” and “not expressing any opinion as to the weight of the 

evidence, not summing up the testimony, discussing the facts or using any argument in 

his charge calculated to arouse the sympathy or excite the passions of the jury.” TEX.

CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 36.14 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.). Trial courts 

have “broad discretion” in submitting proper definitions and explanatory phrases to aid 

the jury. Nava v. State, 379 S.W.3d 396, 420 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2012), 

aff’d, 415 S.W.3d 289 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013); see Shipp v. State, 331 S.W.3d 433, 444 

(Tex. Crim. App. 2011) (Meyers, J., concurring). But a trial court has no discretion in 

determining what the law is or applying the law to the facts. State v. Kurtz, 152 S.W.3d 

72, 81 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004).

Here, the trial court’s instruction tracked article 36.27 of the code of criminal 

procedure, which provides:
11

When the jury wishes to communicate with the court, it shall so notify the 

sheriff, who shall inform the court thereof. Any communication relative to 

the cause must be written, prepared by the foreman and shall be submitted 

to the court through the bailiff. The court shall answer any such 

communication in writing, and before giving such answer to the jury shall 

use reasonable diligence to secure the presence of the defendant and his 

counsel, and shall first submit the question and also submit his answer to 

the same to the defendant or his counsel or objections and exceptions, in 

the same manner as any other written instructions are submitted to such 

counsel, before the court gives such answer to the jury, but if he is unable 

to secure the presence of the defendant and his counsel, then he shall 

proceed to answer the same as he deems proper. The written instruction 

or answer to the communication shall be read in open court unless 

expressly waived by the defendant. . . .

TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 36.27 (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (emphasis 

added). Because the instruction tracked the statute, we conclude that the trial court did 

not abuse its discretion in including the instruction and denying inclusion of Kennedy’s 

requested instruction.

Kennedy further appears to assert in his reply brief that the statute authorizing the 

instruction is itself unconstitutional. However, he does not cite any Texas or federal case 

law to support his position. Instead, he cites only a 1985 case in which the North Carolina 

Supreme Court held that it was error for the trial court to respond to an inquiry presented 

by the jury foreperson without requiring the presence of all jurors. State v. Ashe, 331 

S.E.2d 652, 657 (N.C. 1985). That court held:

Our jury system is designed to [e]nsure that a jury’s decision is the result of 

evidence and argument offered by the contesting parties under the control 

and guidance of an impartial judge and in accord with the judge’s 

instructions on the law. All these elements of the trial should be viewed and 

heard simultaneously by all twelve jurors. To allow a jury foreman, another 

individual juror, or anyone else to communicate privately with the trial court 

regarding matters material to the case and then to relay the court’s 

response to the full jury is inconsistent with this policy. The danger 

presented is that the person, even the jury foreman, having alone made the 

request of the court and heard the court’s response firsthand, may through 

misunderstanding, inadvertent editorialization, or an intentional 

misrepresentation, inaccurately relay the jury’s request or the court's 
12

response, or both, to the defendant’s detriment. Then, each juror, rather 

than determining for himself or herself the import of the request and the 

court’s response, must instead rely solely upon their spokesperson’s 

secondhand rendition, however inaccurate it may be.

Id. Kennedy appears to contend that article 36.27 of the code of criminal procedure 

subjects defendants to a similar risk of “misunderstanding, inadvertent editorialization, or 

intentional misrepresentation” on the part of the foreperson.

Defense counsel did not explicitly contend at trial that the statute is 

unconstitutional; in fact, no mention was made at all of the statute during the charge 

conference. See TEX. R. APP. P. 33.1; Fuller v. State, 253 S.W.3d 220, 232 (Tex. Crim. 

App. 2008) (noting that “even constitutional error . . . may be forfeited if the appellant 

failed to object”). Even assuming this issue was preserved by counsel’s general objection 

to the constitutionality of the instruction, we do not find error in the trial court’s decision. 

Ashe is not persuasive because that case involved a discussion between the trial court 

and the jury foreperson outside of the presence of the rest of the jury, not a statute 

requiring jury notes to be directed through the foreperson. See 331 S.E.2d at 657. 

Moreover, the Ashe court found that a North Carolina statute was violated by the trial 

court’s actions, but did not pass judgment on whether the appellant’s constitutional rights 

were violated. See id. In the absence of any other authority supporting Kennedy’s

position, we do not find it meritorious.

Kennedy’s third and fourth issues are overruled.

C. Definition of “Provocation”

By his fifth and final issue, Kennedy contends that the trial court erred in refusing 

his request to include a particular definition of “provocation” in the jury charge.
13

Provocation is an exception to the justification of self-defense.8 See TEX. PENAL 

CODE ANN. § 9.31(b)(4) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (providing that selfdefense generally does not justify the use of force “if the actor provoked the other’s use 

or attempted use of unlawful force”). During the charge conference, defense counsel 

proposed the following instruction:

Provocation is defined as, one, that the defendant did some act or used 

some words which provoked the act on him . . . Two, that such acts or 

words were reasonably calculated to provoke the attack, and, three, that the 

act was done or words were used for purpose and with the intent that the 

defendant would have a pretext for inflicting harm upon others.

Counsel argued that the proposed instruction was necessary because the State’s theory 

was that it was irrelevant whether Kennedy fired first because, even if he did not, he 

provoked Kunz’s actions. The proposed instruction is drawn from Smith v. State, in which 

the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals explained when “[a] charge on provocation is 

required.” 965 S.W.2d 509, 513 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998) (“A charge on provocation is 

required when there is sufficient evidence (1) that the defendant did some act or used 

some words which provoked the attack on him, (2) that such act or words were reasonably 

calculated to provoke the attack, and (3) that the act was done or the words were used 

 

8 The jury was instructed as follows:

If a person attempting to claim self-defense provoked the other’s use of unlawful force or 

attempted use of unlawful force, then such person is not entitled to rely upon self-defense, 

unless the person: a) abandons the encounter, or clearly communicates to the other his 

intent to do so reasonably believing he cannot safely abandon the encounter, and b) the 

other nevertheless continues or attempts to use unlawful force against the person.

. . . .

[I]f you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time and place in 

question that the Defendant provoked Richard Kunz’s use or attempted use of unlawful 

deadly force if any by pointing a firearm at the said Richard Kunz, then you should find 

against the Defendant on the issue of self-defense and say by your verdict “guilty.”

We assume, for purposes of this opinion, that these instructions were supported by the evidence and 

therefore properly included in the jury charge.
14

for the purpose and with the intent that the defendant would have a pretext for inflicting 

harm upon the other.”).

The State contends in response that the trial court did not err in refusing the 

instruction because it would have constituted an impermissible comment on the weight of 

the evidence. It cites Kirsch v. State, where the court of criminal appeals stated:

Although an appellate court may articulate a definition of a statutorily 

undefined, common term in assessing the sufficiency of the evidence on 

appellate review, a trial court’s inclusion of that definition in a jury charge 

may constitute an improper comment on the weight of the evidence. . . .

We have generally held that, if a jury-charge instruction is not derived from 

the penal code, it is not “applicable law” under [article] 36.14. With only 

limited exceptions, the trial court may not include an instruction that focuses 

the jury’s attention on a specific type of evidence that may support a finding 

of an element of an offense. Juries are free to consider and evaluate the 

evidence in whatever way they consider it relevant to the statutory offenses,

and special, non-statutory instructions, even when they relate to statutory 

offenses or defenses, generally have no place in the jury charge.

357 S.W.3d 645, 651 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (citing Walters v. State, 247 S.W.3d 204, 

211, 212, 214 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007)). In Kirsch, the Court held that an instruction on 

the definition of “operate” in a driving while intoxicated case was improper because, while 

“the definition set forth in the charge is an appropriate definition for an appellate court to 

apply in assessing the sufficiency of the evidence to support the ‘operate’ element,” the 

jurors “should have been free to assign that term any meaning which is acceptable in 

common parlance.” Id. (quotation omitted). Kirsch relied on Walters, which held that:

[G]enerally speaking, neither the defendant nor the State is entitled to a 

special jury instruction relating to a statutory offense or defense if that 

instruction (1) is not grounded in the Penal Code, (2) is covered by the 

general charge to the jury, and (3) focuses the jury’s attention on a specific 

type of evidence that may support an element of an offense or a defense.

247 S.W.3d at 212.
15

We note that the requested instruction is not grounded in the penal code, but the 

content of the instruction is not “covered by the general charge to the jury,” see id., 

because the charge did not contain any general definition of “provoke” or “provocation.”

Further, the proposed instruction would not have “focuse[d] the jury’s attention on a 

specific type of evidence that may support an element of an offense or a defense.” See 

id. Instead, it would have merely incorporated existing case law, as elucidated in Smith, 

into the instruction regarding the self-defense justification.

The State contends that “‘provocation’ is a term of common usage” and therefore 

did not require a precise definition. But the court of criminal appeals, in Smith, defined 

“provocation” in a specialized manner applicable only to assertions of the self-defense 

justification in criminal proceedings. See 965 S.W.2d at 513. Though jurors may “freely 

read [undefined] statutory language to have any meaning which is acceptable in common 

parlance,” terms “which have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law” are 

“considered as having been used in their technical sense.” Kirsch, 357 S.W.3d at 650 

(citing Medford v. State, 13 S.W.3d 769, 771–72 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000); Denton v. State, 

911 S.W.2d 388, 390 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995)).

9

 Under Smith, a trial court need not instruct 

the jury on “provocation” at all unless there is evidence that the defendant’s actions or 

words were “reasonably calculated to provoke the attack” and “were used for the purpose 

and with the intent that the defendant would have a pretext for inflicting harm upon 

another.” Id. Kirsch is distinguishable because there was no controlling case law dictating 

 

9 Statutorily undefined words and phrases are ordinarily “construed according to the rules of 

grammar and common usage.” Kirsch v. State, 357 S.W.3d 645, 650 (Tex. Crim. App. 2012) (quoting TEX.

GOV’T CODE ANN. § 311.011(a) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) and citing TEX. PENAL CODE ANN.

§ 1.03(b) (West, Westlaw through 2013 3d C.S.) (applying government code section 311.011 to the penal 

code)). But “[w]ords and phrases that have acquired a technical or particular meaning, whether by 

legislative definition or otherwise, shall be construed accordingly.” TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 311.011(b).
16

any particular definition of “operate.” See Kirsch, 357 S.W.3d at 648 (noting that the 

charged definition of “operate” was, according to defense counsel, “made up by the 

prosecutor himself”).

In any event, assuming but not deciding that the trial court erred in refusing 

Kennedy’s requested instruction, we find that Kennedy has not suffered harm as a result 

of the ruling. When the appellant has properly preserved charge error, as here, reversal

is required if we find at least “some harm” to the appellant’s rights. Reeves v. State, 420 

S.W.3d 812, 816 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (citing Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 

(Tex. Crim. App. 1985) (op. on reh’g)). This analysis requires a reviewing court to 

consider: (1) the jury charge as a whole, (2) the arguments of counsel, (3) the entirety of 

the evidence, and (4) other relevant factors present in the record. Id.

We first observe that, because the legal definition of “provocation” was omitted 

from the jury charge, the jury’s ability to conclude that Kennedy’s actions were justified as 

self-defense was restricted. That is because the legal, technical definition of provocation 

is far more restrictive than common, dictionary meaning. The dictionary defines “to 

provoke” as “to incite to anger” or “to stir up purposely.” MERRIAM WEBSTER ONLINE 

DICTIONARY, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provoke (last visited June 9, 

2015). On the other hand, as noted, the legal definition of provocation requires acts or 

words on the part of the defendant that are “used for the purpose and with the intent that 

the defendant would have a pretext for inflicting harm upon another.” Smith, 965 S.W.2d 

at 513. Kennedy points out that the State emphasized his alleged provocation of Kunz in 

its closing argument at the guilt-innocence phase of trial. In particular, the prosecutor 
17

argued that Kennedy “started it when he pointed that gun at Officer Kunz.” The prosecutor 

also stated:

[W]ho shot first in this case is about as important as what type of car the 

defendant was driving that night. Okay? It is not important because the 

moment that the defendant picked up a firearm and pointed it at a police 

officer, he forfeited the right to claim self-defense. He forfeited the right to 

claim self-defense when he continuously fired 45 shots into that officer’s 

police car, ladies and gentlemen.

The prosecutor concluded her closing argument by stating: “When you go back there, I 

ask that you find the defendant guilty of attempted capital murder because when you pull 

a gun on a police officer, you do not get to claim self-defense. You have provoked the 

event. Thank you.”

In response, the State contends that any error in the jury charge is harmless 

because “there was overwhelming evidence that [Kennedy] provoked the encounter.” We 

agree. We note that there was some discussion at the charge conference about a 

“suicide-by-cop” theory; i.e., that Kennedy may have pulled his gun on the officer 

intending only to provoke the officer to fire at him. The trial court denied Kennedy’s 

requested instruction in part because the court believed that suicide-by-cop “could be a 

well-argued theory of this case.” The trial court was incorrect, however, in light of Smith. 

If Kennedy did indeed pull his gun on Kunz with only the intent to commit suicide-by-cop,

then his actions would not constitute “provocation” as defined in Smith because he would 

not have possessed the intent to establish a pretext to attack the officer. See id. 

Nevertheless, Kennedy directs us to no evidence or argument specifically supporting a 

suicide-by-cop theory, and we find none.

10

 Instead, the undisputed evidence showed that 

 

10 According to the prosecutor, one of the medical records excluded on the basis of the clergycommunicant privilege stated that “[t]his incident was another attempt, according to the patient, to cause 

injury to himself.” But as noted, the trial court sustained defense counsel’s objection to this evidence and
18

Kennedy fired forty-five rounds at Kunz, which strongly supports a conclusion that, by 

brandishing his weapon, Kennedy intended to establish a pretext to attack Kunz. 

Accordingly, even if the jury had been instructed in accordance with Smith, it is 

overwhelmingly likely that it would have reached the same conclusion as to the selfdefense issue.

Having reviewed the entire record, including the entire jury charge and arguments 

made by counsel, we conclude that Kennedy has not suffered any actual harm from the 

omission of his requested definition from the jury charge. See Reeves, 420 S.W.3d at

816. Kennedy’s fourth issue is therefore overruled.

III. CONCLUSION

We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

DORI CONTRERAS GARZA,

Justice

Do not Publish.

TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).

Delivered and filed the

11th day of June, 2015.

 

it was never before the jury.