Case Name: James Earl ELDRED, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1979-03-28
Citations: 578 S.W.2d 721
Docket Number: No. 54732
Parties: James Earl ELDRED, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
Judges: Before DOUGLAS, PHILLIPS and W. C. DAVIS, JJ.
Reporter: South Western Reporter Second Series
Volume: 578
Pages: 721–726

Head Matter:
James Earl ELDRED, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
No. 54732.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, Panel No. 1.
March 28, 1979.
Robert B. Maloney, Dallas, on appeal only, for appellant.
Henry M. Wade, Dist. Atty., Steve Wilen-sky and J. William Booth, Asst. Dist. Attys., Dallas, Robert Huttash, State’s Atty., Austin, for the State.
Before DOUGLAS, PHILLIPS and W. C. DAVIS, JJ.

Opinion:
OPINION
W. C. DAVIS, Judge.
Appeal follows a conviction for aggravated robbery where punishment was enhanced to life imprisonment. V.T.C.A. Penal Code, Secs. 31.03 and 12.42(d). Four grounds of error are presented. We affirm.
In his first ground of error, appellant claims error in the refusal of the trial court to grant his specially requested charge on the lesser included offense of theft. Appellant argues that the evidence relied on by the State to establish the aggravated robbery also established a theft; therefore, a charge on theft as a lesser included offense was required. Campbell v. State, 571 S.W.2d 161 (Tex.Cr.App.1978).
In Campbell, supra, we held that theft was a lesser included offense of aggravated robbery. However, Campbell must not be read to require a charge on theft in every prosecution for aggravated robbery. The necessity for such a charge must be determined on a case-by-case basis.
The test, set forth in Campbell, to be used to determine whether a charge on theft is required in a prosecution for aggravated robbery is:
" . . . not whether the primary offense is capable of proof on some theory that would not show theft, but whether the State's case as presented to prove the offense charged also included theft."
The interpretation and application of the Campbell test is now before us.
Under Campbell, two separate steps are necessary to determine if a charge on theft is required in a prosecution for aggravated robbery. First, the lesser included offense must be included within the proof necessary to establish the offense charged. If the offense charged is aggravated assault, then theft must be established by proof of the same or less than all the facts required to establish the commission of aggravated robbery before a charge on theft is required. See Article 37.09(1) Vernon's Ann.C.C.P.
Since aggravated robbery is a theft committed under certain specific and aggravating circumstances, proof of aggravated robbery should, under most circumstances, include proof of theft. V.T.C.A. Penal Code, Sec. 31.03. Indeed, if such proof is lacking, then our attention should be directed toward sufficiency of the evidence.
In appellant's case, the State produced evidence to the effect that appellant, armed with a pistol and in the company of another male subject, burst into complainant's home. At the time of this intrusion, complainant and a female who had asked to use the phone were present. Appellant threatened complainant with the gun, then "frisked" complainant looking for money. Finding no money on complainant's person, appellant escorted complainant, at gun point, to a bedroom and there removed one hundred dollars from clothing and a credit card holder belonging to complainant. Complainant was then locked in a closet as the appellant and his companion fled.
Such evidence is sufficient to cross the first hurdle of Campbell. In proving its case on aggravated robbery, the State established a theft. Should our inquiry end here, a charge on theft as a lesser included offense of aggravated robbery would have been required. We must, however, examine the record further in light of the second step required by Campbell.
The second step requires an examination of all evidence produced in the course of a prosecution for aggravated robbery. The focus here is not on the evidence which proved the statutory elements, but rather, we must search for evidence which shows that if appellant is guilty, he is guilty of the lesser offense only. Therefore, our task is an examination of the entire record.
Under our "step two" examination of the record, we are searching for any evidence which would show that if appellant is guilty at all, he is guilty only of the lesser included offense. Thomas v. State (No. 55,142, delivered January 17, 1979); Williams v. State, 575 S.W.2d 30 (Tex.Cr.App.1979); McBrayer v. State, 504 S.W.2d 445 (Tex.Cr.App.1974). In simpler terms, before an instruction on theft as a lesser included offense of aggravated robbery is required, the record must contain evidence which shows that if appellant is guilty, he is guilty of theft only.
Campbell, supra, is illustrious of a record where there was evidence that the defendant, if guilty, was guilty of the lesser included offense alone. In Campbell, both State and defendant agreed that a theft had occurred. However, the State offered evidence that the theft occurred under the special circumstances, making it aggravated robbery. V.T.C.A. Penal Code, Sec. 31.03. The defendant admitted the theft but denied the existence of any of the aggravating factors. Thus, there was evidence, albeit from the defendant, which, if believed, would prove the defendant was guilty only of theft, not aggravated robbery. As we noted in Campbell:
"The State's version of the events and appellant's version differs on only one material point, whether the theft was accompanied by acts constituting aggravated robbery."
On such facts, the defendant in Campbell was entitled to a charge on theft as a lesser included offense of aggravated robbery. The reasoning is clear when one considers the dilemma facing a jury in the absence of a charge on theft in a Campbell fact situation. If the jury believes the defendant, they necessarily believe that the offense committed was theft. If no charge on theft is given, then the jury has two options which are equally distasteful. The first option is to vote not guilty in a situation where they believe the defendant committed a theft. The other option is to vote guilty of aggravated robbery, an offense they believe the defendant did not commit.
The record in appellant's case does not satisfy the second step requirement of Campbell. The record does not show that appellant, if guilty of any offense, is guilty only of theft. The State's evidence established an aggravated robbery; however, the appellant testified on direct:
"Q. Did you, at any time, threaten (complainant) on July 7th, or at any other time?
"A. No, sir, I haven't ever threatened him at all.
"Q. Did you, at any time, take any money from (complainant) on July 7th without his consent?
"A. No, sir.
"Q. Not without his consent?
"A. No.
"Q. Now, there was some — I assume— the girl said he didn't want to pay her, or wasn't going to pay her, is that right?
"A. She said, 'He ain't paid me the money-'
"Q. And then he indicated where his money wallet was?
"A. Yes, sir.
"Q. And then, you took that to mean he was giving his consent, is that correct?
"A. Yes, sir.
"Q. Did you have a firearm with you?
"A. No, sir."
Such testimony denied the commission of any offense. Therefore, if the jury believed the State's evidence, appellant committed an aggravated robbery. If the appellant's testimony persuaded the jury, the verdict is not guilty. The appellant, if guilty at all, is guilty of aggravated robbery.
We quote with approval from Williams, supra, where the defendant raised the contention that she was entitled to an instruction on theft as a lesser included offense of aggravated robbery:
"Our law provides that 'a charge on the lesser [included offense] is not required unless there is testimony raising such issue that appellant, if guilty, is guilty only of the lesser offense.' Dovalina v. State, 564 S.W.2d 378 (Tex.Cr.App.1978); McBrayer v. State, 504 S.W.2d 445 (Tex.Cr.App.1974). The State's evidence showed all of the elements of aggravated robbery. Appellant did not take the stand. Robert Williams did testify for appellant; his testimony was that appellant did not stab anyone and had left the store when a fight began. Robert Williams' testimony indicates that appellant was not guilty of any offense. Thus, the State's evidence indicated that appellant was guilty as charged; the defense evidence indicated she was not guilty of any offense. Appellant was not entitled to a charge on any lesser included offense."
We hold that appellant was not entitled to a charge on theft. Ground of error one is overruled.
In his second ground of error, appellant complains of error by the trial court in admitting hearsay testimony from a police officer claiming that such testimony was impermissible bolstering of a witness. There being no objection at trial directed toward impermissible bolstering, ground of error two presents nothing for review. Fazzino v. State, 531 S.W.2d 818 (Tex.Cr.App.1976).
Likewise, in ground of error three, appellant complains of improper bolstering, resulting from testimony concerned with a photographic lineup. There being no trial objection, ground of error three presents nothing for review. Fazzino, supra.
In ground of error four, appellant complains that the enhancement paragraph of the indictment does not sufficiently allege that the prior convictions were final for purposes of enhancement. Appellant admits that our holding in Espinosa v. State, 463 S.W.2d 8 (Tex.Cr.App.1971) is adverse to his position, but asks us to reconsider our position. We decline this invitation and overrule ground of error four based on Espinosa, supra.
The judgment is affirmed.
. In holding that the entire record is to be considered, we have expanded Campbell which permitted an examination of the State's evidence alone. This modification places Campbell in line with Thomas v. State (No. 55,142, delivered January 17, 1979); Williams v. State, 575 S.W.2d 30 (Tex.Cr.App.1979); and McBrayer v. State, 504 S.W.2d 445 (Tex.Cr.App.1974).