Opinion ID: 1610587
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Statements by Nixon to Jimenez

Text: While in the custody of the Houston, Texas police, Gilbert Jimenez executed a written statement describing the events surrounding the murder of Virginia Tucker. In that statement given to a law enforcement officer, Jimenez said that John Nixon, Sr. told him a man had hired him to murder the man's former wife. The contractor was identified by Jimenez at trial as Joe Ponthieux. This written statement was given the defense under the discovery order. The content of the murder-for-hire scheme was made known through the written statement given to law enforcement, and no withholding of information to the defendant of that fact is shown. The requirement that disclosure of every spoken word to the officer is not intended so long as the state fairly gives notice to the defendant of the content of the defendant's statement. Jimenez's testimony at trial is replete with statements made to him by Nixon concerning the planning of the murder. Nixon contended at trial, and now on appeal, that the prosecutor was required to disclose every statement made by Nixon to Jimenez. This Court disagrees. It is undisputed that Nixon received a copy of Jimenez's written statement to the Houston, Texas police. That statement gave Nixon more than ample notice that Jimenez would testify concerning Nixon's employment to murder Virginia Tucker. For that reason, this Court agrees with the trial judge who said, I don't think that the district attorney could possibly anticipate exactly everything [Jimenez] would say on the witness stand. I think that it is just a completely unreasonable burden to put on the prosecution. This Court only qualifies that statement by adding that the discovery must give fair notice to the defendant. The trial court is affirmed.