Court Opinion

ID: 9684480
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 13:58:49.753714+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:56.336941
License: Public Domain

ROBERTS, Judge
(dissenting).
The majority opinion admits that an improper verdict form was used, but is able to conclude that “no reversible error has been shown.” No authorities in point are cited by the majority.
The majority states that while incomplete, a verdict form for “Not Guilty” was provided. I note that following the instructions for a finding of “Guilty,” a form was, in fact, provided. However, no such form was provided following the instruction for a finding of “Not Guilty,” even though the instruction states, “use the verdict form immediately below.”
Certainly, the evidence against appellant is substantial. The testimony of the prose-cutrix was uncontroverted. But this Court should not encourage such a procedure, by finding the error not reversible. Suppose an instruction and form were provided for a “Guilty” verdict, but no mention whatsoever made of a verdict of “Not Guilty?” Taken one logical step further, today’s decision might be good authority for upholding a verdict of “Guilty” in such a case. Perhaps in such hypothetical case, this Court could again trust the intelligence of the jury, and reason that had a verdict of “Not Guilty” been warranted, the jurors would, no doubt, have handwritten such a finding below the “Guilty” form.
The majority opinion relies quite heavily upon the fact that no objection was made to the instructions of the court or to the forms of verdict. However, I would conclude that appellant’s fundamental guarantee of due process has been so violated as to render unnecessary an objection. If the Court submits any jury verdict forms, then it should submit a form of every kind of a verdict that may possibly be returned by the jury; otherwise, it may be construed by the jury to mean that the court is of the opinion that only a certain kind of verdict was justified under the law and the facts. See Cupp v. State, 127 Tex.Cr.R. 10, 74 S.W.2d 701, 704 (1934).
I respectfully dissent.