Court Opinion

ID: 9671280
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:33:53.709028+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:09.190020
License: Public Domain

OPINION ON REHEARING
YATES, Justice.
In his motion for rehearing, appellant, Dai-na Wilburn, correctly asserts that this court failed to address his point of error alleging the trial court erred in denying his motion for severance. In their fourteenth point of error, appellants claimed the trial court erred in denying Robert Munkatehy’s and Daina Wilburn’s motions for severance. On original submission, we determined that the record did not contain a ruling on Wilburn’s motion. On motion for rehearing, Wilburn points out that the trial judge denied his motion for severance dining a pretrial conference prior to voir dire of the jury panel.
In a pretrial motion to sever, Daina Wilburn contended he was entitled to a separate trial because he anticipated that one of his co-defendants planned to “attempt to exonerate himself by pointing the ‘finger of guilty’ at the others, principally [Daina Wilburn].” At a pretrial conference, prior to voir dire of the jury panel, the trial judge denied Wilburn’s motion for severance without a hearing.
Article 36.09 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provides:
Two or more defendants who are jointly or separately indicted or complained against for the same offense or any offense growing out of the same transaction may be, in the discretion of the court, tried jointly or separately as to one or more defendants; provided that in any event either defendant may testify for the other or on behalf of the state; and provided further, that in cases in which, upon timely motion to sever, and evidence introduced thereon, it is made known to the court that there is a previous admissible conviction against one defendant or that a joint trial would be prejudicial to any defendant, the court shall order a severance as to the defendant whose joint trial would prejudice the other defendant or defendants.
Tex.Code CRiM. PROC. Ann. art. 36.09 (Vernon 1981) (emphasis added). Daina Wilburn argues that hearsay statements made by Robert Munkatchy would not have been admitted against him if he had been tried separately. Wilburn, however, failed to offer any such evidence to the trial court at the time the court ruled on his motion to sever. Where no evidence was offered in support of the motion, no error is shown in the absence of such evidence offered at the time the motion was presented and overruled. Sanne v. State, 609 S.W.2d 762, 776 (Tex.Crim.App.1980), cert. denied, 452 U.S. 931, 101 S.Ct. 3067, 69 L.Ed.2d 432 (1981); Fisher v. State, 681 S.W.2d 202, 206 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1984, pet. ref d). With regard to Daina Wilburn’s motion to sever, appellant’s fourteenth point of error is overruled.