Court Opinion

ID: 9862805
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 02:12:01.959737+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:34:49.741330
License: Public Domain

TEAGUE, Judge,
dissenting.
I dissent because I find the majority opinion fails to address the critical issue in *514this cause, namely, whether applicant’s court appointed trial counsel was ineffective at the punishment stage of the trial because he failed to investigate prior to trial the validity of the alleged prior Colorado conviction that was used to enhance applicant’s punishment. The court in which the conviction occurred ruled after applicant’s appeal had been affirmed that the conviction was invalid.
The record reflects that applicant challenged the validity of the conviction solely through the use of the United States Postal Service.
The majority holds that because applicant’s trial counsel did not object to the admission into evidence of the conviction at the punishment stage of the trial, and because appellant pled “true” to the allegation, he waived any error. The majority mistakenly relies upon Hill v. State, 633 S.W.2d 520 (Tex.Cr.App.1982), for authority-
I have carefully re-read Hill v. State, supra, but do not find therein where this Court ever addressed the question, whether counsel’s failure to object to the admission into evidence of an invalid conviction at the punishment stage of the trial causes him to become ineffective counsel.
The hearing that was held in this cause reflects that prior to trial, applicant’s counsel was aware of the alleged prior felony conviction that occurred in the State of Colorado. However, the record is also clear that counsel never made any formal investigation regarding the validity of the conviction. As noted, the Colorado conviction has now been determined by the convicting court to be an invalid conviction.
I believe that when the majority opinion refers to the fact that prior to trial, trial counsel for applicant saw the “pen papers” that pertained to the Colorado conviction, and “discussed” with applicant the Colorado conviction, it is implicitly holding that this rendered counsel effective counsel, thus resolving the issue, whether applicant had the effective assistance of counsel at the punishment stage of the trial, against applicant.
The record, however, reflects that when counsel discussed with applicant the conviction from Colorado, he asked applicant if he thought the Colorado conviction was “any good.” Applicant correctly responded: “I guess so, I don’t really know.” The majority opinion then makes what I find to be one of the most startling statements, I have ever read since becoming a licensed attorney: “He [applicant] did not request counsel to make an investigation of the Colorado conviction.” Pray tell, since when does a lay person have the responsibility of advising his attorney whether a prior felony conviction is or is not a valid conviction? If the client has the responsibility of telling his court appointed attorney what he must do to prepare for trial, then why have counsel prior to trial on the merits?
I find that the majority opinion’s statements regarding the fact that counsel read the “pen papers” prior to trial a little misleading because the statements imply the “pen papers” consist of everything that one would want to know about the conviction. However, a careful reading of the “pen papers” reflects they are just that, namely, “pen papers” and nothing more. The papers reflect the usual authentication and certification page, the physical description and personal background page, and a “mittimus to the penitentiary” page, which page represents nothing more than an order of commitment addressed to the authorities of the penitentiary.
I find it rather interesting that the majority fails to mention or discuss this Court’s decision of Ex parte Scott, 581 S.W.2d 181 (Tex.Cr.App.1979), which I find has many similarities to this cause. In fact, I find that Scott, supra, should control this cause. There, the applicant Scott claimed, inter alia, that his conviction and sentence were void because his trial counsel did not investigate the alleged prior convictions to make the determination whether they corresponded with the allegations of the indictment. This Court pointed out that the record reflected the following:
*515[T]rial counsel ... did not investigate and determine that the allegations of the indictment concerning the prior convictions were untrue — that is, that petitioner had not been convicted of the offense in Harris County before he committed the offense in Fort Bend County — before advising the petitioner to enter into the stipulation that the allegations were true.
This Court held that had trial counsel for Scott made an investigation, he would have found that the prior convictions did not correspond to what was alleged in the indictment. Such failure to investigate caused this Court to hold that the applicant Scott did not receive the effective assistance of counsel and ordered the conviction and sentence set aside.
I firmly believe that where an indictment alleges one or more prior convictions for enhancement of punishment purposes, it is incumbent upon counsel for the accused to investigate the alleged conviction or convictions in order to make the determination whether such is at least facially valid. Of course, under Scott, supra, he should also investigate in order to make sure that the prior conviction or convictions correspond with what is alleged in the indictment.
In this instance, the record clearly reflects that trial counsel for applicant made no formal investigation to determine whether the prior felony conviction was a valid conviction. However, it has now been determined that the conviction is invalid. Applicant is entitled to relief.
I also find that the majority opinion’s reliance upon Hill v. State, supra, to be misplaced for the reasons Justice Thornber-ry of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stated in the opinion of Vela v. Estelle, 708 F.2d 954 (5th Cir.1983), which he authored for a panel of the Court. Rehearing was denied by the Court sitting en banc. After carefully rereading Vela v. Estelle, supra, and comparing what was stated therein with what this Court had stated in Vela v. State, 516 S.W.2d 176 (Tex.Cr.App.1974), it appears to me that the approach the majority takes in this cause is the same approach this Court took in disposing of the defendant Vela’s contention that his counsel was ineffective, which issue was raised by way of post-conviction writ of habeas corpus, through which he obtained relief in the Fifth Circuit.
I also find that as a matter of Sixth Amendment Constitutional law, the applicant has established there is a reasonable probability that but for trial counsel’s error in failing to properly investigate the validity of the alleged prior felony conviction from Colorado, a different result would have been reached. E.g., Strickland v. Washington, — U.S.-, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984).
To the failure of the majority of this Court to grant applicant the relief he is entitled to receive, I respectfully dissent.