Court Opinion

ID: 9770830
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 16:22:46.563363+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:21.150154
License: Public Domain

JONES, Justice,
dissenting.
I believe the trial court was obligated to submit the requested charge on criminally negligent homicide. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent from the affirmance of the conviction.
As stated by the majority, in deciding whether the second prong of the lesser-included-offense test has been satisfied, this Court must determine if there is “some evidence” in the record that appellant, if guilty, is guilty only of criminally negligent homicide. All of the evidence at the trial must be considered, whether produced by the State or appellant. Dowden v. State, 758 S.W.2d 264, 269 (Tex.Crim.App.1988). When evidence from any source, including the defendant’s own testimony, raises an issue that a lesser included offense may have been committed, and a jury charge on the issue is properly requested, the issue must be submitted to the jury. Hunter v. State, 647 S.W.2d 657, 658 (Tex.Crim.App.1983); Moore v. State, 574 S.W.2d 122, 124 (Tex.Crim.App.1978). This is true whether the evidence favoring the lesser offense be strong or weak, unimpeached or contradicted. Thompson v. State, 521 S.W.2d 621, 624 (Tex.Crim.App.1974); see also Gibbs v. State, 819 S.W.2d 821, 831 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). Accordingly, for purposes of determining if a charge on criminally negligent homicide should have been given in the present case, we must, in effect, take appellant’s testimony and all other evidence favorable to him as true.
The test for determining if a lesser-included-offense charge should be given is, therefore, roughly the opposite of the familiar sufficiency-of-the-evidence test: viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the accused, could any rational trier of fact find beyond a reasonable doubt *527that the defendant is guilty only of the lesser offense? To require a stricter showing by the defendant would violate the time-honored rule that a defendant has the right to have the jury and not the trial court decide the credibility of witnesses. See Lugo v. State, 667 S.W.2d 144 (Tex.Crim.App.1984), and the cases cited therein.
Moreover, we must keep in mind that a defendant’s culpable mental state is usually determined from inferences. See, e.g., Dillon v. State, 574 S.W.2d 92, 94-95 (Tex.Crim.App.1978). Thus, just as we must take the appellant’s testimony as true for purposes of deciding this issue, we must also give him the benefit of any reasonable inferences that can be drawn from his testimony and other evidence favorable to him.
As stated by the majority, the essence of criminal negligence, and the factor that distinguishes it from involuntary manslaughter, is the failure of the actor to perceive the risk created by his conduct.1 Mendieta v. State, 706 S.W.2d 651, 652 (Tex.Crim.App.1986); Lewis v. State, 529 S.W.2d 550, 553 (Tex.Crim.App.1975). Implicit in the statutory definitions of these offenses is the idea that the actor must not have intended the resulting death, nor been aware that a death was reasonably certain to occur. Otherwise, the accused would have acted “intentionally” or “knowingly,” not “recklessly” or with “criminal negligence.” See Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 6.03(a), (b) (1974). Therefore, in order for appellant to be entitled to a jury charge on involuntary manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, the record must first contain “some evidence” that the accused did not intend the resulting death or know that it was reasonably certain to occur. If such evidence is present, the record must then be examined to see if it indicates whether the accused was aware or unaware of the risk that his conduct could result in the unintentional killing of the deceased.
In the present case, the record contains clear and direct evidence that appellant neither intended to kill the deceased nor was aware that death was reasonably certain to occur. In this regard, appellant testified as follows:
Q: You pulled the gun out and shot Dale the deceased, and that was an intentional act, wasn’t it?
A: No, sir. I did not pull the gun out.
Q: What did you do?
A: Mr. Wiley hit me, and I fell back. And I do not know where — at what point the gun went off. I do not remember squeezing the trigger. I remember picking myself up off the floor.
Q: Whether you remembered or not, you had to intentionally pull that trigger. It didn’t go off by itself?
A: No, sir. There was no intentionality involved in pulling that trigger.
Q: You don’t know. You just don’t remember. Isn’t that what your testimony is?
A: Yes, sir. I do not remember firing the gun.
Q: So, you don’t know whether you did it intentionally or not?
A: I know I did not do it intentionally. I certainly did not intend to hurt anyone.
Where, as in the present case, the record contains evidence that the accused did not act intentionally or knowingly when he killed the deceased, there would seem to be little doubt that the trial court should, if requested, submit a jury charge on: (1) involuntary manslaughter, or (2) criminally negligent homicide, or (3) both. An act that unintentionally causes the death of another is, almost by definition, an act that creates a risk of death. Merely because there is some evidence that appellant did not intend the resulting death and was not aware that it was reasonably certain to occur does not, of course, determine whether he perceived the risk that an unintended death might occur. See Still v. State, 709 *528S.W.2d 658, 661 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). If a reasonable inference may be drawn from the evidence that the defendant was aware of that risk, a charge on involuntary manslaughter should be submitted. If a reasonable inference may be drawn that he was not aware of that risk, a charge on criminally negligent homicide should be submitted. In many cases, both inferences may reasonably be drawn from the evidence. See, e.g., Moore, 574 S.W.2d at 124. In those cases, both charges should be submitted.
Accordingly, in a case where there is some evidence that the accused did not act intentionally or knowingly when he killed the deceased, a charge on criminally negligent homicide may be refused by the trial court only if the evidence establishes conclusively that the defendant was aware of the risk of unintentional death, i.e., only where, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the accused, no rational trier of fact could find that the defendant was unaware of the risk of unintended death. Because the trial court will necessarily rely on inferences, the question whether such a conclusive showing has been made should be approached cautiously, with due regard for the principle that it is the jury’s prerogative to decide the credibility of witnesses.
Before Thomas v. State, 699 S.W.2d 845 (Tex.Crim.App.1985), the Court of Criminal Appeals had held, on numerous occasions, that the lesser offense of criminally negligent homicide was raised if the record contained some evidence that: (1) the defendant pointed a loaded gun at another, and (2) the gun discharged accidentally. See Shoelman v. State, 644 S.W.2d 727 (Tex.Crim.App.1983); Giles v. State, 617 S.W.2d 690, 691 (Tex.Crim.App.1981); London v. State, 547 S.W.2d 27 (Tex.Crim.App.1977); Dockery v. State, 542 S.W.2d 644 (Tex.Crim.App.1976).
In Thomas, however, the court changed direction. First, the court held that all the attendant circumstances “from which the defendant’s mental state can be inferred must be collectively examined.” 699 S.W.2d at 850. Significantly, the court went on to hold that a presumption of awareness of the risk of death is effectively created by a combination of three factors: (1) the defendant knows a gun is loaded, (2) he is familiar with guns and their potential for injury, and (3) he points the gun at another person. 699 S.W.2d at 850. The court stated that although other factors should be considered, they would not necessarily alter the defendant’s awareness of the risk. Thus, in such circumstances, even if there is evidence that the gun discharged accidentally, the defendant would not be entitled to a charge on criminally negligent homicide.
I agree with Thomas. The court’s holding was in the nature of a policy decision, based in part on common sense: anyone who (1) knows the nature of guns, (2) knows a gun is loaded, and (3) points the gun at another person cannot help but be aware of the risk that the gun could discharge accidentally and inflict death. The crucial conduct on which the Thomas “presumption” is based, however, is the pointing of a gun at another person: “It seems more likely that a defendant who is familiar with guns, who knows a gun is loaded, and who points it at another person, is consciously disregarding a risk that his conduct — pointing a loaded weapon at another — may cause harm or death and is at least reckless.” Thomas, 699 S.W.2d at 850.
Logically, all three of the elements creating the Thomas presumption must be present before we can confidently say that the evidence conclusively demonstrates awareness of the risk of death. In one case in which the defendant pointed a gun at the victim, but testified that she thought the gun was unloaded, the court held that a charge on criminally negligent homicide was required. See Richardson v. State, 816 S.W.2d 849 (Tex.App.1991, no pet.); but see Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 22.05(b) (1989).
The majority holds, in effect, that evidence of an accidental or unintentional pointing, in combination with evidence of accidental discharge, does not raise criminally negligent homicide. The Court of *529Criminal Appeals, however, recently stated just the opposite: that such evidence raises criminally negligent homicide but does not raise involuntary manslaughter. In Montoya v. State, 744 S.W.2d 15 (Tex.Crim.App.1987), cert. denied, 487 U.S. 1227, 108 S.Ct. 2887, 101 L.Ed.2d 921 (1988), the defendant testified that a police officer was chasing him, that he was attempting to throw away the gun he had, and that when the officer grabbed his arm the gun accidentally discharged, killing the officer. The trial court charged the jury on criminally negligent homicide, but not on involuntary manslaughter. The issue on appeal was whether the trial court should have charged the jury on involuntary manslaughter. After reciting the distinction between criminal negligence and reckless conduct, the court held:
Appellant’s testimony at trial raised the issue of criminal negligence. He was aware that the gun was loaded, and that he was being pursued by a police officer. During that chase, he attempted to throw that gun away. He did not, according to him, intend to threaten or harm the police officer.
However, the evidence at trial did not explicitly or implicitly establish that the appellant knew there was a risk to the police officer, and then consciously disregarded that risk. His testimony at trial did not show that the gun was cocked or that he pointed the gun at the officer or in the officer’s general direction. The evidence did not show that he threw the gun at the officer. This is not a case like Simpkins v. State, 590 S.W.2d 129 (Tex. Cr.App.1979), where the defendant pointed a loaded gun at his victim and consciously disregarded the risk to the victim. This is a case where there was no evidence that the gun was used, or exhibited, in a threatening manner against the police officer. The evidence at trial did not raise the issue of reckless conduct. ...
744 S.W.2d at 29 (emphasis added). Thus, in Montoya, even though the defendant knew the gun was loaded and was obviously familiar with guns, the court held that because he denied intentionally shooting or even pointing the gun at the officer, the evidence did not even raise the issue of recklessness. In other words, since the evidence showed that the defendant did not intend to point the gun at the victim or exhibit it in a threatening manner, there was no evidence that the defendant was aware of the risk of unintended death.
In the present case, as in Montoya, the third — and arguably most important — of the three essential “elements” enumerated in Thomas is missing: the record contains evidence from which a reasonable inference can be drawn that appellant never intentionally pointed the gun at the deceased. Appellant’s testimony in this regard is quite clear: he was hiding the gun behind his back, pointed at the floor, when the deceased struck him in the head. The next thing he remembers is picking himself up off the floor and smelling gunpowder. Whether appellant’s story is credible or not is immaterial; as in Montoya, his testimony raises a reasonable inference that the gun discharged in the direction of the deceased only as a result of the blow to appellant’s head, not as a result of appellant’s own volition.
The majority’s holding that this evidence does not raise the issue of criminally negligent homicide not only goes far beyond Thomas, it seems to be in direct conflict with cases such as Montoya.
I would reverse the judgment of conviction and remand the cause for a new trial.

. If the actor is aware of the risk of unintentionally causing the death of an individual, but nonetheless pursues the course of action and a death results, he is guilty of involuntary manslaughter. See Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 19.-05(a)(1) (1989) & § 6.03(c) (1974). Appellant did not request a charge on involuntary manslaughter in the present case.