Court Opinion

ID: 9716773
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 06:50:49.883949+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:48.910619
License: Public Domain

WALKER, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. I believe the record before us conclusively establishes that the jury received other evidence during its deliberations and the other evidence was detrimental to Woodall. Accordingly, I would hold that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to grant Woodall’s motion for a mistrial.
Immediately after deliberations began, in response to a note from the jury, the trial court judge ordered the court reporter to send all of the exhibits to the jury room. In addition to the exhibits, the court reporter accidently gathered up and gave the jury fifty-eight crime scene photographs taken by crime scene officers in *402this case but never introduced into evidence. The photographs included pictures of a variety of weapons and a bloody tennis shoe. The photographs remained in the jury room with the jury throughout deliberations. When the jury buzzed the bailiff to indicate it had reached a verdict, the foreman retened the exhibits and the fifty-eight photographs to the bailiff. At this point, the trial judge and the lawyers realized for the first time that the court reporter gave fifty-eight unadmitted crime scene photographs to the jury. Before the trial court read or accepted the jury’s verdict, Woodall moved for a mistrial, asserting the jury had improperly received “pictures that were taken by the Crime Scene officers which were not introduced into evidence.”
Woodall’s first issue challenges the trial court’s denial of his motion for mistrial. Woodall’s motion for mistrial clearly invoked, prior to acceptance of the jury’s verdict, the grounds for a post-verdict new trial set forth in rule of appellate procedure 21.3(f). See Tex.R.App. P. 21.1, 21.3(f). Thus, the question presented is whether the trial court abused its discretion in denying Woodall’s motion for mistrial, i.e., whether the trial court should have granted a pre-verdict new trial, because fifty-eight unadmitted crime scene photographs were provided to the jury.
A new trial must be granted under rule 21.3(f) when: (1) “other evidence” was received by the jury during its deliberations, and (2) that “other evidence” was detrimental to the defendant. Garza v. State, 630 S.W.2d 272, 276 (Tex.Crim.App.1981) (op. on reh’g); Hunt v. State, 603 S.W.2d 865, 869 (Tex.Crim.App. [Panel Op.] 1980); Rogers v. State, 551 S.W.2d 369, 370 (Tex.Crim.App.1977); see also Stephenson v. State, 571 S.W.2d 174, 176 (Tex.Crim.App. [Panel Op.] 1978).4 We are not to inquire into whether or how the jury’s deliberations were affected by this other evidence when these two requirements have been met. Garza, 630 S.W.2d at 276. The controlling factor in deciding whether a new trial is required is the character of the evidence, in light of the issues before the jury, not the effect of such evidence on the jurors. Id. at 275; Carroll v. State, 990 S.W.2d 761, 762 (Tex.App.-Austin 1999, no pet.). If the character of the evidence is such that it would be detrimental to the accused, there is a presumption of injury to the defendant, and it is unnecessary for the accused to prove that the jurors’ votes were influenced by the improper evidence. In re M.A.F., 966 S.W.2d at 450 (citing Garza, 630 S.W.2d at 274; Reed v. State, 841 S.W.2d 55, 59 (Tex.App.-El Paso 1992, pet. ref'd)); Carroll, 990 S.W.2d at 762.
The first prong of the Garza inquiry is whether other evidence was received by the jury during its deliberations. 630 S.W.2d at 276. The court reporter, an officer of the court, provided “other evidence,” fifty-eight crime scene photographs, to the jury at the outset of deliberations. Six of the twelve jurors viewed at least some of the photographs. The trial court specifically found that five of the photographs had been viewed by jurors. Those photographs included pictures of a cross-bow laying on Woodall’s hotel room bed, a gun in a red duffle bag, a large knife in a dresser drawer in Woodall’s hotel room, a bloody tennis shoe, and the outside marquee of Club Legacy. Moreover, several jurors commented on these *403five photographs. One juror commented, “Wow, they [Woodall] have other weapons in the [hotel] room.” Another juror remembered a comment “something about an arrow.” Another juror admitted he personally commented to the other jurors, “[T]hat was a big knife.”
Thus, despite the jurors’ testimony, cited by the majority, that they realized the fifty-eight photographs were not in evidence and that they should not consider them, and despite the jurors’ testimony that they did not discuss the photographs in reaching their verdict, the record conclusively establishes the contrary. The record establishes that the jurors did not “set aside” the photographs until at least six jurors viewed a total of five photographs and at least three comments were made and heard concerning the contents of the viewed photographs.5 Therefore, I would hold that the record here conclusively establishes the jury received the five photographs viewed and commented on by jurors. See In re M.A.F., 966 S.W.2d at 450 (holding marijuana cigarette not admitted into evidence but found by juror in pocket of juvenile’s jacket that was in evidence was received by jury when discovered during deliberations and viewed by jury); Garza, 630 S.W.2d at 275 (holding juror’s statements regarding defendant’s criminal record made during deliberations were received by jury); Carroll, 990 S.W.2d at 762-63 (holding mug shot not admitted at trial but provided to jury and viewed during deliberations was received by jury).
The majority views jurors’ testimony that they did not discuss the contents of the photographs in reaching their verdict as conflicting with other jurors’ testimony that comments were made concerning the photographs. Thus, the majority implies that based on this purported conflict in the jurors’ testimony, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Woodall’s motion for a mistrial. I do not believe the jurors’ testimony is conflicting. The jurors who testified that they did not consider or discuss the unadmitted crime scene photographs in reaching their verdict did not deny or dispute that comments were made by jurors- during deliberations concerning the content of the unadmitted photographs. These jurors simply failed to characterize the comments as a “discussion.” I believe the record conclusively establishes the fact that comments concerning the contents of the unadmitted crime scene photographs were made by jurors during deliberations.
The majority also concludes that the crime scene photographs were not received by the jury because they were the equivalent of a “passing remark” made by a juror during deliberations that is immediately rejected and followed by corrective action. See Escobedo v. State, 6 S.W.3d 1, 9 (Tex.App.-San Antonio, no pet.); Bratcher v. State, 771 S.W.2d 175, 188-90 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1989, no pet.); see also Mayo v. State, 17 S.W.3d 291, 295-96 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2000, pet. ref'd). I cannot agree. The crime scene photographs were provided to the jury under the authority of the court in response , to a note from the jury, which automatically gives them a greater indicia of credibility than a comment by a single juror. They were with the jury throughout deliberations. Although the jurors correctly recognized that the crime scene photographs were not in evidence and should be set aside, nonetheless the record conclusively establishes that the jury did not set them *404aside because six of the twelve jurors viewed some of the photographs and at least three comments were made concerning the photographs’ contents. Therefore, the unadmitted photographs here were not immediately rejected and no corrective action by the jury occurred in this case. Cf. Mayo, 17 S.W.3d at 295 (recognizing interlineated draft of jury charge accidently left in jury room was rejected by jury when it was “not read or referred to” by jury); Escobedo, 6 S.W.3d at 8 (recognizing immediate rejection of other evidence and corrective action by foreman in telling jury to ignore other juror’s “off the wall” comment); Bratcher, 771 S.W.2d at 189 (recognizing immediate rejection of other evidence and corrective action by foreman pocketing television schedule and admonishing jurors not to consider it). If rejection and correctivé action had in fact occurred in this case by the immediate setting aside of the unadmitted photographs, then half of the jury would not have viewed some of the photographs and jurors would not have commented on the contents of the photographs they viewed.
Finally, the trial court here was not afforded the opportunity to instruct the jury not to consider the unadmitted crime scene photographs prior to the jury reaching a verdict. Cf. Gibson v. State, 29 S.W.3d 221, 225 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, pet. refd) (presuming, when unadmitted police report was accidently sent to jury room, that jury followed trial court’s subsequent instruction to jury to base its verdict only on evidence admitted at trial). Thus, I believe the facts of this case are distinguishable from the cases holding the jury does not receive other evidence when a single juror makes a passing remark that is immediately rejected and followed by corrective action. See, e.g., Reed, 841 S.W.2d at 60 (holding juror’s comment that accomplice had been previously convicted not received by jury); Broussard v. State, 505 S.W.2d 282, 285 (Tex.Crim.App.1974) (holding juror’s comment about crime scene not received by jury).
Instead, this case is similar to, but more compelling than, the Garza case. 630 S.W.2d at 273. In Garza, five jurors, as opposed to six here, testified a discussion occurred during deliberations concerning appellant’s past criminal record and comments were made that appellant should be “put away.” All of the jurors testified that on each occasion the appellant’s past was brought up, the foreperson or another juror admonished the jury they were not to consider appellant’s prior criminal record in determining guilt. Id. The jurors testified that appellant’s prior criminal record did not influence their decision to find him guilty. Id. Nonetheless, the court of criminal appeals held that the jury had erroneously received other evidence' after deliberations commenced and that the other evidence was detrimental to the appellant. Id. at 275. In accordance with Garza, I would hold the record here conclusively establishes that at least five of the unad-mitted crime scene photographs, like the comments in Garza, were received by the jury.
The second prong of the Garza inquiry is whether the other evidence received by the jury during deliberations was detrimental to the accused. 630 S.W.2d at 276. Unadmitted other evidence provided to the jury during deliberations is detrimental to the accused when “reason and common sense can see it was harmful to the accused.’’ In re M.A.F., 966 S.W.2d at 450. Here, reason and common sense dictate that these unadmitted crime scene photographs were harmful to Woodall. Woodall was accused of shooting the victim with an AK-47, not a garden-variety handgun. Common sense dictates that a person who would possess the volume and variety of *405weapons pictured in three of the five photographs jurors received and viewed would be more likely than the average citizen to also possess an AK-47. See In re M.A.F., 966 S.W.2d at 450-51 (citing Bearden v. State, 648 S.W.2d 688, 693 (Tex.Crim.App.1983) (holding evidence detrimental to accused when, during deliberations, juror commented on alcohol service policies of defendant nightclub); Alexander v. State, 610 S.W.2d 750, 753 (Tex.Crim.App. [Panel Op.] 1981) (holding other evidence detrimental to accused when juror stated during deliberations that he knew accused and that “his character was bad”); Hunt, 603 S.W.2d at 868-69 (holding evidence was detrimental to accused when, during deliberations, juror speculated on details of murder based on his Marine Corps training); Stephenson, 571 S.W.2d at 176 (holding other evidence detrimental to accused when, during deliberations, juror claimed to know facts personally and other jurors claimed to have personal knowledge that one witness was not truthful); Shivers v. State, 756 S.W.2d 442, 444 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 1988, no pet.) (holding other evidence detrimental to accused when jury foreman drove to crime scene during deliberations and reported to the jury that eyewitness’s view was not obstructed by tree)). Thus, looking to the character of the other evidence provided to the jury, in fight of the issues before the jury, I would hold that: three of the five crime scene photographs received and viewed by the jury were detrimental to Woodall, a presumption arose of injury to Woodall, and Woodall was not required to prove that the jurors’ votes were influenced by the improper evidence. See In re M.A.F., 966 S.W.2d at 450 (citing Garza, 630 S.W.2d at 274; Reed, 841 S.W.2d at 59). Accordingly, I would hold that the trial court abused its discretion by denying Woodall’s motion for a mistrial.
The State contends that, in any event, the error in allowing the jury to view the unadmitted crime scene photographs was harmless because the State’s case was overwhelmingly strong. The State asserts that rule 44.2(a)’s constitutional harm analysis should apply to this error. See Carroll, 990 S.W.2d at 763 (assuming the constitutional error analysis applied to a rule 21.3(f) error). Assuming the constitutional error standard applies, I am unable to determine beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury’s receipt of the three crime scene photographs showing weapons in Woodall’s hotel room did not contribute to Woodall’s conviction or punishment. I would hold that, assuming rule 44.2’s harm standard applies, a new trial is required.
Because I believe that the record before us conclusively establishes other evidence was received by the jury during its deliberations and was detrimental to Woodall, I would sustain Woodall’s first point, reverse the trial court’s judgment, and remand this case to the trial court for a new trial.

. Garza, Rogers, Hunt, and Stephenson were decided under article 40.03 of the code of criminal procedure, the predecessor statute to rule 21.3(f) of the rules of appellate procedure. The language used in rule 21.3(f) is identical to the language previously set forth in article 40.03. See In re M.A.F., 966 S.W.2d 448, 449 & n. 1 (Tex.1998) (explaining history of rule 21.3(f) of the rules of appellate procedure).

. The trial judge in this case, a visiting judge, questioned the jurors individually from the bench. The sometimes leading questions posed by the court may account for the jurors’ reluctance to admit they viewed and discussed the photographs.