Court Opinion

ID: 9675770
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 05:05:24.075946+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:38.886919
License: Public Domain

GRANT, Justice,
concurring.
In a letter to the defense attorney, the State gave notice of its intention to use hearsay to prove a statement made by the child:
In addition, under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 38.72,2 the State also gives notice of the intent to use hearsay statements of the child witnesses.
The State included enclosures with the letter of written statements made by the victim’s mother, by Lois Price, and by the examining physician. There was no complaint about the timeliness of the notification, but Martin contends that it is invalid because it did not specifically designate the witness who would be called under Article *39538.072. Under this provision, only one of the people whose statements were sent could be called to testify about out-of-court statements made by the child, and this would be the person who fulfilled the requirement of being the first adult, other than the defendant, to whom the child had made a statement about the alleged offense. The State was in a better position than the defendant to ascertain which witness qualified under Article 38.072, and upon a proper pretrial motion, the defendant could have sought relief from the trial court by asking that the State be required to specify which of the witnesses would be called to testify to hearsay statements made by the child. If the State could not determine which witness was the first adult to whom the child had made the statement, then the trial court could have so determined. In absence of such a motion, the defendant must demonstrate harm caused by the State’s failure to so designate. Because the defendant has not done so, I concur with the majority.

. This reference should have read 38.072.