Court Opinion

ID: 9648902
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 14:37:48.331625+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:06.312592
License: Public Domain

HOLLAND, J.,
filed a concurring and dissenting opinion in which WOMACK and JOHNSON, J.J., joined.
I agree with the majority that Article 38.071 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is not the exclusive authority permitting the use of closed-circuit television for the testimony of a child in Texas. See Gonzales v. State, 818 S.W.2d 756, 764 (Tex.Crim.App.1991) (adopting the Supreme Court’s analysis in Maryland v. Craig, 497 U.S. 836, 110 S.Ct. 3157, 111 L.Ed.2d 666 (1990) as basis for determining whether a defendant’s state constitutional rights to confrontation have been violated by a child-witness closed-circuit testimony). I also agree with the majority that permitting B.J., the thirteen-year-old child victim, to testify via closed-circuit television was permissible under the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. See Maryland v. Craig, supra. I cannot agree with the majority, however, that the evidence supports the district court’s decision to permit J.M., a six-year-old witness, to testify via closed-circuit television. Lively v. State, 968 S.W.2d 363 (Tex.Crim.App.1998); Hightower v. State, 822 S.W.2d 48 (Tex.Crim.App.1991);Gonzales v. State, supra. I would hold permitting J.M. to testify via this exceptional procedure violated appellant’s rights under the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment.
Appellant was indicted on three counts of aggravated sexual assault of B.J. Before trial, the State filed a written motion asking that B.J. and J.M. be allowed to testify via two-way closed-circuit television. The State argued in the motions that the two girls, “if forced to testify in the presence and sight of the defendant, would suffer serious emotional and physical distress.” The State argued, inter alia, that the girls’ closed-circuit television testimony was admissible under Maryland v. Craig, 497 U.S. 836, 110 S.Ct. 3157, 111 L.Ed.2d 666 (1990). The District Court held a pretrial hearing on the State’s motion. After hearing testimony, the district court found, as a matter of fact, that both B.J and J.M. “would be traumatized by being required to testify in the defendant’s presence” and that “the emotional distress ... would be more than a minimum.”
The majority holds the record evidence “reasonably supports” the trial court’s decision. In a footnote, the majority concedes that the district court’s fact-finding with respect to J.M. is “weakly supported by the record evidence” but refuses to find the trial court “abused its discretion in finding that J.M. would suffer significant emotional trauma if required to testify in appellant’s presence” because its decision was not “outside the zone of reasonable disagreement.” Marx, at n. 2. According to this Court’s recent decision in Guzman, almost total deference must be given to the trial court’s determination because the State’s motion for closed-circuit testimony of J.M. concerns mixed questions of law and fact that turn on an evaluation of credibility and demeanor. Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85, 89 (Tex.Crim.App.1997). Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the trial court’s ruling, I believe the record evidence indicates that J.M. would not suffer further significant emotional trauma if required to testify in appellant’s presence regarding her observations of appellant and B.J. Because the majority fails to give a complete account of the testimony presented at the pre-trial hearing, a recitation of the relevant testimony is necessary.
*584The State’s evidence regarding J.M. was based on the testimony of her mother, Crystal Hayden, and Dr. Anita Calvert. Though the testimony of J.M.’s mother on direct examination by the State established that J.M. had suffered emotional harm due to prior sexual offenses allegedly committed by appellant and was frightened of him, Hayden did not indicate that testifying in open court would cause J.M. additional emotional trauma.
Q. Has she shown you any fear or trauma—
A. Yes.
Q. —concerning her testifying?
A. Some.
Q. What has she shown to you?
A. Being scared of him, Jeffrey Marx. But she’s ready for it. She said she wanted to come.
Q. Okay. Now, do you feel like if she testifies — Based on your conversations with her and your knowledge of her, do you feel like if she testifies in open court in the same seat that you’re sitting in the presence and in sight of Jeffrey Steven Marx, the defendant in this case, would cause any undue physical or psychological or emotional distress to her?
A. It would be better if she was not in the same presence as him, I think ...
Q. Would you explain to the Court the symptoms that you have indicated or that you have seen her express about Jeffrey Marx and her testifying in court?
A. She has nightmares. She don’t sleep in her bed.... She’s scared to go to the bathroom and she wets the bed. She’s real scared.
Q. Do you feel like this would cause more emotional—
A. Yes, I do.
Q. —and psychological trauma if she testifies in the presence of Jeffrey?
A. Yes, I do.
After this line of questioning, Hayden was made aware on cross-examination that J.M.’s •testimony would not relate to the incidents between her and appellant, but to the incidents she witnessed between appellant and B.J. Once Hayden realized that J.M. would not be testifying in appellant’s presence regarding what he had done to her, Hayden retracted her previous testimony and indicated that J.M. “was ready for that.”
Q. Do you understand we’re talking about testifying just in the case that she’s a witness in, not in the ease in which she was allegedly abused in? Do you understand that?
A. Yes.
Q. Okay. And you understand all she’s going to be asked to testify to in this proceeding is what she allegedly saw through some window?
A. Okay.
Q. Okay. You understand the difference now?
A. Okay. Well, that does make a difference.
Q. Well, sure. All she’s going to be asked to testify to is what she—
A. Okay. So this isn’t her case?
Q. No.
A. Okay.
Q. It’s Bebe’s ease.
A. Okay. Well, that she’s okay with. I mean, she’s ready for that.
Q. I mean, what she saw hasn’t caused her any kind of emotional distress or problems, what she allegedly saw through a window?
A. No. She just — I mean, she could probably do it.
Hayden further testified, in response to questioning by the trial court, that the emotional trauma J.M. had suffered occurred prior to J.M. knowing that she would be testifying against appellant. She did not testify that J.M. suffered emotional trauma because she feared testifying as a witness in this case.
THE COURT: ... Prior to her being called as a witness in this case, did she have any of those kind of problems like nightmares, wetting the bed, so forth?
*585THE WITNESS: Could you rephrase that question, please?
THE COURT: You know that your daughter has been called as a witness?
THE WITNESS: Yes, I do.
THE COURT: Before she was called to be a witness in this case, did she have any of those kind of nightmares?
THE WITNESS: Yes.
THE COURT: What caused those then?
THE WITNESS: I don’t know.
THE COURT: So what you’re telling me then is she’s had nightmares all along, even before this happened?
THE WITNESS: Before we found out it happened because it could have happened a long time ago.
Dr. Calvert testified that though J.M. had in fact suffered emotional trauma due to the prior incidents with appellant, she did not believe testifying in appellant’s presence would result in further damage.
Q. ... Doctor, do you feel like if she testifies in open court in the presence of Jeffrey Steven Marx, that she will — the result would cause further serious emotional and physical distress than what she has now?
A. If no one was ugly to her, you know, made her feel really badly about it — I think Jennifer is more of a talker than most. She will probably come on and do it.
Q. Of course, we can make her do that as you well know, but my concern is what would be the emotional and physical distress that would cause — that would be resulting from her testifying in open court in the presence of another.
A. In the presence of Jeffrey?
Q. Yes, ma'am.
A. She tells me she wants to. So unless she gets more frightened then I expect, that little girl would probably testify okay.
When questioned by the trial court, Dr. Calvert reiterated her prior opinion that testifying as a witness to the offense charged would not cause J.M. further emotional trauma.
THE COURT: Do you feel like there would be any emotional or physical trauma if she were to be in confrontation with the defendant in the ordinary involvement in the courtroom trial?
THE WITNESS: You mean if she had to go and interact with him or is she just -
THE COURT: If she had to sit there and testify from the witness stand.
THE WITNESS: I can’t say for sure, but she says she wants to tell what happened, she’s a very strong little girl, strong-willed child like that.
THE COURT: Do you think she would suffer any emotional or physical problems as a result of that confrontation?
THE WITNESS: I couldn’t guarantee it, but I think — occasionally there’s a child who wants to tell their story.
THE COURT: Listen to my question.
THE WITNESS: Okay.
THE COURT: Do you think that there would be any emotional or physical problems with her confronting — testifying from that witness stand and having to confront her uncle?
THE WITNESS: Your Honor, I couldn’t say for sure that there would not be. I wouldn’t expect it.
On redirect by the State, Dr. Calvert explained not having to testify in appellant’s present would be easier on J.M. but did not indicate to do so would traumatize her.
Q. Dr. Calvert, if [J.M.] were to be able to tell her story but not in the physical presence of [the defendant], via closed circuit television, do you feel like there would be less trauma, or you could be more assured of less trauma for her to tell her story in that manner than she would if she had to face in the same courtroom [the defendant]?
A. She would probably tell it better if she didn’t have to look at him, of course.
*586[[Image here]]
Q. Do you feel like she would suffer — you said a while ago that you weren’t sure. Do you feel like there would be a less chance of her — or would you be more assured that she would not suffer any serious or emotional or physical distress if she testifies via closed circuit television and not in the presence or the sight of [the defendant]?
A. Obviously there would be less risk if there was going to be any trauma to her, yes.
In viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the district court’s ruling, I cannot agree with the majority that the record evidence “reasonably supports” the district court’s determination that the closed-circuit procedure was necessary to protect J.M. from further emotional trauma. In holding the trial court’s decision was not outside the zone of reasonable disagreement, the majority ignores Hayden’s subsequent clarification that her daughter would suffer further trauma only if forced to testify in appellant’s presence regarding what appellant did to her, not what she observed him do to B.J. This clarification cannot be reasonably separated from Hayden’s prior testimony. Also, the majority relies on Dr. Calvert’s testimony regarding the extent of emotional trauma J.M. has suffered as a result of appellant’s abuse. This evidence, however, does not show that the use of this special procedure was necessary to protect J.M. from further emotional trauma as mandated by the Supreme Court in Maryland v. Craig.
Because I find the trial court’s decision to allow J.M. to testify via closed-circuit television was an abuse of discretion, I respectfully dissent. Instead, I would hold the trial court violated appellant’s right to confrontation under the Sixth Amendment in permitting J.M. to testify via closed-circuit television.