Court Opinion

ID: 9671983
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:46:36.48862+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:13.563462
License: Public Domain

*391CONCURRING OPINION ON APPELLANT’S PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW
CLINTON, Judge.
The Austin Court of Appeals preliminarily noted: “Over appellant’s objection, the district court charged the jury on voluntary manslaughter.”1 Pennington v. State, 644 S.W.2d 64, 65 (Tex.App.-Austin 1982). From its own point of view a majority of this Court would have it that appellant did not object that the evidence was insufficient to support submission of the issue, and it faults the Austin Court of Appeals for “not observing] this discrepancy.” In my judgment to dispose of this cause on that kind of “review” of a thoughtfully crafted opinion by a court of appeals, clearly setting forth reasons for its decision, at once demeans respective roles of this Court, courts of appeals and parties in the appellate process of our criminal justice system.
In a murder case such as this one, voluntary manslaughter is always putatively tendered by the charging instrument as a lesser included offense. Then if it is properly raised by evidence the trial judge must include an instruction on voluntary manslaughter in the charge to the jury. Article 36.14, V.A.C.C.P. Thus, in revealing to the parties that the trial court proposes to charge the jury on the lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter, a judge is informing them of a belief by the court that the evidence does indeed raise the issue. In this kind of murder case if there are any other relevant considerations touching a determination by a trial court to include in its charge an instruction authorizing a jury to find an accused guilty of voluntary manslaughter, we have not alluded to them in prior opinions; see, e.g., Bradley v. State, 688 S.W.2d 847 (Tex.Cr.App.1985).
In instant cause the trial judge had prepared a proposed charge, presented it to counsel and, following preliminary discussion in chambers, returned to the courtroom “for the purpose of taking objections and suggestions.” Whereupon a loose unstructured colloquy between the judge and counsel for appellant followed. It cannot be gainsaid that appellant voiced an objection “to the court’s charge on voluntary manslaughter,” and as shall be seen the trial judge stayed with his determination that there was sufficient evidence to warrant submitting it.
The majority chooses to focus on statements by counsel that defense “[did] not want any lesser included offenses in the charge...” 2 Yet that statement does not negate an objection on the only proper basis for making it, nor is that the whole story. Later on in the same colloquy appellant pointed out, “[W]e have previously objected to the Court’s giving the voluntary manslaughter charge,” and then, contrary to his earlier expressions, he requested “that the Court give a charge on criminal negligent homicide.” The judge responded that, as he had said in chambers, where accident is given upon request an accused is entitled to an instruction on criminal negligent homicide, and added, “I am also of the opinion that under the same defense the facts raised is voluntary manslaughter.” With that understanding and given a request for criminal negligent homicide, he said that the court would include all lesser included offenses of murder, “but I will not skip involuntary manslaughter and go to criminal negligent homicide.” After private deliberations the defense withdrew its request for an instruction on criminal negligent homicide, and concluded with the statement last quoted in the majority opinion.
Accordingly, I would review the ground in this cause on the same premise as the Austin Court of Appeals: that the trial court charged the jury on voluntary manslaughter “[o]ver appellant’s objection.” Having done that I would find as the State asserts the evidence sufficient to warrant *392an instruction on that lesser included offense.
Therefore, I join only the judgment of the Court.
MILLER, J., joins.

. All emphasis throughout is mine unless otherwise indicated.

. Original emphasis is in majority opinion.