Court Opinion

ID: 9961876
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-20 18:15:14.97982+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:19:07.202654
License: Public Domain

NUMBER 13-23-00271-CR

                               COURT OF APPEALS

                    THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS

                       CORPUS CHRISTI – EDINBURG

DONALD L. BOSON,                                                                 Appellant,

                                                  v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS,                                                               Appellee.

              ON APPEAL FROM THE 347TH DISTRICT COURT
                     OF NUECES COUNTY, TEXAS

                            MEMORANDUM OPINION

                Before Justices Benavides, Tijerina, and Silva
                 Memorandum Opinion by Justice Benavides

       A jury convicted appellant Donald L. Boson of aggravated sexual assault of a child,

a first-degree felony, and assessed his punishment at twenty-two years’ imprisonment.

See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. §§ 12.32(a), 22.021(a)(2)(B). Boson raises three issues on

appeal: (1) the evidence was legally insufficient to support his conviction; (2) the trial court
erred by failing to grant a mistrial after a witness testified about inadmissible extraneous

offense evidence; and (3) his trial counsel’s performance was constitutionally deficient.

We affirm.

                                             I.       BACKGROUND

         In December of 2018, Boson was indicted on two separate counts of aggravated

sexual assault of a child under the age of fourteen. Specifically, Boson was accused of

digitally penetrating the female sex organs of sisters Alison and Amanda1 on or about

February 20, 2010. See id. § 22.021(a)(2)(B).

         The evidence presented at trial established that Alison and Amanda were born in

2002 and 2004, respectively. After their parents separated in 2011, the sisters would

spend every other weekend at Father’s home. The girls shared a bedroom on one end of

the house, next to their older brother’s bedroom. Father’s bedroom was at the opposite

end of the house.

         For a period, Boson and Father were close friends, and Boson would frequently

come over to Father’s place on the weekends to hang out. Sometimes, either because it

was too late or Boson was too intoxicated to drive home, Boson would spend the night at

Father’s residence, including nights while the sisters were visiting. According to Father,

on these occasions, he would offer Boson the couch in the living room, which is in the

middle of the home. Father and Boson had a falling out in 2012 and did not speak

afterwards.

         1 We have assigned pseudonyms to the complainants to protect their privacy. See TEX. CONST. art.

1, § 30(a)(1) (providing that a crime victim has “the right to be treated . . . with respect for the victim’s dignity
and privacy throughout the criminal justice process”). To further protect their identity, we will refer to the
complainants’ parents as Father and Mother. See id.
                                                         2
      In 2018, Amanda made an outcry to Mother. According to Mother, Amanda awoke

from a nightmare one morning and came to her “distraught” and “crying.” Amanda asked

Mother if she remembered Boson and then told her “that something had happened.”

Mother said she began asking Amanda questions, and Amanda told Mother that Boson

touched “her private areas” or “down there,” which Mother understood to mean Amanda’s

vagina. She told Mother that she was in her brother’s room watching “Sponge Bob” on

television and eating “chicken nuggets,” when Boson came into the room, “lays her down,

pulls her panties down, spreads her legs open, and starts taking pictures of her.”

      Mother called the police, and a responding officer asked her whether Alison had

made any similar accusations. Mother then asked Alison if Boson “had touched her,” and

Alison “started crying and nodded her head yes.” According to Mother, Alison alleged that

Boson walked in her bedroom “and put his hands in her pants and started touching her[,]

putting his fingers in her vagina.” Alison told Mother that she pretended to be asleep,

hoping Boson would stop, but he continued until he heard Father’s bedroom door open.

Alison also told Mother that she witnessed Boson sexually assaulting Amanda.

      During the ensuing investigation, the sisters were taken to the local Children’s

Advocacy Center for forensic interviews and then to Driscoll Children’s Hospital for sexual

assault exams. The medical records from those exams were admitted into evidence

without objection. Penny Gaddis, the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) who

conducted those exams, had retired from the hospital at the time of trial and was

apparently unavailable to testify. Instead, Sandra Pardo, another SANE from the hospital,

testified to the contents of the medical records. According to Amanda’s medical records,

                                            3
she provided Gaddis with the following statement, which Pardo read into the record

without objection:

      [E]arly one morning, me and my brother would watch TV in his room. I sat
      on the floor, turned on the TV, [and] the man, [Boson], was asleep in the
      bed in my brother’s room. He woke up. I don’t remember my clothes—how
      I got the clothes off. He started touching me (patient indicates female sexual
      organ by pointing) with his hands, just his hand inside. I said stop it, [and]
      he backed away. He started taking pictures with his phone.

Amanda reported to Gaddis that this incident happened “[a]bout six or seven years ago.”

In another section of the medical history used to document the type of alleged assault,

Gaddis marked a series of boxes indicating that it was “unknown” whether penetration

had occurred. The State asked Pardo why Gaddis would mark “unknown” when she had

quoted Amanda as using the word “inside” to describe the touching. Pardo speculated

that Gaddis probably “was not 100 percent sure” whether penetration had occurred.

      Pardo also testified about the medical records from Alison’s exam, again reading

the narrative that Alison allegedly provided to Gaddis:

      [W]hen I was about eight or nine, I had been touched by my dad’s friend,
      [Boson]. I was laying down on top of my bunk bed. I was asleep. I heard
      someone come into my room. I felt the blanket move, and then I felt a hand
      go under my shorts. He touched in my vagina with his fingers. I didn’t know
      what it was, so I kept it in. I was scared. I didn’t know it happened to my
      sister.

Like Amanda’s medical records, Gaddis marked “unknown” to indicate whether any

penetration had occurred.

      Pardo also testified that while an exam is being conducted, a social worker meets

with the patient’s family members and conducts a psychosocial assessment. The

contents of these assessments are recorded by the social worker and included in the

                                            4
patient’s medical records. As part of the assessment, the family member is asked to

provide a history of the alleged abuse. In this case, Mother was interviewed by Lisa

Porterfield. At one point during Pardo’s testimony, the State asked her to read aloud a

portion of Alison’s assessment. As pertinent here, Pardo testified that Mother said, “A

couple of years ago [Alison’s] friend told her that [Boson] is a registered sex off—.”

Boson’s counsel interjected with an objection before Pardo finished saying “offender.”

       During a hearing outside the presence of the jury, Boson’s counsel and the

prosecutors agreed that they had jointly reviewed the medical records prior to trial for the

purpose of redacting any inadmissible evidence, including any reference to Boson as a

registered sex offender. Boson’s counsel said, “I thought all mention of that w[as]

redacted.” One of the prosecutors remembered that specific line being redacted, but the

second prosecutor reasoned that there must have been a collective oversight with regard

to that item.2 The trial court denied Boson’s request for a mistrial and then asked whether

he wanted the court to give the jury an instruction to disregard the testimony or just “ignore

it,” so as not to bring unwanted attention to the testimony. As one curative measure, the

parties agreed to a post-admission redaction of the statement from Alison’s medical

records. The version of the exhibit before our Court, which would have been the same

version available to the jury during deliberations, reflects that the redaction was made.

After further discussion, the parties agreed to the following instruction, which was given

to the jury when trial resumed:

       At this time, ladies and gentlemen, before we rested or before we—we

       2 We note that Amanda’s psychosocial assessment contained the same allegation but had been

redacted from the copy that was admitted into evidence.

                                                   5
       broke there was testimony that was read. There was an objection to it, so
       at this time I am going to indicate to you please disregard the witness’s last
       statement where he—she indicated something about a registered sex
       offender. Mr. Boson is not a registered sex offender so please disregard—
       disregard that testimony.

       Penny Green, a forensic interviewer with the local Children’s Advocacy Center,

testified that it is not uncommon for child victims of sexual abuse to make a delayed

outcry, sometimes years after the abuse occurred. She explained that “[a] lot of children

hold on because of fear,” and then after a triggering event occurs, “they just can’t hold on

to it anymore.” Green said that a nightmare can be a triggering event, as well as a

symptom of trauma. She also said that is not uncommon for children to make incremental

or partial outcries where they reveal additional information about the abuse over time as

they become more comfortable discussing the incident. For example, she said that

sometimes children provide additional details in their sexual assault exams that were not

disclosed during their forensic interviews.

       Alison, twenty-one years old at the time of trial, testified that Boson was a close

family friend when she was a child. She described him as “an uncle figure” who “was over

every weekend.” She said that he was “[v]ery friendly” and “[a] bit touchy.” Asked to

elaborate, Alison said, “Lots of hugs. Lots of touching.” She continued, “His hugs were

very tight, very touchy in certain places, hands would slide and stuff like that.” When asked

what she meant by “certain places,” Alison responded, “My bottom. My sides.”

       As for the incident in question, Alison alleged that, one night, around midnight,

when she was “around nine or ten,” she was trying to fall asleep in her bedroom at

Father’s house when she heard a person exit the nearby bathroom and open the door to

                                              6
her room. Alison was lying on the top bunkbed, and her sister was on the bottom bunk.

She felt her blanket being pulled down, and then someone began touching her “genitals”

with their hand. She said the touching occurred under her clothes, and the person placed

his fingers “[i]nside” her body. This lasted for twenty or thirty seconds, until she heard

Father’s door open, and then the person quickly left her room. Although her eyes were

closed during the duration of the incident, she believed the person who touched her

“inappropriately” must have been Boson because he “always slept” in her brother’s

bedroom, her brother was already asleep on the couch in the living room, and Father’s

bedroom was on the other side of the house. Finally, Alison testified that, “a few weeks

later,” the sisters confided in each other about what Boson had done to each of them but

made a promise not to tell anybody.

      On cross-examination, Boson’s counsel suggested that Alison was an unreliable

witness because she gave prior inconsistent statements about whether she witnessed

Boson sexually assault Amanda. Alison agreed that she told Mother and the forensic

interviewer that she witnessed Boson sexually assault Amanda. Counsel then pointed out

that, according to her medical records, Alison subsequently gave a different account to

Gaddis, saying “[she] didn’t know it happened to [her] sister.” Counsel asked her if she

had in fact said that to Gaddis, and Alison responded, “I don’t remember.” Counsel then

asked Alison if she remembered saying during interviews that the alleged incident with

Amanda occurred in their bedroom, and Alison responded affirmatively. Counsel then

asked Alison whether she was aware that Amanda was claiming that the incident

occurred in their brother’s bedroom, and she said, “No.”

                                            7
       Before redirect began, the State approached the bench and asked the trial court

for permission to question Alison further about what it described as potentially “a separate

incident not listed in the indictment.” The State acknowledged the discrepancy between

Amanda’s and Alison’s versions of events but hypothesized that it “can be explained by

it being a separate incident.” The trial court agreed that Boson’s counsel “opened the

door” to further questioning about this possible extraneous offense.

       During redirect, Alison described the incident she allegedly witnessed between

Boson and Amanda in their bedroom:

       I was asleep. I thought it was a dream and I just saw someone standing over doing
       the same thing, a hand under the blanket, and then I just fall back asleep and the
       next thing I know my sister peed in the bed. And then she asked me about it and I
       asked her questions, and she said that she thought she had been touched and
       then we started talking about how I had the same thing happen to me and then we
       made that promise not to talk about it again.

Alison said she would not be surprised if Amanda had described a similar incident in their

brother’s bedroom because it was “likely” that there were two separate incidents involving

her sister.

       On recross, Boson’s counsel asked Alison a single question: “Are you aware that

[Amanda] gave a Children’s Advocacy Center video statement stating that she was only

touched one time?” Alison responded, “No.”

       Amanda, nineteen years old at the time of trial, described a single incident that

occurred in her brother’s room when she was “about the age of seven or eight.” She had

no recollection of a separate incident occurring in her bedroom. Like her previous

statements to Mother and Gaddis, Amanda testified that she went to her brother’s room

one morning to watch television and eat chicken nuggets. Boson was sleeping in the

                                             8
room, and her brother was sleeping in the living room. When Boson woke up, he began

“touching” her “vagina” with “[h]is hands.” Amanda was not sure whether her clothes were

taken off or she was just wearing a nightgown, but she remembered Boson taking out his

cell phone and using it to record or take pictures of her vagina. She could not recall if his

fingers went “inside” her body, but she said, “I do know that [he] was opening the lips.”

The incident ended when she ran out of the room and got in bed with her sister.

       Amanda further testified that Mother, not Alison, was the first person she talked to

about the incident. She also said that she first learned of Alison’s allegation after the

police arrived, when Alison “sp[o]k[e] out and sa[id] that it happened to her.” She had no

recollection of Alison telling her about the incident before that day.

       On cross examination, Amanda acknowledged that during her forensic interview

she was asked whether Boson touched her inside, outside, or both, and she responded

“outside.” When counsel pointed out that she used the word “inside” to describe the

touching during her subsequent medical exam, Amanda testified, “That, I’m not too sure

of. I may have not been sure how to word it. Like I said, he was opening areas with his

fingers.”

       For both counts, the jury was instructed on the offense of aggravated sexual

assault of a child by digital penetration of the complainant’s sexual organ and the lesser

included offense of indecency with a child by sexual contact by touching the complainant’s

sexual organ. During deliberations, the jury sent a note asking for the definition of

penetration. The trial court sent the following written response: “We can’t define

‘penetration’ for you[.] It is up to each of you to define it.”

                                                9
       The jury found Boson not guilty of either offense with respect to Alison and guilty

of aggravated sexual assault with respect to Amanda. During the punishment phase of

trial, the State suggested a sentence of “no less than 50 years,” and Boson argued for

something on “the lower [end] of the punishment range.” The jury assessed Boson’s

punishment at twenty-two years. This appeal ensued.

                                 II.    LEGAL SUFFICIENCY

       Boson first contends that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction for

aggravated sexual assault of a child because Amanda “described the event in different

ways at different times, including the issue of whether penetration occurred, and [her]

testimony was in frequent conflict with that of [Alison].”

A.     Standard of Review & Applicable Law

       To satisfy constitutional due process requirements, a criminal conviction must be

supported by sufficient evidence. Laster v. State, 275 S.W.3d 512, 517 (Tex. Crim. App.

2009). “Evidence is sufficient to support a criminal conviction if a rational jury could find

each essential element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.” Stahmann v. State,

602 S.W.3d 573, 577 (Tex. Crim. App. 2020) (citing Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307,

319 (1979)). In a legal sufficiency review, “we consider all the evidence in the light most

favorable to the verdict and determine whether, based on that evidence and reasonable

inferences therefrom, a rational juror could have found the essential elements of the crime

beyond a reasonable doubt.” Hammack v. State, 622 S.W.3d 910, 914 (Tex. Crim. App.

2021). We defer to the jury’s role as the factfinder, which includes “resolving conflicts in

the testimony, weighing the evidence, and drawing reasonable inferences from basic

                                             10
facts.” Murray v. State, 457 S.W.3d 446, 448 (Tex. Crim. App. 2015). “[A]n inference is a

conclusion reached by considering other facts and deducing a logical consequence from

them.” Anderson v. State, 416 S.W.3d 884, 888 (Tex. Crim. App. 2013) (quoting Hooper

v. State, 214 S.W.3d 9, 16 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007)). We consider “whether the necessary

inferences are reasonable based upon the combined and cumulative force of all the

evidence when viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict.” Murray, 457 S.W.3d at

448 (quoting Clayton v. State, 235 S.W.3d 772, 778 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007)). The

uncorroborated testimony of a child victim alone is sufficient to support a conviction for a

sexual offense. TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 38.07(b)(1).

       We measure the sufficiency of the evidence against “the elements of the offense

as defined by the hypothetically correct jury charge for the case.” Malik v. State, 953

S.W.2d 234, 240 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997). A hypothetically correct charge is one that

accurately sets out the law, is authorized by the indictment, does not unnecessarily

increase the State’s burden of proof or restrict its theories of liability, and adequately

describes the particular offense for which the defendant was tried. Id. The hypothetically

correct jury charge in this case would require the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt

that Boson penetrated Amanda’s sexual organ with his finger. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN.

§ 21.02(b)).

       As a statutorily undefined term, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has

determined what constitutes “penetration” for purposes of aggravated sexual assault:

“[M]ere contact with the outside of an object does not amount to a penetration of it. But

pushing aside and reaching beneath a natural fold of skin into an area of the body not

                                            11
usually exposed to view, even in nakedness, is a significant intrusion beyond mere

external contact.” Vernon v. State, 841 S.W.2d 407, 409 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992).

Penetration may be proven by circumstantial evidence. Villalon v. State, 791 S.W.2d 130,

133 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990). Accordingly, the complainant need not explicitly testify that

penetration occurred. Id. Evidence of the slightest penetration is sufficient to uphold a

conviction, so long as it has been shown beyond a reasonable doubt. Luna v. State, 515

S.W.2d 271, 273 (Tex. Crim. App. 1974); see also Bates v. State, No. 13-18-00493-CR,

2020 WL 2079094, at *5 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi–Edinburg Apr. 30, 2020, pet. ref’d)

(mem. op., not designated for publication).

B.     Analysis

       Based on their note, the jury was keenly focused on the penetration element of the

offense during deliberations. According to the evidence presented at trial, Amanda told

the forensic interviewer that Boson touched the “outside” of her genitals; she later told the

nurse examiner that Boson touched her “inside”; and at trial, she could not recall if his

fingers went “inside” her body, but she was certain “that [he] was opening [her] lips” while

using his phone to record or take pictures of her vagina. Boson notes that “there was no

testimony from [Amanda] regarding whether this was [done] by manipulating the vagina

from outside or inside the labia majora.” Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable

to the verdict, we conclude that the evidence was legally sufficient to support Boson’s

conviction.

       First, Green testified that it is not uncommon for a victim of sexual assault to reveal

additional details during a sexual assault exam that were not provided during a previous

                                              12
forensic interview, and the jury was free to credit Amanda’s statement to Gaddis that

Boson touched her genitals on the “inside” over her prior statement to the forensic

interviewer that the touching occurred on the “outside.” See Chambers v. State, 805

S.W.2d 459, 461 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991) (“As factfinder, the jury is entitled to judge the

credibility of witnesses, and can choose to believe all, some, or none of the testimony

presented by the parties.”); Adams v. State, 502 S.W.3d 238, 244 (Tex. App.—Houston

[14th Dist.] 2016, pet. ref’d) (“We presume that the jury credited the SANE’s testimony

about the complainant’s statement during the examination and that the jury resolved any

inconsistency between that statement and the complainant’s trial statement by concluding

that the statement the complainant made to the SANE reflected the truth.”); In re A.B.,

162 S.W.3d 598, (Tex. App.—El Paso 2005, no pet.) (holding the evidence was sufficient

to support convictions for aggravated sexual assault where complainant testified that

appellant used his fingers to touch her “front” and “bottom” on the “inside”). Even if

Amanda had recanted at trial and testified that no penetration occurred, the jury would

have been permitted to credit Amanda’s statement to Gaddis over her recantation. See

Saldana v. State, 287 S.W.3d 43, 60 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi–Edinburg 2008, pet.

ref’d) (“The outcry testimony here was sufficient to sustain Saldaña’s conviction, and the

jury was entitled to disbelieve B.B.’s inconsistent testimony at trial that Saldaña did not

penetrate her sexual organ.”).

       But Amanda did not recant at trial. Instead, now testifying approximately five years

after she made her statement to Gaddis, Amanda said she could not recall if Boson’s

fingers went “inside.” However, she was steadfast that Boson “was opening areas with

                                            13
his fingers.” Based on this testimony, coupled with Amanda’s prior statement to Gaddis,

it was reasonable for the jury to infer that by “pushing aside” Amanda’s labia majora,

Boson “reach[ed] beneath a natural fold of skin into an area of the body not usually

exposed to view.” See Vernon, 841 S.W.2d at 409; Green v. State, 476 S.W.3d 440, 448

(Tex. Crim. App. 2015) (noting that an officer’s testimony that appellant placed his finger

“between the lips” of complainant’s sexual organ was consistent with the definition of

“penetration” provided in Vernon). We conclude that the evidence was legally sufficient

to prove that Boson penetrated Amanda’s sexual organ.

       Boson also suggests that Alison’s version of what occurred during and after

Amanda’s assault was so different than Amanda’s version that reasonable doubt existed

as to whether the assault occurred at all. Yet, it is clear from Alison’s testimony that she

believed she witnessed a separate assault between Boson and Amanda—not the one

Boson was convicted of. Regardless, even if they were describing the same incident, the

jury was allowed to take Amanda’s testimony at face value and disbelieve everything

Alison said. See Chambers, 805 S.W.2d at 461. And, of course, Amanda’s testimony

alone was sufficient to support Boson’s conviction; the State was not required to

corroborate Amanda’s testimony through the testimony of Alison. See TEX. CODE CRIM.

PROC. ANN. art. 38.07(b)(1). Boson’s first issue is overruled.

                                      III.   MISTRIAL

       By his second issue, Boson claims that he was entitled to a mistrial because the

testimony referring to him as a registered sex offender was so prejudicial that the trial

court’s jury instruction was insufficient to cure the harm.

                                             14
A.     Standard of Review & Applicable Law

       A mistrial is the trial court’s remedy for improper conduct that is so harmful that the

case must be redone. Hawkins v. State, 135 S.W.3d 72, 77 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004). “Only

in extreme circumstances, where the prejudice is incurable, will a mistrial be required.”

Id. We review a trial court’s decision to deny a motion for mistrial for an abuse of

discretion, and the ruling must be upheld if it falls within the zone of reasonable

disagreement. Webb v. State, 232 S.W.3d 109, 112 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007).

       “Instructions to the jury are generally considered sufficient to cure improprieties

that occur during trial.” Gamboa v. State, 296 S.W.3d 574, 580 (Tex. Crim. App. 2009)

(collecting cases). This general rule is built on the premise that a jury will follow the trial

court’s instructions. Id. For example, we will presume that a jury followed a trial court’s

instruction to disregard improper testimony. E.g., Waldo v. State, 746 S.W.2d 750 (Tex.

Crim. App. 1988) (jury presumed to follow instruction to disregard testimony regarding

defendant’s post-Miranda silence); Gardner v. State, 730 S.W.2d 675, 696 (Tex. Crim.

App. 1987) (jury presumed to follow instruction after accomplice witness alluded to

defendant’s previous incarceration). The presumption is rebuttable, but to overcome the

presumption, the appellant must point to evidence in the record demonstrating that the

jury did not follow the trial court’s instruction. Colburn v. State, 966 S.W.2d 511, 520 (Tex.

Crim. App. 1998).

B.     Preservation of Error

       As a threshold matter, the State argues that Boson waived this issue because he

failed to object to the unredacted version of Alison’s medical records before they were

                                              15
admitted into evidence. See Miller v. State, No. 13-18-00191-CR, 2019 WL 5251146, at

*3 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi–Edinburg Oct. 17, 2019, no pet.) (mem. op., not

designated for publication) (finding appellant waived complaint about trial court’s denial

of a mistrial where appellant failed to object to a 911 call log referring to appellant as a

registered sex offender until the jury sent a note asking about the evidence during

deliberations). According to the State, it was incumbent upon Boson to make sure that

the State followed through on their agreement to redact the medical records before those

exhibits were admitted into evidence. Both parties agree that the State tendered the

exhibits to Boson’s trial counsel before they were simultaneously admitted into evidence.

The first exhibit (Amanda’s medical records) had been redacted but the second one

(Alison’s medical records) had not, and Boson’s counsel failed to catch the error before

saying, “No objection, Your Honor.” Once the error came to light through Pardo’s

testimony, Boson promptly objected. Although the State conceded error in the trial court

and agreed to a post-submission redaction and an instruction to disregard the testimony,

it now argues on appeal that Boson’s objection was nonetheless untimely. Because we

conclude that a mistrial was not warranted, we assume without deciding that this issue

was preserved for appeal.

C.     There is No Evidence that the Jury Failed to Follow the Instruction

       Here, we have an isolated, inadvertent reference to an extraneous offense, and

the trial court not only gave a prompt instruction to disregard the testimony but took it a

step further by telling the jury that “Boson is not a registered sex offender.” See Sandoval

v. State, 665 S.W.3d 496, 529 (Tex. Crim. App. 2022) (“An instruction to disregard is more

                                            16
likely to cure prejudice when the improper reference is isolated.”) cert. filed (No. 23-5618).

Boson contends that referring to him as a registered sex offender was particularly

prejudicial because he was also charged with sex offenses in this case, thereby making

it more likely that the jury would convict him based on this improper character conformity

evidence. But even when the improper extraneous offense evidence indicates that the

defendant committed the same or a similar offense in the past, an instruction to disregard

is generally sufficient to cure any prejudice. See Coe v. State, 683 S.W.2d 431, 436 (Tex.

Crim. App. 1984) (finding jury instruction to disregard officer’s testimony referring to

appellant’s “other robberies” in aggravated robbery trial was sufficient to cure harm); Long

v. State, 820 S.W.2d 888, 894 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1991, pet. ref’d)

(concluding that witness testimony during a murder trial that appellant admitted to

previously committing other murders did not warrant a mistrial because the trial court’s

instruction to disregard the testimony cured any error); see also Brownlee v. State, Nos.

11-08-00264-CR, 11-08-00265-CR, 11-08-00266-CR, 2010 WL 1952426, at *2 (Tex.

App.—Eastland May 13, 2010, pet. ref’d) (mem. op., not designated for publication)

(holding appellant charged with three counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child was

not entitled to a mistrial when a testifying officer referred to him as a registered sex

offender).

       We therefore conclude that this case falls within the general rule, and we will

presume that the jury followed the instruction to disregard the testimony unless Boson

can point to some evidence in the record showing otherwise. See Gamboa, 296 S.W.3d

at 580; Colburn, 966 S.W.2d at 520. Boson has failed to direct us to any such evidence,

                                             17
and we find none. To the contrary, the fact that the jury returned a not guilty verdict on

one of the two counts strongly suggests that they followed the instruction and based their

verdicts on the evidence properly before them. Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse

its discretion in denying Boson’s motion for mistrial, and Boson’s second issue is

overruled.

                        IV.    INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL

       Finally, Boson argues that his trial counsel’s performance was constitutionally

defective because: (1) he failed to ensure that Alison’s medical records were redacted

before being admitted into evidence; and (2) he introduced evidence of an uncharged

sexual assault committed by Boson.

A.     Standard of Review & Applicable Law

       The United States and Texas Constitutions guarantee a criminal defendant the

right to reasonably effective assistance of counsel. U.S. CONST. amend. VI; TEX. CONST.

art. I, § 10; see TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 1.051. We evaluate claims of ineffective

assistance of counsel using the two-pronged test from Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S.

668, 687 (1984). See Hernandez v. State, 726 S.W.2d 53, 57 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986)

(adopting Strickland). An appellant is required to show both: (1) “that counsel’s

performance was deficient”; and (2) “the deficient performance prejudiced” appellant.

Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687. “Failure to satisfy either prong of the Strickland test is fatal.”

Morrison v. State, 575 S.W.3d 1, 24 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2019, no pet.). Accordingly,

a court may bypass the first prong, and decide the issue solely on the prejudice prong.

Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697 (“If it is easier to dispose of an ineffectiveness claim on the

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ground of lack of sufficient prejudice, which we expect will often be so, that course should

be followed.”).

       “In order to satisfy the first prong, appellant must prove, by a preponderance of the

evidence, that trial counsel’s performance fell below an objective standard of

reasonableness under the prevailing professional norms.” Lopez v. State, 343 S.W.3d

137, 142 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011). Such a showing “must be firmly founded in the record.”

Thompson v. State, 9 S.W.3d 808, 813 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). We indulge “a strong

presumption that counsel’s conduct fell within the wide range of reasonable professional

assistance.” Id. “Trial counsel should generally be given an opportunity to explain his

actions before being found ineffective.” Prine v. State, 537 S.W.3d 113, 117 (Tex. Crim.

App. 2017). “Thus, if the record does not contain affirmative evidence of trial counsel’s

reasoning or strategy, we presume counsel’s performance was not deficient.” Johnson v.

State, 624 S.W.3d 579, 586 (Tex. Crim. App. 2021). “In the face of an undeveloped

record, counsel should be found ineffective only if his conduct was ‘so outrageous that no

competent attorney would have engaged in it.’” Id. (quoting Goodspeed v. State, 187

S.W.3d 390, 392 (Tex. Crim. App. 2005)). Although a single egregious error may

constitute ineffective assistance as a matter of law, we generally disregard isolated errors

that are not indicative of the overall representation. Lopez, 343 S.W.3d at 143; see Ex

parte Welborn, 785 S.W.2d 391, 393 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990) (“Isolated instances in the

record reflecting errors of commission or omission do not cause counsel to become

ineffective, nor can ineffective assistance of counsel be established by isolating or

separating out one portion of the trial counsel’s performance for examination.”).

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       Yet, even if the performance was deficient, such an error does not warrant setting

aside the judgment if there has been no prejudicial effect on the outcome. Strickland, 466

U.S. at 691. “Some errors will have had a pervasive effect on the inferences to be drawn

from the evidence, altering the entire evidentiary picture, and some will have had an

isolated, trivial effect.” Id. at 695–96. “Moreover, a verdict or conclusion only weakly

supported by the record is more likely to have been affected by errors than one with

overwhelming record support.” Id. at 696. The test for prejudice requires the defendant to

show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors,

the result of the proceeding would have been different. Id. at 694. “A reasonable

probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” Id. In

conducting our analysis, we consider the totality of the evidence before the factfinder. Id.

at 695.

B.     Analysis

       Boson first argues that Pardo never would have referred to him as a registered sex

offender if his trial counsel had carefully inspected Alison’s medical records before they

were admitted into evidence. While we agree this isolated error could have been

prevented, the totality of trial counsel’s representation was certainly not deficient. See

Lopez, 343 S.W.3d at 143; Ex parte Welborn, 785 S.W.2d at 393. Boson was acquitted

on one of two charges and received a sentence that was less than half of what the State

requested and on the lower end of the sentencing range. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN.

§ 12.32(a) (setting the sentencing range for a first-degree felony at “imprisonment in the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice for life or for any term of not more than 99 years or

                                            20
less than 5 years”). Under the circumstances, this was a relatively good result that we

largely attribute to trial counsel’s overall effectiveness.

       But even if we assumed that the error rendered counsel’s performance objectively

deficient, Boson still fails under the second Strickland prong. As discussed above, the

trial court’s instruction to disregard Pardo’s reference to Boson as a registered sex

offender cured any harm caused by trial counsel’s error. Therefore, Boson cannot

demonstrate that, but for trial counsel’s error, there is a reasonable probability that the

result of the proceeding would have been different. See Strickland, 466 U.S.at 694.

       Boson next argues that trial counsel unwittingly opened the door for Alison to testify

about an unindicted offense Boson allegedly committed against Amanda. Prior to trial,

Alison gave conflicting statements about whether she witnessed Boson assault Amanda.

She had also claimed the assault occurred in the girls’ bedroom, while Amanda had

repeatedly said that the incident occurred in their brother’s bedroom. Boson notes that,

after counsel questioned Alison about these discrepancies, the trial court allowed the

State to question Alison about the details of what she allegedly witnessed. According to

Boson, Alison’s subsequent description of what she believed to be a second sexual

assault committed by Boson against Amanda was necessarily prejudicial to his defense.

       Because Boson’s ineffective assistance claim is being raised for the first time on

appeal, counsel has not explicitly stated his subjective trial strategy on the record.

However, this is not a case where we have to speculate about counsel’s strategy.

Throughout trial, from opening to closing statements, counsel drew the jury’s attention to

“the discrepancies and the contradictions and the changing of the stories” between Alison

                                              21
and Amanda. In a case that hinged almost entirely on Alison’s and Amanda’s credibility,

this was a sound trial strategy. See Wheeler v. State, 67 S.W.3d 879, 888 (Tex. Crim.

App. 2002) (recognizing “that in prosecutions for sexual offenses, a successful conviction

‘often depend[s] primarily on whether the jury believe[s] the complainant, turning the trial

into a swearing match between the complainant and defendant’” (alteration in original)

(citation omitted)); Fuller v. State, 224 S.W.3d 823, 837 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2007, no

pet.) (holding that trial counsel’s failure to object to testimony bolstering a child sexual

assault victim’s truthfulness and credibility amounted to ineffective assistance because

“[t]he only real issue is this case was the credibility of the witnesses, in particular the

complaining witness”).

       Moreover, the strategy was apparently fruitful. At the risk of trying to glean too

much from a cold record, we note that Alison’s testimony about her own alleged assault

was internally consistent and matched her prior statements. The only discrepancies in

her testimony concerned her involvement with Amanda’s assault. After Alison insisted

that she witnessed a second assault between Boson and Amanda in the girls’ bedroom,

Amanda testified unequivocally that there was a single incident, it happened in a

completely different manner than what Alison described, and it occurred in their brother’s

bedroom without anyone else present. Amanda also denied that she and Alison had

confided in each other before Amanda made her outcry, another contradiction in Alison’s

testimony that Boson’s trial counsel highlighted for the jury.

       Based on their dueling verdicts, it appears that the jury arrived at the very

conclusion that counsel was trying to lead them to—that Alison was not a credible witness.

                                             22
In other words, the line of questioning Boson now complains about on appeal probably

led to his acquittal on the count involving Alison and was immaterial to his conviction

involving Amanda. Accordingly, Boson has failed to show that this complained-of line of

questioning was unprofessional or prejudicial. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687. Boson’s

final issue is overruled.

                                   V.     CONCLUSION

       We affirm the trial court’s judgment.

                                                            GINA M. BENAVIDES
                                                            Justice

Do not publish.
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).

Delivered and filed on the
18th day of April, 2024.

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