Court Opinion

ID: 9382221
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-25 06:10:32.491281+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:37.842070
License: Public Domain

Opinion filed March 23, 2023

                                      In The

        Eleventh Court of Appeals
                                   __________

                               No. 11-22-00116-CR
                                   __________

                      MICHAEL MORENO, Appellant
                                         V.
                     THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

                     On Appeal from the 42nd District Court
                            Taylor County, Texas
                        Trial Court Cause No. 29580-A

                     MEMORANDUM OPINION
      The jury convicted Appellant, Michael Moreno, of the second-degree felony
offense of sexual assault of a child. See TEX. PENAL CODE ANN. § 22.011(a)(2)(A),
(f) (West Supp. 2022). The evidence at the guilt/innocence phase consisted of the
testimony of the child (T.M.), her father, the interviewing detective, and the sexual
assault nurse examiner (SANE), and Appellant’s video-recorded confession. T.M.
testified that she and Appellant had sexual intercourse that night and that it was
“consensual.” T.M.’s father testified that Appellant confessed to having sexual
intercourse with his daughter that night and apologized to him for doing so.
Detective Frank Shoemaker testified that Appellant confessed to the offense in an
electronically recorded oral statement after receiving and waiving the warnings
under Miranda v. Arizona and Article 38.22 of the Texas Code of Criminal
Procedure. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 479 (1966); TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC.
ANN. art. 38.22, §§ 2(a), 3(a) (West 2018). The SANE nurse testified that she
conducted an acute examination of T.M. shortly after the incident, which revealed
injuries to T.M.’s posterior fourchette and hymen. Following a one-day trial, the
jury found Appellant guilty of the offense. Appellant pleaded true to the State’s
enhancement paragraphs, which alleged two prior federal felony offenses, and the
parties agreed to a punishment of twenty-five years in the Institutional Division of
the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for the offense. The trial court sentenced
Appellant in accordance with the parties’ agreement. We affirm.
      Appellant’s court-appointed counsel has filed in this court a motion to
withdraw. The motion is supported by a brief in which counsel professionally and
conscientiously examines the record and applicable law and concludes that there are
no arguable issues to present on appeal. Counsel provided Appellant with a copy of
the brief, a copy of the motion to withdraw, an explanatory letter, and a copy of both
the clerk’s record and the reporter’s record. Counsel advised Appellant of his right
to review the record and file a response to counsel’s brief. Counsel also advised
Appellant of his right to file a petition for discretionary review. See TEX. R.
APP. P. 68.   Court-appointed counsel has complied with the requirements of
Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967); Kelly v. State, 436 S.W.3d 313 (Tex.
Crim. App. 2014); In re Schulman, 252 S.W.3d 403 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008); and
Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d 503 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991).

                                          2
        Appellant has not filed a pro se response to counsel’s Anders brief. Following
the procedures outlined in Anders and Schulman, we have independently reviewed
the record, and we agree with counsel that no arguable grounds for appeal exist. 1
        We grant counsel’s motion to withdraw, and we affirm the judgment of the
trial court.

                                                                 PER CURIAM

March 23, 2023
Do not publish. See TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
Panel consists of: Bailey, C.J.,
Trotter, J., and Williams, J.

        1
         We note that Appellant has a right to file a petition for discretionary review pursuant to Rule 68
of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.

                                                    3