Court Opinion

ID: 9682079
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 08:05:09.748327+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:37.402801
License: Public Domain

DIAL, Justice,
dissenting.
This is an appeal from a conviction for delivery of a controlled substance, to-wit, less than 28 grams of methamphetamine. The defendant was found guilty in a jury trial, and punishment was set by the court at confinement for a term of 45 years.
The single issue in the case is whether or not the trial court abused its discretion in overruling the defendant’s motion for new trial alleging newly discovered evidence.
The defendant concedes that the decision to grant a new trial for newly discovered evidence is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court. Eddlemon v. State, 591 S.W.2d 847 (Tex.Crim.App.1979). Should it appear to the trial court that under the circumstances of the particular case the credibility or weight of the new evidence is not such as would probably bring about a different result upon a new trial, it is within the trial court’s discretion *774to deny the motion for new trial. As a rule, newly discovered evidence which is merely cumulative, corroborative, collateral or impeaching will rarely be judged by a trial or appellate court to be of such weight as likely to bring about a different result. Jones v. State, 711 S.W.2d 35, 37 (Tex.Crim.App.1986).
To determine the applicability of these rules to the present case it is necessary to briefly summarize the facts. The defendant was accused of selling methamphetamine to Juan Guerra, the State’s principal witness. Guerra testified that the defendant invited him into his home with another individual and there sold him a plastic bag containing methamphetamine for $150.00.1 Guerra admitted that he had entered into an agreement with the State because he had been arrested for possession of heroin. The agreement was that he would make narcotics cases for the State, for which he would be paid $100.00 each, and he would be given 8 years' probation on his heroin charge. He also admitted having two previous convictions for marihuana possession, that he was a heroin addict and was receiving methadone treatment for his addiction.
The critical testimony was Guerra’s denial that he was “shooting up” heroin while he was operating as an undercover informant in Atascosa County or that he had a problem “keeping off of the stuff” during that period of time.
Guerra’s undercover efforts resulted in 142 indictments. He testified for the State in other trials. At a trial subsequent to the instant case Guerra admitted that he had been using heroin as a means of maintaining his cover and because of the pressure of the type of work he was doing. He admitted purchasing heroin for personal use and giving urine specimens that revealed his drug usage. This testimony constituted the newly discovered evidence alleged in the defendant’s motion for new trial.
It is important to note that the defendant is not contending that Guerra’s drug usage impaired his ability to observe or recall the facts in the case in any way. The argument before this Court is that the newly discovered evidence would establish that Guerra had been untruthful in his testimony before the jury during the defendant’s trial.
The newly discovered evidence had no bearing on any issue under the indictment in the case but was instead of a collateral nature. Its only purpose would have been for impeaching the witness Guerra. Since the jury already knew that Guerra was a heroin addict with several prior narcotic convictions and was being treated for his addiction, the newly discovered evidence was merely cumulative of that already before the jury establishing Guerra’s addiction.
I believe the newly discovered evidence was not of such weight as to necessarily inject reasonable doubt into the case. Even if the jury believed that Guerra had been using drugs, it would not necessarily have found that the defendant was not guilty. The incremental weight of such evidence to impeach Guerra’s credibility was not so great as would probably bring about a different result. Gardner v. State, 730 S.W.2d 675, 703 (Tex.Crim.App.1987). I believe that the newly discovered evidence, being of impeachment value only, was not such as would probably change the result in any respect upon a new trial. Under the circumstances I would hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant’s motion for new trial.

. Other State’s witnesses testified to the chain of custody of the controlled substance and its testing by a chemist to determine that it contained methamphetamine.