Court Opinion

ID: 9690358
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 19:08:54.720898+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:52:13.512087
License: Public Domain

MAZZANT, J.
dissenting.
Dissenting Opinion by Justice MAZZANT.
The question in this case is whether the trial court abused its discretion when it (1) determined that appellant’s counsel could not cross-examine the complainant about her plea in a prior assault case and (2) excluded impeachment testimony from the complainant’s former husband regarding the assault. The majority concludes the impeachment evidence was erroneously excluded. Because I conclude no abuse of discretion has been shown, I would overrule appellant’s issue and affirm the conviction.
A trial court has wide discretion in its decision to admit or exclude evidence. Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85, 89 (Tex.Crim.App.1997). We must review the trial court’s ruling in this case under an abuse of discretion standard. Salazar v. State, 38 S.W.3d 141, 153 (Tex.Crim.App.2001). Therefore, we may reverse only if the trial judge’s decision was “so clearly wrong as to lie outside the zone within which reasonable persons might disagree.” Cantu v. State, 842 S.W.2d 667, 682 (Tex.Crim.App.1992). The mere fact the trial court decided a matter within its discretionary authority in a different manner than we would does not demonstrate that an abuse of discretion has occurred. Manning v. State, 114 S.W.3d 922, 926 (Tex.Crim.App.2003). Our role is limited to determining whether the record supports the trial court’s ruling. Coffin v. State, 885 S.W.2d 140, 149 (Tex.Crim.App.1994).
The record shows that appellant and the complainant, his wife, became involved in an argument over money. The complainant testified that the argument escalated until appellant pinned her to the washing machine and shook her, in her words, “like a rag doll.” At some point during the altercation she hit her head, possibly on a cabinet or an iron; she was not sure. Appellant then grabbed her wrists, and, as she tried to wrench herself free, she tore a fingernail. She eventually got away from appellant’s grasp and called 9-1-1 emergency. While she was on the phone with the 9-1-1 dispatcher, appellant attempted to interfere with the call by simultaneously talking to the dispatcher on a second phone line. Police later arrived and arrested appellant.
The audiotape of the 9-1-1 call was played for the jury. During direct examination, the State questioned the complainant as follows:
Q. At the time you. called 9-1-1, tell us what happens at that point? What’s going on in your house?
A. Well, I’m calling them. I’m telling them basically please send me some help. My husband has attacked me. He’s beating up on me. I’m bleeding. Somebody please help me. At the same time he is overtalking and just drowning me out like he’s done so many — just drowning me out. Basically would not allow me to talk clearly with the operator on the radio on the phone.
*384Q. Did he realize that you were calling 9-1-1?
A. Yes, he did I believe.
Q. Now what was he saying on the phone when he was talking to 9-1-1?
A. From my understanding all I detected that he was basically just trying to stop me from talking to the operator by drowning me out, loud talking me, talking about — he said stuff like I hit him first. I attacked him first and I have to remember. I don’t know about some people, but men these days hit women. And I’m not crazy enough to hit a man or start a fight. That’s why I always leave.
Q. But he was saying at that time that you hit him; is that correct?
A. On the tape that I had heard a little while ago, my recollection and everything, yes, he was trying to say that I attacked him. Yes.
Defense counsel argued that she should be allowed to cross-examine the complainant about a prior assault charge and protective order because her testimony on direct — “And I’m not crazy enough to hit a man or start a fight. That’s why I always leave” — left a false impression in the minds of the jurors. On voir dire, outside the presence of the jury, the complainant admitted that, in 1989, she had been arrested for assault during an altercation with her former husband and successfully completed a period of deferred probation. Weighing the limits placed on such evidence by rule 609 of the Texas Rules of Evidence, the trial court concluded the prejudicial affect of the fourteen-year-old charge outweighed its probative value.
After the State rested, defense counsel examined the complainant’s former husband outside the presence of the jury. He testified that, in 1990, the complainant hit him on the face and was violent towards him. Defense counsel argued that this line of testimony was admissible for impeachment of the complainant’s testimony under rule 608 of the Texas Rules of Evidence, and as a prior inconsistent statement under rule 613. The trial court disagreed, finding rule 608(b) prohibited the admission of such evidence.
As a general rule, prior offenses are inadmissible for impeachment purposes unless the offense resulted in a final conviction for either a felony or a crime involving moral turpitude and the conviction is not too remote in time. See Tex.R.Evid. 608, 609; Ochoa v. State, 481 S.W.2d 847, 850 (Tex.Crim.App.1972). An exception applies, however, when a witness makes statements concerning his past conduct that indicate he has never been arrested, charged, or convicted of any offense. Prescott v. State, 744 S.W.2d 128, 131 (Tex.Crim.App.1988). If a witness “creates a false impression of law abiding behavior, he ‘opens the door’ on his otherwise irrelevant past criminal history and opposing counsel may expose the falsehood.” Delk v. State, 855 S.W.2d 700, 704 (Tex.Crim.App.1993). However, courts construe the “false impression” exception narrowly. See James v. State, 102 S.W.3d 162, 181 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2003, pet. refd). “In order to open the door to use of prior crimes for impeachment, the witness must do more than simply imply that he abides by the law; he must in some way convey the impression he has never committed a crime.” Id.
Appellant argues that the complainant’s statement, “And I’m not crazy enough to hit a man or start a fight. That’s why I always leave,” created a false impression of law-abiding behavior which, in turn, opened the door to impeachment regarding her prior criminal history. I disagree. The complained-of statement was not an omission or false response to a direct question about the complainant’s prior trouble *385•with the law or experience with the criminal justice system. As a general rule, a witness opens the door to impeachment only when he has been asked a specific question concerning the extent of his prior arrests, charges, convictions, or trouble with police. Prescott, 744 S.W.2d at 182. In response, the witness completely or partially fails to properly identify the extent of the prior “troubles.” Id. The situation in this case is different. When viewed in context, the complainant’s statement could be seen as part of a broader discussion regarding what appellant was saying on the 9-1-1 call, and not as an omission or false response to a specific question concerning the extent of her prior experience with the criminal justice system. See id. at 181 (testimony must be viewed in broader context of question asked and answer given); Arebalo v. State, 143 S.W.3d 402, 408 (Tex.App.-Austin 2004, pet. ref'd).1
I believe the record supports the trial court’s ruling. I would therefore conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to allow appellant to cross-examine the complainant regarding her prior criminal history or in excluding impeachment evidence from the complainant’s former husband.

. The complainant’s testimony did not open the door to admission of extraneous acts evidence. In Daggett v. State, 187 S.W.3d 444 (Tex.Crim.App., 2005), which is cited by the majority to support its conclusion that the trial court erred in excluding impeachment evidence from the complainant’s former husband, the appellant directly denied any propensity to commit the acts he was charged with at least four separate times. Furthermore, two of those four statements related directly to his relationship with the victim. Id. at 454 n. 23. The court held the two statements appellant made relating to the charged offense ("I’ve never done anything of the sort with a sixteen year old girl period,” and "I absolutely would not do something like this") were sufficient to open the door to rebuttal impeachment evidence. The complainant’s testimony in the present case does not match this level of specificity.