Court Opinion

ID: 9690958
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 19:54:01.055674+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:19:07.173193
License: Public Domain

*497WILLIAM J. CORNELIUS, Chief Justice.
I disagree that it was error for the trial court to refuse Sands’ requested mistake-of-fact instruction. The case of Bruno v. State governs this situation and announces what has long been the rule in Texas. In that case, the Court of Criminal Appeals held that when the charge actually given to the jury adequately covers the mistake-of-fact issue, and because the language in the charge actually given the jury must necessarily have found against the defendant’s affirmative defense of mistake-of-fact, a separate instruction on that defensive theory is not necessary. Bruno v. State, 845 S.W.2d 910 (Tex.Crim.App.1993). The holding in Bruno v. State has been followed and buttressed by other cases such as Traylor v. State, 43 S.W.3d 725 (Tex.App.—Beaumont 2001, no pet. h.), and our own case of Sarver v. State, 24 S.W.3d 448 (Tex.App.Texarkana 2000, pet. ref'd). See also Davis v. State, 651 S.W.2d 787 (Tex.Crim.App.1983). Moreover, I do not agree that Bruno v. State is without precedential value on this issue. Three judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals joined in the opinion in Bruno v. State, three judges concurred, and three other judges concurred in the result. In fact, Judges Baird, Miller, and Meyers expressly noted that it was not necessary to give the mistake-of-fact instruction in that case. The trial court’s refusal to give the mistake-of-fact instruction in that case was a critical issue, and if the court had found that issue in favor of the defendant, the case would have been reversed. The Court did not reverse the case. I believe we should follow the Court of Criminal Appeals’ holding in Bruno v. State. I also believe we should follow our own decision in Sarver v. State, 24 S.W.3d 448, and the decisions in Davis v. State, 651 S.W.2d 787, and Traylor v. State, 43 S.W.3d 725.
In this case, the jury was instructed that in order to convict Sands, it must find that he intentionally or knowingly possessed the methamphetamine, and if it did not so find, it must acquit him. The charge also defined “intentionally” and “knowingly.” Thus, the charge given adequately instructed the jury on Sands’ affirmative defense of mistake of fact. The jury could not have believed Sands’ testimony and also have found him guilty under the charge as given. Therefore, a charge on mistake of fact was not necessary. Bruno v. State, 845 S.W.2d 910.
Even if the trial court should have given the mistake-of-fact instruction, the error is clearly harmless because the issue of Sands’ culpable mental state was submitted to the jury in the court’s main charge. The jury thus ruled on Sands’ affirmative defense.
Because the majority finds any error to be harmless, I concur in the result.