Court Opinion

ID: 9779385
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 21:48:59.726133+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:26.002876
License: Public Domain

CLINTON, Judge,
concurring.
In Fierro v. State, 706 S.W.2d 310 (Tex.Cr.App.1986), upon which the dissent so heavily relies, the facts present a classic case of hijacking a taxicab at an early morning hour by shooting its driver. With a companion in the front passenger seat and the defendant in the back, when they neared a stated destination defendant yelled “stop,” and as the cab driver turned defendant shot him in the back of the head. Taking the wheel, defendant drove to a park, removed the driver and dragged him away, shot him again and stole his wallet, watch and jacket, and then fled in the cab.
After surveying pertinent decisions the Court pointed out:
“The fact that there was no prior discussion of robbery and no indication of an intent to commit robbery mentioned in the confession is not controlling. It is true there was no evidence that appellant demanded of the victim money or property prior to shooting him, but a verbal demand is not the talisman of an intent to steal. Such intent may be inferred from actions or conduct.”
Accordingly, the Court held the evidence sufficient “for a rational trier of facts to find all the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.”1 That is, Fierro killed the cab driver in the course of committing or attempting to commit robbery within the contemplation of V.T.C.A. Penal Code, § 19.03(a)(2).
In the instant cause, however, no rational trier of facts can find beyond a reasonable doubt from all the evidence that appellant killed the deceased in the course of committing robbery. After being plied with liquor and allowing himself to be sodomized by deceased, appellant fell asleep; two or three hours later, at about 5:00 a.m., the deceased awakened him, gave him more to drink and wanted him to perform fellatio. Appellant described their respective moves *809just before the colloquy reported in the dissenting opinion, viz:
“Yes, he grabbed my head and then I said well, what's wrong with you, and he said no, just a little while, and I told him ‘No, we had an agreement’, and then I got up and he grabbed my hand and I grabbed my shirt.
******
Well, the bed was like this and he tried to do that and I sat down on the bed....”
Immediately after the dialogue quoted in the dissenting opinion we find the following:
“M. You didn’t take any money, just the keys, are you telling me the truth?
Because they’re contradicting this, they say that he is missing some money, that’s why I’m asking, I know you have told me the truth because I have proof. You didn’t take any money?
E. No, I just took his checkbook, when I took out the keys the checkbook fell out. What good was that, the only thing I wanted to do was get out and....” 2
So appellant took the keys, knowing that the keys to the stationwagon were on the ring, got in the stationwagon and “just kept driving around,” even taking the wrong way on a one way street “because [he] was scared;” he then “got control of [himself] and took off to Juarez.”
Since those statements of fact contained in his confession are undisputed, there was no conflict for this jury to resolve nor other evidence against which the jury may weigh them. Nevertheless, the dissenting opinion finds such undisputed facts “support an inference.... that appellant murdered the deceased with intent to obtain and maintain control of the property.” Of course, there are other facts of the matter set out in the opinion of the Court that bear on the issue of sufficiency of the evidence. Considering all the evidence in the manner required, in my best judgment a rational trier of fact could not find that the State proved every element of the offense alleged beyond a reasonable doubt — that is, to a “subjective state of near certitude,” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 316, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2787, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979).
Accordingly, I join the opinion of the Court and its order reforming the judgment to show an acquittal of capital murder.

. All emphasis is mine throughout unless otherwise indicated.

. Ellipsis by court reporter to indicate sin interruption by the officer questioning appellant.