Court Opinion

ID: 4042274
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2016-09-28 23:02:30.429245+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:28:38.317242
License: Public Domain

ACCEPTED
                                                                04-14-00618-CR
                                                    FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS
                                                         SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
                                                          5/26/2015 11:18:29 AM
                                                                 KEITH HOTTLE
                                                                         CLERK

        No. 04-14-00618-CR
                                       FILED IN
                                4th COURT OF APPEALS
IN   THE FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
       AT SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS    5/26/2015 11:18:29 AM
                                    KEITH E. HOTTLE
                                         Clerk

           THOMAS LITTLE

                                 Appellant
                  vs.

         THE STATE OF TEXAS

                                 Appellee

 On Appeal from the 25th District Court
      of Guadalupe County, Texas
  Hon. William D. Old, III Presiding
 Trial Court Cause No. 14-0698-CR-C

      APPELLANT’S REPLY BRIEF

                                       Gregory Sherwood
                                          Attorney at Law
                                         P.O. Box 200613
                               Austin, Texas 78720-0613
                                           (512) 484-9029
                             Email: gsherwood@mail.com
                                  State Bar No. 18254600

                     Court-Appointed Attorney on Appeal
                             for Appellant Thomas Little
                                           Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................ i

Index of Authorities ...................................................................................... ii

Conclusion and Prayer for Relief ................................................................... 3

Certificate of Service ..................................................................................... 3

Certification of Word Count Compliance ...................................................... 3

                                                       i
                                       Index of Authorities

Statutes and Rule

Tex. Code Crim. Pro. art. 38.22, § 2(a)(5) ..................................................... 2

Tex. Code Crim. Pro. art. 38.22, § 8(2) ......................................................... 2

Tex. R. App. P. 9.4(i)(1) ................................................................................ 3

                                                     ii
                         No. 04-14-00618-CR

                 IN THE FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS
                      AT SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

                             THOMAS LITTLE

                                                    Appellant
                                      vs.

                          THE STATE OF TEXAS

                                                    Appellee

                   On Appeal from the 25th District Court
                        of Guadalupe County, Texas
                    Hon. William D. Old, III Presiding
                   Trial Court Cause No. 14-0698-CR-C

                      APPELLANT’S REPLY BRIEF

      The State’s Brief fails to discuss appellant’s argument at pages 15-19

and 22-26 (pdf 23-27 and pdf 30-34) of Appellant’s Brief that the warnings

read to appellant by FBI Special Agent Michael Carlisle, which did not

include the right to terminate the interview at any time, did not comply with

state law because Selma Police Department Sergeant Keith Osborn was

present in the interrogation room with federal agents, which renders the

                                      1
“substantial compliance” exception for federal agents reading these

warnings under Tex. Code Crim. Pro. art. 38.22, § 8(2) inapplicable. The

trial court’s April 9, 2015 findings of fact and conclusions of law also fail to

mention Selma Police Department Sgt. Osborn, instead only stating that FBI

Special Agent Carlisle conducted the interview and read warnings that

complied with federal law.

      As previously stated at page 17 (pdf 25) of Appellant’s Brief, “If the

only interrogators had been FBI agents, then appellant’s video statement

would be admissible under art. 38.22, § 8(2) since the ‘Miranda’ warnings

read by FBI agent Carlisle complied with federal law.” But because Selma

Police Dept. Sgt. Osborn was present in the interrogation room and

participated in the interview by asking questions, appellant’s video statement

was taken by both federal and state law enforcement officers, rendering art.

38.22, § 8(2) inapplicable. The fifth warning in art. 38.22, § 2(a)(5)

concerning Mr. Little’s right to terminate the interview at any time should

have been read to him since the interview was conducted by both federal and

state law enforcement officers, and the trial court erred in its findings of fact

and conclusions of law in holding that art. 38.22, § 8(2) applied.

                                        2
                       Conclusion and Prayer for Relief

      WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, appellant THOMAS

LITTLE prays that this court grant one or both of the jury charge error issues

presented, and reverse and remand for a new trial if either issues are granted.

                                                          Respectfully submitted,
                                                   /s/   Gregory Sherwood
                                                    GREGORY SHERWOOD
                                                               Attorney at Law
                                                              P.O. Box 200613
                                                    Austin, Texas 78720-0613
                                                                (512) 484-9029
                                                  Email: gsherwood@mail.com
                                                       State Bar No. 18254600

                                           Court-Appointed Attorney on Appeal
                                                   for Appellant Thomas Little

                             Certificate of Service

      I hereby certify that a true copy of this document was served by email
upon appellee’s attorney Edward F. Shaughnessy, III, 206 E. Locust, San
Antonio, Texas, 78212, on May 26, 2015 at the following email address:
Shaughnessy727@gmail.com.
                                                   /s/   Gregory Sherwood
                  Certification of Word Count Compliance

       According to the WordPerfect program used to create this document,
there are 315 words in this brief, excluding the portions listed in Tex. R.
App. P. 9.4(i)(1).
                                                  /s/    Gregory Sherwood
                                       3