Court Opinion

ID: 9913207
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-12-27 07:09:55.293894+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:07:48.171751
License: Public Domain

AFFIRMED and Opinion Filed December 19, 2023

                                       In the
                            Court of Appeals
                     Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                               No. 05-22-00479-CR

             GREGORY BERNARD WASHINGTON, Appellant
                              V.
                  THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

               On Appeal from the Criminal District Court No. 1
                            Dallas County, Texas
                    Trial Court Cause No. F-1875904-H

                        MEMORANDUM OPINION
                   Before Justices Carlyle, Smith, and Kennedy
                            Opinion by Justice Carlyle
      A jury found appellant Gregory Washington guilty of murder and sentenced

him to 25 years of confinement. Washington’s appeal raises seven issues addressing

the legal sufficiency of the evidence, the jury charge, and cumulative error. We

affirm in this memorandum opinion. See TEX. R. APP. P. 47.4.

      Washington testified that after a confrontation with several people near

Vermettya Thomas’s home on Buckskin Drive in Dallas, he was standing outside

speaking with her when shots were fired at both of them from someone in the street.

Washington testified he returned fire towards a cul-de-sac and that there were houses
and people in the cul-de-sac. The decedent, Donald Little, was in the direction of the

cul-de-sac facing Washington at the time he was shot in the chest. Washington said

he then saw a second set of shots coming from the area of a green electrical box. He

returned fire towards the second shots, departed in his vehicle, and did not return

despite requests from his girlfriend and law enforcement. Washington admitted

disposing of his firearm, not turning himself in because he was scared, and being

arrested three months later.

      Vermettya Thomas testified Washington was her daughter’s boyfriend, that

she watched Washington get out of his stopped car with a gun in his hand, and that

she ducked after hearing gunshots. She then saw Donald Little lying in the street and

ran over to him, but he died in her arms. Ms. Thomas testified that she believed

Washington fired the first shots because she heard gunfire immediately after he got

out of his car with a gun and that when he did so, he was the only one brandishing a

weapon.

      David Todd, a veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps from

1997 until 2005, was Vermettya Thomas’s neighbor. He testified that when he heard

shots being fired, he was carrying a .40-caliber Taurus P-720. He took cover near a

green utility box, saw one person down in the road, “returned fire more as drawing

fire” to prevent the shooter from shooting at others, including children in the cul-de-

sac, and saw the shooter run over the person in the road as he fled in his vehicle.

Todd was shot in the process, blacked out, and required medical attention.

                                         – 2–
      Laquala Specks testified that she watched Washington get out of his car, raise

his gun, and start shooting towards the cul-de-sac. She also testified that he was the

first person to start shooting and that he was the only person she saw with a gun.

      There were at least three guns that were firing shots: (1) David Todd’s

Taurus .40 caliber, (2) Washington’s Springfield 9mm, and (3) a second 9mm of

unknown type fired by an unknown person. The State produced evidence that Little

died from gunshot wounds and confirmed Washington’s testimony that Little was

located between Washington and the cul-de-sac at the time he was shot.

The evidence sufficiently supports the conviction.

      In his first two issues, Washington argues that the evidence is insufficient to

support his conviction and to prove he shot and killed Donald Little. We review

evidentiary sufficiency under the familiar Jackson v. Virginia standard. See Brooks

v. State, 323 S.W.3d 893, 894, 901–02 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010). We review all the

evidence and reasonable inferences therefrom in the light most favorable to the

verdict to determine whether a jury was rationally justified in finding guilt beyond a

reasonable doubt. Murphy v. State, No. 05-19-00886-CR, 2020 WL 7396009, at *1

(Tex. App.—Dallas Dec. 17, 2020, no pet.) (mem. op.).

      Washington admitted that he fired his weapon at what he described as the first

shooter and that he did so before becoming aware there was a second shooter. Other

witnesses testified Washington was the first one to display a gun, that he was the

first one to fire a gun, that he was shooting towards the cul-de-sac, that he fired in

                                         – 3–
Little’s direction, that Little laid in the street dying after Washington started firing,

that Todd was also firing, and that Todd did not shoot Little.

      Washington also admitted that he left the scene, did not return despite requests

from his girlfriend and law enforcement, and disposed of his firearm. When read in

connection with the foregoing facts, these acts constitute circumstantial evidence

from which a jury could have rationally concluded Washington was conscious of his

guilt. See Rider v. State, No. 05-20-00220-CR, 2022 WL 1769116, at *3 (Tex.

App.—Dallas June 1, 2022, no pet.) (mem. op.).

      Based on this evidence and the reasonable inferences therefrom, a jury could

have rationally found that Washington intentionally caused Little’s death,

knowingly caused Little’s death, intended to cause serious bodily injury to Little and

committed an act clearly dangerous to human life that caused Little’s death, and

committed the felony offense of deadly conduct and in the course and furtherance

thereof committed an act clearly dangerous to human life.

      We overrule Washington’s first and second issues.

The trial court did not err when it denied Washington’s request for an
instruction concerning self-defense against multiple assailants.

      In his third issue, Washington argues the trial court erred when it denied his

request for a Pattern Jury Charge instruction concerning self-defense against

multiple assailants. The State counters that the trial court did not err because there is

                                          – 4–
no evidence multiple assailants were acting together. See Jordan v. State, 593

S.W.3d 340, 344 (Tex. Crim. App. 2020).

      We agree with the State that the trial court did not err, but for a different reason

supported by the record. Washington testified that two minutes into his conversation

with Ms. Thomas:

      [S]hots were fired at us. Me and the mother, we dive, and we hit the
      ground, and I returned fire once I got back up . . . . After I ducked, and
      me and the mom ducked, I rise up and I shoot . . . [i]n self-defense.
      Someone was shooting at me . . . After the shooting stopped for a
      second, and I look up again, and I see flashes coming from a green
      generator box of sort . . . I returned fire to that location, and I got in my
      car, and I drove off.

The jury heard Washington admit that he fired on his initial attacker before Todd

began drawing fire from the electrical box. Todd’s testimony—that he did not fire

his weapon until after the first shots were fired—corroborates the operative portion

of Washington’s testimony.

      Thus, even when viewed from Washington’s standpoint, there is no evidence

that would have permitted him to reasonably conclude he was under attack from

multiple shooters at the time he fired his first volley of shots. See Frank v. State, 688

S.W.2d 863, 868 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985). Thus, the trial court did not err when it

declined to give him a Pattern Jury Charge instruction concerning self-defense

against multiple assailants.

Washington is not entitled to appellate relief based on the absence of an
instruction on the lesser-included offense of deadly conduct.

                                          – 5–
        In his fourth issue, Washington challenges the trial court’s ruling that he was

not entitled to a lesser-included instruction on deadly conduct. See TEX. PENAL CODE

§ 22.05(b)(1)–(2).1 The State agrees that section 22.05(b) deadly conduct can be a

lesser-included offense of felony murder as alleged here. See Guzman v. State, 188

S.W.3d 185, 191 n.11 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006) (rejecting State’s argument that

defendant not entitled to deadly conduct instruction when injury actually occurs

from his deliberate shooting towards victim);2 Ortiz v. State, 144 S.W.3d 225, 232–

34 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2004, pet. ref’d).

        We next “consider whether the evidence shows that if the Appellant is guilty,

he is guilty only of the lesser offense.” See Cavazos v. State, 382 S.W.3d 377, 382

(Tex. Crim. App. 2012). To that end, there must be affirmative evidence that both

raises only deadly conduct and rebuts or negates an element of murder. See id. at

385. Evidence that merely supports speculation in that analysis does not suffice. See

id. No evidence from any witness but Washington arguably could meet this burden,

and thus we focus on Washington’s testimony.

        Before doing so, however, we must also discuss trial counsel’s request for the

lesser: “Judge, I am saying to the Court, if the Court finds that a prima facie case has

    1
    Washington did not request an instruction on section 22.05(a) deadly conduct and has preserved no
complaint on that basis. See TEX. R. APP. P. 33.1.
    2
       The question before the Court of Criminal Appeals in Guzman was whether a defendant is entitled to
an instruction on deadly conduct if the evidence shows he intentionally pulled the trigger on a gun he
believed was unloaded, there, because he took the clip off the gun. See Guzman, 188 S.W.3d at 186. Too,
the court was only considering section 22.05(a) deadly conduct, which required only a reckless mental state.
Id. at 189 & n.5.
                                                   – 6–
been shown as to Mr. Washington being guilty of deadly conduct, then that is the

basis for our request for a jury charge on that topic. If the Court finds no evidence

before this jury as to Mr. Washington being guilty of deadly conduct, I will ask the

Court to so instruct the jury as to acquit him as to that alternative means of charging

him.” Counsel only requested the court instruct the jury on deadly conduct as a lesser

of felony murder. With that limiting predicate, we consider the evidence.

      Washington claimed he used deadly force in self-defense when shooting at

Little. (“Q. Why did you shoot? A. In self-defense. Someone was shooting at me.”).

Washington was clear he perceived that Little stood in front of him in the direction

he first fired shots after he rose up from behind the car, shooting in what he described

as self-defense. By definition, deadly force is “force that is intended or known by

the actor to cause, or in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of causing,

death or serious bodily injury.” See TEX. PENAL CODE § 9.01(3). Washington made

no claim that he lacked the intent to hit someone with his shots.

      As an initial matter, this testimony presents nothing “directly germane to

recklessness.” See Cavazos, 382 S.W.3d at 385. Shooting at a known target in self-

defense multiple times does not rationally support an inference Washington acted

recklessly at the moment he fired the shots. See id. Washington also testified on

cross-examination that he fired his first shots back toward the cul-de-sac and agreed

he knew there were houses and people in the cul-de-sac. This evidence establishes a

mental state above recklessness and eliminates any chance of error from denying

                                          – 7–
deadly conduct as a lesser based on Washington acting with recklessness as to

whether a habitation, building, or vehicle is occupied. See TEX. PENAL CODE

§ 22.05(b)(2).

      We are left to consider whether there is affirmative evidence that both raises

the possibility that Washington committed deadly conduct by “knowingly

discharg[ing] a firearm at or in the direction of: (1) one or more individuals,” see id.

22.05(b)(1), and rebuts or negates an element of murder. See Cavazos, 382 S.W.3d

at 385. By his confession-and-avoidance claim, Washington admits committing an

“act clearly dangerous to human life,” “one that creates a substantial risk of death.”

See Buchanan v. State, No. 08-06-00203-CR, 2008 WL 3585900, at *2–3 (Tex.

App.—El Paso Aug. 14, 2008, no pet.). Instead of negating an element of murder,

Washington’s evidence satisfies it, at least in part, and that part goes beyond the

proof required for (b)(2) deadly conduct.

      Washington does not argue he thought the gun was unloaded. To the contrary,

his testimony establishes he believed the gun was loaded. See Guzman, 188 S.W.3d

185 n.11. Asserting self-defense here eliminates the possibility that he merely

committed deadly conduct and Washington points to no other evidence establishing

he is only guilty of deadly conduct. His lack of knowledge is not affirmative

evidence and does not negate any element of felony murder. See Hamilton v. State,

563 S.W.3d 442, 448 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2018, pet. ref’d). Washington

points to no direct evidence he did not cause Little’s death, relying only on

                                          – 8–
speculation to support a claim that his shots failed to cause Little’s death. See

Cavazos, 382 S.W.3d at 385 (evidence must be directly germane to the lesser-

included offenses and must rise to a level that a rational jury could find that if he is

guilty, he is guilty only of the lesser; “meeting this threshold requires more than

mere speculation”). Because nothing in the evidence otherwise shows that if

Washington was guilty he was guilty only of deadly conduct, we reject this issue.

The absence of a limitation on the word “knowingly” in the jury charge did not
cause egregious harm.

      Construed liberally, Washington’s fifth issue argues the trial court’s failure to

limit the definition of “knowingly” in the jury charge caused him egregious harm

because it permitted the jury to convict him of knowingly engaging in conduct that

caused Little’s death rather than intentionally causing Little’s death. Intentional

murder is a result-of-conduct offense and it is error not to limit the definitions of the

culpable mental states to the conduct elements of intentional murder. Cook v. State,

884 S.W.2d 485, 491 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994); see also id. at 492–94 (Maloney, J.,

concurring) (foreseeing “the complications that can be expected when the majority’s

opinion” regarding a trial court’s refusal to limit the definitions of the applicable

culpable mental states to the result of appellant’s conduct “is applied to an offense

that contains more than one ‘conduct element’”). Washington did not raise this

objection at trial. Thus, he is not entitled to appellate relief unless the court’s

                                          – 9–
instructions caused him egregious harm. See Ngo v. State, 175 S.W.3d 738, 743–44

(Tex. Crim. App. 2005).

      “Errors which result in egregious harm are those that affect the very basis of

the case, deprive the defendant of a valuable right, vitally affect the defensive theory,

or make the case for conviction clearly and more significantly persuasive.” Taylor

v. State, 332 S.W.3d 483, 490 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011). This is “a difficult standard

to prove.” Id. at 489. When determining whether egregious harm exists, we examine

(1) the entire jury charge, (2) the state of the evidence, (3) the jury arguments, and

(4) any other relevant information revealed by the record of the trial as a whole. See

Almanza v. State, 686 S.W.2d 157, 171 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985).

      The abstract portion of the jury charge instructed the jury that:

      A person commits the offense of murder when he intentionally or
      knowingly causes the death of an individual, or intends to cause serious
      bodily injury and commits an act clearly dangerous to human life that
      causes the death of an individual, or commits a felony offense and while
      in the course of and in furtherance of the commission of the felony
      offense, commits an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the
      death of an individual.

It also further defined “knowingly”:

      A person acts “knowingly”, or with knowledge, with respect to a result
      of his conduct when he is aware that his conduct is reasonably certain
      to cause the result. A person acts “knowingly”, or with knowledge, with
      respect to the nature of his conduct or to circumstances surrounding his
      conduct, when he is aware of the nature of his conduct or that the
      circumstances exist.

We assume for the purposes of this analysis that these instructions were erroneous.

                                          –10–
        When assessing harm caused by the erroneous inclusion of improper conduct

elements in the definitions of culpable mental states, we may “consider the degree,

if any, to which the culpable mental states were limited by the application portions

of the jury charge.” Cook, 884 S.W.2d at 492 n.6. Here, the application paragraph

instructed the jury that it was to convict Washington if it found beyond a reasonable

doubt that he (1) intentionally or knowingly caused Little’s death,3 (2) intended to

cause serious bodily injury to Little and committed an act clearly dangerous to

human life that caused Little’s death, or (3) committed the felony offense of deadly

conduct and in the course and furtherance thereof committed an act clearly

dangerous to human life. These application instructions are correct and there is no

argument to the contrary. “Where the application paragraph correctly instructs the

jury, an error in the abstract instruction is not egregious.” Medina v. State, 7 S.W.3d

633, 640 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999); see also Cherry v. State, No. 05-94-00965-CR,

1995 WL 730934, at *4 (Tex. App.—Dallas Dec. 11, 1995, no pet.) (mem. op., not

designated for publication).

        Furthermore, Washington’s complaint concerning the definition of

“knowingly” implicates only one of the four manners and means of committing

    3
         Specifically, the relevant application paragraph read: “Now bearing in mind the foregoing
instructions, if you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, that on or about 28th day of June,
2018, in Dallas County, Texas, the defendant, GREGORY BERNARD WASHINGTON, did unlawfully
then and there intentionally or knowingly cause the death of DONALD RAY LITTLE, an individual,
hereinafter called deceased, by shooting deceased with a firearm, a deadly weapon . . . . then you will find
the defendant guilty of murder as charged in the indictment.”
                                                   –11–
murder that were presented to the jury. See TEX. PENAL CODE § 19.02(b)(1)–(3). This

significantly reduces the potential avenues through which egregious harm can

manifest. Given the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury’s verdict

under each of the other three manners and means, the limitation of harm to one half

of Texas Penal Code section 19.02(b)(1) weighs against—but does not completely

eliminate—a finding of egregious harm.

      The record supports the conclusion that while Washington had the opportunity

to leave the scene in his car, he instead stopped, stepped out of his car brandishing a

firearm, intentionally shot at Little, and was not defending himself at the moment he

pulled the trigger while aiming in Little’s direction. The record further shows that

after Little was fatally struck by a bullet, Washington fled, refused to return to the

scene, and disposed of his firearm. Together, this evidence supports the jury’s

verdict via each of the other three manners and means in the charge and weighs

against a finding of egregious harm.

      Additionally, Washington used a firearm, which is a dangerous weapon per

se. TEX. PENAL CODE § 1.07(a)(17)(A). Washington used his firearm in a deadly

manner. Thus, the inference is almost conclusive that Washington intended to kill.

See Adanandus v. State, 866 S.W.2d 210, 215 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993). Under the

circumstances, this near conclusivity weighs against a finding of egregious harm

because it allowed the jury to convict Washington of intentionally murdering Little

under the other half of Texas Penal Code section 19.02(b)(1) and we have already

                                         –12–
concluded the evidence is legally sufficient to support the jury’s conviction

thereunder. This also weighs against a finding of egregious harm.

        During voir dire, the State used the word “knowingly” once4 and Washington

mentioned it twice;5 these uses do not weigh in favor of finding egregious harm.

Neither the State nor Washington mentioned the word “knowingly” during opening

statements. During closing argument, the State said:

        Ladies and gentlemen, whether you believe he intentionally or
        knowingly killed the complainant, whether he intentionally or
        knowingly committed an act clearly dangerous to human life that could
        have caused serious bodily injury or death, or whether you believe that
        he was committing deadly conduct by shooting into that cul-de-sac full
        of people, and then and there committed an act clearly dangerous to
        human life, which is firing that weapon unnecessarily, and that that
        caused the complainant’s death, each and every one of those is murder.
        It’s murder; it’s murder; it’s murder. He is guilty of murder.

The State’s argument that Washington was guilty of murder “whether he

intentionally or knowingly committed an act clearly dangerous to human life” was

4
        “[The State]: Now we’re gonna go over murder. There are several different ways that somebody
can commit a murder under the criminal code. The first one is going to be intentionally and knowingly
causing the death of an individual.”
5
         First: “A couple of other things. The government put two different ways in the indictment that they
are trying to prove their case. One is what I will call a traditional way of accusing somebody of murder.
Accusing them of intentionally or knowingly committing some act clearly dangerous to human life and
causing the death of someone else as a result of that. That is the normal way that the government accuses
someone of committing murder; intentionally or knowingly committing some act that is clearly dangerous
to human life, and as a result of that act, somebody died.”

         Second: “In this case, the government also is trying the case as a felony murder; that is, if you were
to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Washington committed the felony of deadly conduct, and as a
result of that, someone lost their life. In this case, and this is just me saying my personal opinion, which
isn’t the law and isn't binding on you. It’s just some lawyer up here talking, but I suspect in this case, the
two of them end up being real similar to each other. The bottom line is that the jury will receive the law
from the Judge at the end of this, and they may or may not end up being the same thing.”
                                                      –13–
not entirely harmless as it encouraged the jury to convict based on something other

than the results of his conduct. The State’s singular use of this argument does not

heavily weigh in favor of finding egregious harm, particularly when viewed in light

of the jury instructions and the state of the evidence.

      Finally, Washington argued the jury should find him not guilty based on self-

defense. As a confession-and–avoidance defense, self-defense “requires a defendant

to admit the conduct—both the act or omission and the requisite culpable mental

state—of the charged offense.” Penning v. State, No. 03-14-00579-CR, 2016 WL

4628052, at *3 (Tex. App.—Austin Aug. 31, 2016, no pet.) (mem. op.). By arguing

self-defense, Washington is arguing that his actions were justified. Alonzo v. State,

353 S.W.3d 778, 782 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011). Under the circumstances,

Washington’s argument to the jury that he justifiably used deadly force in self-

defense made it unlikely that the jury would have convicted him of knowingly

engaging in conduct that caused Little’s death rather than intentionally causing

Little’s death. Although not dispositive alone, Washington’s invocation of self-

defense weighs against a finding of egregious harm.

      After examining the jury charge, the state of the evidence, counsels’

arguments to the jury, and the record as a whole, we conclude the trial court’s

presumed error did not cause Washington egregious harm because it did not affect

the very basis of the case, deprive him of a valuable right, vitally affect his defensive

                                          –14–
theory, or make the case for conviction clearly and more significantly

persuasive. Taylor, 332 S.W.3d at 490.

The trial court did not err when it refused to give an “apparent danger”
instruction.

      In his sixth issue, Washington challenges the trial court’s ruling that denied

him an instruction on apparent danger. However, it is “only error to refuse to give

an ‘apparent danger’ instruction in cases in which the jury was not otherwise fully

instructed on the law of self-defense.” Rider, 2022 WL 1769116, at *3. Here, the

trial court instructed the jury that it was to find Washington not guilty if it found

from the evidence or had a reasonable doubt that he “reasonably believed that deadly

force when and to the degree used, if it was, was immediately necessary to protect

himself against the use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force by [the decedent]

or others[.]” Thus, the jury was fully instructed concerning the law of self-defense.

See TEX. PENAL CODE § 9.32(a).

      The trial court also properly defined “reasonable belief” as “a belief that

would be held by an ordinary and prudent person in the same circumstances as the

defendant.” See Richardson v. State, 906 S.W.2d 646, 649–50 (Tex. App.—Fort

Worth 1995, pet. ref’d) (where an identical instruction “properly advised the jurors

on the law of self-defense”). This Court has previously recognized the significance

of a trial court’s proper instruction and definition of “reasonable belief” in a jury

charge. See Rider, 2022 WL 1769116, at *3. Therefore, the jury was effectively

                                         –15–
instructed on the concept that “a reasonable apprehension of danger, whether it be

actual or apparent, is all that is required before one is entitled to exercise the right of

self-defense against his adversary.” Id. Thus, the trial court did not err when it denied

Washington an apparent danger instruction.

The trial court did not commit multiple errors that denied Washington a fair
and impartial trial.

       In his seventh issue, Washington argues the trial court’s errors concerning the

jury charge caused him to be denied a fair and impartial trial. See Chamberlain v.

State, 998 S.W.2d 230, 238 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999). After presuming two non-

reversible errors, finding no others, and concluding one presumed error did not cause

egregious harm, we conclude the record does not contain “multiple errors [that]

synergistically achieve the critical mass necessary to cast a shadow upon the

integrity of the verdict.” Linney v. State, 413 S.W.3d 766, 767 (Tex. Crim. App.

2013) (Cochran, J., concurring in the refusal of appellant’s petition) (cleaned up).

Thus, the cumulative error doctrine is not implicated.

                              *             *             *

       Having overruled each of Washington’s seven issues, we affirm the judgment

of the trial court.

220479f.u05                                     /Cory L. Carlyle/
Do Not Publish                                  CORY L. CARLYLE
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b)                         JUSTICE

                                           –16–
                            Court of Appeals
                     Fifth District of Texas at Dallas
                                 JUDGMENT

GREGORY BERNARD                               On Appeal from the Criminal District
WASHINGTON, Appellant                         Court No. 1, Dallas County, Texas
                                              Trial Court Cause No. F-1875904-H.
No. 05-22-00479-CR          V.                Opinion delivered by Justice Carlyle.
                                              Justices Smith and Kennedy
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee                  participating.

    Based on the Court’s opinion of this date, the judgment of the trial court is
AFFIRMED.

Judgment entered this 19th day of December, 2023.

                                       –17–