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Wesbrook v StateSeptember 20, 2000No. 73,205 Concurring opinion by Judge Meyers Links to other opinions in this case: Majority opinion by Judge Mansfield Concurring opinion by Judge Keller Dissenting opinion by Judge Womack IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS NO.73,205 COY WAYNE WESBROOK, Appellant v. THE STATE OF TEXAS ON DIRECT APPEAL FROM HARRIS COUNTY Meyers, J., delivered this concurring opinion. CONCURRING OPINION I write to expand upon the majoritys discussion of appellants second point of error. In his second point of error appellant claims the evidence is legally insufficient to support his conviction because, he argues, he acted in defense of his property. See Tex. Penal Code § 9.41. When a defense is raised by the evidence, the State bears the burden of persuasion in disproving it beyond a reasonable doubt. See Saxton v. State, 804 S.W.2d 910, 913 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). This doesnt mean the State is required to produce evidence contraverting the defensive evidence:
Id. at 913-24 (citations omitted)(emphasis in original)(discussing self-defense). The defensive evidence was presented in the form of appellants testimony. Appellant testified that one of the victims, Antonio Cruz, took the keys to appellants truck and refused to return them. Appellant also testified that when he entered the residence to retrieve the keys from Cruz, the five people he encountered there threatened him. Appellant argues the evidence is insufficient to establish his guilt because there were no eye witnesses and appellants testimony was uncontraverted. The State need not refute appellants testimony. Saxton, supra. Viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the evidence sufficient to support appellants conviction. It would not be irrational for a jury to disbelieve appellants testimony and rely on the evidence supporting guilt. The evidence showed that appellant shot the five individuals inside the residence, within a few seconds. Cruz was shot in the head, and the bullet followed a downward trajectory, which suggests he was shot while in a sitting or kneeling position. Although appellant claimed he was attempting to retrieve his keys from Cruz, the evidence reflected that another victim was shot first. After leaving the residence with his rifle, appellant calmly awaited the arrival of the police. He was overheard stating, I did it. . . . I did what I had to do. This evidence is sufficient for a rational jury to find each element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. With these comments, I concur in point of error two and otherwise join the opinion. Delivered September 20, 2000 This information is made available as a free public service for your personal, non-commercial use. While every effort has been made to provide accurate material at this site, it is provided "as is" and no representations are made that it is free of mistakes or inaccuracies. This file was derived from the text posted on the web site of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, by the automatic operation of conversion software, and may contain errors. Baker's Legal Pages are a public service of Freelance Enterprises, Inc.
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