NO. 07-07-0332-CR
NO. 07-07-0333-CR
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SEVENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
AT AMARILLO
PANEL D
MARCH 17, 2009
______________________________
EX PARTE ALBERT V. JESSEP
______________________________
FROM THE 47TH DISTRICT COURT OF POTTER COUNTY;
NOS. 51,224-A AND 51,225-A; HON. HAL MINER, PRESIDING
_______________________________
Before QUINN, C.J., and CAMPBELL and PIRTLE, JJ.
OPINION
          Appellant Albert V. Jessep, proceeding pro se, appeals the denial of his requests for habeas corpus relief, made pursuant to article 11.072 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. We affirm.
Background
          Appellantâs computer was seized by peace officers while it was being repaired at an Amarillo computer shop. The computerâs hard drive contained pornographic images involving children. By two July 2005 indictments, appellant was charged with two possession of child pornography offenses. The language of the indictments was identical with the exception of the description of the computer file paths in which the pornographic images were located. In April 2006, appellant, represented by retained counsel, plead guilty to each offense pursuant to a plea agreement. The trial court deferred adjudication of appellantâs guilt and placed him on community supervision for a period of five years.
          Appellant filed notice of appeal in both cases. We dismissed his appeals because the trial courtâs certifications under Rule of Appellate Procedure 25.2 stated he had no right of appeal and the record supported the certifications. Jessup v. State, No. 07-06-0242-CR, 07-06-0243-CR, 2006 WL 2660776 (Tex.App.âAmarillo Sept. 15, 2006, pet. refâd) (mem. op., not designated for publication). Appellant then filed applications for writs of habeas corpus alleging deficiencies in the indictments and alleging ineffective assistance of counsel. The trial court entered findings of fact stating that appellantâs grounds for relief lacked merit, and denied appellantâs applications. These appeals followed.
Analysis
Standard of Review
          In general, a trial court's ruling in a habeas proceeding should not be overturned absent a clear abuse of discretion. Ex parte Mann, 34 S.W.3d 716, 718 (Tex.App.âFort Worth 2000, no pet.). We are to evaluate whether the court abused its discretion by determining whether the court acted without reference to any guiding rules or principles. Montgomery v. State, 810 S.W.2d 372, 380 (Tex.Crim.App. 1990) (op. on rehâg); Mann, 34 S.W.3d at 718.
Application
          Appellant presents four issues on appeal, all of which are based on the same premise concerning the language of the indictments. The indictments alleged that on December 31, 2004, appellant âdid then and there intentionally and knowingly possess material containing a film image, to wit: a photograph located on a computer in file path [describes path], which visually depicted, and which the defendant knew visually depicted a child who was younger than 18 years of age at the time the film image of the child was made, engaging in sexual conduct, to-wit: actual lewd exhibition of the genitals.â (Italics ours). Appellantâs arguments focus on the words âfilm image.â He contends his computerâs hard drive contained digital information, but nothing that properly could be called a âfilm image.â
          Appellant relies primarily on Porter v. State, 996 S.W.2d 317 (Tex.App.âAustin 1999, no pet.), in which the court reversed Porterâs child pornography possession conviction. Like appellant, Porterâs computer was found to contain pornographic images stored in a file on the computerâs hard drive. The version of Penal Code § 43.26 in effect at the time Porterâs computer was searched defined the offense in terms of possession of âmaterial containing a film image.â Porter, 996 S.W.2d at 319. The Austin court concluded that the definition of âfilm imageâ then contained in the statute did not include computer data and computer programs stored on a hard drive. Id. at 321. Finding that Porterâs conduct thus was not criminalized by the statute then in effect, the court rendered a judgment of acquittal. Id. at 322.
          As the Porter opinion makes clear, the legislature amended Penal Code § 43.26 in 1997, and it is that amended version that governs appellantâs prosecution. Appellant does not dispute that the current statute proscribes possession of child pornography stored digitally on a computerâs hard drive. He contends, however, that the use of the phrases âfilm imageâ in his indictments requires the same conclusion as that reached in Porter. Appellant is mistaken. The conviction in Porter was reversed because his possession of computer-stored images was not against the law at the time the images were discovered in 1996. The legislature changed the law, and appellantâs possession of computer-stored images of child pornography was against the law in 2004. The Stateâs use of the older âfilm imageâ language in the indictments does not mean that appellantâs guilt or innocence is determined under the pre-1997 version of the statute, which also used that language. See, e.g., Davis v. State, 268 S.W.3d 683, 697 n.3 (Tex.App.âFort Worth 2008, pet. refâd); Haynes v. State, 254 S.W.3d 466, 468 n.1 (Tex.App.âHouston [1st Dist.] 2007), affâd 273 S.W.3d 183 (Tex.Crim.App. 2008) (penal code provision(s) in effect at the time a person commits the offense governs the case).
Issues One and Two - Legal Sufficiency of Evidence
          With that discussion as background, we turn to appellantâs issues. Appellantâs first two issues are couched in terms of the legal sufficiency of the evidence supporting his guilt. He contends the evidence was legally insufficient because no evidence showed he possessed a âfilm imageâ as the indictments alleged.
          We begin our analysis by noting appellant plead guilty to each offense for which he was charged. A guilty plea is more far-reaching than a confession admitting that a defendant performed certain deeds. Ex parte Williams, 703 S.W.2d 674, 682 (Tex.Crim.App. 1986). The entry of a valid plea of guilty has the effect of admitting all material facts alleged in the formal criminal charge. Id. A plea of guilty waives all non-jurisdictional defenses including contentions as to the insufficiency of the evidence. Id.
          Challenges to the legal sufficiency of the evidence supporting an underlying conviction generally are not cognizable on an application for a writ of habeas corpus. See, e.g., Ex parte Santana, 227 S.W.3d 700, 705 (Tex.Crim.App. 2007); Ex parte Perales, 215 S.W.3d 418, 419 (Tex.Crim.App. 2007); Ex parte Grigsby, 137 S.W.3d 673, 674 (Tex.Crim.App. 2004); State ex rel. Abbott v. Young, 265 S.W.3d 697, 706 (Tex.App.âAustin 2008, no pet.). There are exceptions to the general rule. See, e.g., Perales, 215 S.W.3d at 120 (agreeing with habeas courtâs recommendation for habeas relief, despite guilty plea, where later appellate court construction of penal statute precluded guilt); Ex parte Sparks, 206 S.W.3d 680, 683 (Tex.Crim.App. 2006) (when convicted applicant claims he is actually innocent, and proves it, he will be relieved from the restraint of conviction though he may have pleaded guilty and confessed); State ex rel. Abbott, 265 S.W.3d at 706 (describing distinction between legal sufficiency challenges not cognizable in habeas corpus and âactual innocenceâ challenges). See also Ex parte Elizondo, 947 S.W.2d 202, 209 (Tex.Crim.App. 1996) (newly discovered or newly available evidence demonstrates actual innocence).
          Appellantâs challenge is not like that addressed in Perales or Sparks. He has not demonstrated the record of his trial was âdevoid of evidentiary support for a convictionâ like that in Perales. 215 S.W.3d at 420. Nor does appellant claim he is actually innocent of the offense of which he plead guilty, much less has he proven his innocence. Sparks, 206 S.W.3d at 683. The substance of appellantâs evidentiary insufficiency claim is that there existed a variance between the allegations of the Stateâs indictment and the evidence. Cf. Gollihar v. State, 46 S.W.3d 243, 257 (Tex.Crim.App. 2001). The general rule applies here. Appellantâs claims of the legal insufficiency of the evidence are not cognizable in this habeas corpus proceeding, and the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying appellant habeas corpus relief based on them.
          Issue Three - Defects in Indictments
          By statute in Texas, if the defendant in a criminal prosecution does not object to a defect, error, or irregularity of form or substance in the indictment or information before the date on which the trial on the merits commences, he waives and forfeits the right to object to the defect, error, or irregularity and may not raise the objection on appeal or in any other post-conviction proceeding. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 1.14 (Vernon 2005). The statute serves the purpose of ensuring that indictment defects may be objected to and repaired pretrial but would not invalidate an otherwise valid conviction if not raised before trial. Teal v. State, 230 S.W.3d 172, 177 (Tex.Crim.App. 2007).
          A contention, however, that an indictment did not meet our state constitutionâs definition of an indictment by alleging that a person committed an offense, and thus did not vest the district court with jurisdiction, may be raised for the first time post-trial. Teal, 230 S.W.3d at 179, citing Cook v. State, 902 S.W.2d 471 (Tex.Crim.App. 1995). By his third issue, appellant attempts to raise such a contention. He recognizes his objection to the indictments against him were not raised before his trial. Relying here again on the analysis in Porter, 996 S.W.2d at 320, appellant argues that by listing âelements that are impossible to be stored on a computer [that is, films and photographs],â the indictments did not allege the commission of an offense. Appellantâs argument ignores both the provisions of the Penal Code provision under which he was indicted and case law applying the constitutional requirements of an indictment.
          Penal Code § 43.26 states, in pertinent part:
(a) A person commits an offense if: (1) the person knowingly or intentionally possesses visual material that visually depicts a child younger than 18 years of age at the time the image of the child was made who is engaging in sexual conduct; and (2) the person knows that the material depicts the child as described by Subdivision (1).
Â
          (b) In this section:
          * * *
(3) âVisual materialâ means: (A) any film, photograph, videotape, negative, or slide or any photographic reproduction that contains or incorporates in any manner any film, photograph, videotape, negative, or slide; or (B) any disk, diskette, or other physical medium that allows an image to be displayed on a computer or other video screen and any image transmitted to a computer or other video screen by telephone line, cable, satellite transmission, or other method.
Â
          Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 43.26 (Vernon 2003).
          To evaluate whether it meets the constitutional definition of an indictment, we look at the indictment as a whole. Teal, 230 S.W.3d at 180. If the allegations in it are clear enough that one can identify the offense alleged, the indictment is sufficient to confer subject matter jurisdiction. Id. Appellantâs indictments identified the offense with which he was being charged as âpossession of child pornography.â They then stated âP.C. § 43.26.â The indictments alleged appellant possessed âmaterial containing a film image, to-wit: a photograph located on a computerâ and specified the file path in which the photograph was located. The indictments further alleged appellantâs possession was accompanied by the required culpable mental states, tracking the language of § 43.26.
          The Court of Criminal Appeals in Duron v. State, 956 S.W.2d 547 (Tex.Crim.App. 1997), said a written instrument meets the constitutional definition of an indictment if it âaccuses someone of a crime with enough clarity and specificity to identify the penal statute under which the State intends to prosecute, even if the instrument is otherwise defective.â Id. at 550-51. The court there further made clear that an instrument that adequately charges the commission of an offense does not fail as an indictment simply because it also includes âfactual allegations that arguably evidence [the defendantâs] innocence.â Id. at 551. The indictments here clearly set forth the penal statute under which appellant was being prosecuted, and appellant does not contend otherwise. His contention that the charging instruments were something less than indictments because of their use of the phrase âfilm imageâ is meritless. Appellant was required to bring his objections to the indictments to the attention of the trial court before trial, and may not now assert them. Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying appellant habeas corpus relief because of asserted defects in the indictments. Appellantâs issue three is overruled.Â
          Issue Four - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
          In appellantâs last issue, he contends he was deprived of his constitutional right to the effective assistance of counsel. In support of his position, he points to his retained counselâs âfailure to notice the deficiencies in the indictmentsâ and his failure to find applicable case law, leading to appellantâs âmistakenâ guilty plea in each case.
          Like his other issues, appellantâs ineffective assistance of counsel claim is founded on the Porter case, 996 S.W.2d 317. He argues that, had his counsel properly performed research, âhe would have discovered the Porter case sitting right on top of the pile. Incompetence can be the only answer.â We disagree, and overrule the issue.
          A successful claim that oneâs trial counsel provided ineffective assistance requires a demonstration by a preponderance of the evidence (1) that counselâs representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and (2) there is a reasonable probability that, but for counselâs unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984); Bone v. State, 77 S.W.3d 828, 833 (Tex.Crim.App. 2002); Hernandez v. State, 726 S.W.2d 53, 57 (Tex.Crim.App. 1986). See also Hurley v. State, 606 S.W.2d 887 (Tex.Crim.App. 1980); Reese v. State, 905 S.W.2d 631, 635 (Tex.App.âTexarkana 1995, pet. refâd), citing Ex parte Gallegos, 511 S.W.2d 510 (Tex.Crim.App. 1974) (effectiveness of counsel, whether retained or appointed, is judged by a single standard). Both Strickland prongs must be firmly founded in the record. Thompson v. State, 9 S.W.3d 808, 813 (Tex.Crim.App. 1999).
          Moreover, the reviewing courtâs assessment of trial counselâs performance must be highly deferential; the court should indulge a strong presumption that counselâs conduct fell within a wide range of reasonable representation. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689; Tong v. State, 25 S.W.3d 707, 712 (Tex.Crim.App. 2000). The reviewing court must also be careful not to second-guess through hindsight the strategy of counsel at trial; the mere fact that another attorney might have pursued a different course will not support a finding of ineffectiveness. Blott v. State, 588 S.W.2d 588, 592 (Tex.Crim.App. 1979); Ex parte Simpson, 260 S.W.3d 172, 175-76 (Tex.App.âTexarkana 2008, pet. refâd).
          The record before us simply does not support appellantâs contentions. First, the factual premise of his contention, that his trial counsel was not aware of the Porter opinion, is not founded in the record. Beyond appellantâs speculation, we have no information concerning counselâs awareness vel non of that case. Moreover, as we have noted, the Porter opinion does not carry the importance here appellant ascribes to it. Its application would not have guaranteed appellant an acquittal, as he insists.
          Further, the law is clear that in determining whether counselâs assistance is effective, the court must look at counselâs representation of the defendant as a whole, and not merely at isolated errors. Ex parte Kunkle, 852 S.W.2d 499, 505 (Tex.Crim.App. 1993); Cannon v. State, 668 S.W.2d 401, 403 (Tex.Crim.App. 1984). In that regard, we must notice that appellant does not contend he was innocent of the charges of violation of Penal Code § 43.26, and counselâs representation resulted in a deferred adjudication of his guilt with community supervision. On this record, we find the trial court committed no abuse of discretion by failing to grant appellant relief on his claim of violation of his Sixth Amendment right to the effective assistance of counsel.
          Having overruled each of appellantâs issues, we affirm the trial courtâs denial of appellantâs habeas application.
James T. Campbell
Justice
Â
Publish.
Â
Â
Â
center;line-height:normal'>FOR THE SEVENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
Â
AT AMARILLO
Â
PANEL A
Â
MAY 19, 2011
Â
Â
RICARDO DEWAYNE GOMEZ, APPELLANT
Â
v.
Â
THE STATE OF TEXAS, APPELLEE
Â
Â
FROM THE 242ND DISTRICT COURT OF HALE COUNTY;
Â
NO. B18320-1003; HONORABLE EDWARD LEE SELF, JUDGE
Â
Â
Before CAMPBELL and HANCOCK and PIRTLE, JJ.
Â
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Appellant, Ricardo DeWayne Gomez, was convicted by a jury of the offense of aggravated assault on a peace officer.[1] Appellant proceeded to the trial court for determination of punishment and, after hearing the evidence the trial court assessed a term of confinement for 10 years and a $5,000 fine. Appellant gave notice of appeal. We will affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Appellant=s attorney has filed an Anders brief and a motion to withdraw. Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed. 2d 498 (1967). In support of his motion to withdraw, counsel certifies that he has diligently reviewed the record, and in his opinion, the record reflects no reversible error upon which an appeal can be predicated. Id. at 744-45. In compliance with High v. State, 573 S.W.2d 807, 813 (Tex.Crim.App. 1978), counsel has candidly discussed why, under the controlling authorities, there is no error in the trial court=s judgment. Additionally, counsel has certified that he has provided appellant a copy of the Anders brief and motion to withdraw and appropriately advised appellant of his right to file a pro se response in this matter. Stafford v. State, 813 S.W.2d 503, 510 (Tex.Crim.App. 1991). The Court has also advised appellant of his right to file a pro se response. Appellant has filed a response.Â
By his Anders brief, counsel reviewed all grounds that could possibly support an appeal, but concludes the appeal is frivolous. We have reviewed these grounds and made an independent review of the entire record to determine whether there are any arguable grounds which might support an appeal. See Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75, 109 S.Ct. 346, 102 L. Ed. 2d 300 (1988); Bledsoe v. State, 178 S.W.3d 824 (Tex.Crim.App. 2005). We have found no such arguable grounds and agree with counsel that the appeal is frivolous.
Appellant contends in his response that the evidence was not sufficient to sustain the juryÂs verdict and that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. We have reviewed the totality of the record and find that any issue attacking the sufficiency of the evidence to support the jury verdict is frivolous. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L. Ed. 2d 560 (1979); Ross v. State, 133 S.W.3d 618, 620 (Tex.Crim.App. 2004). As to appellantÂs contentions of ineffective assistance of counsel, the record does not support them, and they are likewise frivolous. See Salinas v. State, 163 S.W.3d 734, 740 (Tex.Crim.App. 2005).
Accordingly, counsel=s motion to withdraw is hereby granted and the trial court=s judgment is affirmed.[2]
Â
Â
                                                                                               Mackey K. Hancock
                                                                                                           Justice Â
Do not publish.
Â
[1] See Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 22.01(b)(1) (West Supp. 2010).
[2] Counsel shall, within five days after this opinion is handed down, send his client a copy of the opinion and judgment, along with notification of appellant=s right to file a pro se petition for discretionary review. See Tex. R. App. P. 48.4.