In The
Court of Appeals
Ninth District of Texas at Beaumont
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NO. 09-13-00496-CV
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IN RE COMMITMENT OF JAMES EDWARD MUZZY
_________________________________ ______________________
On Appeal from the 435th District Court
Montgomery County, Texas
Trial Cause No. 13-01-00183 CV
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MEMORANDUM OPINION
The State of Texas filed a petition to commit James Edward Muzzy as a
sexually violent predator. See Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann. §§ 841.001-.151
(West 2010 & Supp. 2013). A jury found that Muzzy is a sexually violent predator
and the trial court rendered a final judgment and an order of civil commitment. In
two appellate issues, Muzzy contends that: (1) the trial court improperly denied
him the right to have an attorney present during the State’s post-petition expert
examination; and (2) the evidence is factually insufficient to support the jury’s
verdict. We affirm the trial court’s judgment and order of civil commitment.
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Right to Counsel
In issue one, Muzzy contends that the trial court committed reversible error
by denying him the right to the presence of an attorney at the pre-trial expert
examination. We have held that neither the SVP statute nor the Fourteenth
Amendment requires that counsel be present during a psychiatrist’s post-petition
examination. See In re Commitment of Smith, No. 09-13-00100-CV, 2014 Tex.
App. LEXIS 667, at *10 (Tex. App.—Beaumont Jan. 23, 2014, pet. denied) (not
yet released for publication). We overrule issue one.
Factual Sufficiency
In issue two, Muzzy challenges the factual sufficiency of the evidence to
support the jury’s verdict. Under factual sufficiency review, we weigh the evidence
to determine “whether a verdict that is supported by legally sufficient evidence
nevertheless reflects a risk of injustice that would compel ordering a new trial.” In
re Commitment of Day, 342 S.W.3d 193, 213 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2011, pet.
denied). In an SVP case, the State must prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a
person is a sexually violent predator. Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann. §
841.062(a) (West 2010). A person is a “sexually violent predator” if he is a repeat
sexually violent offender and suffers from a behavioral abnormality that makes
him likely to engage in a predatory act of sexual violence. Id. § 841.003(a) (West
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Supp. 2013). A “behavioral abnormality” is “a congenital or acquired condition
that, by affecting a person’s emotional or volitional capacity, predisposes the
person to commit a sexually violent offense, to the extent that the person becomes
a menace to the health and safety of another person.” Id. § 841.002(2).
At trial, the jury heard evidence regarding Muzzy’s criminal history,
including his sexual offenses. Muzzy admitted that he was convicted of two counts
of indecency with a child and has not participated in sex offender treatment.
Muzzy testified that he does not believe he is a pedophile or sex offender, but
believes he was falsely accused and is a victim. He testified that he does not need
sex offender treatment, but is willing to participate in treatment. Muzzy stated that
he has not sexually offended in prison, but admitted that he has no contact with
children in prison.
Dr. David Self, a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry and forensic
psychiatry, opined that Muzzy suffers from a behavioral abnormality. Self
identified several risk factors that increase Muzzy’s likelihood of re-offense:
sexual deviance, lifestyle instability, intimacy deficits, response to treatment and
supervision, and age. Self diagnosed Muzzy with pedophilia and antisocial
personality disorder. Self explained that pedophilia can be controlled, but that
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Muzzy had exhibited none of the factors required for controlling his behavior. Self
testified that Muzzy’s risk of reoffending is moderate to high.
Dr. Jason Dunham, a forensic psychologist, also testified that Muzzy suffers
from a behavioral abnormality. Dunham identified antisocial personality disorder,
sexual deviance, number of victims, pattern, grooming and planning, offenses
while in a relationship, while on supervision, and in a public place, victim
characteristics, noncontact sexual offenses, lack of remorse and empathy, victim
stance, poor understanding of risk, sense of entitlement, and sexual preoccupation
as Muzzy’s risk factors. Dunham diagnosed Muzzy with pedophilia, cannabis
abuse, and antisocial personality disorder. He explained that Muzzy’s inability to
control himself is reflected by his pedophilia and his offenses committed while
under supervision, and that Muzzy’s sexual offenses, sexual deviancy, and
pedophilia support a conclusion that his emotional or volitional capacity has been
affected. Dunham scored the Static-99R actuarial test and he explained that
Muzzy’s score of two is in the low to moderate risk category, but that this score
underestimates Muzzy’s risk of re-offense. Based on his entire evaluation, Dunham
opined that Muzzy is a high level of risk.
On appeal, Muzzy contends that the testimony from the State’s experts was
conclusory. We disagree. The record demonstrates that Self and Dunham are
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licensed in their respective fields. They interviewed Muzzy, reviewed records
regarding his background, offenses, and incarceration, relied on the types of
records relied on by experts in their fields, and performed their evaluations in
accordance with their training as professionals in their fields. The experts based
their opinions on the facts and data gathered from the records they reviewed, their
interviews with Muzzy, and the risk assessments they conducted. They explained
in detail the facts and evidence relevant in forming their opinions and how those
facts played a role in their evaluations. Both Self and Dunham concluded that
Muzzy suffers from a behavioral abnormality as defined by the SVP statute. Their
testimony is not so conclusory as to be completely lacking in probative value. See
In re Commitment of Burnett, No. 09-09-00009-CV, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 9930,
at *14 (Tex. App.—Beaumont Dec. 31, 2009, no pet.) (mem. op.).
Muzzy further contends that the State’s experts relied on incorrect legal
standards. First, Muzzy complains of the experts’ definitions of “likely.” Self
defined “likely” as “[m]ore than a mere possibility.” Dunham explained that the
meaning of “likely” is “up to each individual evaluator or clinician[,]” but that he
believed “likely” to mean “a pretty good chance something is going to happen.”
Muzzy argues that both these definitions fail to “comport with the constitutional
requirements for involuntary civil commitment.” However, this Court has rejected
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the notion that the term “‘likely’ has a precise definition of the type associated with
any certain assigned percentage of risk.” In re Commitment of Kalati, 370 S.W.3d
435, 439 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2012, pet. denied). Additionally, the experts’
testimony is not insufficient merely because the term “likely” is not defined by the
statute or case law. In re Commitment of Kirsch, No. 09-08-00004-CV, 2009 Tex.
App. LEXIS 5436, at *17 (Tex. App.—Beaumont July 16, 2009, pet. denied)
(mem. op.). Nor does an expert’s explanation of the term “likely,” in and of itself,
render the evidence insufficient to support a jury’s finding that a person suffers
from a behavioral abnormality. Id. at *19. Rather, an expert’s definition merely
goes to the weight that the jury might give the expert’s testimony. Id.
Muzzy also complains of the experts’ testimony regarding volitional
impairment. Self testified that someone’s pedophilia and antisocial traits alone
would be sufficient to support a finding of behavioral abnormality if the person had
been diagnosed with pedophilia due to committing multiple offenses against
children. Dunham testified that, when determining a person’s ability to control his
behavior, one must look for evidence that the deviancy or pedophilia has stopped.
According to Muzzy, this testimony presumes that all repeat sex offenders are
volitionally impaired.
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Whether a person suffers from an emotional or volitional defect so grave as
to cause behavior that makes him a menace is included in the determination of
whether he has “serious difficulty in controlling behavior.” In re Commitment of
Almaguer, 117 S.W.3d 500, 505-06 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2003, pet. denied). “A
condition which affects either emotional capacity or volitional capacity to the
extent a person is predisposed to threaten the health and safety of others with acts
of sexual violence is an abnormality which causes serious difficulty in behavior
control.” Id. at 506. The jury could infer serious difficulty controlling behavior
based not only on the experts’ testimony, but also on Muzzy’s past behavior and
testimony. See Burnett, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 9930, at *13; see also In re
Commitment of Grinstead, No. 09-07-00412-CV, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 228, at
*20 (Tex. App.—Beaumont Jan. 15, 2009, no pet.) (mem. op.). Accordingly, we
cannot say that the experts’ testimony regarding volitional capacity renders the
evidence insufficient.
We conclude that, as sole judge of the weight and credibility of the evidence,
the jury could reasonably conclude that Muzzy suffers from a behavioral
abnormality that makes him likely to engage in a predatory act of sexual violence.
See In re Commitment of Bernard, No. 09-10-00462-CV, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS
4681, at **6-8 (Tex. App.—Beaumont June 14, 2012, pet. denied) (mem. op.); see
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also Almaguer, 117 S.W.3d at 506; Burnett, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 9930, at *13;
Grinstead, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS 228, at *16, In re Commitment of Mullens, 92
S.W.3d 881, 887 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2002, pet. denied). That Muzzy has
serious difficulty controlling his behavior and is likely to commit predatory acts of
sexual violence directed toward individuals for the primary purpose of
victimization are implicit in this finding. See In re Commitment of Bailey, No. 09-
09-00353-CV, 2010 Tex. App. LEXIS 6685, at **12-13 (Tex. App.—Beaumont
Aug. 19, 2010, no pet.) (mem. op.); see also Grinstead, 2009 Tex. App. LEXIS
228, at *16. Weighing all of the evidence, the verdict does not reflect a risk of
injustice that would compel ordering a new trial. See Day, 342 S.W.3d at 213. We
overrule issue two and affirm the trial court’s judgment.
AFFIRMED.
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STEVE McKEITHEN
Chief Justice
Submitted on April 22, 2014
Opinion Delivered May 1, 2014
Before McKeithen, C.J., Kreger and Johnson, JJ.
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