OPINION
Appellant Amos Sifuentes appeals his conviction for the offense of robbery. See Tex. Penal Code § 29.02(a)(2). Appellant challenges his conviction on grounds that (1) there was insufficient evidence to support the conviction; (2) he received ineffective assistance of counsel; (3) the trial court erred in admitting evidence of extraneous offenses; and (4) the trial court erred in including the lesser included offense of robbery in the charge to the jury. We affirm.
I.PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Appellant was indicted for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. The jury found him guilty of the lesser-included offense of robbery and assessed punishment at sixteen years’ confinement in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
II.Factual Background
Complainant testified that, on February 21, 2014, he contacted appellant regarding an advertisement for a cell phone.. Appellant and complainant agreed to meet in a grocery store parking lot to conduct the sale. Upon arriving at the parking lot, complainant exited his vehicle. and approached appellant’s vehicle. Appellant remained in his vehicle, with the transmission in drive. Appellant handed complainant the phone to inspect. Complainant then pulled out the money to buy the phone. Appellant asked complainant to give the phone back so he could erase its data. After receiving the phone again, appellant looked behind complainant and exclaimed “what the- hell?” Complainant turned to look in the same direction, and when he turned back, appellant was pointing a gun at him. Appellant “snatched” the money and accelerated his vehicle, striking complainant’s arm. Appellant testified he had the phone in one hand, but the other hand was empty, that he never “snatched” the money from complainant or struck complainant’s arm with his vehicle. Appellant admitted that he drove off with the money and the cell phone. A few days later,- complainant reported the incident to the police and identified appellant from a photo lineup. ’According to his statement admitted into evidence; appellant told police that he had stolen the money from complainant but did not harm or intend to harm complainant during the incident. Complainant also identified appellant in the courtroom as the robber.
III.. Legal Sufficiency of the Evidence
In his second issue, appellant challenges the legal sufficiency of the evidence to .support his conviction of robbery.
When reviewing sufficiency of the evidence, we view all of the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and determine, based on that evidence and any reasonable inferences therefrom, whether any rational factfinder could have found the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Gear v. State,
The State was required to prove that appellant, while in the course of committing theft and with intent to obtain or maintain control of the property, intentionally or knowingly threatened or placed another in fear of imminent bodily injury or death. Tex. Penal Code § 29.02(a)(2). The State presented evidence at trial that complainant was in fear of being injured by appellant through complainant’s testimony as follows:
Q. And going back to when the gun was pointed at you, were you afraid you might get shot?
A. Oh, of course.
Q. And, were you afraid you could be hurt?
A. Of course.
Q. And, was that the only reason you gave [appellant] your money?
A. Yes ma’am.
Q. What were you — what were you feeling when that was happening?
A. Just fear. Who wants to get shot you know.
Whether or not the jury believed that appellant actually used or displayed a firearm, the State was required to prove that complainant was threatened or put in fear. See Cranford v. State,
For a jury to find an individual was placed in fear of imminent bodily injury or death, it is not necessary that actual threats were made. See Burgess v. State,
Furthermore, even when references to a gun are removed from complainant’s testimony, the evidence is still sufficient to establish that complainant was placed in fear of imminent bodily injury or death. Complainant’s testimony established appellant demanded money and grabbed the arm with which complainant was holding the money. Before complainant was able to break free of appellant’s grip, appellant accelerated his vehicle, causing it to strike complainant’s body. Based on this evidence; a jury reasonably could have found that appellant’s' actions, even without the use of a firearm, were sufficient to place complainant in fear of imminent bodily injury or death. See Welch,
Accordingly, because'the evidence-showing complainant was placed in fear of imminent bodily injury or death is sufficient to sustain the conviction of robbery, we overrule appellant’s second issue.
IV. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel
In his first issue, appellant contends he received ineffective assistance of counsel during both the guilt-innocent phase and the punishment phase of trial. The United States Constitution guarantees the right to reasonably effective assistance of counsel in criminal prosecutions. U.S. Const. amend. VI; McMann v. Richardson,
Appellant bears the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence that counsel was ineffective. Id. at 813. There is a strong presumption that “counsel’s conduct fell within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance.” Strickland v. Washington,
A. Out-of-Court Identification
Appellant first asserts that counsel failed to object to an officer’s testimony regarding complainant’s out-of-court identification of appellant on the grounds it violated his right of confrontation. However, complainant testified at trial and was cross-examined by appellant’s counsel. See Torres v. State, 424 S.W,3d 245, 259 (Tex.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 2014, pet. ref'd) (citing Crawford v. Washington,
B. Expert Opinion and Personal Observation
Next, appellant claims trial counsel erred by failing to object to testimony from the officer that, in the officer’s opinion, appellant had not been truthful in saying he did not use a gun and that accused persons tend to minimize their culpability. Appellant argues that trial counsel should have challenged these opinions as beyond the officer’s expertise.
“A person with specialized knowledge may testify about his or her own observations under Rule 701 and may also testify about the theories, facts and data used-in his or her area of expertise under Rule 702.” Osbourn v. State,
Additionally, a witness may testify to his perceptions of events that he personally observed or experienced. See Fairow v. State,
C. Victim Impact Statement
Next, appellant argues trial counsel was ineffective for failing to object during the punishment phase to the victim impact testimony of a-witness, who alleged appellant robbed her husband while she watched from their car. Specifically, appellant asserts that she lacked expertise and expferience necessary to opine about appellant’s suitability for probation. Appellant cites Ellison v. State,
Yeah', why- do I have to continue to look over my shoulder. My daughter is getting older. Am I going to be looking over her shoulder when she can tell I’m looking over my shoulder and I tell her hey this happened to mommy and daddy. And then she’s going to have to be looking- over her shoulder. Is that whatwe’re going to have to go through. I •just don’t want to put her through it.
This testimony is a reflection of the witness’s feelings regarding the safety of her family following the robbery. These statements are consistent with admissible victim impact statements regarding how the experience has impacted their lives. See Boone v. State,
D. Multiple Firearms
Appellant additionally argues that trial counsel was ineffective for allowing the State- to introduce evidence of multiple firearms. Specifically, appellant complains that trial counsel could have no strategic reason for failing- to object to the admission of the following statement made to the police in an interview: “We have to find those guns.” The complained-of statement was, in fact, redacted from the exhibit before it was played to the jury. Accordingly, the record does not support appellant’s claim that counsel was. deficient.
E. Qualifying for Probation
Appellant further argues trial counsel was ineffective for failing to qualify him properly for probation. Specifically, he complains that although trial counsel elicited testimony that appellant had not been convicted of a felony “in this state,” trial counsel failed to elicit testimony that appellant had not committed a felony “in any other state.” Appellant further asserts that this failure resulted in the jury assessing sixteen years’ confinement instead of probation.
To be eligible for probation, a defendant must file a written sworn motion before trial with the judge stating that he has not been previously convicted of a felony in this or any other state. Tex.Code Crim. Pro. art. 42.12 § 4(e). The record reflects trial counsel submitted the sworn motion. In addition to the sworn motion, the defendant must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he has not been convicted of a felony in this or any other state. See Ward v. State,
We decide only that appellant has failed to establish prejudice from any deficient performance by his trial counsel as to this argument, making it unnecessary to decide whether trial counsel was ineffective for failing to ask about “any other state.” See Ex parte Cash,
Because the jury assessed punishment at sixteen years’ confinement, appellant was ineligible to receive probation. See Tex.Code Crim. Pro. art. 42.12 § 4(d)(1), Thus, any failure on the part of trial counsel to establish probation eligibility was inconsequential. See Gonzales v. State,
F. Other Instances
Lastly, appellant’s brief references other instances of conduct which he asserts indicate trial counsel lacked an understanding of basic trial procedures. However, appellant fails to demonstrate these actions constituted a deficient performance by trial counsel or that he was prejudiced by them. Strickland,
Because appellant has failed to satisfy both prongs of the Strickland test, we overrule appellant’s first, point of error.
V. Admissibility op ExtRaneous Offense Evidence
In his third issue, appellant argues the trial court erred by not excluding extraneous offense evidence. Appellant asserts the evidence of other robberies was inadmissible under Rule of Evidence 404(b), as evidence of other crimes is generally inadmissible, and under Rule of Evidence 403, because the probative value of the evidence was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. See Tex.R. Evid. 403,'404(b).
We review a trial court’s ruling under the Rules of Evidence for abuse of discretion. Martin v. State,
Evidence is relevant if it has a tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to - the determina
The extraneous offenses admitted at trial showed appellant had, at other times, purported to sell phones to other victims and quickly accelerated his car after gaming- possession of them- money, with the result that they were injured by appellant’s vehicle striking them or dragging them into the street. These extraneous acts are sufficiently similar to the charged offense for the purposes of the doctrine of chances. This testimony provided circumstantial evidence appellant intentionally or knowingly threatened or placed complainant in fear of imminent bodily injury or death, that appellant had knowledge complainant would likely suffer injuries as a result of his actions, and the injuries were not a result of an accident or a mistake. It- therefore had relevance beyond the question of character conformity and was admissible to rebut appellant’s defensive issue that he did not intentionally or knowingly threaten or place complainant in fear of imminent bodily injury or death. See Le v. State,
The following factors are considered relevant to- the analysis under Rule 403: (1), the strength of the evidence in making a fact more or less probable;. (2) the potential of the extraneous offense evidence to impress the jury in some irrational but indelible way; (3) the amount of time the proponent needed to develop the evidence; and (4) the strength of the proponent’s need for the evidence to prove a fact of consequence. Grant,
The extraneous offense evidence at issue here casts considerable doubt on appellant’s claim that he lacked the intent or knowledge that his actions would injure or place complainant in fear of imminent bodily injury or death, as it showed multiple prior incidents in which appellant perpetrated the same scheme and injured people with his vehicle, once even dragging a man out of the parking lot and into the street before the victim could break free. The first factor, therefore, weighs heavily in favor of finding the evidence was substantially more .probative than prejudicial. See Prince v. State,
Certainly, evidence of this nature may. have a tendency to impress the jury based on an impermissible inference of character conformity. The trial judge, however, instructed the jury in the charge that it could not consider such evidence for .any purpose unless it found beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant committed the other offenses and, even then, the evidence could only be considered for its relevance, if any, in demonstrating that on the occasion alleged in the indictment the appellant’s intent or knowledge or an absence of mistake or accident. We generally presume a jury followed a trial court’s instruction regarding consideration of evidence. See, e.g., Thrift v. State,
Next, our review-of the record shows that' about 24 percent of the testimony at trial, or 47 pages of testimony, was dedicated to establishing the extraneous offenses through four witnesses. Although this is not an inconsequential percentage, we note that this was a relatively .simple, straightforward case that did not’require lengthy testimony, and it does not appear that the State placed undue emphasis on the extraneous offense evidence. We therefore conclude that this factor weighs
Lastly, under the circumstances of this case, there does not appear to have been any other evidence that would have rebutted appellant’s testimony and his defense that he lacked knowledge or intent. Therefore, the fourth factor, concerning the need for such evidence, also weighs in favor of finding the evidence more probative than prejudicial. See Prince,
As indicated, only the third factor, the time spent developing the extraneous offense evidence, weighs against admissibility and that only slightly. Considering the four factors together, we conclude that the trial court was within the zone of reasonable disagreement in determining that the probative value of the extraneous offense evidence was not substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect. See Hammer v. State,
VI. Lesser-Included Offense
In his fourth issue, appellant asserts the trial court erred in including the lesser-included offense of robbery in the jury charge. Appellant was indicted on the offense of aggravated robbery. The State requested and received an instruction on the lesser-included offense of robbery. In response, appellant requested and received an instruction on the lesser-included offense of theft from a person. The jury convicted appellant of the offense of robbery.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, in Grey v. State,
VII. Conclusion
Because we conclude there is sufficient evidence to support a conviction of robbery, trial counsel was not ineffective, and the trial court did not err in ■ admitting evidence of extraneous offenses or in charging the jury on the lesser-included offense of robbery, we affirm the trial court’s judgment.
Notes
. We have taken appellant's issues out of order to first address the issue that would grant
. Under the Royster-Rousseau test, a defendant must show that the lesser-included offense must be included within the proof necessary to establish the offense charged and that there is some evidence to support that if he is guilty, he is guilty only of the lesser offense. See Royster,
