Keeping in mind that appellant does not challenge the legal sufficiency of the evidence to support the murder portion of the charged offense, we examine the challenged portion. 16. We need not reiterate the evidence. Fletcher v. State, 852 S.W.2d 271, 277 (Tex.App.-Dallas 1993, pet. Assuming that the objections were timely made, see Tex.R.App. In Fain v. State, 986 S.W.2d 666, 680 (Tex.App.-Austin 1998, pet. The court stated: [The computer analyst] testified that when he searches a computer, he systematically goes through and opens user-created files regardless of their names. We observe that a general relevancy objection, even though timely, does not preserve an extraneous offense claim under Rule 404(b). Rector explained that the only way to do that was to recover the entire Internet history and go through that basically by hand, look at it to see what is real estate and what is not. Detective Rector reviewed the temporary Internet files and the index.dat files to determine the computer's Internet history. The rationale for the present sense impression exception to the hearsay rule is that (1) the report at the moment of the thing then seen or heard is safe from any error from defect of memory of the declarant, and (2) there is little or no time for a calculated misstatement. Many of realtors were uncomfortable while showing homes to the man. Patrick Anthony RUSSO, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee. We shall consider the issue presented. Anthony Russo. In Brown, a maintenance worker at an apartment building was convicted of murdering a tenant's live-in girlfriend, Shelby Weinstein. While the court stated that officers cannot simply conduct a sweeping, comprehensive search of a computer's hard drive because of the amount of private material potentially stored there, it found the search proper because the officers used a clear search methodology and obtained a second warrant as soon as they viewed images they believed fell outside the scope of the initial warrant. Rector presented the information extracted from the computer to the prosecutor, who noticed that the computer's Internet history (which contained no Web pages or images) made reference to a Web site named necrobabes.com, which was later determined to be an asphyxiation-type pornographic Web site. He then stated that he and his wife could return the next day. Her valuable engagement ring was in her possession at 1:30 p.m. on November 15, 2001. Remember that, Austin? The fianc and coworker were excluded, but Mills could not exclude DNA samples from the victim or appellant on the swab. One of the principles of a factual sufficiency analysis is deference to the findings of the jury. Keeping in mind the particular facts of the instant case, we find no violation of the Fourth Amendment. Patrick Anthony Russo is serving a life sentence for the 2001 murder of 42-year-old Diane Holik. Patrick Russo was charged in her murder,. He left the black-and-white flyer behind. Evid. Man gets life in prison for strangulation, Several assaults, thefts reported in latest crime activity. But just as things were looking up for her, tragedy wasnt far behind. Patrick Anthony Russo, Diane Holiks Killer: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Appellant relies upon Brewer v. State, 126 S.W.3d 295 (Tex.App.-Beaumont 2004, no pet. No. The seventh point of error is overruled. Diane Holik was excited to enter a new phase in her life after getting engaged. Lives in Pacific Grove, California. The court further found that even though there may have been less invasive ways of conducting the search, the resolution of the suppression issue does not turn on whether [the officer] conducted the most technically advanced search possible, but on whether the search was reasonable. Gray, 78 F.Supp.2d at 529 n. 8. 2737). In such an event, what the listener on the telephone hears is a present sense impression. David F. Binder, Trial Practice Series, Hearsay Handbook 8: 1 at 8.6 (4th ed.2001) (citing Brown v. Tard, 552 F.Supp. (upholding admission under Rule 803(3) of murder victim's statement that she wanted to leave defendant, but felt economically trapped); Norton v. State, 771 S.W.2d 160, 165-66 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 1989, pet. P. 33.1(a); Ibarra v. State, 11 S.W.3d 189, 197 (Tex.Crim.App.1999) (claim of error not preserved where defendant objected on the ground the testimony was hearsay, but failed to object to the relevancy of the testimony). Lives in Vancouver, Washington. Log In. This is true, but the hypothetical scenario propounded by the State to Dr. Coons did not include any reference to robbery. Herrin v. State, 125 S.W.3d 436, 441 (Tex.Crim.App.2002); McDuff v. State, 939 S.W.2d 607, 614 (Tex.Crim.App.1997); Rabbani v. State, 847 S.W.2d 555, 558-59 (Tex.Crim.App.1992); Fuller v. State, 827 S.W.2d 919, 931 (Tex.Crim.App.1992); Kitchens v. State, 823 S.W.2d 256, 257-58 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). He was found guilty of capital murder and was sentenced to life in prison. The man gave different names to some of the homeowners. He was able to view for free the introductory screens, photographs and stories pertaining to the death of women by strangulation. So long as the trial court operates within the boundaries of its discretion, there is no abuse of discretion and its decision will not be disturbed on appeal. The prosecution said of Patrick, Hes a predator, skilled at deceit and cunning and finding watering holes of potential victims. As per prison records, he remains incarcerated at the Thomas Goree Unit in Huntsville, Texas. P. 33.1(a). The doctor testified that in his opinion, the hypothetical scenario strongly suggests that the defendant in the scenario sought sexual gratification through ligature strangulation. --- Support this podcast: htt at 986-87. He qualified as an expert witness for the State. After the State rested its case-in-chief at the guilt/innocence stage of the trial, appellant's motion for an instructed verdict of not guilty was overruled. 17. After a keyword search of certain terms proved negative, Id. Maldonado v. State, 998 S.W.2d 239, 243 (Tex.Crim.App.1999). See Conner v. State, 67 S.W.3d 192, 197 (Tex.Crim.App.2001); Dewberry v. State, 4 S.W.3d 735, 740(Tex.Crim.App.1999); Garcia v. State, 919 S.W.2d 370, 378 (Tex.Crim.App.1994); Johnson v. State, 871 S.W.2d 183, 186 (Tex.Crim.App.1993). While the police turned to independent sources to determine the nature of "Necrobabes.com," the State argues that the search of the computer for home sales in the Austin area--the object of the June 18 search warrant--continued as evidenced by exhibits later introduced into evidence without objection. The State contends that the evidence shows that the computer file in question was not itself searched until after the issuance of the search warrant on November 18, 2003. Cranford told him that her husband was not home often as he was a busy man, but that they had a realtor. See Watson, 204 S.W.3d at 414-15. In the same general time frame, Diane Holik was murdered by ligature strangulation in her own home at XXXX Pathfinder in the Great Hills subdivision in Austin, where she lived alone. Its going to give hope to inmates who didnt have hope before. It was November 15, 2001, when a massive storm of heavy floods and rain deluged Austin, Texas. Rule 803 in part provides: The following are not excluded by the hearsay rule, even if the declarant is available as witness: (1)Present Sense Impression. Under all the circumstances, if error was properly preserved and presented, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in overruling appellant's pretrial Rule 403 objections. However, there was no interrogation to establish these facts. He indicated that the material from the erotic asphyxiation Web site tended to reveal the motive for the killing of the victim, which was sexual sadism. at 529. Holiks demise story has been featured on the scene of Dateline. Her $17,500 engagement ring was missing. Appellant then asked several times when Cranford's husband would be home. Evid. Detective Roy Rector, a forensic computer examiner with the Austin Police Department, first made a copy of the computer's hard drive, which is protocol for forensic computer examination. Russo was once arrested for burglary and the kidnapping of a woman. She had planned to sell the home, get married and move to Houston. As a result, the court concluded that the detective had temporarily abandoned his search for drug trafficking evidence and intentionally commenced a search for more child pornography not authorized by the object of the existing warrant. Find your friends on Facebook. In analyzing a challenge to the legal sufficiency of the evidence, a reviewing court does not realign, disregard, or weigh the evidence. Karena Rosario, Faith Hedgepeths Roommate: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Monsters Among Us: Patrick Anthony Russo http://t.co/g0QBNPm7ut via @mylifeofcrime, Vonne Monai (@VonneMonai) April 9, 2013. The sufficiency of the evidence is determined from the cumulative effect of all the evidence; each fact in isolation need not establish the guilt of the accused. See order of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dated February 25, 1998, entitled Final Approval of Revisions To The Texas Rules of Evidence in Criminal Cases.. On the morning of November 16, 2001, Diane missed a scheduled work call. Tex.R. The email address cannot be subscribed. ref'd); Miranda v. State, 813 S.W.2d 724, 733, 742 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1991, pet. The defense closed with the State at this stage of the trial without offering evidence. Moreover, objections based on remoteness go to the weight rather than the admissibility of the evidence. Rector examined the computer with a program called Encase, which is designed to recover any data located on a hard drive, whether it is an active computer file or a previously deleted file. Barajas related that Holik was excited to be selling her home and was eager to do so.22. On this latter date, she took note of the license plate number on his van. If the computer erases the index, the file is still out there in the unallocated clusters until the computer reuses that space.. Maldonado, 998 S.W.2d at 243. Priest testified that appellant did not appear at the station on the day and time in question. In connection with appellant's argument, we examine other cases. This week Six Degrees of Murder looks at the . Under the Fourteenth Amendment, the task of the appellate court is to consider all the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict and determine if any rational trier of fact could have found beyond a reasonable doubt all the essential elements of the offense. Ann. Appellant does not claim that any one exhibit or one set of exhibits was irrelevant and prejudicial but urges that all the named exhibits fell into that category. The reliance is misplaced. During their subsequent investigation, police learned that a man claiming to be a prospective home buyer had contacted Austin residents who had "For Sale" signs in front of their homes. See Tex.R. DNA evidence found at the scene also tied Patrick Anthony Russo to the murder of Diane Holik. Patrick Russo in Texas. at 1270. The officials had shown up at Dianes home, who was tracked down dead on the main floor in one of the rooms. The person will play out the fantasies, searching out potential victims. McFarland v. State, 845 S.W.2d 824, 837 (Tex.Crim.App.1992). The legal sufficiency of the evidence under the Jackson standard is a question of law. The black-and-white flyer was turned over to the police.3. Police found a fully clothed body. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Russo appealed the capital murder conviction in 2007 but was denied. At the time, he was out on parole for aggravated kidnapping. After raiding his home on November 21, 2001, police brought Russo in for questioning. He presented a music serve at a congregation in Bastrop County, Texas. The overwhelming evidence against him meant only one thing: a conviction. The mothers name is Not Available. Offers may be subject to change without notice. What: A Texas church leader found guilty of strangling an Austin woman to death appeals his conviction. Akia's family became alarmed when the 21-year-old failed to show up to her own baby shower on May 3. On June 18, 2003, a search warrant was issued authorizing the search of appellant's home and the seizure of his personal computer and its content. The computer was seized pursuant to the warrant. About 1,200 Necrobabes.com-related images were found on the seized computer, and there was evidence Russo accessed the site two days before the Holik murder. Our role is that of a due process safeguard, ensuring only the rationality of the trier of fact's finding of the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. The State offered and did eliminate certain parts of the testimony of Melody Blount and Tammy Tayman. At the hearing, no objections were addressed to the testimony offered. All persons inherit mitochondrial DNA from their mothers-so maternal relatives have the same M-DNA. Nelson examined seven hairs recovered from the victim's home. In December 2015, he filed for Grounds for Relief. The sixth ground of error is overruled. 403. That includes some who will spend the rest of their lives behind bars. 221 F.3d at 1147. So, if youre wondering what happened in Dianes case, weve got you covered. Moreover, a lawful search extends to the entire area in which the object of the search may be found.. Subsequently in the conversation, Barajas recalled that Holik panicked when she realized that she did not have her engagement ring and said, Oh, my God. Barajas heard retreating foot steps after Holik put the phone down. Now, his relationship is perfect. This is true even where the element of appropriation occurred after the murder. Appellant argued that [s]uch evidence can only prejudice the defendant and distract the jury from the material issues of fact before them.. Collectively, Saturday's graduates earned a 3.7 grade-point average in the program. They then released him. The Diane Holik cases also inspired the Investigation Discoverys show Motives And Murders: Cracking The Case. Upon inquiry, the defendant told the officers that the computer contained child pornography. M. Scott Taliaferro, Assistant District Atty., Austin, for appellee. Appellant's record references are to a pretrial hearing and to a point at the trial on the merits where the trial court overruled the scope of the search objection. The local police arrived at the home at 6300 Pathfinder Drive, where they found the body of a white female who was identified as 42-year-old Diane Holik. Detective Rector testified that in the original search for sale of homes, that he generated the Internet history of the computer. A Bastrop area telephone service representative testified about cell phones registered to appellant and his wife. After reviewing Carey, Walser, Gray, and other authorities, the Rosa court wrote: We agree with the reasoning of these cases. A reviewing court may, however, disagree with the result to prevent a manifest injustice. As a result of the jury's answer at the penalty stage of the trial to the special issue concerning mitigating circumstances, the trial court imposed a life sentence. [Featured Image by Jason Hunter, Watertown Daily Times, Pool/AP Images] Advertisement Latest #metoo News and Updates He urges that the execution of the search of the computer's contents exceeded its scope with the search of a computer file relating to necrobabes.com. It is argued that the search should have been limited to the computer's contents involving real estate as authorized by the search warrant of June 18, 2003. The time frame of her death was placed by the medical examiner from 3:00 p.m. on November 15 to 3:00 a.m. on November 16, 2001. They also learned that the church leader had a fascination with strangling women and often visited porn sites that featured the strangulation deaths of women, according to court records found at FindLaw. Barajas knew about Holik's personal life, that Holik lived alone and worked from her home, that Holik had an upcoming marriage and wanted to sell her Austin home, and that Holik had Thanksgiving holiday plans with her fianc. This inference is not negated by evidence of an alternative motive that a jury could rationally disregard. See Dillon v. State, 574 S.W.2d 92, 94 (Tex.Crim.App.1978); Skillern v. State, 890 S.W.2d 849, 880 (Tex.App.-Austin 1994, pet. Moreover, her wedding band and money diamond setters were absent from the house. The testimony presented before the jury showed that Holik planned and had the intent to meet the man who just left the following Saturday. Many neighbors and family members detailed that a man came on November 15 needing to buy their property. Its literally going to change the culture. In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364, 90 S.Ct. Using this number, the police were able to identify appellant as the man they were seeking. Collectively, Saturdays graduates earned a 3.7 grade-point average in the program. Tex.R. In many such encounters, Dr. Coons explained, there is no completed sexual act. No such necklace was found. The verdict may not be overturned unless it is irrational or unsupported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. They interviewed Russo and released him. He claimed that he was elsewhere at the time of the murder, but cellphone records placed him in the general area around Dianes neighborhood. Later, Cranford described the incident to a friend, who subsequently called her and asked her to look at a composite drawing in the newspaper and the accompanying story. Cranford thought the drawing bore a very good resemblance to appellant. Your IP: Nethery, 692 S.W.2d at 706; Thompson, 59 S.W.3d at 808. Id. Barajas testified that she warned Holik not to let strangers in her home when she was alone. This weekend, Holiks story will be highlighted on an episode of Dateline NBC. The file contained an image of child pornography. Barajas, from Los Angeles, California, testified before the jury that she was an IBM coworker with Diane Holik. See Lawton v. State, 913 S.W.2d 542, 553 (Tex.Crim.App.1996); Cardenas v. State, 115 S.W.3d 54, 62 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 2003, no pet.). Excerpts from the Texas Court of Appeals' opinion dealing with Necrobabes.com and AOL searches used as evidence: Cranford had just gotten her children down for a nap. See Murray v. United States, 487 U.S. 533, 541-44, 108 S.Ct. These offenders will have an exponential impact.. One woman--who had been suspicious in a November 5 encounter and wrote down the man's license plate number--recognized the drawing and contacted police. The trial court found that the evidence of seven witnesses was not too remote and was relevant. Sign Up. Decided: June 07, 2007 Before Chief Justice LAW, Justices PURYEAR and ONION. A state jury found Russo guilty of capital murder, and he was given a life sentence. 402. The record reflects that the police were able to learn from Joe Schwaleberg of Generic Systems, Inc., who operated the necrobabes.com Web site, that on February 28, 2001, Janet Russo paid for a six-month subscription to this erotic asphyxiation Web site, and that on July 21, 2001, Tony Russo paid for a six-month subscription to the same Web site. Appellant agreed to go with the officers to the Austin police station, telling his wife that the inquiry possibly had something to do with his parole status. Patrick Russo, 40, a part-time music minister, was convicted of capital murder Feb. 20 by a Travis County jury. The scene covering the Texas Killing is After the Storm. The tenant (Hickson) testified that the victim called him on the telephone and stated that she was not going to work and that the guy is here to fix the air conditioner. The court wrote: Shelby Weinstein's statement that a man was there to fix the air conditioner meets the requirement that the declarant personally perceive the event, that the statement explain or describe the event, and that there be contemporaneity of the statement and the event described. For a more liberal view of the requirement of contemporaneousness, see United States v. Parker, 936 F.2d 950, 954 (7th Cir.1991); United States v. Blakey, 607 F.2d 779, 784-86 (7th Cir.1979). All of the residents who this man approached claimed that he seemed strange. Proof of a completed theft is not even required. ref'd). Penal Code Ann. Calls to Akia went . A look at the commencement ceremony for the first graduating class of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary program inside the Darrington Unit. or. The prosecutor requested Rector to determine if there was additional information of that type on the Internet history concerning necrobabes.com. Rector was to continue his search for matters relating to real estate and the sale of homes in the Austin area. Moreover, a hair test has taken from a towel, and swabs from Dianes hand matched Tonys DNA.Finally, Tony has asserted as a killer and sent him for a lifetime in jail. At the hearing, appellant agreed that Barajas's warning to Holik was not hearsay and expressly stated that he had no objection to the testimony about Holik's recovery of her ring or rings. All rights reserved. Appellant relies upon his hearsay objections at the hearing to preserve any error, because he made no further objections when Barajas testified before the jury shortly thereafter. In searching the computer's hard drive for evidence of drug trafficking, the officer opened a Microsoft Word folder, and this opened a second file in the folder, an AVI file that contained a video of child pornography. Do you value our journalism? Works at . In making his factual sufficiency argument, appellant continues to argue that there was insufficient evidence to establish robbery during the course of a murder. Conner, 67 S.W.3d at 197; Alvarado, 912 S.W.2d at 207; Robertson v. State, 871 S.W.2d 701, 706 (Tex.Crim.App.1993); Key v. State, 151 S.W.3d 619, 621 (Tex.App.-Beaumont 2004, pet. FACTUAL SUFFICIENCY-MURDER IN THE COURSE OF ROBBERY. The court rejected the defendant's argument of exploratory rummaging, Id. Read More: How Did Andra and Brad Sachs Die? Despite the manner in which Barajas's testimony about Holik's plans was presented at the separate hearing, the prosecution made clear that it was offering the testimony under the state of mind exception to the hearsay rule. Show us with your support. Excerpts from the Texas Court of Appeals' opinion dealing with the search warrant: Suddenly, appellant was close behind her in the room and still was not speaking. Current counsel makes no belated request for the record. Almost more than five years ago, Diane Holik was brutally murdered in her own Home in Austin, Texas, by Patrick Anthony "Tony Russo". The evidence was relevant. He makes no claim that the evidence was inadmissible because it revealed extrinsic acts or misconduct. FBI agents executed a search warrant on the defendant's home and seized four computers in connection with an investigation of unauthorized computer intrusions. Several of the witnesses described a vehicle nearby at the time as similar to the champagne or tan-colored van shown to have been driven by appellant. Rule 403 more strongly favors admissibility than did many of the earlier formulations of the appropriate balancing test, with the opponent of the evidence bearing the burden of showing that the probative value is substantially outweighed by countervailing factors. 1 Steven Goode, Olin Guy Wellborn, III & M. Michael Sharlot, Texas Practice: Guide to the Rules of Evidence, 403.1 (3d ed.2002) (citing Yohey v. State, 801 S.W.2d 232, 236 (Tex.App.-San Antonio 1990, pet. We need not repeat the applicable authorities cited in our discussion under the fifth point of error. See Sharp v. State, 707 S.W.2d 611, 614 (Tex.Crim.App.1986); Williams v. State, 692 S.W.2d 671, 676 (Tex.Crim.App.1984). Holik was engaged to be married and planned to move to Houston where her fianc lived. See United States v. Mitchell, 145 F.3d 572, 576 (3d Cir.1998); accord United States v. Ruiz, 249 F.3d 643, 646 (7th Cir.2001). Russo was a part-time music minister at a Bastrop church and the lead singer in a Christian band. The thrust of Rule 403 is to favor the admissibility of evidence, Goodwin v. State, 799 S.W.2d 719, 738-39 (Tex.Crim.App.1990), and there is a presumption of the admissibility of the evidence. Dateline Episode Trailer: After the Storm | Dateline NBC, When a beautiful woman is strangled to death in her large upscale Austin, Texas home, police look at the men in the victims life, while also considering that a stranger may have killed her. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. No such references were found. Evid. Akia Eggleston went missing in Baltimore, Maryland in May of 2017. Still further, in a murder case, the intention of the victim to go somewhere or to meet someone may be proved by evidence of the victim's out-of-court assertion of intent.
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