The Court of Appeals in Fort Worth overturned a murder conviction from Denton County. A jury convicted Charles Stobaugh of murder following the disappearance of his estranged wife. Stobaugh’s wife disappeared in 2004. After the disappearance, prosecutors in Denton County charged him with murder. Following a long trial, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. The trial court entered a judgment of conviction. Stobaugh’s attorney filed an appeal of that conviction.
Like all criminal cases, prosecutors must prove every element of a murder beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that the prosecutor has to provide compelling evidence of every element. Under the sections 19.02 (b)(1) & (2) of the Texas Penal Code, the state has to prove either a person intentionally or knowingly caused the death of an individual and OR a person intended to cause serious bodily injury committed an act clearly dangerous to human life that causes the death of an individual.
The Court of Appeals considered whether the prosecutor proved these elements. Specifically, can circumstantial evidence prove a person’s intent? In Texas, it can. The Court has to look at all of the evidence. A person’s mental state can be proved by circumstantial evidence. Here, prosecutors had to prove Mr. Stobaugh intentionally or knowingly caused a death or tended to cause serious bodily injury.
The Court found there is evidence that Kathy Stobaugh is dead. The Court found there is not evidence that Mr. Stobaugh committed any act against his wife. The Court determined that the jury could not find him guilty and the trial court should not have entered a judgment of conviction.
Just like lawyers and judges, juries can make mistakes. It is even harder for jurors in Texas because there is no definition for the term ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. When there are these mistakes, people need attentive attorneys to write their appeals to overturn such a conviction.
