Filed: Jul. 25, 2001
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 00-51190 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus DANIEL DOMINGUEZ, Defendant-Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (SA-99-CR-371-ALL) July 20, 2001 Before HIGGINBOTHAM, WIENER, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Convicted on two counts of bank robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Daniel Dominguez maintains first that the
Summary: UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT No. 00-51190 Summary Calendar UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-Appellee, versus DANIEL DOMINGUEZ, Defendant-Appellant. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas (SA-99-CR-371-ALL) July 20, 2001 Before HIGGINBOTHAM, WIENER, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges. PER CURIAM:* Convicted on two counts of bank robbery and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, Daniel Dominguez maintains first that the ..
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UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT
No. 00-51190
Summary Calendar
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff-Appellee,
versus
DANIEL DOMINGUEZ,
Defendant-Appellant.
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the Western District of Texas
(SA-99-CR-371-ALL)
July 20, 2001
Before HIGGINBOTHAM, WIENER, and BARKSDALE, Circuit Judges.
PER CURIAM:*
Convicted on two counts of bank robbery and one count of being
a felon in possession of a firearm, Daniel Dominguez maintains
first that the evidence was insufficient to convict him of the
latter offense because the Government failed to prove that he
possessed, or constructively possessed, the firearm found in his
girlfriend’s closet.
Dominguez moved for a judgment of acquittal at the close of
the Government’s case, and he renewed his motion at the close of
the evidence. Accordingly, his sufficiency-challenge is reviewed
de novo, applying the same standards as the district court. See
*
Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the court has determined that
this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except
under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4.
United States v. De Leon,
170 F.3d 494, 496 (5th Cir.), cert.
denied,
528 U.S. 863 (1999).
A reasonable jury could have found Dominguez had constructive
possession of the firearm. His possession of a key to the house
and the presence of other items belonging to Dominguez in the house
and closet indicate that Dominguez had dominion over the premises
where the firearm was found. Additionally, the jury could
reasonably have inferred that Dominguez was responsible for the
firearm because his hair was found on clothing inside the bag in
which the firearm was found, and Dominguez admitted ownership of
the firearm to an inmate who testified at trial. Moreover, even
accepting Dominguez’s assertion that the evidence established that
he was not the only person with access to the house, the jury need
not have excluded every reasonable hypothesis of innocence in order
to find Dominguez guilty. See United States v. Ferguson,
211 F.3d
878, 882 (5th Cir.), cert. denied,
121 S. Ct. 258 (2000).
Dominguez’s second, and final, contention is that his right to
due process was denied in connection with the photographic array
presented to the witnesses. He maintains: the district court
abused its discretion by failing both to make any factual findings
in rejecting his challenge to the array and to hold an evidentiary
hearing on the issue; and that the array was impermissibly
suggestive.
Dominguez’s assertion that he was denied an opportunity to
present facts in support of his challenge to the array is without
merit. The facts surrounding the suggestiveness vel non of the
photographic array were brought forth during the suppression
hearing held by the district court. Moreover, Dominguez does not
allege any additional facts which, if proven, would justify relief.
Cf. United States v. Mergist,
738 F.2d 645, 648 (5th Cir. 1984)
(“an evidentiary hearing [regarding voluntariness of testimony] is
required when the defendant alleges sufficient facts which, if
proven, would justify relief” (internal quotation marks omitted)).
With regard to the suggestiveness of the array, “[a]
conviction based upon an eyewitness identification at trial
following a pretrial photographic identification must be set aside
only if the identification procedure was so impermissibly
suggestive as to give rise to a very substantial likelihood of
misidentification”. United States v. Fletcher,
121 F.3d 187, 194
(5th Cir. 1997) (internal quotation marks omitted), cert. denied,
522 U.S. 1063 (1998).
The photographic array was not impermissibly suggestive. All
of the subjects were roughly the same age and appeared to be
Hispanic. Contrary to Dominguez’s assertion, their complexions are
not greatly varied. All the subjects are wearing similar disguises
(fake goatee and mustache and dark glasses), and several of the
subjects are about the same size and height as Dominguez.
Dominguez’s jacket is only slightly lighter color than the others.
In addition, one of the other subjects also has a large nose, as
does Dominguez. See United States v. Credit,
95 F.3d 362, 364 (5th
Cir. 1996) (despite defendant’s challenge to photo array on grounds
he was only heavyset subject with rounded face, concluding spread
was not impermissibly suggestive because all men were about same
age and skin tone), cert. denied,
519 U.S. 1138 (1997). Because
the array was not impermissibly suggestive, we need not proceed
further to consider the likelihood of misidentification.
AFFIRMED