Davis v. State
Texas Court of Appeals
581 S.W.3d 885 (2019)
- Written by Alexander Hager-DeMyer, JD
Facts
KR drove with a friend to the house where Christopher Davis (defendant) lived with his roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend. The group wanted to hang out and get high, so Davis, his roommate, KR, and her friend smoked methamphetamine. Everyone except Davis also consumed gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), a well-known date-rape drug. As the GHB’s effects began to wear off, Davis prepared and offered wine coolers to KR and her friend. KR soon was unable to walk, and she blacked out. KR later awoke in her car, with her friend unconscious in the back seat. KR had flashes of memory that involved both Davis and his roommate having sex with her. Davis was charged with sexual assault, and a jury found him guilty. At trial, toxicology reports showed that KR’s blood had high levels of GHB long after KR took the drug at Davis’s house. A sustained high level of GHB indicated that KR had been given a large dose. Expert witnesses confirmed that on large doses of GHB, KR could not have consented to sex. Davis’s roommate testified that he saw Davis prepare the wine coolers and put a straw in KR’s drink. Although he did not see Davis add GHB to the drink, the roommate stated that he knew what Davis was doing because GHB would sink to the bottom of the drink and be consumed more quickly through a straw. Davis’s roommate further testified that he saw KR passed out on the floor and helped Davis carry her out to her car. Davis appealed his case to the Texas appellate court, claiming that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s verdict.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Schenck, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
