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Felix Ray Olivas v. State
Citation: Not availableDocket: 11-12-00063-CR
Court: Court of Appeals of Texas; June 6, 2013; Texas; State Appellate Court
Original Court Document: View Document
Felix Ray Olivas was convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to fifteen years in prison and a fine of $811. The incident occurred when Dr. Jorge D. Blanco, while parked in an Albertsons lot to continue a phone call, was approached by a man with what appeared to be a gun. The assailant demanded Dr. Blanco's belongings, and he relinquished his wallet, containing credit cards and approximately $811 in cash. Although Dr. Blanco provided a description of the robber—an 18- to 25-year-old Hispanic male, approximately 5' 2" to 5' 5", with short hair and a scar—he was unable to identify Olivas in a photo lineup or during the trial due to the traumatic circumstances. After the robbery, Corporal John Sikes of the Odessa Police Department responded to the scene, where Dr. Blanco described the suspect and his vehicle as an old, dark, square car with New Mexico license plates. Sikes later spotted a green Toyota Camry matching this description near Dr. Blanco's office, but Olivas was not in the vehicle at that time. Another officer subsequently pursued and arrested Olivas. During the trial, Sikes identified Olivas as fitting Dr. Blanco's description of the robber, although Dr. Blanco did not make a positive identification of Olivas. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment. Anita Todd, an officer in the Odessa Police Department's Crime Scene Unit, processed the crime scene involving Dr. Blanco's Lexus, which had been cleaned shortly before the incident. Todd collected latent fingerprints from the vehicle and identified Olivas as the source, claiming with certainty that the prints belonged to him. Olivas contested the sufficiency of evidence for his conviction, arguing that there was no proof he was the assailant. The court applied the Jackson v. Virginia standard, weighing the evidence in favor of the verdict and determining if a rational jury could find the essential elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. It noted that Olivas's fingerprints were found in a location consistent with Dr. Blanco's account, and corroborating testimony linked him to the robbery. The court affirmed the trial court's judgment, concluding that the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction.