Justia Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Opinion Summaries

After the trial judge denied his motion to suppress methamphetamine found during a traffic stop, defendant pled guilty to its possession pursuant to a plea bargain. He then appealed the trial judge's suppression ruling. The court of appeals reversed, finding that the officer lacked reasonable suspicion to continue to detain defendant until a drug dog was brought to the scene. The court also declined to address what it called a "cross-appeal" because the State failed to file its own notice of appeal. The court held that the State need not file its own notice of appeal when it raised a cross-point concerning a ruling on a question of law under Article 44.01(c). View "Pfeiffer v. State" on Justia Law

A jury found defendant guilty of arson for the burning of an insured and mortgaged vehicle. The trial court assessed his punishment at confinement for ten years and one day. The First Court of Appeals reversed, determining that the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction. The court held that the court of appeals erred in holding that the evidence was insufficient where the jury was able to assess the credibility and demeanor of the witnesses who testified at trial; the court of appeals incorrectly applied the Jackson v. Virginia standard when considering the circumstantial evidence supporting defendant's conviction and improperly employed a "divide-and-conquer" approach; and the court of appeals improperly acted as a thirteenth juror when it speculated and focused on the existence of a reasonable hypothesis inconsistent with the guilt of the accused. Accordingly, the court reversed and remanded. View "Merritt v. State" on Justia Law