Sign In
Events
Newsletters
Search

Close

Close Search

Cancel

SEARCH
MY LAW.COMNEW

Sorrells v. State

A Travis County jury convicted the appellant of aggravated robbery. On appeal, the court of appeals found that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction of aggravated robbery and reformed the judgment to reflect conviction of the lesser-included offense of assault by threat. This case is one of force antecedent to, or during, the theft. A rational juror could draw a reasonable inference that the assault and the theft occurred simultaneously, and thus the assault was committed during the commission of theft. The evidence in this case was thus sufficient to prove both that the appellant committed theft and that he committed assault in the course of committing theft. The court of appeal's decision is reversed and remanded. Court of Criminal Appeals, No. PD-1802-09, 06-22-2011.

X

Thank you for sharing!

Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

Womack, J., delivered the opinion of the unanimous Court.

A Travis County jury convicted the appellant, Eric Deshon Sorrells, of aggravated robbery. On appeal, the Thirteenth Court of Appeals*fn1 found that the evidence was insufficient to support a conviction of aggravated robbery, and reformed the judgment to reflect conviction of the lesser-included offense of assault by threat. We granted the State’s petition for discretionary review on three grounds: (1) whether the Court of Appeals properly reviewed the sufficiency of the evidence; (2) whether the Court of Appeals properly applied the law of parties; and (3) in the alternative, whether the Court of Appeals properly reformed the judgment. We hold that the Court of Appeals erred in its review of the sufficiency of the evidence. We therefore need not address the State’s second and third grounds. We will reverse the Court’s decision and remand for consideration of the appellant’s remaining claims.

 
Reprints & Licensing
Mentioned in a Law.com story?

License our industry-leading legal content to extend your thought leadership and build your brand.

LEARN MORE

More From ALM

Premium Subscription
With this subscription you will receive unlimited access to high quality, online, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry. This is perfect for attorneys licensed in multiple jurisdictions or for attorneys that have fulfilled their CLE requirement but need to access resourceful information for their practice areas.
View Now
Team Accounts
Our Team Account subscription service is for legal teams of four or more attorneys. Each attorney is granted unlimited access to high quality, on-demand premium content from well-respected faculty in the legal industry along with administrative access to easily manage CLE for the entire team.
View Now
Bundle Subscriptions
Gain access to some of the most knowledgeable and experienced attorneys with our 2 bundle options! Our Compliance bundles are curated by CLE Counselors and include current legal topics and challenges within the industry. Our second option allows you to build your bundle and strategically select the content that pertains to your needs. Both options are priced the same.
View Now
Go to CLE Center
Legalweek Leaders in Tech Law Awards 2025
March 24, 2025
New York, NY

Recognizing innovation in the legal technology sector for working on precedent-setting, game-changing projects and initiatives.


Learn More
Legalweek New York 2025
March 24, 2025 - March 27, 2025
New York, NY

Legalweek New York explores Business and Regulatory Trends, Technology and Talent drivers impacting law firms.


Learn More
GlobeSt. Multifamily Spring 2025
April 01, 2025
New York, NY

Join the industry's top owners, investors, developers, brokers & financiers at THE MULTIFAMILY EVENT OF THE YEAR!


Learn More
Go to Events Go to Webcasts
(NEW) SENIOR CORPORATE COUNSEL WANTED FOR LARGE RETAIL ORGANIZATION (Charlotte, NC)

Our client, a larger retail organization, has engaged us to identify a Senior Corporate Counsel for their Charlotte office. Qualified cand...


Apply Now ›
(EXCLUSIVE) ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL WANTED FOR INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS COMPANY (Atlanta, GA)

Our client, a global transportation and logistics organization, has engaged us to identify an Associate General Counsel for their North Amer...


Apply Now ›
U.S. Magistrate Judge Reappointment

The current term of office for United States Magistrate Judge Robert Illman in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Californ...


Apply Now ›
Go to Lawjobs