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IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL 

APPEALS OF TEXAS

JUSTIN LEE GARCIA § CCA NO. ____________ 

 § 

V. § COA NO. 05-16-01256-CR 

 § 

THE STATE OF TEXAS § TC NO. MB16-75150 

APPELLANT’S MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF 

TIME TO FILE PETITION FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

TO THE HONORABLE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS: 

JUSTIN LEE GARCIA, hereinafter “Appellant,” hereby moves for an extension 

of time of 45 days for the filing with this Court of Appellant’s petition for 

discretionary review (PDR), from March 9, 2018, to April 23, 2015. In support of this 

motion, Appellant would show the following: 

 I. 

The trial court below was the County Criminal Court Number Two of Dallas 

County, Texas. The intermediate appellate court was the Court of Appeals for the 

Fifth District of Texas at Dallas. The case in the Fifth Court of Appeals was styled as 

shown above with cause number 05-16-01256-CR. Appellant was convicted in the 

trial court below of terroristic threat. Appellant was sentenced to confinement in the 

county jail for 150 days. The intermediate appellate court affirmed the trial court’s 

judgment of conviction on February 7, 2018. See Justin Lee Garcia v. State, Appeal 

PD-0257-18

COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Transmitted 3/8/2018 11:51 AM

Accepted 3/8/2018 12:07 PM

DEANA WILLIAMSON

CLERK

 FILED COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS 3/8/2018 DEANA WILLIAMSON, CLERK 
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No. 05-16-01256-CR, —S.W.3d— , 2018 WL 739880 (Tex. App. — Dallas Feb. 7, 

2018). No motion for rehearing, for rehearing en banc, or for reconsideration has been 

filed in regard to the opinion and judgment of the intermediate court of appeals in this 

case. No previous motion for extension has been filed in this Court, such that no 

previous extensions have been granted or denied. 

 II. 

In light of the February 7, 2018 date of the issuance of the opinion and 

judgment of the intermediate appellate court in this case, the current deadline for filing 

any PDR with this Court is March 9, 2018. See Tex. R. App. P. 4.1(a). 

III. 

 The need for an additional briefing time is reasonably explained by 

counsel spending time including as follows since February 7, 2018: (1) Mandatory 

attendance at Indigent Defense Seminar, Dallas, Texas, on February 9, 2018; (2) Brief 

for Appellant in Gladston Edward Wilson v. State, Appeal No. 05-17-00946-CR, 

tendered to the Fifth Court of Appeals on February 12, 2018; (3) Hearing on appeal 

bond motion in the 292nd District Court of Dallas County in Eddie Lee Smith, Jr. v. 

State, Appeal No. 05-17-01257-CR, on February 16, 2018; (4) 56-page Brief for 

Appellant in Bilawal Shahzada v. State, Appeal No. 05-17-00391-CR, filed in the 

Fifth Court of Appeals on March 1, 2018; and (5) Post-Submission Supplemental 
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Point of Error/Reply Issue and Letter Brief in Machutta v. State, Appeal No. 05-16-

00846-CR, and State v. Machutta, Appeal No. 05-16-01160-CR, tendered in the Fifth 

Court of Appeals of Texas on March 7, 2018. 

 Counsel has additional matters pending: (1) mandatory Public Defender training 

on March 9, 2018; (2) Brief for Appellant in Tevin Ahere v. State, Appeal No. 05-17-

00737-CR, anticipated to be ordered due on March 19, 2018, pursuant to the February 

26, 2018 findings and recommendations of the trial court pursuant to the January 30, 

2018 abatement order concerning the status of the Appellant’s brief;1

 (3) Brief for 

Appellant in Anthony Troy Chiplin v. State, Appeal No. 05-17-01052-CR, an appeal 

from a jury conviction for injury to a child or elderly person, with a reporter’s record 

consisting of approximately 925 pages, which was due in the Fifth Court of Appeals 

on February 9, 2018, and abated on March 6, 2018 for findings concerning the status 

of the Brief for Appellant; (4) Brief for Appellant in Michael Bickley v. State, Appeal 

 

1 In addition to the matters specified in Part III, counsel completed the following between late December of 

2017 and early February of 2018: (1) 91-page Brief for Appellant (12 points of error) in Manuel Fino v. 

State, Appeal No. 05-17-00169-CR, an appeal from a murder conviction, filed on December 27, 2017; (2) 

Voluntary Dismissal in Fino v. State, Appeal No. 05-17-00170-CR, filed in the Fifth Court of Appeals of 

Texas at Dallas on December 27, 2017; (3) 57-page Brief for Appellant in Leonard Mornes v. State, Appeal 

No. 05-17-00289-CR, an appeal from a capital murder conviction, filed in the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas 

at Dallas on January 11, 2018; (4) Motion for Rehearing and Petition for Discretionary Review Evaluation 

and Rule 48 compliance in 13 cases (Gutierrez, Martin, No. 05-16-00638-CR; Crow, Isaac, No. 05-16-01434-

CR; Velazquez, Adrian, No. 05-16-00333-CR; Agers, Reginale, Nos. 05-16-01419-CR, 05-16-01420-CR, 05-

16-01421-CR, 05-16-01422-CR, 05-16-01423-CR; Canady, Myron, No. 05-17-00119-CR; Dominguez, Jose, 

Nos. 05-16-01280-CR, 05-16-01281-CR, 05-16-01282-CR; and Green, James, No. 05-17-00082-CR) (6) 

Motion to Determine Jurisdiction (eight pages) filed in lieu of Brief for Appellant in Michael Bickley v. State, 

Appeal Nos. 05-17-01189-CR and 05-17-01190-CR, on January 30, 2018; and (7) Brief for Appellant in 

Eddie Lee Smith v. State, Appeal No. 05-17-01257-CR, filed in the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas on 
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Nos. 05-17-01189-CR and 05-17-01190-CR, with date for brief to be due to be 

determined, or dismissal ordered, after reinstatement on jurisdictional findings and 

recommendations of District Court, set for hearing on March 9, 2018 in the 283rd 

Judicial District Court of Dallas County; and (5) Brief for Appellant in Chelsea 

Wallace v. State, Appeal No. 05-18-00006-CR, due on March 29, 2018, with no 

extension requested. In addition, counsel is in need of time to attend to non-briefing 

matters that resulted in a backlog due to counsel’s recent docket. See Part III and 

footnote 1, supra, at page 3. 

IV. 

Accordingly, Appellant relies on the aforementioned facts as reasonably 

explaining Appellant’s need to for an extension of time to file a PDR with this Court. 

Appellant respectfully requests an extension of time in the length of 45 days, from 

March 9, 2018, to April 23, 2018. 

WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, Appellant prays that this Court 

will grant the extension requested or order any other relief to which Appellant would 

be entitled. 

 

February 2, 2018. 
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 /s/ Christian T. Souza 

 Christian T. Souza 

 Texas Bar No. 00785414 

 Assistant Public Defender 

 Dallas County Public Defender’s Office 

 133 N. Riverfront Blvd. LB 2 

 Dallas, Texas 75207 

 (214) 653-3550 (phone) 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

A true and correct copy of the foregoing PDR extension motion has been sent to 

the Special Prosecutor as follows via surface mail by deposit into the Dallas County 

Mail System. 

Donald J. Guidry 

The Guidry Law Firm 

5787 Main Street, Suite 270 

Dallas, Texas 75232 

 

/s/ Christian T. Souza 

Christian T. Souza