Court Opinion

ID: 9763099
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:36:40.481634+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:39.386053
License: Public Domain

DIAL, Justice,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent.
Appellant is complaining that he was misled to elect punishment by the jury. Contained within that complaint, of necessity, is his desire to have the benefit of North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711, 89 S.Ct. 2072, 23 L.Ed.2d 656 (1969), placing a ceiling of 15 years on the possible punishment. TEX.PENAL CODE ANN. § 12.42(c) (Vernon 1974) places a minimum of 15 years on appellant’s punishment. Rather than remand for a new trial, I would reform the punishment to 15 years.
Bullard v. State, 548 S.W.2d 13 (Tex.Cr.App.1977) and Ellison v. State, 432 S.W.2d 955 (Tex.Cr.App.1968) do not involve election of punishment by judge or jury and therefore should not control this unique situation.