Court Opinion

ID: 9381935
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-24 09:09:04.647039+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:35.879609
License: Public Domain

IN THE
                         TENTH COURT OF APPEALS

                                No. 10-22-00215-CR
                                No. 10-22-00216-CR

                      IN RE WILLIAM CHARLES WEBB

                               Original Proceedings

                        From the 54th District Court
                          McLennan County, Texas
                 Trial Court Nos. 2012-675-C2 & 2012-678-C2

                       MEMORANDUM OPINION

      These matters are the latest filings in relator William Charles Webb’s ongoing

quest to have certain items DNA tested. In fact, since 2018, Webb has filed numerous

Chapter 64 proceedings seeking to review orders denying appointment of counsel and

post-conviction DNA testing on various items. See generally In re Webb, No. 10-22-00040-

CR, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 1276 (Tex. App.—Waco Feb. 23, 2022, orig. proceeding) (mem.

op., not designated for publication); In re Webb, No. 10-22-00028-CR, 2022 Tex. App.

LEXIS 1281 (Tex. App.—Waco Feb. 23, 2022, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designated
for publication); In re Webb, No. 10-20-00292-CR, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 8509 (Tex. App.—

Waco Oct. 20, 2021, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designated for publication); Webb v.

State, No. 10-18-00170-CR, 2021 Tex. App. LEXIS 8527 (Tex. App.—Waco Oct. 20, 2021,

no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for publication); In re Webb, No. 10-21-00069-CR, 2021

Tex. App. LEXIS 3934 (Tex. App.—Waco May 19, 2021, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not

designated for publication); Webb v. State, No. 13-18-00578-CR, 2019 Tex. App. LEXIS 5081

(Tex. App.—Corpus Christi June 20, 2019, no pet.) (mem. op., not designated for

publication); In re Webb, No. 10-18-00113-CR, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 2952 (Tex. App.—

Waco Apr. 25, 2018, orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designated for publication); In re

Webb, No. 10-18-00036-CR, 2018 Tex. App. LEXIS 1066 (Tex. App.—Waco Feb. 7, 2018,

orig. proceeding) (mem. op., not designated for publication).

       In the two most recent proceedings, relator, William Charles Webb, filed two pro

se petitions for writ of mandamus in this Court. In his pro se mandamus petitions, Webb

complains that the trial court has refused to rule on his pro se Chapter 64 motions for

DNA testing filed on March 31, 2022, and April 7, 2022. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN.

art. 64.01.

       On March 10, 2023, the trial court denied Webb’s pro se Chapter 64 motions for

DNA testing, stating that Webb had failed to establish by a preponderance of the

evidence that there is a likelihood that the evidence Webb sought to have DNA tested

contains biological material suitable for DNA testing. Specifically, the trial court noted

In re Webb                                                                          Page 2
that “the evidence requested to be tested by the Movant [Webb] has been destroyed in

the normal course of business of the Waco Fire Department after the mandate had issued

in this case.”

       Because the trial court has now ruled on Webb’s pro se Chapter 64 motions for

DNA testing filed on March 31, 2022, and April 7, 2022, Webb’s complaints in these

mandamus petitions are now moot. See In re Bonilla, 424 S.W.3d 528, 534 (Tex. Crim. App.

2014) (dismissing a petition for writ of mandamus because the matter is moot given that

the information sought by relator was provided to him); see also State ex rel. Eidson v.

Edwards, 793 S.W.2d 1, 4 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990) (dismissing a petition for writ of

mandamus on original submission on the grounds that the relief sought was moot); State

ex rel. Holmes v. Denson, 671 S.W.2d 896, 899 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984) (dismissing a

mandamus petition on the ground that the relief sought had become moot and noting

that “there is nothing to mandamus, ergo mandamus does not lie”). Accordingly, we

dismiss Webb’s mandamus petitions filed on June 29, 2022, for lack of jurisdiction.

                                               STEVE SMITH
                                               Justice

In re Webb                                                                            Page 3
Before Chief Justice Gray,
       Justice Smith,
       and Justice Wright1
Petitions dismissed
Opinion delivered and filed March 22, 2023
Do not publish
[OT06]

        1  The Honorable Jim R. Wright, Senior Chief Justice (Retired) of the Eleventh Court of Appeals,
sitting by assignment of the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. See TEX. GOV'T CODE ANN. §§ 74.003,
75.002, 75.003.

In re Webb                                                                                         Page 4