Court Opinion

ID: 9916659
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-10 09:09:25.435317+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:25:45.323820
License: Public Domain

In the
              Court of Appeals
Sixth Appellate District of Texas at Texarkana

                   No. 06-23-00104-CR

        LAPRENSE DERELL WILLIS, Appellant

                            V.

           THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

          On Appeal from the 5th District Court
                 Bowie County, Texas
             Trial Court No. 18F1272-005

      Before Stevens, C.J., van Cleef and Rambin, JJ.
      Memorandum Opinion by Chief Justice Stevens
                               MEMORANDUM OPINION

       Appellant, Laprense Derell Willis, perfected this appeal from a judgment of conviction

entered by the 5th Judicial District Court of Bowie County, Texas, in trial court cause number

18F1272-005.      Appellant’s counsel filed a motion with this Court seeking the permanent

abatement of this appeal due to the death of the appellant. According to the motion, appellant

died on December 30, 2023, which was after the appeal was perfected but before this Court

issued its mandate.

       In accordance with Rule 7.1(a)(2) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, we grant

this motion and permanently abate this appeal. See TEX. R. APP. P. 7.1(a)(2); State v. McCaffrey,

76 S.W.3d 392, 392 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002) (“We have long held that the death of the appellant

during the pendency of his appeal deprives the court of jurisdiction[,] and the proper disposition

is [permanent] abatement.”); Whitmire v. State, 943 S.W.2d 894, 895 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997)

(per curiam).

                                                Scott E. Stevens
                                                Chief Justice

Date Submitted:        December 27, 2023
Date Decided:          January 9, 2024

Do Not Publish

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