Court Opinion

ID: 9963338
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-04-25 07:13:14.655308+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:24:46.557039
License: Public Domain

COURT OF APPEALS
                                EIGHTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
                                     EL PASO, TEXAS

 IN RE:                                           §               No. 08-24-00008-CR

 SHANNON MARK DOUTHIT,                            §         AN ORIGINAL PROCEEDING

                                     Relator.     §                IN MANDAMUS

                                                  §

                                                  §

                                           OPINION

       Relator Shannon Mark Douthit, a pro se inmate, filed a petition for writ of mandamus

asking this Court to compel the Honorable Roy Ferguson, District Judge of the 394th Judicial

District Court to rule on his motion for post-conviction DNA testing pursuant to Article 64 of the

Code of Criminal Procedure. Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 64.03. For the reasons below, we

deny the petition as moot.

       Douthit filed his motion for DNA testing on August 29, 2023. He called the motion to the

trial court’s attention on December 6, 2023, when he filed a request for a hearing on the motion.

He filed this mandamus on January 22, 2024.

       On April 17, 2024, the district clerk filed a supplemental clerk’s record that includes an

order of the trial court dated January 23, 2024. The order takes action on Douthit’s motion by
ordering the State to deliver the evidence at issue to the trial court, file a response, and appoint

counsel for Douthit. The trial court’s ruling on Douthit’s pending motion renders moot his petition

for mandamus seeking the same. See In re Bonilla, 424 S.W.3d 528, 534 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014)

(orig. proceeding) (concluding that mandamus relief is rendered moot when relator received the

relief requested by other means). Therefore, we deny the petition as moot.

                                              JEFF ALLEY, Chief Justice

April 22, 2024

Before Alley, C.J., Palafox and Soto, JJ.