"DEGARMO DOCTRINE" ON THE WAY OUT?

Are appellate rights waived if a Defendant is convicted and he or she admits guilt in punishment? In Degarmo v. State, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that a Defendant who admitted guilt in the punishment phase of his trial could not later appeal based upon insufficient evidence.

The Corpus Chrisi Court of Appeals recently rejected the "Degarmo Doctrine." In a well reasoned opinion, Judge Garza noted that the Court of Criminal Appeals' 1985 opinion was really just dicta on the waiver issue and declined to apply this oft cited and feared rule.

I feel confident that the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will weigh in on this issue. Read the opinion below:

Texas Judiciary Online - HTML Opinion