Villarreal v. Texas · ¶1

David Villarreal's murder trial culminated with his own testimony. That testimony was interrupted by a 24-hour overnight recess, during which the trial judge instructed Villarreal's attorneys not to “manage his testimony.” 707 S. W. 3d 138, 142. The judge clarified, however, that Villarreal was not prohibited from talking to his attorneys and recognized Villarreal's constitutional right to confer about certain topics, such as possible sentencing issues. Villarreal resumed his testimony 24 hours later and was subsequently convicted of murder. On appeal, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals concluded that the order was a permissible exercise of the trial court's discretion.

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