Cruz v. State

OPINION

DAVID WELLINGTON CHEW, Justice.

Appellant David Cruz appeals his conviction for capital murder. Over Appellant’s not guilty plea, the jury found Appellant guilty of the offense. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. We reverse the trial court’s judgment and the case is remanded for a new trial.

On May 18, 2002, the body of Mike Mendivil was found near Capistrano Park on a dirt road by a cotton field in the Lower Valley area of El Paso. An autopsy revealed that the victim had four stab wounds, none of which were fatal, but he had died from multiple blunt force injuries to his chest and…