Steven Ceceilio Torres v. State

OPINION

JANE BLAND, Justice.

A jury found Steven Ceceilio Torres guilty of two capital murder offenses, for hiring two people who murdered Jose Perez. The trial court assessed punishment at life imprisonment.1 Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 19.03(a)(3) (West Supp.2011). On appeal, Torres contends that the trial court committed jury charge error, by (1) denying his request for a jury charge for murder, rather than for capital murder, based on his reading of the indictment; and (2) failing to properly instruct the jury that independent corroboration of accomplice witness testimony is a necessity. Finding…