Feryl John Granger v. State Texas

Trial was before the jury for murder of Steve Anderson. After finding appellant guilty, the jury assessed punishment at life. On appeal the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals (13th District) reversed the conviction. See Granger v. State, 653 S.W.2d 868 (Tex.App. - Corpus Christi 1983). We granted the States petition for discretionary review to examine the Court of Appeals holding that the accomplice witness testimony given at appellants former trial was improperly admitted at his second trial. The Court of Appeals held that although the witness was "unavailable" at the second trial, reading her former testimony into the record was improper because appellant was denied effective cross-examination of the witness at the time that she gave the testimony at the first trial. According to the court, the cross-examination was ineffective because the State failed to disclose to appellant at his first trial that it had an "understanding" with the witness to reward her for her testimony. We also granted appellants petition for discretionary review to examine the Court of Appeals holding that the nonaccomplice testimony sufficiently corroborated the accomplice witness testimony, and that such evidence was sufficient to sustain the conviction.