Johnny Paul Penry, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court affirmed the capital murder conviction and death sentence, rejecting appellant's arguments on voluntary manslaughter instruction, confession admissibility, alleged illegal arrest, hearsay, and other issues. It held that the warnings on the written confessions satisfied statutory and Miranda requirements, that the arrest was lawful, and that the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction. A concurring opinion noted disagreement on the need to define “deliberately” for jurors.