Billy Wayne Dowden, Sr., Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas affirmed the conviction of Billy Wayne Dowden for capital murder, holding that the trial court was not required to charge the jury on any lesser included offenses, that the instructed verdict was improper, that the voir dire on causation was within discretion, and that the statutory definition of intent did not shift the burden of proof. Justice Teague, dissenting, argued that the majority misapplied causation and should have reversed the conviction.