Joseph Bernard Nichols, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas affirmed Joseph Bernard Nichols' capital murder conviction and death sentence. It held that Nichols' confession was properly admitted, that the trial court's sua sponte juror exclusions were either harmless or proper, and that the evidence supported the jury's findings on all special issues. A dissent argued that the exclusion of juror Hurzeler was not harmless and warranted reversal.