Terry N. Sterling, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

Summary

The Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas affirmed the capital murder conviction, holding that the admission of the first confession was error but harmless in view of a later admissible confession and independent evidence, and that the competency expert testimony and procedural compliance with Articles 46.02 and 46.03 were proper. The Court found the second confession admissible after applying attenuation factors, and rejected the appellant's due‑process and competency challenges. Justice Teague dissented, contending that an involuntary confession can never be harmless error.