Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas

Luis Alberto Plata, Appellant v. the State of Texas, Appellee

June 26, 19961996 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 86

Summary

The Court affirmed the Court of Appeals' judgment, holding that the trial court's jury charge did not authorize a conviction of the appellant for vicarious liability because the application paragraph failed to incorporate the abstract definition of party liability; abstract instructions alone are insufficient. The decision also reaffirmed the principle that convictions must be expressly authorized by an application paragraph.