Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas

Raul Mata, Appellant v. the State of Texas

June 6, 20012001 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 45

Summary

The Court of Criminal Appeals held that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting the expert's retrograde extrapolation testimony because it failed to meet Daubert and Kelly reliability standards, and it remanded for a determination of harm. The Court also affirmed that Mata preserved error on appeal. Separate dissenting opinions by Justices Keller and WOMACK argued the testimony was reliable, while a concurring opinion by Johnson emphasized the scientific uncertainty of such extrapolations.