Murdock, Jeffrey Scott v. State

• Court: Court of Appeals of Texas
• Decided: July 18, 2002
• Docket: 14-02-00625-CR
• Status: Published

Opinion

Dismissed and Opinion filed July 18, 2002

Dismissed and Opinion filed July 18, 2002.

In The

Fourteenth Court of Appeals

____________

NOS. 14-02-00624-CR &

      14-02-00625-CR

JEFFERY SCOTT MURDOCK, Appellant

V.

THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellee

_______________________________________________________

On Appeal from the 337th District Court

Harris County, Texas

Trial Court Cause Nos. 888,719 & 880,794

M E M O R A N D U M   O P I N I O N

            Appellant pled guilty to the offenses of indecency with a child and possession of child pornography on May 10, 2002.  In accordance with the terms of a plea bargain agreement with the State, the trial court sentenced appellant to ten years confinement in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice--Institutional Division for each offense, sentences to run concurrently.  Because we have no jurisdiction over this appeal, we dismiss. 

            To invoke an appellate court’s jurisdiction over an appeal, an appellant must give timely and proper notice of appeal.  White v. State, 61 S.W.3d 424, 428 (Tex. Crim. App.

2001).  Appellant filed a general notice of appeal that did not comply with the requirements of Rule 25.2(b)(3) of the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.  See Tex. R. App. P. 25.2(b)(3).  Rule 25.2(b)(3) provides that when an appeal is from a judgment rendered on a defendant’s plea of guilty or nolo contendere and the punishment assessed does not exceed the punishment recommended by the State and agreed to by the defendant, the notice of appeal must:  (1) specify that the appeal is for a jurisdictional defect; (2) specify that the substance of the appeal was raised by written motion and ruled on before trial; or (3) state that the trial court granted permission to appeal.  Id.  The time for filing a proper notice of appeal has expired; thus appellant may not file an amended notice of appeal to correct jurisdictional defects.  State v. Riewe, 13 S.W.3d 408, 413-14 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000).  Because appellant’s notice of appeal did not comply with the requirements of Rule 25.2(b)(3), we are without jurisdiction to consider any of appellant’s issues, including the voluntariness of the plea.  See Cooper v. State, 45 S.W.2d 77, 83 (Tex. Crim. App. 2001) (holding that appellant who files general notice of appeal may not appeal voluntariness of negotiated plea). 

            Accordingly, we dismiss the appeal for want of jurisdiction. 

                                                                                    PER CURIAM

Judgment rendered and Opinion filed July 18, 2002.

Panel consists of Justices Hudson, Fowler, and Edelman.

Do Not Publish — Tex. R. App. P. 47.3(b).