United States Fifth Circuit

A judgment of conviction in a case arising out of an illegal alien smuggling conspiracy that caused the deaths of undocumented aliens secreted in the trailer of a tractor-trailer driven by defendant is vacated where the district court erred when it entered a judgment of conviction on a supposed "verdict" returned by a jury as there was no verdict.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/10/2006
• Published 05/11/2006

Judges

• PATRICK E. HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judge:, Before HIGGINBOTHAM, DeMOSS and OWEN, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Fifth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• James Lee Turner, Asst. U.S. Atty., Tony Ray Roberts (argued), Houston, TX, for U.S., Craig A. Washington (argued), Houston, TX, for Williams.