in Re Robert Allen Byrd
in Re Robert Allen Byrd
Opinion of the Court
Relator’s petition for writ of mandamus is denied.
(Chief Justice Gráy concurring)
Concurring Opinion
concurring.
In this proceeding, Robert Allen Byrd again complains about some facet of having to pay attorney’s fees from his inmate account. Byrd, previously filed another mandamus related to this same issue which was denied. In re Byrd, No. 10-14-00296-CR, 2014 WL 5421198, 2014 Tex. App. LEXIS 11727 (Tex.App.-Waco Oct. 23, 2014) (orig. proceeding). He is now attempting to compel the trial court to revise the trial court’s judgment to delete attorney’s fees from the cost assessed against him or compel the trial court clerk to modify the certified bill of cost, modify or amend the trial court’s withholding order for future withholdings, and order funds previously taken out of his inmate account for attorney’s fees to be restored to his account.
Byrd was convicted of Capital Murder and was sentenced to life in prison on October ,15, 2008. The judgment, while suffering some of the anomalies mentioned in my concurring and dissenting opinion in Bledsoe v. State, No. 10-12-00276-CR, 2012 WL 6674496, 2012 Tex. App. LEXIS 10579 (Tex.App.-Waco, Dec. 20, 2012, no pet.) (not designated for publication) (Gray, C. J., concurring and dissenting), assessed court costs and attorney’s fees against Byrd. The judgment reflects cost and fees of $7,045.50. The certified bill of cost, apparently prepared on November 3, 2008, see id. includes attorney’s fees of $5,289.50 and investigator’s fees of $1,500. Byrd’s appellate attorney filed an Anders brief.
Nevertheless, the issue could have been presented in Byrd’s direct appeal. Id, Furthermore, it was an issue that could have been presented by a motion during the first year after the trial court assessed those fees and the certified bill of cost was prepared. Tex, Code CRim. PROC. Ann, art. 103.008 (West 2006). It appears from the documents submitted that Byrd has been aware of the withholding order since around the time that it was signed on October 15, 2008. Had such a motion been timely filed and denied, Byrd would have had an alternative legal remedy by a timely filed mandamus from the order denying a correction to the bill of cost. See Perez v. State, 424 S.W.3d 81, 87-88 (Tex.Crim.App. 2014) (Alcala, J., concurring).
Byrd contends, the judgment is void for erroneously including attorney’s fees cost in it. Byrd’s contention is 'wrong. At most, the judgment is erroneous, but it is not void. Upon the proper findings, a court has the authority, the jurisdiction, to assess attorney fees as recoverable cost in a criminal proceeding. Tex. Code CRim. PROc. Ann. art. 26.05(g) (West 2009). And while the inclusion of attorney’s fees in a particular judgment may be error, such an error does not make the judgment void.
Byrd failed to draw our attention to the error on direct appeal. Further, Byrd failed to timely file a motion’ to correct the bill of cost pursuant to article 103.008. Having had two legal avenues for relief but having slumbered on his rights, Byrd has lost his opportunity to correct the bill of cost. See Perez v. State, 424 S.W.3d 81, 87-89 (Tex.Crim.App. 2014) (Alcala, J., concurring).
. Byrd may be only trying to compel the trial court to'rule on a pending motion in the trial court, which motion is to obtain the described relief. It is difficult to tell from what Byrd has filed. It is the objective of this concurring opinion to put the issue to rest by giving Byrd's petition the broadest possible reading and explain to him why his efforts have not been successful so that he will cease to consume limited judicial resources.
. See Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738, 87 S.Ct. 1396, 18 L.Ed.2d 493 (1967).
. A petition for writ of habeas corpus is not available to Byrd on this issue. Ex parte Knight, 401 S.W.3d 60, 66 (Tex.Crim.App. 2013); In re Daniel, 396 S.W.3d 545,..548 (Tex.Crim.App. 2013). Moreover, Judge Alcala discussed, in her concurring .opinion in Perez, five possible methods for this issue to be addressed and corrected. Perez v. State, 424 S.W.3d 81, 87-89 (Tex.Crim.App. 2014) (Alcala, J., concurring). I have discussed and explained above why two of those methods ■' are’no longer viable for Byrd,‘Options 3 and 4 ■ are not viable for Byrd because the costs were assessed in time for correction by either of the first two options. Id. at 87-88 (Option 3: A petition for a writ of mandamus when the bill of cost is prepared after the,direct appeal is over and beyond the one year for such an action under 103.008; Option 4: The fourth option, is dependent on a bill of cost not ^having been produced. Such a bill of cost was produced in .this proceeding). The fifth,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.