TRIAL WINNERS WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 11, 2026
Prosecutors Twyanette Wallace, Kelcie Davis, Rachel Barlow and Rebecca Hendershott
Defense Attorneys Ricardo Perazza
Congratulations on a job well done!
SLOW TRIAL WEEK DUE TO JUDGE CONFERENCE
This week’s Harris County criminal jury trial results include guilty verdicts, not guilty verdicts, and other trial outcomes from courts throughout the Harris County Criminal Courthouse. ShowMeTheJustice.com updates these trial results weekly as part of its ongoing coverage of criminal justice in Houston, Texas.
The total SMTJ (Show Me The Justice) verdicts listed for a lawyer dates back to January 2017. A minimum of 10 verdicts (rendered in Harris County) for prosecutors and 6 verdicts for defense lawyers is required for the listing. All lawyers and their verdicts can be seen on the below listed spreadsheet “ALL LAWYERS VERDICTS SINCE 2017”
Congratulations to Prosecutor Rebecca Hendershott for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
DWI
Sentence: 3 Days in Jail
(visiting judge Sherman Ross presiding – CCL15 – jury trial – Cause #2595618)
Congratulations to Prosecutor Twyanette Wallace for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas. (Twyanette has secured 12 guilty verdicts per SMTJ)
Robbery
Sentence: 6 Years Probation
(Mental Health judge Mark Ellis presiding – 351st Criminal District Court – bench trial – Cause #1935590) co-counsel Kelcie Davis
Congratulations to Prosecutor Kelcie Davis for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Robbery
Sentence: 6 Years Probation
(Mental Health judge Mark Ellis presiding – 351st Criminal District Court – bench trial – Cause #1935590) co-counsel Twyanette Wallace
Congratulations to Prosecutor Twyanette Wallace for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas. (Twyanette has secured 11 guilty verdicts per SMTJ)
Murder
Sentence: Life in Prison
(Mental Health judge Mark Ellis presiding – 178th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1755764) co-counsel Rachel Barlow
Congratulations to Prosecutor Rachel Barlow for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas. (Rachel has secured 17 guilty verdicts per SMTJ)
Murder
Sentence: Life in Prison
(Mental Health judge Mark Ellis presiding – 178th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1755764) co-counsel Twyanette Wallace
Congratulations to Defense Attorney Ricardo Perazza for earning an In-Trial Dismissal for your client
DWI >.15
(judge Kelley Andrews presiding – CCL6 – jury trial – Cause Number 2549852)
ShowMeTheJustice.com is the leading independent source for Harris County criminal trial statistics, jury verdicts, attorney leaderboards, judicial activity, trial-setting dismissals, sentencing data, and courthouse news. Our database tracks thousands of criminal jury trials and continues to grow with weekly updates from the Harris County Criminal Courthouse.
Note: This scoreboard may not be 100% accurate as I could have missed some mistrials that occurred at the early stages of the trial or a quick court trial that lasted a couple of hours….. but it is close to 100%.
ALL LAWYERS VERDICTS SINCE 2017
Search and compare Harris County criminal trial results for prosecutors and defense attorneys from 2017 to the present. This easy-to-read spreadsheet tracks guilty and not guilty verdicts from Harris County criminal courts and allows users to quickly review individual attorney trial records and courtroom results. Find prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers by name and compare their reported jury and judge trial outcomes compiled by ShowMeTheJustice.com.
ALL CRIMINAL JUDGES TRIALS SINCE 2019
Search Harris County felony and misdemeanor criminal court trial and verdict results by judge from 2019 to the present. This easy-to-read spreadsheet tracks guilty and not guilty verdicts in criminal cases and allows users to compare trial outcomes before individual Harris County criminal court judges. Search judges by name and review their reported jury and judge trial results compiled by ShowMeTheJustice.com.
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Kyle Sampson for earning 11 “Not Guilty” Verdicts since 2017
Kyle is tied for NUMBER 16 on the “Rosster” of TRIAL LAWYERS WITH THE MOST WINS SINCE 2017
Leading Defense Attorneys for Winning Felony and Misdemeanor Verdicts since February 2017 – OVER 2,000 PRACTICING DEFENSE ATTORNEYS at the Harris County Criminal Courthouse (stats taken from above spreadsheet)
Note: The following spreadsheets, standings, charts, graphs and compilations may NOT be 100% accurate.
WEEKLY HARRIS COUNTY TRIAL SETTING DISMISSALS
ShowMeTheJustice.com recognizes the following Harris County criminal defense attorneys who obtained trial-setting dismissals this week. A trial-setting dismissal occurs when a criminal case is dismissed before jury selection, often after negotiations, further investigation, or other developments leading to dismissal of the charges.
This week’s GOLD STAR winning lawyers are: Jannell Robles, Danielle Saenz and Max Patterson (for 2 trial setting dismissals)
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Jannell Robles for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 1868139 out of the 248th Criminal District Court for the offense of
INJURY to a Child
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Adam Brown for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 1939864 out of the 185th Criminal District Court for the offense of
ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Justin Harris for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2512905 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 4 for the offense of
DWI >.15
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Tiara Perkins for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2604962 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 16 for the offense of
ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney De’La Spears for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2589256 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 16 for the offense of
DWI >.15
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Maverick Ray for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2609036 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 16 for the offense of
ASSAULT
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Jennifer Carpenter for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2610943 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 16 for the criminal offense of
DWI
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Rahan Atia for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2609551 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 8 for the offense of
ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Coby Dubose for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2545823 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 14 for the offense of
INTERFERENCE with the Duties of a Public Servant
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Stephen Jackson for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2600551 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 15 for the offense of
VIOLATION of a Protective Order
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Henry Nguyen for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2595115 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 16 for the offense of
ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Andrew McGee for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 1946439 out of the 184th Criminal District Court for the offense of
THEFT $2500 – $30K
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Max Patterson for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 1920090 out of the 209th Criminal District Court for the offense of
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Danielle Saenz for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 1939463 out of the 209th Criminal District Court for the offense of
INJURY to a Child
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Cory Roth for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 1909073 out of the 176th Criminal District Court for the offense of
AGGRAVATED ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Max Patterson for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2631221 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 03 for the offense of
ASSAULT Family Member
Show Me The Justice recognizes Defense Attorney Sonya Butts for earning a trial setting dismissal for your client in Cause Number 2498677 out of Criminal Court at Law Number 10 for the offense of
DWI
ShowMeTheJustice.com provides weekly coverage of Harris County Criminal Courts, including jury trials, trial-setting dismissals, attorney leaderboards, courtroom statistics, judicial activity, and criminal justice trends.
PROSECUTOR LEADER BOARD 2026
Leading Prosecutors for Winning Felony and Misdemeanor Verdicts for 2026
September 11, 2026 – The race for the top spot continues! Congratulations to Harris County prosecutors Traemon Anderson, Mikeala Morris and Nidia Ventura who currently lead all prosecutors with 8 guilty verdicts in 2026. Following closely with 7 guilty verdicts are Samantha Barnhart, Tieranee Jones and Peter Uli III and Morgan Kline and Ellie Fossier with 6 guilty verdicts each. Rankings are updated regularly by ShowMeTheJustice.com, featuring Harris County criminal trials in progress, criminal trial statistics, attorney leaderboards, verdicts, and courtroom news.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for Harris County criminal jury trial results, attorney leaderboards, judge statistics, verdict trends, courthouse news, and comprehensive courtroom analytics.
DEFENSE LEADER BOARD 2026
Leading Defense Attorneys for Winning Felony and Misdemeanor Verdicts for 2026
September 11, 2026 – The competition among Harris County’s top criminal defense attorneys continues to intensify. Arienna Toh currently leads the field with 5 jury trial victories in 2026. Close behind are Jordan Schuck, Brianne Boiarsky, Alyssa Craze-Awbrey, Tyler Flood, Paul Morgan, and Duncan Isaac, each with 3 trial wins. The remaining attorneys on the leaderboard have each earned 2 jury trial victories, reflecting the depth of trial talent in the Harris County criminal courthouse. Rankings are updated regularly by ShowMeTheJustice.com based on publicly available jury trial verdicts.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for Harris County criminal jury trial results, attorney leaderboards, judge statistics, verdict trends, courthouse news, and comprehensive courtroom analytics.
FELONY JUDGE LEADER BOARD 2026
All Elected Felony Judges and their trial totals for 2026
September 11, 2026 – 2026 Harris County Felony Trial Leaderboard – Jury trial activity remains strong throughout the Harris County felony courts. Judge Dan Simons has presided over more criminal jury trials than any other felony judge in 2026, with 26 trials completed – almost twice as many as the next two leading judges. Judge Peyton Peebles has 14 trials, Judge Veronica Nelson has 13 trials, while Judge Stacy Allen Barrow follows closely with 11 trials. The remaining judges on this leaderboard continue to maintain active criminal trial dockets, demonstrating the significant volume of felony jury trials occurring throughout the Harris County courthouse.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for the latest Harris County criminal jury trial statistics, felony and misdemeanor judge leaderboards, prosecutor and defense attorney rankings, verdict trends, court dockets, and daily courthouse action.
MISDEMEANOR JUDGE LEADER BOARD 2026
All Elected Misdemeanor Judges and their trial totals for 2026
September 11, 2026 – 2026 Harris County Misdemeanor Trial Activity – Jury trial activity remains robust in the Harris County misdemeanor courts. Judge Andrew Wright has presided over more misdemeanor criminal jury trials than any other county criminal court judge in 2026, with 20 trials completed. Judge Erika Ramirez follows with 15 trials, while Judges Shannon Baldwin has 13 trials and Judge Linda Garcia with 12 trials. The remaining judges on this leaderboard continue to maintain active misdemeanor trial dockets as they move criminal cases through the Harris County justice system.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for the latest Harris County criminal jury trial results, misdemeanor and felony judge leaderboards, prosecutor and defense attorney rankings, verdict statistics, court dockets, and daily courthouse action.
VISITING JUDGE LEADER BOARD 2026
Visiting Judges and their trial totals for 2026
September 11, 2026 – 2026 Harris County Visiting Judge Trial Activity – Visiting judges remain an essential part of the Harris County criminal justice system, presiding over numerous jury trials throughout the year. Judge Lisa Burkhalter leads the pack with 11 trials and Judge Vanessa Velasquez (who is now the appointed judge of the 486th Criminal District Court) has presided over 10 trials, while Judge Marc Brown and Judge Christi Kennedy have each completed 8 trials. Their service helps ensure that criminal cases continue moving efficiently through one of the nation’s busiest court systems.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for the latest Harris County criminal jury trial results, felony and misdemeanor judge leaderboards, visiting judge statistics, prosecutor and defense attorney rankings, verdict trends, court dockets, and daily courthouse action.
PROSECUTOR LEADER BOARD – Last 9 Years
Harris County Career Prosecutor Leaderboard for Winning Felony and Misdemeanor Verdicts since February 2017 Note: Prosecutors listed may no longer be working at the District Attorney’s Office
September 11, 2026 – Harris County Prosecutor Career Leaderboard – Since February 2017, hundreds of prosecutors have tried criminal jury cases in the Harris County Criminal Courthouse. Danielle Oxford currently holds the top position with 44 guilty verdicts, followed by Heather Axline with 34 guilty verdicts. Keaton Forcht (former Prosecutor) and Helen Le (Former Prosecutor) are tied with 29 guilty verdicts, with Abraham Chopin on their tails with 28 guilty verdicts, while several other prosecutors continue to build impressive trial records. This leaderboard reflects sustained jury trial experience over nearly a decade and is updated regularly by ShowMeTheJustice.com.
These standings reflect the total number of guilty jury verdicts recorded for each prosecutor during the tracking period. They are intended as historical statistical information and do not measure conviction rates, overall case performance, or prosecutorial effectiveness.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for Harris County criminal jury trial results, prosecutor and defense attorney leaderboards, judge statistics, verdict trends, courtroom news, and comprehensive criminal courthouse analytics.
2026 Harris County Misdemeanor Docket Report
Top 10 Misdemeanor Courts (out of 16 courts) for LOWEST docket totals through August 2026 (non pretrial intervention cases) – source: Harris County Courts Active Cases Report
September 2026 – 2026 Harris County Misdemeanor Docket Report – Pending criminal caseloads vary considerably among the County Criminal Courts at Law. Judge Jessica Padilla currently maintains the smallest pending misdemeanor docket with 780 active cases, while the largest misdemeanor docket contains 1,517 pending cases. Differences in docket size may result from numerous factors, including case assignments, filing volume, court scheduling, transfers, and the timing of case dispositions. These rankings provide a current snapshot of pending misdemeanor caseloads across the Harris County criminal courts through July.
Key Takeaways
- Jessica Padilla (CCL14) has the smallest pending misdemeanor docket with 780 active cases.
- Leslie Johnson (CCL3), Linda Garcia (CCL16), Toria Finch (CCL9) and Paula Goodhart (CCL2) also have fewer than 1,000 pending cases.
- The largest pending misdemeanor docket currently contains 1,517 active criminal cases.
- Docket sizes fluctuate throughout the year as new cases are filed and existing cases are resolved.
- Rankings are updated regularly using publicly available Harris County court records.
Note: Pending case totals represent a snapshot of each court’s active criminal docket on the date indicated. Docket size alone should not be interpreted as a measure of judicial performance or courtroom efficiency, as caseloads are influenced by factors such as new filings, case complexity, transfers, specialty court assignments, staffing, and the timing of case dispositions.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for Harris County criminal court statistics, misdemeanor and felony docket reports, judge leaderboards, jury trial results, prosecutor and defense attorney rankings, verdict trends, and daily courthouse action.
2026 Harris County Felony Caseload Report
Top 10 Felony Courts (out of 29 courts) for LOWEST docket totals through August 2026 – source: Harris County District Criminal District Courts Dashboard
September 2026 – The 2026 Harris County Felony Docket Leaderboard ranks the Criminal District Courts by the number of active pending felony cases – through August. As of this update, Judge Matt Peneguy maintains the lowest pending felony caseload, followed by Judge Nata Cornelio and Judge Vanessa Velasquez. Felony docket totals fluctuate throughout the year as new indictments are filed, cases are transferred, trials conclude, pleas are entered, and other matters are resolved. These rankings are updated regularly using publicly available Harris County court statistics.
Key Highlights
- Matt Peneguy (488th District Court) currently has the lowest pending felony docket with 183 active cases.
- Nata Cornelio (351st) and Vanessa Velasquez (486th) round out the top three lowest felony dockets.
- The largest felony docket currently contains 986 pending cases.
- Pending felony caseloads change regularly as cases are filed, transferred, disposed of, or set for trial.
- Rankings are updated periodically using publicly available Harris County court records.
Note: Pending felony case totals represent a snapshot of each court’s active docket on the date shown. Docket size alone should not be interpreted as a measure of judicial performance or efficiency. Caseloads are influenced by numerous factors, including new felony filings, case complexity, court assignments, transfers, staffing, and the timing of case dispositions.
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for Harris County criminal jury trial results, prosecutor and defense attorney leaderboards, judge statistics, verdict trends, courtroom news, and comprehensive criminal courthouse analytics.
HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURT STATISTICS — SEE THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE VERDICTS
Think you know what happens inside the Harris County Criminal Courthouse? The actual numbers may surprise you.
- What percentage of murder trials end in NOT GUILTY verdicts?
- What is the average sentence for a murder conviction?
- Which offense receives higher sentences – murder or child sex cases?
- Which criminal charges give the defense the best chance of winning at trial?
- How do verdict rates compare in murder, DWI, assault, robbery and child sex cases?
- How much of the courthouse caseload is handled by hired lawyers, appointed attorneys and public defenders?
EXPLORE THE HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE BY THE NUMBERS →
Verdicts • Sentences • Judges • Prosecutors • Defense Attorneys • Trial Trends
CHECK OUT THE HARRIS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE STATISTICS HERE!
WHO ARE THE JUDICIAL CANDIDATES FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY MISDEMEANOR AND FELONY JUDGE POSITIONS FOR 2026? Check out the list below!
Information found on the Harris County Democratic and Republican parties websites
FOR EXCITING LIVE VIDEOS OF HOUSTON CRIME IN PROGRESS VISIT GRIZZY’S HOOD NEWS AT GRIZZYSHOODNEWS.COM
HARRIS COUNTY FELONY COURTS DASHBOARD
HARRIS COUNTY MISDEMEANOR COURTS DASHBOARD
DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE DASHBOARD
OFFICE OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATION
HARRIS COUNTY COURTS FACEBOOK PAGE
HARRIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE FACEBOOK PAGE
THEFT BY CHECK AND ISSUANCE OF A BAD CHECK TRIAL MANUAL
Great tips from the Harris County Court Reporters – click here!
I interviewed 12 experienced court reporters working the Harris County Criminal Courts and got their “inside information” on how jurors, lawyers and witnesses could improve in trial to make it easier for the court reporter to take down ALL the information required of them for a good record. THESE ARE SOME GREAT TIPS! (Interviews took place in 2019)
Visit ShowMeTheJustice.com for daily Harris County criminal trial results, attorney rankings, verdict statistics, judge leaderboards, and the latest courthouse action.