TRIAL WINNERS WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 30, 2026
Prosecutors Lindsey Bondurant, Nikki Fontenot, Stephany Abner, Darian Hannah, Walter Hill, Panos Melisaris, Blair Duroy, Catherine McKinney, Katie Day, Jason Campo, Blaise Jurisich, Elizabeth Frey, Aaron Von Quintus, Katrina Figueroa, Sierra Dickey, Zach Aaron
Defense Attorneys Wilvin Carter, Teresa Lakho, Bianca Almaguer, William Gifford, Jeff Erskine, Shelby Burns
Congratulations on a job well done!
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.
Congratulations to Prosecutor Sierra Dickey for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
DWI >.15
Sentence: 15 Months Probation + 4 Days in Jail
(judge Andrew Wright presiding – CCL7 – jury trial – Cause #2614261) co counsel Zach Aaron
Congratulations to Prosecutor Zach Aaron for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
DWI >.15
Sentence: 15 Months Probation + 4 Days in Jail
(judge Andrew Wright presiding – CCL7 – jury trial – Cause #2614261) co counsel Sierra Dickey
Congratulations to Prosecutor Aaron Von Quintas for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: To Be Determined
(judge Te’iva Bell presiding – 339th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1917666) co-counsel Katrina Figueroa
Congratulations to Prosecutor Katrina Figueroa for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: To Be Determined
(judge Te’iva Bell presiding – 339th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1917666) co-counsel Aaron Von Quintus
Congratulations to Prosecutor Jason Campo for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: 50 Years in Prison
(judge Matt Peneguy presiding – 488th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1909880) co-counsels Blaise Jurisich and Elizabeth Frey
Congratulations to Prosecutor Blaise Jurisich for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: 50 Years in Prison
(judge Matt Peneguy presiding – 488th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1909880) co-counsels Jason Campo and Elizabeth Frey
Congratulations to Prosecutor Elizabeth Frey for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: 50 Years in Prison
(judge Matt Peneguy presiding – 488th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1909880) co-counsels Blaise Jurisich and Jason Campo
Congratulations to Prosecutor Catherine McKinney for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Robbery
Sentence: 60 Years in Prison
(judge Tami Pierce presiding – 180th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1961335) co-counsel Katie Day
Congratulations to Prosecutor Katie Day for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Robbery
Sentence: 60 Years in Prison
(judge Tami Pierce presiding – 180th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1961335) co-counsel Catherine McKinney
Congratulations to Prosecutor Panos Melisaris for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child
Sentence: 35 Years in Prison
(judge Veronica Nelson presiding – 482nd Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1933073) co-counsel Blair Duroy
Congratulations to Prosecutor Blair Duroy for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child
Sentence: 35 Years in Prison
(judge Veronica Nelson presiding – 482nd Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1933073) co-counsel Panos Melisari
Congratulations to Defense Attorney Jeff Erskine for earning a Not Guilty Verdict for your client.
Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
(judge Dan Simons presiding – 496th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause Number 1910098) co-counsel Shelby Burns
Congratulations to Defense Attorney Shelby Burns for earning a Not Guilty Verdict for your client.
Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
(judge Dan Simons presiding – 496th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause Number 1910098) co-counsel Jeff Erskine
Congratulations to Defense Attorney Bianca Almaguer for earning a Not Guilty Verdict for your client.
Assault Family Member – Choking
(judge Nikita Harmon presiding – 176th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause Number 1932911) co-counsel William Gifford
Congratulations to Defense Attorney William Gifford for earning a Not Guilty Verdict for your client.
Assault Family Member – Choking
(judge Nikita Harmon presiding – 176th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause Number 1932911) co-counsel Bianca Almaguer
Congratulations to Prosecutor Walter Hill for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Assault Family Member – Choking
Sentence: 5 Years Probation/180 Days in Jail Condition
(judge Emily Detoto presiding – 177th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1890370)
Congratulations to Prosecutor Stephany Abner for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: 14 Years in Prison
(judge Melissa Morris presiding – 263rd Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1827353) co-counsel Darian Hannah
Congratulations to Prosecutor Darian Hannah for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Murder
Sentence: 14 Years in Prison
(judge Melissa Morris presiding – 263rd Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1827353) co-counsel Stephany Abner
Congratulations to Prosecutor Lindsey Bondurant for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Manslaughter
Sentence: 10 Years Probation
(judge Hazel Jones presiding – 174th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1884576) co-counsel Nikki Fontenot
Congratulations to Prosecutor Nikki Fontenot for earning a Guilty Verdict for the State of Texas.
Manslaughter
Sentence: 10 Years Probation
(judge Hazel Jones presiding – 174th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause #1884576) co-counsel Lindsey Bondurant
Congratulations to Defense Attorney Wilvin Carter for earning a Not Guilty Verdict for your client.
Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
(judge Hazel Jones presiding – 174th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause Number 1884577) co-counsel Teresa Lakho – note: defendant was convicted of Manslaughter in the same trial – 10 years Probation
Congratulations to Defense Attorney Teresa Lakho for earning a Not Guilty Verdict for your client.
Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
(judge Hazel Jones presiding – 174th Criminal District Court – jury trial – Cause Number 1884577) co-counsel Wilvin Carter – note: defendant was convicted of Manslaughter in the same trial – 10 years Probation
Show Me The Justice acknowledges the hard work and dedication from Defense Attorneys Ed Chernoff, Brian Roberts and Ryan McLearen and Prosecutors Phillip White and Maroun Koutani in Cause Number 1897940 out of the 232nd Criminal District Court which resulted in a Hung Jury for the offense of
Murder
(visiting judge Marc Brown – jury trial) CLICK2HOUSTON
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 Jacob Vela for earning 14 “Not Guilty” Verdicts since 2017
Jacob is NUMBER 8 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: Patrick Ngwolo, Carlos Rodriguez
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Tiffany Valdez for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault
Criminal Court at Law Number 6 – Cause Number 2600948
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Jeff Erskine for earning a trial setting dismissal
Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon
177th Criminal District Court – Cause Number 1947534
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Fox Curl for earning a trial setting dismissal
Failure to Stop and Give Information
Criminal Court at Law Number 6 – Cause Number 2610668
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Will Vaughn for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault Family Member
Criminal Court at Law Number 2 – Cause Number 2610240
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Chantrisse Howard for earning a trial setting dismissal
DWI
Criminal Court at Law Number 2 – Cause Number 2620499
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Coby Dubose for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault Family Member
Criminal Court at Law Number 8 – Cause Number 2643220
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Rachel Reingold Wisener for earning a trial setting dismissal
DWI 2nd
Criminal Court at Law Number 8 – Cause Number 2625996
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Michael Edwards II for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault
Criminal Court at Law Number 1 – Cause Number 2615623
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Alisa Woodward for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault
Criminal Court at Law Number 6 – Cause Number 2595861
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Patrick Ngwolo for earning a trial setting dismissal
Sexual Assault
488th Criminal District Court – Cause Number 1965277
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Carlos Rodriguez for earning a trial setting dismissal
Indecency with a Child
497th Criminal District Court – Cause Number 1939758
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Sokoiya Thomas for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault
Criminal Court at Law Number 12 – Cause Number 2604395
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Enrique Ramirez for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault on a Pregnant Person
248th Criminal District Court – Cause Number 1959087
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Tiffany Bartley for earning a trial setting dismissal
DWI
Criminal Court at Law Number 3 – Cause Number 2604918
Show Me The Justice congratulates Defense Attorney Nathan Hennigan for earning a trial setting dismissal
Assault Family Member
185th Criminal District Court – Cause Number 1975997
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
October 30, 2026 – The race for the top spot continues! Congratulations to Harris County prosecutor Mikeala Morris for taking the lead at 10 guilty verdicts. Close behind are Traemon Anderson and Samantha Barnhart with 9 guilty verdicts. Prosecutors with 8 guilty verdicts are Abeer Farid, Peter Uli and Nidia Ventura. 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
October 30, 2026 – The competition among Harris County’s top criminal defense attorneys continues to intensify. Arienna Toh currently leads the field with 5 not guilty verdicts victories in 2026. Close behind is Brennen Dunn with 4 not guilty verdicts and Brianne Boiarsky, Shelby Burns, Alli Cannon, Alyssa Craze-Awbrey, Coby Dubose, Jeff Erskine, Tyler Flood, Duncan Isaac, Paul Morgan, and Jordan Schuck each with 3 not guilty verdicts. 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
October 30, 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 30 trials completed. Judge Peyton Peebles has 17 trials, Judge Veronica Nelson has 15 trials and Judge Stacy Allen Barrow and Judge Beverly Armstrong have 14 trials each. 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
October 30, 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 24 trials completed. Judge Erika Ramirez follows with 17 trials, while Judge Linda Garcia has 16 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
October 30, 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 13 trials, Judge Marc Brown has presided over 11 trials and Judge Vanessa Velasquez (who is now the appointed judge of the 486th Criminal District Court) has presided over 10 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
October 30, 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 45 guilty verdicts, followed by Heather Axline with 34 guilty verdicts and Abraham Chopin with 30 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 October 2026 (non pretrial intervention cases) – source: Harris County Courts Active Cases Report
October 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 846 active cases, while the largest misdemeanor docket contains 1,466 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 846 active cases.
- Leslie Johnson (CCL3), Linda Garcia (CCL16), and Paula Goodhart (CCL2) also have fewer than 1,000 pending cases.
- The largest pending misdemeanor docket currently contains 1,466 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 September 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, Judge Veronica Nelson 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 193 active cases.
- Nata Cornelio (351st), Veronica Nelson (482nd) and Vanessa Velasquez (486th) round out the top four lowest felony dockets.
- The largest felony docket currently contains 995 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.