ORANGE COUNTY, Texas — A Vidor man, who pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter in the deaths of two Mississippi men, has had his conviction reversed.
Jesse Allen Griffin pleaded guilty in a October 2019 wreck that killed the two men and then received two 14-year sentences that were set to run concurrently according to an opinion from the Texas Ninth Court of Appeals in Beaumont.
The punishment phase of Griffin's trial was only before the judge, who decided his punishment.
Griffin appealed his conviction saying that the trial court violated the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure and misled him by not making it clear what his punishment range would be.
He claimed in his appeal that the trial court told him that he was pleading guilty to a third-degree felony and faced no less than two and no more than 10 years in the Texas prison system according to the opinion.
The judge then sentenced him to 14 years on each charge the opinion noted.
The appeals court agreed with Griffin and reversed his conviction and sentence and sent the case back to the lower court.
Prosecutors agreed with the decision of the appeals court according to the opinion.
GET NEWS & WEATHER ALERTS | Download the 12News App to your mobile device
CRIME STOPPERS | Submit a tip @ 833Tips.com
CRIME STOPPERS APP | Download the P3 Tips App
The crash happened around 5 a.m. on October 30, 2019, near Adams Bayou on Interstate 10 in Orange according to a file story.
Westbound traffic was already stopped due to a previous wreck when Griffin failed to stop in time and struck several stopped vehicles according to a news release from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Griffin “failed to control his speed” according to the release.
Vernon Morris , 40 and Alvin Beck, 45, both of Mississippi, were killed in the wreck.
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.