Matt Daher authored Overturning Texas Sex-Crime Convictions: Trial or Plea, a comprehensive resource for anyone convicted of a sex crime in Texas who believes their case was handled unfairly.
The guide tackles one of the most persistent and damaging myths in criminal law: that pleading guilty means you can never challenge your conviction. This is simply not true. Under Texas law, a post-conviction writ of habeas corpus (an Article 11.07 writ) allows courts to examine issues that were never addressed at trial or during the plea process — including whether a defense attorney failed to investigate the case, whether witnesses lied, and whether the prosecution engaged in misconduct. These remedies are available regardless of whether a conviction came from a jury trial or a guilty plea.
Five Innocent Men, Exposed by the Same Broken System
At the heart of the guide are the stories of five men, all listed on the National Registry of Exonerations, who were convicted of sex crimes in Texas for offenses they did not commit. Together, they lost more than 80 years to prison. Their cases reveal how unreliable testimony, flawed forensic interviews, inadequate defense attorneys, and prosecutorial failures can combine to convict an innocent person.
- Tyrone Day pled guilty in Dallas County in 1990 after his attorney told him he would be paroled in four years. He served more than 26 years. DNA testing eventually excluded him entirely; he was exonerated in 2023.
- Adam Sanchez entered no-contest pleas in Bexar County in 2019 under pressure from a court-appointed attorney who visited him only three times. Both children later recanted; he was exonerated in 2024.
- Calvin Reed pled guilty in Harris County in 2008; his attorney had one documented conversation with him between arrest and plea. The complainant later recanted; he was exonerated in 2023.
- Marshall Moreno was convicted at trial in Travis County in 2003. The complainant came forward as an adult to state the accusations were fabricated under family pressure; he was exonerated in 2025 after 24 years.
- Brice Blankenship was convicted at trial in Waller County in 2021 with no physical evidence; the prosecution withheld a key witness's prior theft conviction. He was exonerated in 2025.
A Guilty Plea Is Not the End of the Road
Of these five innocent men, three had pled guilty — for the reasons innocent people often plead guilty: fear of even longer sentences at trial, pressure from defense attorneys who failed to investigate, and a legal system that treated their convictions as foregone conclusions. Their exonerations prove that a guilty plea does not close the door to relief.
The guide is written primarily for attorneys, though it is accessible to members of the public. For questions about the guide or to discuss whether post-conviction relief may be an option in a specific case, contact Daher Law Group.