NUMBERS 13-17-00556-CR AND 13-17-00570-CR
COURT OF APPEALS
THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
CORPUS CHRISTI - EDINBURG
____________________________________________________________
MANSU LAU KNOX JR., APPELLANT,
v.
THE STATE OF TEXAS, APPELLEE.
____________________________________________________________
On Appeal from the 27th District Court
of Bell County, Texas.
____________________________________________________________
ORDER OF ABATEMENT
Before Justices Rodriguez, Benavides, and Longoria
Order Per Curiam
Appellant, Mansu Lau Knox Jr., has filed a notice of appeal with this Court from his
convictions in trial court cause numbers 76444 and 77322.1 The trial court's certifications
1 This case is before the Court on transfer from the Third Court of Appeals in Austin pursuant to a
docket equalization order issued by the Supreme Court of Texas. See TEX. GOV'T CODE ANN. § 73.001
(West, Westlaw through 2017 R.S.).
of the defendant's right to appeal shows that the defendant does not have the right to
appeal. See TEX. R. APP. P. 25.2(a)(2).
On October 19, 2017, we ordered appellant's counsel, Billy Ray Hall Jr., to, within
thirty days, review the record and advise this Court as to whether appellant has a right to
appeal. See TEX. R. APP. P. 44.3, 44.4. No response to this Court's order has been
received. Therefore, we abate these appeals and remand these causes to the trial court
for a hearing to determine why counsel has failed to comply with this Court's order. The
trial court's findings and conclusions shall be included in a supplemental clerk's record.
The trial court shall file the supplemental clerk's record and reporter's record, if any, with
the Clerk of this Court within thirty days of the date of this order.
If the trial court determines that counsel is unable to represent appellant in these
appeals, the trial court shall conduct a hearing to determine whether appellant desires to
prosecute the appeals, whether appellant is indigent, and whether appellant is entitled to
appointed counsel. See Penson v. Ohio, 488 U.S. 75, 83-84 (1988); Stafford v. State,
813 S.W.2d 503, 511 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991). We further direct the trial court to issue
findings of fact and conclusions of law regarding these issues. Should the trial court find
that appellant desires to pursue these appeals, is indigent, and is entitled to appointed
counsel, the trial court shall appoint counsel. If counsel is appointed, the name, address,
email address, telephone number, and state bar number of said counsel shall be included
in the trial court's findings of fact and conclusions of law.
PER CURIAM
Do not publish.
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
2
Delivered and filed the
1st day of December, 2017.
3
Mansu Lau Knox, Jr. v. State
Combined Opinion