Aundra Dawayne Elbert Taylor v. the State of Texas

No. 02-25-00150-CR · Court of Appeals for the Second Appellate District of Texas at Fort Worth · June 18, 2026 · No. 02-25-00150-CR

Summary

The Second Court of Appeals of Texas affirmed Aundra Dawayne Elbert Taylor’s conviction for murder and life sentence. The court held that the jury rationally rejected Taylor’s self-defense claim concerning the shooting death of Michael Sansom, despite acquitting him of capital murder.

Holdings

  1. The evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor's use of deadly force against Sansom was not justified by self-defense.
  2. The evidence was sufficient to support Taylor's murder conviction because the jury rationally could find that he intentionally or knowingly caused Sansom's death by shooting him with a firearm.

Questions Presented

  1. Whether the evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor's shooting of Sansom was not justified by self-defense.
  2. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support Taylor's murder conviction for intentionally or knowingly causing Sansom's death.

Disposition

affirmed

Cases Cited (16)

  • Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S. Ct. 2781, 2789 (1979)(followed)
  • Queeman v. State, 520 S.W.3d 616, 622 (Tex. Crim. App. 2017)(followed)
  • Brooks v. State, 323 S.W.3d 893, 894-95 (Tex. Crim. App. 2010)(followed)
  • Clewis v. State, 922 S.W.2d 126 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996)(overruled)
  • Zuniga v. State, 551 S.W.3d 729, 739 (Tex. Crim. App. 2018)(followed)
  • Tate v. State, 500 S.W.3d 410, 413 (Tex. Crim. App. 2016)(followed)
  • Harrell v. State, 620 S.W.3d 910, 914 (Tex. Crim. App. 2021)(followed)
  • Martin v. State, 635 S.W.3d 672, 679 (Tex. Crim. App. 2021)(followed)
  • Braughton v. State, 569 S.W.3d 592, 608-12 (Tex. Crim. App. 2018)(followed)
  • Villa v. State, 514 S.W.3d 227, 232 (Tex. Crim. App. 2017)(followed)

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