Defendant pleads guilty to reduced murder charge and is sentenced to 20 years

Trisha Tarrant pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony (lesser included) and the court sentenced her to 20 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the judge announced at the July 21 hearing.

The case matters because the plea ended a homicide prosecution and produced a 20-year term to run consecutive to an earlier judgment in VanZant County, Texas; the court also entered the usual written admonishments about firearm possession and the defendant’s waiver of appellate rights.

On the record the judge confirmed that Tarrant said she entered her plea freely and voluntarily and that she understood the rights she was giving up. The judge said he would “find sufficient evidence to find you guilty, and at this time, find you guilty of the first degree felony offense of murder. Sentence you in accordance with your agreement to a term of 20 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Corrections.” The court advised Tarrant of the firearm-restriction admonition and handed her a written certification of the trial-court admonition.

A victim impact statement was submitted and read into the record. The court accepted the statement on the record and provided copies to counsel and to the defendant. The judge instructed counsel to complete remaining paperwork, including discovery certifications, before the defendant was returned to custody for service of sentence.

The court also noted the plea produced a waiver of the defendant’s right to appeal and entered the formal written judgment consistent with the plea agreement.