Jury in Texas Finds James Ross Not Guilty on Four Charges

A jury in a Texas court found James Ross not guilty on four criminal counts, the court announced during a recorded proceeding.

The courtroom speaker read the verdict form aloud: “Count 1, it states, we, the jury, find the defendant James Ross not guilty of the offense of aggravated robbery as charged in count 1 of the indictment.” The reading continued to state the jury’s findings of not guilty on the lesser included offense of robbery under count 1, on count 2 (aggravated assault with a deadly weapon), on count 3 (aggravated assault with a deadly weapon) and on count 4 (unlawful possession of a firearm).

Why it matters: The jury’s verdict ends the criminal case on the charged counts as reflected in the courtroom record. The court instructed courtroom attendees that there must be no outburst regardless of the verdict and asked the deputy to return the jurors to the jury room before speaking with them briefly.

The court addressed post-verdict procedures for the defendant. The courtroom speaker told Mr. Ross that, if he wished, he could speak with his standby counsel about expunctions and that he has 30 days to present related documentation to the court. The court then asked whether either party had anything further; none was offered and the record was closed with the court noting thanks.

What the record shows: The courtroom transcript contains the verbatim reading of the jury form with the not-guilty findings on all four counts. The transcript also records the court’s admonition against outbursts, the handling of the verdict form by a deputy identified as Laura, and the court’s direction regarding expunction information and the 30-day period for Mr. Ross to present documents.

Next steps: The entry of the verdict in the public record is the controlling development recorded here. Any post-verdict filings, including motions or an expunction application, would be matters for the parties to file with the court and are not recorded in this transcript.