Mayer Brown achieved a significant victory in the case of Ex Parte Larry Edgar Estrada. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted habeas corpus relief to Larry Estrada, finding him intellectually disabled and reforming his death sentence to life imprisonment. This rare outcome in a Texas death penalty case highlights the firm’s longstanding commitment to justice and the protection of vulnerable individuals in the criminal justice system.
Mayer Brown was appointed to represent Mr. Estrada in federal court in 2003, after his initial state habeas petition was denied. Over the next two decades, the firm worked tirelessly on Mr. Estrada’s behalf, ultimately filing a successive state habeas petition in 2019 based on his intellectual disability.
On April 16, 2025, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued its opinion granting relief, finding that Mr. Estrada met his burden to establish intellectual disability under Atkins v. Virginia, and reforming his sentence from death to life imprisonment. The court’s decision, based on the parties’ agreed findings and the expert evidence presented, represents a life-saving outcome for Mr. Estrada and a significant victory for the protection of intellectually disabled individuals in the criminal justice system.
The Mayer Brown litigation team was led by partner Charles Kelley (Houston) and included pro bono advisor Marc Kadish (Chicago), along with associates Marjan Batchelor, Anna Durham, and Sydney Royer (all Houston). The team also worked closely with Kyle Friesen, senior counsel at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, and mitigation specialist Dr. Elizabeth Vartkessian of Advancing Real Change.