GREGG COUNTY, Texas — The Texas Criminal Court of Appeals has granted a new punishment hearing for a Kilgore man convicted in the murder of a Hallsville teen.
Coby Ray Hudgins, 33, was sentenced to 99 years for the murder of Kayla Williams, 17, in 2015. In his original sentencing, Hudgins alleged that he did not intend to fire the weapon and did not understand the safety mechanisms of the weapon.
Hudgins was granted a new punishment hearing following expert testimony, which determined that Hudgins' "traumatic history as a sexual assault victim combined with the physical and mental effects of that trauma" could have reduced the length of his sentence. The court determined that Hudgins' defense should have presented expert testimony on Hudgins' mental health.
The appellate court found ineffective assistance of counsel based on the trial record and determined the trial court abused its discretion by deciding that a more lenient sentencing was unlikely.
In his court filing, Hudgins submitted a mental personality assessment conducted by Dr. Wade French who testified about the effects post-traumatic stress disorder can have on an individual. The assessment determined witnessing family violence at an early age and years of forceful sexual assaults over multiple years had caused Hudgins to develop PTSD.
"I believe there is a reasonable probability that the jury would have assessed a lesser sentence had this mitigating evidence been discovered and presented at trial," French said in the assessment.
Although claims of PTSD were initially addressed under direct appeal, Hudgins was not formally diagnosed at the time of his original sentencing. Hudgins' father, testified during the punishment phase of the initial trial that Hudgins was sexually assaulted by his cousin as a child, who was prosecuted and convicted of sexual assault against Hudgins.
The state argued that despite the new evidence, Hudgins' claims were already addressed in the past during his direct appeal; however, the 124th District Court ruled that Hudgins raised new and relevant evidence to prove he suffers from PTSD.