Houston Criminal Defense Case Results

Jury Verdicts: Not Guilty

These are a selection of notable trials, not a complete list. Each description leaves out client names and cause numbers.

DWI: NOT GUILTY

The client was stopped for speeding and weaving between lanes, performed poorly on field sobriety tests, became angry after being handcuffed, and refused interviews and tests at the jail. The jury accepted the defense theory that the tests were compromised by the client's age and physical condition, and that anger is not the same as intoxication.

DWI 2^nd: NOT GUILTY

The client was stopped for an illegal turn and failure to signal. Officers reported an odor of alcohol, an open container, and failed field sobriety tests, and a breath test read .098, above the .08 legal limit. On cross-examination, the State's own experts agreed the client could have been under the legal limit at the time of driving. The jury understood that alcohol in the vehicle is not alcohol in the client's body.

DWI: NOT GUILTY

The client was stopped for changing lanes several times without signaling. The officer reported a strong odor of alcohol, the client did not pass the field sobriety tests, and a breath test read .096. The jury concluded the breath test machine was not reliable and that the officer's administration of the field sobriety tests was flawed.

Assault, Family Violence: Not Guilty

The complainant, the client's husband, alleged she broke a window and threw shards of glass at him and another person. The client said she was trying to get through the window and he pushed her out, causing her injuries. The jury saw deep cuts on her legs and back and not one scratch on her hands, and concluded the complainant's account did not match the physical evidence.

Assault, Family Violence: Not Guilty

The client's wife called 911, crying and saying she had been hit several times in the face. She later changed her account and did not appear at trial. Although the 911 recording portrayed a frightened caller, the photos taken that night showed no injuries, and the jury found the client not guilty.

Evidence Suppressed, Cases Dismissed During Trial

In these two DWI trials, the judge suppressed evidence and the State dismissed the case during trial. Each ruling turned on the specific facts of that case.

DWI 2nd: Blood Evidence Suppressed

Police contacted the client after a concerned citizen called 911. On cross-examination, the officer admitted he lied in the affidavit he used to get a search warrant to draw the client's blood. The judge suppressed all of the blood evidence, and the State dismissed the case during trial.

DWI 2nd: All Evidence Suppressed

The officer said the client failed to maintain a single lane and was driving illegally at 50 mph in a 60 mph zone. Under questioning, he admitted the radar's margin of error meant the client could have been going 56 in a 60, which is not illegal. The video also showed she did not leave her lane in a dangerous manner, which Texas law requires. The judge suppressed the stop, which made everything that followed inadmissible, and the State dismissed the case during trial.

Dismissal Results in Harris County

Harris County District Clerk records document 1,132 case dismissals for Eric Benavides. These are raw counts of confirmed dismissals. They are not a win rate or success rate.

Dismissals by Charge Category

Charges are grouped by category. For example, every DWI-related charge (1st, 2nd, 3rd offense, and related variants) is combined into one line. Learn more about our work on DWI, assault, theft, and drug cases.

Charge Category	Dismissals	% of Total
DWI / Intoxication-Related Driving	311	27.5%
Assault & Family Violence	246	21.7%
Theft	107	9.5%
Drug Offenses (Possession / Paraphernalia)	107	9.5%
Weapons Offenses	59	5.2%
Evading / Fleeing / Failure to Stop	51	4.5%
Traffic & License Offenses	47	4.2%
Interference / Resisting / Failure to ID	38	3.4%
Fraud, Forgery & False ID	30	2.7%
Threats, Stalking & Harassment	29	2.6%
Nine other categories combined	107	9.5%
Total	1,132	100%

Source: Harris County District Clerk dismissal records, compiled September 2026. Percentages are rounded and may not add to exactly 100.

Recent Dismissals: 2026 Examples

These dismissals are from 2026. Descriptions are anonymized, dates are shown only to the quarter, and the facts described are what police alleged.

Driving While Intoxicated: Dismissed

Misdemeanor | County Criminal Court at Law | Q1 2026

Police alleged signs of impairment after a welfare check on a highway and said a drug recognition evaluation indicated impairment by a central nervous system depressant.

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Theft: Dismissed

Misdemeanor | County Criminal Court at Law | Q1 2026

Police alleged the client and a co-defendant concealed grocery and personal-care items in purses and a shopping bag and left without paying, with merchandise valued at about $240.

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Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon: Dismissed

Misdemeanor | County Criminal Court at Law | Q1 2026

Police alleged they found a loaded handgun in the trunk during a traffic stop for an expired registration.

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Criminal Mischief (Felony): Dismissed

Felony | District Court | Q1 2026

Police alleged the client damaged another patron's vehicle outside a tavern after an argument, with repairs estimated at about $2,700.

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Inhalant Paraphernalia: Dismissed

Misdemeanor | County Criminal Court at Law | Q2 2026

Police alleged nitrous oxide canisters were found during a traffic stop, including one they believed had recently been used.

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Assault of a Family Member, Impeding Breath (Felony): Dismissed

Felony | District Court | Q2 2026

A felony charge that police alleged arose from a struggle with a dating partner. Dismissed.

Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. A dismissal in one case says nothing about the outcome of another.

How These Results Are Compiled

• Dismissal figures come from Harris County District Clerk dismissal records.
• Only Harris County is covered. Dismissals in Montgomery, Galveston, Fort Bend, Brazoria, and other counties are not included.
• Expunged cases do not appear in these records, so the real number is higher than what is shown here.
• The records list dismissed cases only. They contain no figure for total cases handled, so nothing here is a win rate, success rate, or percentage of the firm's caseload.
• Trial results are a selection of notable cases. Descriptions leave out client names and cause numbers.