Houston Murder Conviction Tossed

The state Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday tossed out the sentence of a Houston man convicted of murder and drug dealing six years ago, saying he had ineffective legal assistance.

Aaron James Hall, 32, was convicted of murder in 2002 and sentenced to 65 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Eric Alvarez, 25, during what prosecutors said was a drug deal gone bad.

He also was convicted of conspiracy to deliver more than 400 grams of cocaine and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

But the appeals court agreed with the trial court that his attorney allowed information about his juvenile record to be used to enhance his possible sentences when it should not have been permitted. The appeals court said new sentences are needed for both convictions.