The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has declined to hear the case of one of the most prolific child molesters in Ellis County history.
49-year-old David Cornett of Waxahachie is serving a 50-year prison term for child sex crimes. Today the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals declined to hear his case without comment.
In 2012, Ellis County prosecutors charged Cornett with 16 different sex crimes involving children. But in 2014, before the case went to trial, Cornett pleaded guilty to 10 of 16 charges. Part of the plea agreement was that Cornett waive his right to appeal.
“This guy waived all of his rights to appeals and now he’s trying, years later, to throw a Hail Mary, and it’s clearly an incomplete pass,” said Patrick Wilson, who was the Ellis County District Attorney when the case was prosecuted.
Under terms of the plea agreement, Cornett will be behind bars at least 25 years before he is eligible for parole. Had the District Attorney’s office gone forward with the cases, and secured a life prison term, the jail term that Cornett served would have been bumped up another five years, meaning he would have to serve at least 30 years before he qualified for parole.
Wilson stands by the decision to take the 50-year term, eliminating the risk of a jury imposing a lesser sentence had the case gone to trial. Wilson also points out the victims did not have to face Cornett in a trial.
“That’s always a major consideration that I think a lot of people don’t fully appreciate about the criminal justice system," Wilson said. "And a plea bargain like this can help those victims move on with their lives as quickly as possible.”
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