OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
tioxtorablo To@.$, Dart
aountyAttoramy
xeadallcotaty
BoarJio,
"knr
pur e&r
- _
. . ,”
.,.i
Eoxorable Joa. B. Dart, Pcge 2
dies an unmitural death, axospt unbar ecntanoe
of the lcw, or in tho abmnoo of ona or mm3
good witnessca.'
"An the purpoeo of an inquest is to deter-
mine the OQUBB of death, not to prove *ether
a pareon lc dud or not, the justice of the
peaoc ia of tha opinion that the rmatlon of
wltnsases in thi. artlole mean. witnao8*8 to
the oaus. of duth and not nsoomsarlly wit-
ne8635 th0 ‘fact thd death has 000urrod.
%f 0curss. in thou 0sse8 where the wit-
nusa. to a. unn.tar.1 dwth .a. bothth.
oauce and the deathltmlf fher'e m10.d bs no
oeoeaslty.for~ma lnqwrt. But *hero the oawe
of a&h oaotus iii one ~laoa an4 the Math
in anotherit wouldse& thatan Inquest
.hoald bo hrld to a.o.rtain the oars. of
death.“
Totu qaastlon, aa we oadsrstand it, is a8 stated
by ua in the heading of this letter.
ATt.lola
968,cod.of Crirnixi.1
Plv..&lrsgiV.8the
oiroumtanoes under whlah
a just100 of tbr pasae'is author-
izedto hold .n inquut.Suohartlolo reads as hollows:
%ny ju.tioiof alo yuoe s&U b. lw
and lt.8bsU'bo US tlUty,
thoriead, t0 hdLd
inquest. wlthoot.8 j.ury?ltMn nim oW*, in
the fOllowlngO..us'
9. Whia0.p-n
dleb ln prlSe*
.
“A!.m&z& &ob zlmkula4.or i&l
a ny c a lm0 a do a m.lXWP t .wilor
.an 8na 88ur 8l
a enteno eo f tb a lnw. or in th e a b smo e ~0f 0m
o r mo r e good wlitnu8e8.
-3. Khan the body of a hup*m bdag 1.
found, and tho .irowtanoes of hi. bath (II-.
anlnOWl.
HorlornbleJo..& Dart, Page 3
that he oame to hi. death by unlawful means.g
~phasls our..)
Subseotion 4 of Artiol. 960, eupra, may pmslbly be
invoke4 in rour faotU~oa.8, but thf. do.8 not lpp.ar prob-
.blo from the entireaontext of yourlatter. If the jwtloe
of the p-0. h.4 r...on.bl.ground. to swpsot the -cm.. 0.m.
to her am&h unlawfulmaas there wouldbr amplejuntlfl-
oat&on for an "7 nquostb.o.u.8 or tha provlsloao OS Artlols
lvu, ooae or crlmlml PTOOO~UWI,
as ~~404, msuhg 68 foi-
1OUBl
"If a pamon noalro an injuryIn on0 aouat~
and die8 la another by raaun or sprh inJury,
thb offrn6sr ayr’be procrooukd in the ooonty
whonthe learns r.o.1v.d orrbanthwbath
o;yAzwor ln the oountywhom the dud. b6ay
&&as0 of the abotosSotuto ths o** of althar
Buu or~Xwl&l'Couaty wouli3bare ~rrdsdiatieate try Zho
.Ue~ 23&e'I.nqcmst
uzhr %ubd.lvision 4 of Artiol. 968, supra,
u6ul4 not depend ?Ipoathe prereaoo or absuioa of d&tsssos
llthar at thb 8o.n) of th. injury ar brth.
We nort d~drsrttoth. ooastraotionto be p&owl
UQ.B l3ubseotlon & of said Article WL
IthMkorl taaly...o+tx t&t th. pup088
of .. lnqu.st ls to eb infommtloP u to rbrthera
bath w awoe& by lol. orialml sot .M to 0-n eTlba.0
to preveat usape 0X.the @ltr, as Wll an to $?srnlSh8
fwadmtlan far a. **aal pro.e6utloain oa.6 (irth 1. shorn
to br fslOailieor
m Othemis@unlawn& ,. SW PiirbOaf. ibb
Ia the instad oarno,va am cb the Opinion tht
1% mu&l be es lamantial~toknow the oamo of th. d.dh .8
tha faot ot bath lt..lf, tm fulfill the porpo8.r of the
statute as disowsad in the oitd o.oU. F'rcr the 8upmnar
Court cam or pohk Oounty *a Philllp8, supm, we tak. fh.
followfly pertinant lasnm.g.1
. .
Xi1
Ho~:orablaJOE. B. Durt, Page 4
“. . . The foot that death bnd resulted
from vlolonae, end the further root, for es-
em~le, that the rlolsnoe ooreieted of a blow
upon the head, are but steps in asoertainlng
whether or not a crime haa beon odtted.
The blow may have oharaoterlstlos other thsn
thoee of a physlaal mtura. It may bare bean
aooidentsl or it msy have been Intentional.
It may hnvo boon ulllful, uncl without jwti-
floation, or it nay bate beon jostlflsbls.
In ecoompll#hlng the purpose or the inqumst,
It is 08 Important to dotermine the80 Uttar
aharaateristios o? sn wt of violenos rhioh
has led to a doath as it is to eman tha
ra0t that them was violenoa, and that aah
wus 1te mault. . . .-
w8 dlrsot your espoolsl attantlon to ths dlsousslon
or the requlremeats of a nlid inquest boron rollsotlon~of
s fee thereror in the @au of Pierson v. Gelvutan Conat~,
(Civ. App.) olted abova, spaolflcall~to paga SO of 151
s* n. (26).
It la our opinion that your question should br ~J.u-
rored that -good wltnsasuw to the caum of duthwould be
as essential as "good wltnesse8 * to the bath lt8eU; an& Li
all or the othw e8mntlal ruqtiraments OS a valid lnquost
have been mat, tha justice OS the peaoa la entitled to his
fee.
Your. vary tnlly
ATTO?.LWfGlCXFX4.L ~SlStMt
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion