Case Information

*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN

tioxtorablo To@. $, Dart

aounty Attoramy

xeadall cotaty

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 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- th0 ‘fact thd death has 000urrod. ne8635 %f 0curss. in thou 0sse8 where the wit- nusa. to a. unn.tar.1 dwth .a. both th.

oauce and death ltmlf fher'e m10.d bs no lnqwrt. But *hero oawe oeoeaslty.for~ma of a&h oaotus iii one ~laoa an4 the Math in another would se& an Inquest .hoald bo hrld to a.o.rtain oars. of death.“ is a8 stated

Totu qaastlon, aa we oadsrstand it, ua in the heading of this letter. ATt.lola 968, cod. of Crirnixi.1 Plv..&lrs giV.8 the oiroumtanoes under whlah just100 of tbr pasae'is author- ized to hold .n inquut. Suoh artlolo reads as hollows:

%ny ju.tioi of alo yuoe s&U b. w thoriead, and lt.8bsU'bo US tlUty, t0 hdLd inquest. wlthoot.8 j.ury ?ltMn nim oW*, in fOllowlng O..us' 9. Whia 0. p-n dleb ln prlSe*

“A!. m&z & &ob zlm kula4. or i&l any calm0 a .an 8na88ur8l doam. l XWPt .wilor aentenoe of tba lnw. in th e absmoe ~0f 0m o r mo re good wlitnu8e8.

-3. Khan the body hup*m bdag 1. found, and tho .irowtanoes of hi. bath (II-. anlnOWl.

Horlornble Jo..& 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 l pp.ar prob- .blo from the entire aontext of your latter. If the jwtloe the p-0. h.4 r...on.bl. ground. to swpsot the -cm.. 0.m. unlawful maas there would br ample juntlfl- her am&h nquost b.o.u.8 or tha provlsloao OS Artlols oat&on for an "7 lvu, ooae or crlmlml PTOOO~UWI, as ~~404, msuhg 68 foi- 1OUBl

"If pamon noalro an injury In on0 aouat~ la another raaun sprh inJury, and die8 thb offrn6sr ayr’be procrooukd in the ooonty whonthe learns r.o.1v.d orrbanthwbath o;yAzwor ln oounty whom dud. b6ay

&&as0 of the aboto sSotuto of althar ths o** Buu or~Xwl&l'Couaty wouli3 bare ~rrdsdiatiea te try Zho .Ue~ 23&e 'I.nqcmst uzhr %ubd.lvision 4 of Artiol. 968, supra, u6ul4 not depend ?Ipoa the prereaoo or absuioa of d&tsssos l lthar at thb 8o.n) of th. injury ar brth.

We nort d~drsrtto th. ooastraotion to 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. @ltr, Wll an to $?srnlSh 8 fwadmtlan far a. **aal pro.e6utloa in oa.6 (irth 1. shorn to br fslOailieor m Othemis@ unlawn& ,. SW PiirbOa f. ibb

Ia the instad oarno, va am cb the Opinion tht 1% mu&l be es amantial~to know 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 pohk Oounty *a Philllp8, supm, we tak. fh. followfly pertinant lasnm.g.1

Xi1 Ho~:orabla JOE. 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 a physlaal mtura. It may bare bean aooidentsl 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 doath it is to eman tha

ra0t 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 @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 wltnsasu w to the caum of duthwould be as essential as "good wltnesse8 * 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?.LWf GlCXFX4.L ~SlStMt