**OFFICE OF**  **THE ATTORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Honoaable

Waylor Rurrell Dirtr$ot

Attorney 76th Judloial

Dfrtriot It. t1eamant,

toxa*
**Dew sir:** 

gulltt to **a** oh8rge rlloo la **a-murder** wnt, and afterhearsmaa the punlshmellt. rtnent*s

oplnlonon
rd by lndlatavmt

of h lndlotment

aoatslnr vas ooamlttod

vlth trial o? the mm e aourt to plead @its the Intervention

of a or vlthout

mallae. endnnt to waive 8 jury and at’8 plea of guilty to **a** oharge

It la ruggested

that **b&ore** trial of the oasesyou state in open oourt,alao by vrltten motion,thnt the svldencre vi11 not suataln

murderwith mallowaforethought end tbat the Statevlshee to abnndon **that** part of the lndlctment Centr State (1913) 152 9. w 635 Cle v State (1913) id’ %‘The **oourt** should;oi i0-k order grMit& the ~0otion.fn thi aonneation ve direotyour attention to **Sville** V* State, (1929

$ 25 3. w. (26) 1098, whereinthe aourt 88 -xa+HonOrUble'BaylorRussell, page 2

481 'The indictment **charged** that 

### l

pmllant did voluntarily

kill B. J. Rendrlxby shooting him with a For the ffrst time sinoe the passageof chap- !%274, **Act8** RegularSession 1927,redefining the offeasoof nurder~ the point 18 mde thnt vhlle it lo su??lolent

under snid act for an ladlotment for ;Fez,o ohurge that the l couseddid voluutarlly **thnt** in cases vherelnthe state **proposrs** to aik II &lshmsat greaterthaa f5ve JOUS for the o??on#e,

the lndlotment

shouldallego that the kllllng was upon ulloe afore thought.

. ., II

. . .* "Whileour **presort rtatute**  **raker** murder **of** every voluntary

killing,it 18 also speol?led f.n the **statute** that in everymurder case the oourt shall tell the jury that, unlessthe killing**vas::up** on maliceaforethought, they cannotassess the punlsbasnt

ns a psrlod longer than flvo years hence It 18 plain thnt murder vlthoutmaliceaforet hought 18 punlrrhable

by imprisonment

for not less than two nor 8or@ than five **years,** vhile murder upon malice aforothought

my be punished

by death or any period o? Imprisonment

not less than tvo yews. In other vords, l? the statevlshes to seek a grsaterpenalty than ?lUe years.beoause o? the 088a060r 8ui00 aforethought

-- aa Indispensable eE meat o? the eahanced

penaltyunder the aev statute-- the Indictmentshouldallege that the killing vas **upon** suchma1100 aforethought," The statute

defines

murder,

V.A.P.C.,

Artiole 1256,

**“Uhoevar** shallvoluntarily kill aay personvlthIn this State shall**be** guilty of murder. Rurder ahall**be** dI8tlnguIshed ?ron every other 8peolsso? homlolde

by the **abswce** of oloumstanoes vhioh rsduae the offenseto nsgllgsnt horioldb**or** vhiob exouse or juatitythe killing.." **SSIJ also**  Homicide, **22** TAX., P. 572, 4 97, aad P* 628, 1 125, note 16..

. 

## 410

Bonorable

Tnylor Rassell,psgs 3

pnrte Wagnoa (193@,

_125 8. Y. (26) 572, and Bx pa

Your identical

question

vss before the o;~t~;l~

‘

. In those oases the oourt per&ted the skte to l

baadoa- t&t mrt of the l~otment vhloh vould : 7z9mrT57-B. Y. (la) 892

11 olassi?y the felony casm ai a capital offense, the defendants than waived a Jury aad entered pleas of guilty before the trial court vlthout a jury. the trial eoarts, The court of e?ltinal Appealssustaiaod

ra Turks v. Stste (W?), 165 3. WO (24) 460, a* **00** 864, **the OOt&**  Uld:

**.** it aov appearsto **bo** the settledlav of this s~a~a*tht oae l courod of a felony less than capital

may, undsr his pka of guilty, valve a trial by Jury aad his pualebaent my be fixed w tb trial judgr, provltlodr(a) the Stat0 latroduooo ovidmoo s u?? l a ient

to a h 0 11

th8 l c o w o d guilty 0s the 0rr~a80 o&rpd) l

**atl (b)**  no faotsare reoelved in ovldeaoo rklng l

vldeat the inn00 snoo o? t& l oowed, or vhlch reasonably an& ?airly present such as an ls**SW 0s**  **fact.** Unless the facts brlug t& oase vlth- ¶a the rule stated, the trlal judge 18 withoutauthority to render a dud&meat finding the aoanwd guilty,**beoatue,** if the btatr ?alls to shov the guilt 0s tb l

oouled, no ooavlotlon can r0110v3 and, if 1 l

vldeaoebe reoolvedshoving the l oouced to be lnaoooat 0s th8 orrense charged, then the plea 

### 0s guilty is supplanted by the entry or a plea of not guilty, in vhloh event the trlsl judge 1s vlthout authority to deterdam the guilt? of **th8 8oOwody"**  Yours wry truly 

# cz

DIvld Wuatoh

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