Case Name: Humberto MUNOZ, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee
Court: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Jurisdiction: Texas
Decision Date: 1956-01-04
Citations: 285 S.W.2d 729
Docket Number: No. 27924
Parties: Humberto MUNOZ, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
Judges: 
Reporter: South Western Reporter Second Series
Volume: 285
Pages: 729–730

Head Matter:
Humberto MUNOZ, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
No. 27924.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas.
Jan. 4, 1956.
J. Earl Barnhouse, Alice, for .appellant.
Leon B. Douglas, State’s Atty., Austin, for the State.

Opinion:
BELCHER, Commissioner.
This is a conviction for negligent homicide of the second degree. The unlawful act relied upon as constituting that offense is the driving, while intoxicated, of a motor vehicle upon a public highway.
The information alleges also negligence and carelessness and the death of the deceased caused thereby.
. . Thé punishment was assessed at eighteen months in jail.
In Jones v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 274 S. W.2d 400, 401, where the conviction was for negligent homicide of the second degree upon the same allegations in the information as in this case, we said:
"At the outset, we are confronted with the contention' that the misdemeanor offense of drunken driving may not be utilized and relied upon as the unlawful act constituting negligent homicide of the second degree.
"By Art. 802c, Vernon's P.C., it is a felony for an intoxicated driver of ' an automobile to kill another person by accident or mistake. Being a felony, such crime could not be prosecuted as the misdemeanor offense of negligent homicide of the second degree. McCarthy v. State, Tex.Cr.App., 218 S.W.2d 190; Flowers v. State, 150 Tex.Cr.R. 467, 202 S.W.2d 462, 203 S.W.2d 539."
The Jones case is here applicable and controlling and calls for a reversal and dismissal of this prosecution.
The judgment is reversed and the prosecution ordered dismissed.
Opinion approved by the Court.