Tex. Codes » Penal Code · TITLE 5. OFFENSES AGAINST THE PERSON · CHAPTER 19. CRIMINAL HOMICIDE
Texas Codes

Tex. Penal Code § 19.04 (2026)

Manslaughter

✓ current as of May 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section TX-LEGstatutes.capitol.texas.gov Justiaon Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

Sec. 19.04. MANSLAUGHTER. (a) A person commits an offense if he recklessly causes the death of an individual.

(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the second degree, except that the offense is a felony of the first degree if it is shown on the trial of the offense that the defendant committed an offense under Section 28.09 and that conduct caused the death of an individual.

Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 883, ch. 399, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Renumbered from Penal Code Sec. 19.04 by Acts 1973, 63rd Leg., p. 1123, ch. 426, art. 2, Sec. 1, eff. Jan. 1, 1974. Amended by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 307, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Renumbered from Penal Code Sec. 19.05 and amended by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 900, Sec. 1.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1994.

Amended by:

Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1146 (S.B. 947), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 653 cases (81 in the last 5 years), 1981–2026 · leading case: McKinney v. State, 207 S.W.3d 366 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006).
Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment
McKinney v. State, 207 S.W.3d 366 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006). · cites it 8× “At the time Lee was decided, TEX. PENAL CODE § 19.04 defined voluntary manslaughter as causing the death of another individual "under the immediate influence of sudden passion arising from an adequate cause.”
Penry v. State, 903 S.W.2d 715 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995). · cites it 6× “" Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a); Vuong v. State, 830 S.”
Moore v. State, 969 S.W.2d 4 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998). · cites it 4× “[3] See former Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a), n. 1, supra. [4] At the time of the offense the capital murder statute, Tex.”
Montgomery v. State, 198 S.W.3d 67 (Tex. App. 2006). · cites it 4× “” Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 19.04 (a). “A person acts recklessly, or is reckless, with respect to circumstances surrounding his conduct or the result of his conduct when he is aware of but consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or…”
Cook v. State, 884 S.W.2d 485 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994). · cites it 4× “Appellant was charged with intentional murder pursuant to Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 19.02(a)(1) and was convicted by a jury of the lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter.”
Alonzo v. State, 353 S.W.3d 778 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011). · cites it 4× “Texas Penal Code section 19.04 provides that a person commits manslaughter "if he recklessly causes the death of an individual.”
Vann v. State, 853 S.W.2d 243 (Tex. App. 1993). · cites it 10× “" Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 19.04 (Vernon 1989).”
Bigon v. State, 252 S.W.3d 360 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “[2] TEX. PEN.CODE ANN. § 19.02(b)(3) and TEX.”
Shaw v. State, 243 S.W.3d 647 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). · cites it 2× “emergency medical care administered in good faith and with reasonable care by a person not licensed in the healing arts," [2] See TEX. PENAL CODE §§ 19.04(a) & 22.04(a)(1).”
Hai Hai Vuong v. State, 830 S.W.2d 929 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). · cites it 3× “” Tex.Penal Code § 19.04(a); see also Marquez v.”
Williams v. State, 273 S.W.3d 200 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “[69] See TEX. PEN.CODE § 19.04 (1992)("sudden passion").”
Roberts v. State, 273 S.W.3d 322 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008). · cites it 2× “TEXAS PENAL CODE §§ 19.04 and 19.05. But, for reasons given in the text immediately post, I do not believe a plain reading of the transferred intent statute allows for the actor's prosecution for two full-blown murders under Section 19.”
Show all 653 citing cases →
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(1973) — 1 case
Sanchez v. State, 23 S.W.3d 30 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000).
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a) — 149 cases
Shaw v. State, 243 S.W.3d 647 (Tex. Crim. App. 2007). “emergency medical care administered in good faith and with reasonable care by a person not licensed in the healing arts," [2] See TEX. PENAL CODE §§ 19.04(a) & 22.04(a)(1).”
Penry v. State, 903 S.W.2d 715 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995). “" Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a); Vuong v. State, 830 S.”
Moore v. State, 969 S.W.2d 4 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998). “[3] See former Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a), n. 1, supra. [4] At the time of the offense the capital murder statute, Tex.”
Vann v. State, 853 S.W.2d 243 (Tex. App. 1993). “" Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 19.04 (Vernon 1989).”
Adanandus v. State, 866 S.W.2d 210 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993).
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a)(1) — 2 cases
Reich-Bacot v. State, 936 S.W.2d 961 (Tex. Crim. App. 1996).
United States v. Dominguez-Hernandez, 98 F. App'x 331 (5th Cir. 2004).
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a)(1973) — 1 case
State Of Washington v. Kevin Lee Garrison (Wash. Ct. App. 2018).
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a)(1994) — 1 case
Moore v. State, 969 S.W.2d 4 (Tex. Crim. App. 1998). “[3] See former Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a), n. 1, supra. [4] At the time of the offense the capital murder statute, Tex.”
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(b) — 42 cases
Penry v. State, 903 S.W.2d 715 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995). “" Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a); Vuong v. State, 830 S.”
Alexis Elaina Walker v. State, 557 S.W.3d 678 (Tex. App. 2018).
Martinez v. State, 833 S.W.2d 188 (Tex. App. 1992).
Hai Hai Vuong v. State, 830 S.W.2d 929 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). “” Tex.Penal Code § 19.04(a); see also Marquez v.”
Vann v. State, 853 S.W.2d 243 (Tex. App. 1993). “" Tex.Penal Code Ann. § 19.04 (Vernon 1989).”
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(c) — 23 cases
Penry v. State, 903 S.W.2d 715 (Tex. Crim. App. 1995). “" Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(a); Vuong v. State, 830 S.”
Hai Hai Vuong v. State, 830 S.W.2d 929 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992). “” Tex.Penal Code § 19.04(a); see also Marquez v.”
Kavin Wayne Lincecum v. James A. Collins, Dir., Texas Dep't of Crim. Just., Institutional Div., 958 F.2d 1271 (5th Cir. 1992).
Nance v. State, 807 S.W.2d 855 (Tex. App. 1991).
Liveoak v. State, 717 S.W.2d 691 (Tex. App. 1986).
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(d) — 2 cases
Hunt v. State, 852 S.W.2d 278 (Tex. App. 1993).
Jones v. Johnson (5th Cir. 2000).
— Tex. Penal Code § 19.04(e) — 2 cases
Welch v. State, 908 S.W.2d 258 (Tex. App. 1995).
Burns v. State, 923 S.W.2d 233 (Tex. App. 1996).
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.