O'Brien v. State
Texas Court of Appeals
6 Tex. App. 665 (1879)
- Written by Liz Nakamura, JD
Facts
John Allen, the deputy sheriff and jailer for Hunt County, Texas, told O’Brien (defendant) that Allen would accept a bribe in exchange for arranging the escape of John Williams, who was then imprisoned in Hunt County on murder charges. O’Brien offered the requested bribe. The State of Texas charged O’Brien with bribing a law-enforcement officer. At trial, the trial judge instructed the jury that, under Texas law, a defendant who bribed a law-enforcement officer must be found guilty of bribery even if the law-enforcement officer solicited the bribe. O’Brien was convicted. O’Brien appealed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ector, J.)
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