Terms Used In South Carolina Code 17-21-40

  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
When an injury is inflicted by any person within the bounds of one county of this State on a person within the bounds of another county and death shall ensue therefrom within this State, indictment, trial and punishment shall be the same as if the homicide had been committed altogether within the county in which the injured person dies. And when the injured person dies without the jurisdiction of this State, indictment, trial and punishment shall be the same as if the homicide had been completed in the county in which the injury causing death was received.