Death in relation to criminal and civil liability

Death by murder or by suicide may be a quick and perhaps expedient escape from any criminal prosecution, conviction, and possible imprisonment.

- Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez

But the fruits of the crime or the other properties of the accused or convicted felon may still be taken away by the State through legal proceedings involving civil liability.

What happens to a probable criminal or civil liability when an accused or a prospective accused dies by natural death, by murder, or by suicide? The law has the answer and the Supreme Court has explained the legal principles in a number of cases. Criminal liability is extinguished but the civil liability can proceed postmortem. That means that the wealth can still be recovered from the estate of the deceased. The accused who dies can escape the heavy burdens of being imprisoned. But his or her properties can still be legally taken away by the court from his or her family.