South Carolina H 5181: Homicide

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5181 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 12, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5181

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS 
BY AMENDING SECTION 16-3-5, RELATING TO THE PROHIBITION AGAINST PROSECUTING 
PERSONS FOR HOMICIDE who cause injuries which result in death three or more 
years later, SO AS TO EXTEND THE INTERVENING TIME PERIOD BETWEEN INJURY AND 
DEATH TO TEN or more YEARS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. This act may be cited as "Egypt's Law."

SECTION 2. Section 16-3-5 of the S.C. 
Code is amended to read:

 Section 
16-3-5. (A) A person who causes inflicts bodily injury which results 
in the death of the victim is not criminally responsible for the victim's death 
and must not be prosecuted for a homicide offense if at least three years 
intervene between the injury and the death of the victim upon another individual, whether through an act of violence, 
recklessness, or criminal negligence, may be charged with an applicable 
homicide offense if the injured individual later dies as a result of that 
injury and no more than ten years pass between the injury and the death of the 
victim.

 (B) Nothing in this section may be 
construed to limit the defendant's right to assert a defense regarding 
causation, intervening factors, or other relevant issues at trial.

SECTION 
3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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This web page was last updated on February 12, 2026 at 11:50 AM