Sullivan v. State
Sullivan v. State
Opinion
Defendant was convicted by a Calhoun County jury for the offense of burglary in the second degree and sentenced by the Court to five (5) years in the penitentiary.
The indictment in this case charges that the Defendant broke into and entered a "shop, store, warehouse or other building of Hugh Borden, to wit: Rio Vista Bait Shop . . ." A careful reading of the record reveals that the building of Hugh Borden was used as a bait shop and as an apartment for Mr. Borden. There was open access from one area to the other. We find no fatal variance between the indictment and the proof at trial in regard to the building broken into.
As to ground (2) above, the question of intent is a question for the jury. Such intent of the Defendant must be inferred by the jury from a due consideration of all of the material evidence and the *Page 880
Defendant cannot declare his intent. Code of Alabama 1940, Recompiled 1958, Title 14, Sections 85, 86. See Hawkins v.State,
The evidence is in conflict as to both points. Defendant testified that the officers had told him it would be in his best interest to make such a statement. However, Officer Hurston Dodgen testified that he had not told the Defendant it would be in his best interest to make such a statement.
In addition, the record reveals that Officer Hurston Dodgen testified on page 76 of the transcript, "and if he couldn't afford an attorney, that one would be appointed for him by the Court." In addition to the Defendant being informed by the police officers of his "Miranda" rights, the written statement which Defendant signed included a written warning of such rights. Witness Dodgen testified that he read the statement back to Defendant and that the Defendant signed the statement.
Extra-judicial statements are prima facie involuntary and inadmissible, and the duty rests in the first instance on the trial Court to determine whether or not a confession is voluntary and unless it so appears it should not be admitted.Lokos v. State,
"The true test is whether, under all the surrounding circumstances, a confession has been induced by a threat or a promise, express or implied, operating to produce in the mind of the prisoner apprehension of harm or hope of favor. If so, whether true or false, such a confession must be excluded from the consideration of the jury as having been procured by undue influence." Guenther v. State,
This Court has previously recognized the fact it is not unusual for the voluntariness inquiry to present conflicting evidence. Edgil v. State,
A reading of the transcript reveals that the chain of evidence was complete, in that there was no missing link in the chain of possession. Powell v. State,
As to ground (2) above, the records show that while one of the police officers was driving the automobile of the Defendant, the Defendant appeared on roadside and pulled the pistol on the police officer. At this point, the police officer pulled his own pistol and disarmed the Defendant. Such seizure of the pistol was altogether reasonable under the circumstances and is in no way connected with possession or use of Defendant's automobile by the police officer.
a) The clerk's certificate;
b) The court reporter's certificate;
c) The statement of the organization of the court;
d) The indictment (caption, charge, conclusions, and required endorsements);
e) Judgment entry (arraignment, presence of counsel, empanelling of the jury, verdict, adjudication of guilt, allocutus, sentence and notice of appeal);
f) Proceedings on the motion for new trial; and
g) Each ruling of the trial judge adverse to the appellant.
From this examination we conclude that error is not made to appear.
The foregoing opinion was prepared by Hon. J. Edward Tease, Circuit Judge, temporarily on duty on the Court pursuant to subsection (4) of Section 38, T. 13, Code 1940, as amended; the Court has adopted his opinion as its own.
The judgment below is hereby
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur except CATES, P.J., not sitting.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Robert Daniel Sullivan v. State.
- Cited By
- 13 cases
- Status
- Published