Christopher v. State
Christopher v. State
Opinion of the Court
The exception is to the overruling of a motion for new trial based solely upon the general grounds. LeRoy Christopher was indicted for the murder of his wife. On the trial he entered a plea of not guilty, but did not otherwise deny committing the homicide. The State proved the killing under circumstances excluding justification. There was evidence tending to show that the mind of the accused was not normal, and there was evidence to the contrary. The evidence, considered as a whole, was sufficient to support the verdict as against the contention that the accused was mentally incapable of committing the crime.
Judgment affirmed.
Concurring Opinion
I concur in the judgment of affirmance, though not without serious misgivings. I am constrained to do so because of my absolute adherence to the sound rule which makes the jury in every legal trial the absolute and final judges of the real facts of every case as based upon the jury’s opinion and judgment in determining the credibility of the witnesses. It seems to me, although the law presumes every one sane until the contrary is made to appear, and in a criminal case the burden is upon the defendant .to rebut this presumption, that the defendant established by a preponderance of the evidence, both circumstantial and direct, the fact that he was insane at the time of the commission of the alleged
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CHRISTOPHER v. State
- Status
- Published