Buttersworth v. State
Buttersworth v. State
Opinion of the Court
It is a right of a defendant being tried for murder to have the jury kept together while hearing and considering his case, Berry v. State, 10 Ga. 511, but he may waive such right. Code, § 102-106; Sarah v. State, 28 Ga. 576; 23 C. J. S., Criminal Law, 1014, 1064, §§ 1355, 1387. In the early case of Mitchell v. State, 41 Ga. 527, 535, this court said: “In the matter of the court asking the prisoner’s counsel if they would consent to a separation in the presence of the jury, we can realize the injustice in the manner of the request, but considering the law as laid down by this court, 10 Georgia 511, we do not think, no matter how much we may feel disinclined to sanction the practice, that it is an error of law upon the part of the judge to make the inquiry, or if consented to and there is no charge of unjust interference with the jury, that the act constitutes a ground for a new trial.” During the trial of the instant case but before it was submitted to the jury, and at a private conference between the trial judge, the solicitor-general, and all the attorneys for the defendant, it was agreed that the jury might be dispersed for the night under instructions of the court, which were given. The defendant, having made such an agreement through his counsel, will not be heard to complain for the first time after the verdict, and on his motion for new trial, that the consent for the jury to disperse was given because the judge, at such conference, stated, “If you are not willing for me to disperse the jury, I will complete the trial tonight.” Carter v. State, 10 Ga. App. 851 (74 S. E. 440); Sullivan v. Padrosa, 122 Ga. 338 (3) (50 S. E. 142); O’Dell v. State, 120 Ga. 152 (47 S. E. 577). Except for the consent by the defendant through his counsel, the jury could not have been legally dispersed, but the statement of the judge that he would
Error is assigned also upon the following instruction to the jury: “You take the law as given you in charge by the court, the evidence from the sworn facts in the case, and the defendant’s statement, and from the law so given and the facts thus ascertained, you as honest, conscientious, fearless, and impartial jurors, ascertain the truth of this case and let your verdict honestly and courageously speak it.” Technically, that portion of the charge was an inaccurate statement, but when considered in connection with the further and later statement of the court, “Now, gentlemen of the jury, you take this case and apply the rules of law to all of the facts and circumstances of this case, including the defendant’s statement,” we do not see how the jury could have been misled by the particular expression of which complaint is made. Standing alone, the excerpt would be subject to the attack made, but when aided by the further charge becomes no longer amenable to criticism. A charge, torn to pieces and scattered in disjointed fragments, may seem objectionable, but when put together and considered as a whole may be perfectly sound. Brown v. Matthews, 79 Ga. 1 (4 S. E. 13). And see Jones v. McElroy, 134 Ga. 857 (68 S. E. 729, 137 Am. St. R. 276); Martin v. Hale, 136 Ga. 228 (71 S. E. 133); Fowler v. State, 187 Ga. 409 (1 S. E. 2d, 18); Martin v. Dunbar, 10 Ga. App. 287 (73 S. E. 596). In his assignment of error the accused contends that such a charge had the effect of submitting for the jury’s consideration only the sworn facts, and excluded any consideration of the exhibits (the four pictures and two shotguns), and had the effect of withdrawing from the consideration of the jury the oral testimony of his witnesses, Dewey E. Hall and J. G. Eoskey, concerning the pictures and the guns. We are wholly unable to find any logical inference that the charge complained of had such an effect, and it took the oral testimony of these witnesses to make the exhibits of any value to the jury
A motion for new trial .based upon the ground of newly discovered evidence is addressed very largely'to the sound discretion of the trial judge, and his action will not be controlled by this court unless it is abused. Code, § 70-204; Hall v. State, 141 Ga. 7 (80 S. E. 307). In passing on such a motion, there are a number of things which the judge may consider, among which are: (1) The degree of diligence used by the movant and his counsel to discover, before the trial, the alleged new evidence; (2) whether the evidence is solely for the purpose of impeachment; and (3) the probability that the alleged new evidence will produce a different verdict if the case is tried again. Burge v. State, 133 Ga. 431, 432 (66 S. E. 243). By the exercise of any degree of diligence the accused or his counsel should have discovered before his
The evidence was amply sufficient to support the verdict, and no error appears upon the general grounds. The trial court did not err in denying the motion for new trial.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BUTTERSWORTH v. State
- Status
- Published