McFerrin v. Commonwealth
McFerrin v. Commonwealth
Opinion of the Court
Opinion of the Court by
Affirming.
Appellant, William H. McFerrin, was convicted in the Kenton circuit court of the willful murder of his fourteen-year old daughter, Minnie, and his punishment fixed at life imprisonment. He is the prosecutor of this appeal.
As grounds for reversal of the judgment he assigns (1) the failure of the trial court to sustain his motion for change of venue; and (2) failure of the court to give the jury an instruction upon the law of involuntary manslaughter; (3) instruction No. 2 presenting voluntary manslaughter was erroneous in failing to present the law in such cases when based upon the reckless and grossly careless handling of a pistol; (4) the court erred in permitting 'Sallie Padden, one of the prosecuting witnesses, to testify over appellant’s objection concerning appellant’s relation with Mrs. McWilliams and an unnamed girl some six or seven years prior to the homicide. We will consider these alleged errors in the order in which they are stated.
Appellant McFerrin filed a petition and motion for change of venue in which it is alleged that in the “vicinity where the crime is charged to have been committed there are in general circulation four (4) daily newspapers; that some or all of said newspapers go into practically every home in the city of' Covington and Kenton and Campbell counties; that immediately following the occurrence of the alleged crime each of the said papers, and especially the Cincinnati Times Star and the Cincinnati and Kentucky Post, carried glaring headlines of the commission of the alleged offense, photographs of this petitioner, photographs of the place where the affair was committed, and of the revolver with which it was charged to have been committed, and that through the medium of said newspapers the said alleged offense, because of the reported unusual and wanton nature of same as charged and described in said newspapers aforesaid, was given
With the petition was filed copies of certain newspapers showing large headlines and detailed stories of the homicide. Six or seven affidavits were filed in support of the petition for change of venue, which, in substance, states that “the affiants verily believe the statement of the petition for change of venue to be true, and further believe that the defendant William H. Mc-Ferrin cannot obtain a fair and impartial trial in either of said counties. ’ ’
1. The Commonwealth resisted the motion and called George E. Phillips, a practicing attorney of Covington, as a witness, who, in substance, testified he was acquainted throughout the city of Covington, Kenton county, and that he knew of no reason why appellant Mc-Ferrin could not have a fair and impartial trial in that city and county. He was asked:
“Q. Have you heard any indignation expressed on the part of the citizens of this community with reference to change of venue for defendant William MeFerrin? A. No, sir. Q. Have you heard any prejudice expressed by citizens generally as to defendant William McFannin? A. No, I have not.”
The Commonwealth then called Birt J. King, attorney at law and magistrate in the city of Covington, also Emile Rivard, attorney at law, city of Covington; Ben A. Adams, real estate and insurance business, city of Covington; Dr. J. T. Wallingford, Covington; W. N. Hind, master commissioner of the Kenton circuit court, Covington; Peter P. Thiel, sheriff of Kenton county; J. Mason Howk, commissioner of public safety, city of Covington; Thomas Donnelly, mayor of the city of Covington, and John W. Middedorf, county clerk of Kenton county, all of whom stated in substance that they were well ac
The witnesses called by the Commonwealth being public officials had a better opportunity to be acquainted with public sentiment in the county than those called by appellant who were private citizens. It would seem, therefore, that the trial court did not err in overruling appellant’s motion and petition for change of venue, and putting him upon trial in Kenton county.
Where the evidence shows there are reasonable grounds for believing that the defendant cannot have' a fair trial in the county where the offense is committed,.' it is the duty of the court to grant a change of venue. Bowman v. Commonwealth, 96 Ky. 8. However, the trial court has a broad discretion in granting or refusing a change of venue and his action will not be interfered with unless this court is satisfied that the lower court abused its discretion. Hargis v. Commonwealth, 135 Ky. 578.
We think the weight of the evidence on the hearing for change of venue tended to show that appellant Mc-Ferrin could have a fair and impartial trial in the courts of Kenton county.
2. Neither can we concur in appellant’s contention that the trial court committed reversible error in failing to give an instruction upon the law of involuntary manslaughter. The instructions of the court must necessarily follow the pleadings and the proof. No issue except those thus presented should be instructed upon.
To determine this question it will be necessary, to briefly recite the facts and contentions of the Commonwealth and appellant.
Minnie McFerrin was shot and killed on September 21, 1923, by appellant William H. McFerrin, her father. This is admitted. He says it was an accident. The Commonwealth insists that the proof shows that it was done with malice. He was a man past fifty. He had two children. His wife had died some years before and he turned the children over to one McWilliams, who brought them to Covington, where he obtained board for them and himself at the home of Mrs. Sallie Padden. ' She had in the
As the Commonwealth’s theory of the case attributed to appellant malice in the killing of his daughter, we think the court properly gave an instruction upon the law of wilful murder. The facts and circumstances surrounding the killing were sufficient to warrant the jury in concluding that the homicide was the result of a preconceived plan on the part of appellant. He admits he bought the pistol and cartridges for the purpose of taking his children from the Padden home, and in substance admits he went to the Padden home for the purpose of killing Mrs. P!adden, but he says he did not intend to harm his daughter. What he said immediately after the killing and while he yet had the pistol in his hand, indicated he intended to kill both his daughter and Mrs. Padden. At least, the jury, if it believed the evidence of the witnesses who testified to what he said to them immediately after the firing of the fatal shot, was forced to conclude that appellant had previously made up his mind to kill not only Mrs. Padden but his daughter Minnie.
There is no evidence for either the Commonwealth or defendant tending to show that the daughter Minnie, and the father were in any difficulty, or that she did anything at the time or immediately before the firing of the fatal shot to provoke him or to arouse his passion beyond control so as to make the homicide anything less than murder, if the fatal shot was intentionally fired. However, the court gave an instruction upon the law of manslaughter. It did not give one upon the law of involuntary manslaughter, and this is one of appellant’s chief grounds of complaint. If he had relied upon involuntary manslaughter, or if any of the facts proven had tended to establish the crime of involuntary manslaughter, it would then have been the duty of the trial'court to have instructed the jury upon the law in such case. The evidence adduced by the Commonwealth to prove the charge of murder does not in any measure tend to prove the crime of involuntary manslaughter. The appellant was present at the time of the firing of the shot and undertook to tell at his trial just how it happened. According to his explanation it was an accident. He says he was not intending to fire another shot; that Mrs. Padden had gone and that she was the one he was after; that he had not stepped out of his tracks; that the second shot was caused by the daughter grabbing the pistol at a
‘ ‘ If you believe from the evidence that after defendant had fired the shot at Mrs. Padden, the decedent, Minnie McFerrin, took hold of the pistol and said pistol was accidentally discharged by reason of the act of said decedent in taking hold of same and not by any act of defendant McFerrin and without any intention upon his part of discharging same and that decedent Minnie- McFerrin was killed in said manner, then you will find defendant not guilty because the killing under such circumstances would be accidental. ’ ’
The court also instructed upon the law which governs in eases where the slayer is of unsound mind at the time of the homicide. Other instructions with those mentioned presented the whole law of the case. Appellant was not entitled under any theory of the case, supported by evidence, to an instruction upon involuntary manslaughter, or to one based upon the reckless and grossly careless handling of a pistol.
Appellant’s last contention is that the court allowed Mrs. Padden to give evidence concerning his illicit connection with a woman some years before the homicide, and to tell of the conversation between appellant and his daughter a short time before the homicide wherein the daughter told her father what she knew about his connection with another woman and his improper conduct towards the daughter. These were mere scraps of evidence offered in explanation of the charge made by appellant that Mrs. Padden was keeping a house of ill-fame, and to show that he himself did not leave the. Padden home because of any immoral conduct there but rather because of his deep-seated malice and hatred of Mrs..
For the reasons indicated the judgment is affirmed.
Judgment affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.