State v. May
State v. May
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
Defendant was indicted for rape and the verdict of the jury was “ guilty of an assault with intent to commit rape.” Such verdict is authorized by See. 1053, Revised Statutes, which provides that when a person is indicted for any crime or misdemeanor, “the jury shall be at liberty to return as their verdict that the defendant is not guiity of the crime or misdemeanor charged, but is guilty of an attempt to commit the same,” etc.
The defendant complains, on motion in arrest, that the verdict is not responsive to the charge, and does not comply with the statute in that it does not pass upon his innocence or guilt of the crime charged.
This is a quibble; the meaning and effect of the verdict are to find the accused not guilty of the crime charged.
The same principle clearly applies to this case.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The State of Louisiana v. Andrew May
- Status
- Published