State v. McLofton
State v. McLofton
Opinion of the Court
The accused was tried for murder, and convicted of manslaughter, and was sentenced to a term of not less than 10 years and not more than 15 years in the penitentiary.
Because of an insult to his wife and an attempt upon her virtue, he sought out one Marsden, the offender, at the latter’s store,
Learned counsel for accused says that this requested charge was pertinent, because “one of the vital points for the jury's consideration was what right, if any, the deceased had to interfere in the efforts of accused to kill another man.”
A sufficient reason assigned by the learned trial judge for refusing to give the charge was that the accused testified that his pistol went off accidentally when Phillips grabbed it. If so, the fact of Phillips having a pistol of his own and having drawn it was wholly immaterial.
"We can see in this nothing more than an interpretation put by the district attorney upon the argument of the attorney for accused.
This activity of this officer was not a fact relevant to the issue of guilt or innocence, but merely something within view of the jury, out of which counsel sought to make capital. We do not see that the explanatory statement of the district attorney was out of place. But if it was, whatever harm it might otherwise have done was prevented by the immediate admonition of the judge to the jury to disregard it and decide the case according to the law and the evidence.
“You are the judges of the law and evidence, but it is your duty to take the law from the court as charged to you.”
The learned counsel argue that if the jury had not been thus required “to take the law from the court as charged,’' but had been left “judges of the law,” as required by article 179 of the Constitution, the result of the' trial would have been different.
The charge as thus given is the one which has been repeatedly approved by this court. State v. Desforges, 47 La. Ann. 1179, 17 South. 811; State v. Johnson, 30 La. Ann. 905; State v. Ford, 37 La. Ann. 465; State v. Cole, 38 La. Ann. 846; State v. Menard, 110 La. 1100, 35 South. 360.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE v. McLOFTON
- Cited By
- 3 cases
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- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) 1. Homicide In a homicide case, deceased being one who interfered when accused was attempting to kill another, court did not err in refusing to instruct that deceased had no right to be carrying concealed weapon at the time, where accused testified that his pistol went off accidentally when deceased grabbed it. 2. Criminal Law A statement by district attorney to effect that attorney for defense had so veiled his argument as to admit that the best verdict he hoped to receive was one of manslaughter was not reversible error, being nothing more than an interpretation put upon the argument of the attorney for accused. 3. Criminal Law Where counsel for accused “ridiculed the meddlesome proclivities of the chief of police in the rOle of a prosecutor,” because he “was present during the trial, going in and out, showing great activity, and himself testifying to material facts, and reporting constantly to the district attorney,” an explanatory statement by district attorney that he himself had requested the services of the chief of police to assist him in connection with the evidence was not out of place. 4. Criminal Law Where counsel for accused “ridiculed the meddlesome proclivities of the chief of police in the rOle of a prosecutor,” because he “was present during the trial, going in and out, showing great activity, and testifying to material facts, and reporting constantly to the district attorney,” an explanatory statement of district attorney that he had requested his services during the trial to assist him in connection with the evidence, if improper, was harmless, where the judge immediately admonished the jury to disregard it and decide the case according to the law and the evidence. 5.- Criminal Law In a homicide case, it was not improper for the court to instruct “You are the judges of the law and evidence, but it is your duty to take the law from the court as charged to you,” notwithstanding Const, art. 179.