State v. Bridges
State v. Bridges
Opinion of the Court
Defendant was indicted and tried for murder and was convicted of manslaughter.
Of the several bills of exceptions in the record, we find it necessary to dispose of only one. It refers to the judge’s charge on the subject of involuntary manslaughter, as distinguished from accidental and excusable homicide. The defendant, who was under the age of 15 years, had shot and killed another boy. The defense was that the gun went off accidentally. Under those circumstances, the most important subject on which the judge had to instruct the jury was the legal distinction between involuntary manslaughter and accidental homicide. The instruction complained of was as follows, viz.:
“The law, gentleman of the jury, presumes that every person who kills another killed him with malice aforethought if the killing was premeditated, willfully and unlawfully done, unless the circumstances are such as to raise a contrary presumption; and the burden of proving circumstances of justification, excuse, or provocation is upon the person who is shown to have killed another; and it has been held that the evidence of excuse, justification, or extenuation must preponderate, and tliat it is not enough to raise a reasonable doubt in such killing.”
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE v. BRIDGES
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) 1. Homicide 304 — Instruction as to accidental killing held erroneous. In a prosecution for murder, where the defense was that .the gun was discharged accidentally, an instruction that defendant was not entitled to the benefit of a reasonable doubt on the question whether the homicide was excusable as an accident and that the burden was upon him held erroneous. 2. Criminal law 1931/2 — One acquitted ol murder cannot again be tried. Where one was tried for murder and convicted of manslaughter, he cannot again be tried for murder. 3. Criminal law 4&wkey;ll8l — Where'defendant under age of 17 was convicted of manslaughter in district court, case will be remanded to juvenile court. Where defendant was indicted for murder and convicted of manslaughter in the district court, and on appeal the district attorney admits in his argument that defendant is under the age of 17 years, the verdict and sentence will be annulled and the case remanded for trial of defendant for manslaughter as a juvenile in the juvenile court, according to the provisions of Act 228 of 1920, p. 3S0, and Const, art. 7, § 52.