Peter v. State
Peter v. State
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
This was an indictment for murder, found in the circuit court, of Franklin county. There are numerous errors assigned as grounds for reversing the judgment of the court below, none of which, however, we deem it necessary to notice, except the following:
1. That the court below improperly admitted the confessions of the prisoner.
2. That the juror whose name is endorsed upon the bill of indictment as foreman of the grand jury was not appointed or designated as such by the court.
3. That the name of a prosecutor is not endorsed upon the indictment.
1. The grounds in support of the first objection, are disclosed in the bill of exceptions. A witness was introduced to prove certain confessions made by the prisoner of his guilt, and his testimony was objected to on the ground that the prisoner, at the time of making the confessions, was in custody, and surrounded by an exasperated crowd, and that he was under the influence of hope
2. It is objected that there was no foreman of the grand jury* To this we answer, that the record shows that the indictment was found and returned into court by the whole panel of the jury, and this is sufficient.
3. The third and last objection has been already decided by this court, and held to be fatal. The name of the prosecutor must be marked on the bill .of indictment.
The judgment of the court below must, therefore, be reversed, the indictment dismissed, and, as the indictment is merely defective in point of form, and affords prima facie evidence of the guilt of the prisoner, he must be remanded for further proceedings.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Peter, a Slave v. State
- Status
- Published