Godwin v. State
Godwin v. State
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
The first, second, third, fifth, ninth, and twelfth instructions asked by the appellant announced correct propositions of law, as applied to the facts of this case, and should have been given. The fourth, sixth, seventh, tenth, eleventh, and thirteenth instructions asked by appellant were properly refused. They too much narrow the issue before the jury, selecting fragmentarily only part of the facts necessary to any phase of the case stated in them. Besides, the fourth omits the word “reasonable” before the word “doubt.” In the sixth, the words “confronted as he was” are objectionable, as assuming that Carter did “confront” appellant throughout the difficulty. And the thirteenth declared that shooting a man ‘ ‘ with intent to kill and murder him ’ ’ might be justifiable. The words ‘ ‘ and murder ’ must have been inadvertently inserted.
All the instructions for the appellant having been refused, even those invoking the doctrine of reasonable doubt, it was especially incumbent on the court to charge the jury correctly for the state, and yet, in not one of the seven charges given
The fourth charge for the state is manifestly erroneous also, in telling the jury that “the use of a deadly weapon is a presumption of malice ” (thus it is written). This is clearly wrong in a case like this, where the circumstances attending the killing are fully shown, and hence there can be no room for presumptions, as held in Hawthorne v. State, 58 Miss., 778. Of itself it would not, however, be reversible .error. Lamar v. State, 63 Miss., 265.
We do not think the fifth instruction within the condemna
My brethren, however, think that the trial court has the power, in certain cases, to refuse all charges as to reasonable doubt, and it must be admitted that Singleton v. State, 71 Miss., 789, so holds. Neither the court nor the counsel in Singleton v. State refer to McGuire’s case, in 37 Miss., 378. That case was ably argued and well considered on this point. The learned attorney-general, in McGuire v. State, admitted that he could find no case supporting the view announced in Singleton v. State, 71 Miss, 782. It is manifest that the court in Singleton v. State failed to note the fact that the point it was deciding had been already decided in this state over thirty years before, exactly the other way, and for reasons as obvious as they are sound; for otherwise the court should have expressly overruled McGuire v. State, and not left it to mislead further. Singleton v. State imports into criminal procedure, where it- has no place, the rule followed in civil procedure, in very rare cases, of taking the case from the jury by a peremptory charge; for, to refuse a charge on reasonable doubt, is, of course, practically charging the jury to find the defendant guilty. Whether or not the evidence raises a reasonable doubt, is a question of fact and not of law, for the jury and not for the court. And, besides, it is, it seems to me, obvious that a charge as to rea
Reversed, and the cause remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Frank Godwin v. State
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- Syllabus
- 1. Criminal Law. Assault with intent to 1till. Instructions. Reasonable doubt. When, on a trial for assault with intent to kill and murder, there is evidence that the person alleged to have been assaulted had made threats against the accused which were communicated to him, and that he struck the accused, and threw his hand behind him as if to draw a pistol, whereupon the accused drew a pistol and shot him, and the court has refused all the instructions asked by the accused, it is error to instruct the jury to find the accused guilty, if they “believe certain facts from the evidence,” without anywhere charging them that such belief from the evidence should exclude every reasonable doubt. 2. Same. Instructions. Belief without regard to the evidence. It is error to instruct a jury to convict the accused, if they “believe ” certain facts, without the qualification that such belief must arise from the evidence. 3. Instructions. Self-defense. Actual danger. The actual danger of the accused is not an essential element of the right of self-defense, and it is error to so charge a jury on a trial for assault with intent to kill. 4. Same. Shooting while adversary’s back is turned. That the accused shot at the person he is alleged to have assaulted with intent to kill while the latter’s back was turned, is not conclusive of his guilt as matter of law, and it is error to so charge the jury. 5. Same. Deadly weapon. Presumption of malice. It is error to charge the jury, on a trial for assault with intent to kill, that “the use of a deadly weapon is a presumption of malice,” when all the circumstances attending the shooting are fully disclosed by the evidence. 6. Same. Fragmentary statement of facts in instructions. It is error to direct a jury either to acquit or convict on part only of the facts necessary to any phase of the case.