Shaw v. State
Shaw v. State
Opinion of the Court
delivered the opinion of the court.
It was fatal error to refuse the defendant the privilege of conferring with his own witnesses, whether they were under the
Instruction No. 11 for the defendant should have been given as asked. It was in these words: ££A reasonable doubt of defendant’s guilt arising out of any part of the evidence after consideration of all the testimony by the jury will justify their acquittal of the defendant.5 ’ The court modified it to read as follows: ££A reasonable doubt of defendant’s guilt as to a material fact arising out of any part of the evidence after consid eration of all the testimony by the jury will justify their acquittal of the defendant. ’ ’
The modification was error. None but material facts should be permitted to go to the j ury, and they are not to be required to discuss the materiality of testimony. It suffices the defendant if, from the whole, or any part of the evidence, or the lack of evidence, or the incredibility of witnesses, a reasonable doubt arises in the minds of the jurors. It is a reasonable doubt, from the case made, of defendant’s guilt, not of any particular material fact, which authorizes acquittal.
The witness, Measles, should not have been permitted, as we think, to testify to threats of defendant, made seven or eight months before, against the brother of the deceased.
Reversed cmd remcmded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Wafer Shaw v. The State of Mississippi
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. CRIMINAL Law. Conference with witnesses. Right of accused. It is error on the trial of an accused person to deny him the right to confer with his witnesses, although they may he under the rule. 2. Instructions. Reasonable doubt. Material fact. An instruction asked by the accused in a murder trial predicated of a reasonable doubt of his guilt arising out of any part of the evidence, should not be so modified as to relate by its terms only to such reasonable doubt “as to a material fact” arising out of any part of the evidence, since immaterial evidence should be excluded, and the jury cannot be required to pass upon the materialty of evidence. 3. Evidence. Threats. • It is error to admit evidence that one on trial for murder made threats seven or eight months before the killing against the brother of the accused.