Shellenberger v. State
Shellenberger v. State
Opinion of the Court
Fuller Shellenberger was charged in an indictment with the murder of one Julian Bahuaud. He pleaded not guilty, was tried in the district court for Nemaha county, and the trial resulted in a conviction. Error was prosecuted to the supreme court, where the judgment was rei'ersed and the cause remanded to the district court for a new trial. Shellenberger v. State, 97 Neb. 498. On his second trial the jury again found him guilty and recommended that lie should be imprisoned in the state penitentiary for life. He was sentenced accordingly, and has again prosecuted error to this court.
It is his first contention that the evidence was not sufficient to warrant a, conviction. It is argued that the only evidence before the jury was an alleged confession, which the accused made, acknowledging his participation
Defendant next contends that the trial court erred in rulings on the admission of his confession in evidence, and argues that he was in custody when the confession was made, and therefore it was not voluntary and was not admissible. Our opinion on the former appeal contains the confession, recites the circumstances under which it was made, and the evidence of corroboration. It was there held that it was properly received in evidence, and it is sufficient to say that we adhere to bur former opinion on that question.
It is further contended that, if the confession was properly received, then the whole confession should have been introduced in evidence, including all of the confessions made by defendant at different times. On the former appeal one of the grounds of reversal was that confessions of other crimes made at different times and on other occasions should have been received in evidence. The rulings of the court eliminated all questions relating to defendant’s confessions, for the record shows that all of them were admitted in evidence on the last trial without limitation or restrictions of any kind.
It is also contended that the record shows that the defendant was addicted to making confessions of the crimes which the evidence shows he did not commit, and therefore no weight should have been given to his confession of the crime with which he was charged in this case.
It appears that, after the alleged confessions of other crimes were received in evidence, defendant was interrogated in relation to them, and testified that they were
For the ruling of the trial court excluding a letter written by one Roberts to the county authorities of Nemaha county implicating two parties in the murder of Bahuaud, other than Gibbs and Kopf, who were implicated in the commission of the crime by defendant’s confession, error is assigned. This assignment is without merit. The letter was written by one who does not appear to have any connection with the commission of the crime, and its contents are wholly immaterial, as was also the fact that a nolle was entered as to Kopf for the want of evidence to sustain a conviction as against him. We have examined the assignments of error for the- exclusion of evidence, and find none in the rulings of the court.
Complaint is made of the admission of the testimony of nonexpert witnesses on the question of the sanity of the defendant, and counsel cite State v. Thomas, 154 N. W. (Ia.) 768, among other, cases, in support of this contention. Those decisions have been examined, and we are of opinion that they are not in conflict with our rulings in such cases. Again, that question was determined by our opinion on the former appeal, where the testimony was held to have been properly admitted.
■Counsel for defendant contends that the court erred in giving the fourteenth,, fifteenth and sixteenth instructions upon his own motion. Those instructions related to the question of the mental condition of the defendant. It appears that the defense of insanity was relied on by the accused. That defense related to the mental condition of the defendant both at the time when the crime was committed
It is claimed also by the defendant that tbe court erred in bis instructions numbered 5, 6, and 7, in wbicb the meaning of tbe words “aiding and abetting” were defined, and by which tbe jury were directed as to bow they should be considered as applied to tbe evidence. The substance of those instructions has been often approved by tbe courts of this country, and, as no authorities are cited in support of this assignment, it requires no further consideration.
Counsel for defendant also contend that tbe court erred in refusing to give instructions numbered 9, 11, and Tá at their request. Tbe record discloses that requests numbered 9 and 11 were, by instruction No. 7, given by the court on bis own motion, and tbe substance of request No. 14 was contained in paragraphs numbered 11 and 12, wbicb were given by the trial court.
An examination of the record shows that defendant bad a fair trial; that tbe errors for which tbe former judgment was reversed were carefully avoided. He was accorded every right for wbicb bis counsel contended, and the jury found him guilty a second time. Under tbe rule in Lucas v. State, 78 Neb. 454, tbe judgment is
Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.