State v. Atkins
State v. Atkins
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the Court was delivered by
The defendant, Wade Atkins, was tried and convicted of assault and battery with intent to kill at the January term, 1897, of the Court of General Sessions for Abbeville County, and after sentence appealed to this Court' on five grounds, viz: 1. Because his Honor erred in charging the jury that defendant had set up an alibi. 2. Because his Honor erred in stating the testimony to the jury. 3. Because his Honor erred in commenting upon the facts of the case when he made the following statements in his charge: “You must consider the statement of Mr. Perrin, who testified that a few minutes before this assault was made, he looked out of the window of his house and saw the defendant walking away from the window; and you will also consider the statement of the step-daughter, who says
The report of the case must embody the charge of the trial Judge.
It is the judgment of this Court, that the judgment of the Circuit Court be reversed, and the cause remanded to the Circuit Court for a new trial.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE v. ATKINS
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Criminal Law — Charge—Alibi.—Where a defendant offers no testimony, it is error for the Judge to say in his charge that the defendant sets up the defense of an alibi. 2. Ibid. — Alibi—Burden oe Proof. — Where a defendant puts up no testimony, hut relies on the State’s -witnesses to prove an alibi, the burden of proving it is not on him. 3. Charge. — A Judge cannot state the testimony in his charge.