Guajardo v. State
Guajardo v. State
Opinion of the Court
This appeal is from a conviction for theft of a horse, and the case is submitted by the Assistant Atterney General on confession of error.
Over objection of appellant, the State proved that he. appellant, had lived in the penitentiary as a convict for the last four or five years. This fact being elicited by a question not necessarily calling for such an answer, counsel for appellant also moved the court to exclude this matter from the consideration of the jury, and, the court refusing, an exception was reserved. We will not discuss the competency of such supposed evidence. The action of the court in admitting and refusing to exclude this matter from
It may be contended that, as no reason or ground of objection was stated by counsel for appellant, defendant can not complain of the ruling of the court. The rule upon this subject is that, if the evidence is obviously competent and admissible as tending to prove any of the facts put in issue by the pleadings, then a reason should be assigned for objecting to it. (Rules for District Courts, No. 57.) That appellant had lived as a convict in the penitentiary for the last four or five years was not, competent and admissible evidence to prove, or tend to prove, any issue raised in this case, hence no ground of objection to its admissibility was required.
This is a case depending alone for conviction upon circumstantial evidence. The rules applicable to such a" case should be given in charge to the jury. This was not done, which was error.
For the errors above noticed, the judgment is reversed and the cause remanded.
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Nicolas Guajardo v. State
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- 1 case
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- Syllabus
- 1. Practice—Evidence.—On a trial for theft the State, over the objection of the accused, was permitted to prove that, for the four or five years prior to the trial, the accused had been confined in the penitentiary for felony. Held, that the proof was illegal and incompetent. Its admission was error in the first place, and the trial court further erred in overruling the motion of the accused to exclude it from the consideration of the jury. 2. Same.—District Court Rule No. 57 provides, with regard to exceptions to evidence, that, if the evidence is obviously competent and admissible as tending to prove any fact put in issue by the pleadings, then the objection must assign the reason upon which it is interposed. Note a case to which the rule does not apply. 3. Horse Theft—Circumstantial Evidence—Charge of the Court. See the statement of the case for evidence on a trial for horse theft which, being wholly circumstantial, is held to have demanded of the trial court a charge upon circumstantial evidence.