Watson v. State
Watson v. State
Opinion of the Court
— Appellant was convicted of murder
The testimony adduced upon the trial shows that appellant and Charlie Roe owned adjoining farms; that Dave Sheen, the father of J. D. and Elmer Sheen, had rented the farm from Mr. Roe and was occupying it with his family; that there was an old road leading from appellant’s premises over the land of Charlie Roe to Dye Mound which appellant and his grantor had used for more than twenty years. Sheen had forbidden appellant to use the passageway or easement and wired up the gate. On several occasions when appellant found the gate closed he cut the wires and passed on through. On one occasion, when he started through and found the gate closed up, he met Mr. Sheen and two of his sons at or near the gate, and some little trouble arose and threats were made. About two or three weeks after this occurrence, but before the fatal difficulty appellant went to see the county attorney and the sheriff to get their advice. They promised him that they would come down at the end of that week and try to settle the difference, but by reason of excessive rains, which made the roads heavy, they did not go. On the 19th day of May, 1935, when appellant on horseback started up the old road across the premises occupied by Dave Sheen, the deceased and his brother saw him leave his home and they went to the gate to intercept him. There they used some abusive language towards and concerning him, which precipitated a difficulty, terminating in the fatal shooting of J. D. Sheen and the infliction of serious wounds upon the person of Elmer Sheen by the appellant.
By bills of exception numbers one and two appellant complains of paragraph nine of the court’s main charge wherein the court instructed the jury as follows:
“* * * Homicide is justifiable in the protection of a person against any other unlawful attack besides such as would produce death or serious bodily injury, but in such cases all other means at hand, as the situation reasonably appears to the defendant at the time, as viewed from his standpoint, must be resorted to for the prevention of the injury,” etc.
Appellant’s contention is that the charge is on the weight of the evidence, that such, issue is not raised and might be construed by the jury that the court was of the opinion that there was created in the appellant’s mind an apprehension that he was being unlawfully attacked in a milder form which is contrary to his testimony. We think there is testimony in the record which justifies -such an instruction.
No weapon of any kind was found on the person of either Elmer or J. D. Sheen. The only thing that was found on the battle ground with which the assault might have been made was a small pair of pliers.
Appellant further testified that at a former time he met Dave Sheen, J. D. Sheen, and King Sheen at the gate which they had closed with wire; that he had dismounted and tried to stamp the wire loose; that on this occasion each of the three had a club, but he was not afraid at that time of receiving any serious bodily injury at their hands. However, at the time he killed J. D. Sheen he was attacked by only two of the parties, one having a club and the other a pair of small pliers. Just why he expected to be killed or receive serious bodily injury on this occasion and not on the former when he was attacked by three parties was not explained by him.
The court, however, fully instructed the jury on the law of self-defense as follows:
“That if from the acts of J. D. Sheen and Elmer Sheen, or either of them, or from their words coupled with the acts of J. D. Sheen and Elmer Sheen, or either of them, there was created in the mind of the defendant a reasonable apprehension’ that, he, the defendant, was in danger of losing his life ór suffering serious bodily injury at the hands of J. D. and Elmer
It occurs to us that the facts in this case were such as justified the court in submitting the charge complained of. It was a matter for the jury to determine from all of the facts and circumstances before them whether the assault or threatened assault upon the appellant, was such as created in his mind, as viewed from his standpoint at the time, a reasonable apprehension or fear of death or serious bodily injury such as would justify him in killing either or both of his assailants, or whether the attack was of a milder nature.
By bills of exception numbers five and six appellant objected to the introduction of photographs taken of the scene of the alleged homicide, on the ground that the pictures were made subsequent to the alleged homicide in the absence of the defendant, that the same were hearsay, immaterial and irrelevant, and the positions taken for their exposures were entirely in the control of the State’s counsel, and because it was not shown that the same condition existed at the time of making the pictures as existed at the time of the transaction which they seek to illustrate. The testimony offered in connection with the pictures shows that the homicide occurred about the 19th of May, that the pictures were taken sometime in June, and that the ground or territory which the pictures sought to reproduce was in the same condition at the time the pictures were taken as it was at the time of the homicide. We think that under such a state of facts the photographs were properly received as evidence. However, the objection went more to the weight than to the admissibility thereof.
The matters complained of in bill of exception number seven fail to show any reversible error, inasmuch as the court advised counsel for the appellant that he would permit them to elicit all the testimony sought to be elicited from the witness except his self-serving declaration.
Bill of exception number eight reflects the following occurrence. The State offered Dick Lawrence, a deputy sheriff, as a witness and proved by him that a capias had been issued by the clerk of the district court of said county for the arrest of appellant on a charge of assault with intent to murder Elmer
Finding no reversible error in the record, the judgment of the trial court is in all things affirmed.
The foregoing opinion of the Commission of Appeals has been examined by the Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals and approved by the Court.
070rehearing
ON MOTION FOR REHEARING.
— After charging on self-defense in paragraph eight of his charge, the trial court followed same, apparently without request therefor, with a charge in paragraph nine upon self-defense against an attack less than deadly, —coupling paragraphs eight and nine by saying:
“You are instructed as part of the law of self-defense * * * that if you believe that the defendant shot J. D. Sheen as a means of self-defense, as that term is described in this paragraph of the charge, believing at the time he did so that he was in danger of receiving an unlawful injury of a milder nature at the hands of the said J. D. Sheen and Elmer Sheen or either of them, and that the defendant resorted to all other means at hand, as it reasonably appeared to him at the time, for the prevention of the injury and that the defendant acted while the said J. D. Sheen and Elmer Sheen, or one of them, was in the act of making an unlawful assault upon him, or if you have a reasonable doubt as to whether the killing of J. D. Sheen occurred under such circumstances, then you will find the defendant not guilty.”
Appellant earnestly contends that the part of the charge quoted, together with other parts of like nature and effect, was not applicable to the facts, and placed an unwarranted limitation on his right of self-defense, and was calculated to lead the jury to believe that he had no right to use his pistol until he had tried all other means to defend himself.
Appellant’s story was altogether different. He said he had been using a road leading through Roe’s land to Dye Mound, which road had been open and used for more than thirty years until the Sheens rented said Roe land. He testified to the troubles over a gap on this road which the Sheens fastened up in various ways as often as appellant opened it. The killing occurred at this gap. Appellant had consulted the county attorney and other officers about what he should do in the premises. On this Sunday morning appellant said he had started to Dye Mound, went to the gap or wire gate mentioned, opened it, led his horse through, got back on him and started off, when he caught sight of the two Sheen brothers, — Elmer and J. D.,— near him and coming toward him, and he said he also saw some one in the bushes, in the direction he had to go, moving over toward the road, apparently a few steps from same. His pony whirled right in front of the two Sheens, and Elmer grabbed
“While that was taking place I didn’t see J. D., but in the mean time there had been something strike me here on the arm, a pretty heavy blow on this arm and another blow just back of my head on top of my shoulders. About the time Elmer fell there was a sound behind me that sounded like a lick, something like that, which I judge was my horse because my horse whirled as quick as he could do so after Elmer fell. After my horse whirled J. D. was standing just to the right and in front of me with this stick in his hand and he said, T will kill you’ and struck at the same moment, then I fired as quick as I could at him and he fell. After he fell I momentarily sat there on my horse and kinda rubbed my face and head. I was just a little bit dazed from that blow on my back.”
Appellant had already sworn that when deceased passed out of his sight on the left he had a green stick or club in his hand about the size of appellant’s wrist at one end. As to how appellant viewed his situation at this time, we again let him state: “At the time I fired those shots I fired them because I thought my life was in danger and from the remarks those boys made when I rode by them and the remarks they made after I turned back there I thought I was trapped. It was very evident to my mind that those boys were angry and that they was looking for trouble, and I couldn’t feature those boys being there without their father. I didn’t know at that time who it was in the brush on up there waiting, and I didn’t know at that time whether or not the person on up there was armed or not.” On cross-examination appellant again said:
“I don’t believe I could have stood many blows like that, I certainly thought I was in great danger at that time. I don’t know what you mean by me being afraid, I figured my life was in danger. I saw those two boys and saw another one in the brush and was afraid I was going to lose my life. When I saw
In response to questions by State’s counsel appellant said he did not try to run over these parties, or take his foot out of the stirrup and try to kick them, or try to knock them over with his pistol, or whirl his horse and try to get away from them, or try to knock them down. Appellant made no claim of self-defense against an attack by the Sheens less than deadly, as it appeared from his standpoint.
As we view the testimony, appellant was entitled to have his right of self-defense affirmatively presented without limitation based on any duty to resort to all. other means before taking the life of his assailant. Mr. Branch in Sec. 1919, at page 1071, of his Annotated P. C., says:
“If defendant acts under a reasonable expectation or fear of death or of serious bodily injury, produced by the acts of his adversary at the time of the homicide, he is not bound to retreat nor to resort to other means of averting such danger, but may slay his adversary if the danger be imminent and pressing, or if it reasonably appears so to be to defendant, viewed from his standpoint at the time.”
Mr. Branch cites many cases. We call attention also to others. See Terrell v. State, 53 Texas Crim. Rep., 608; Milam v. State, 3 S. W. (2d) 97; McPeak v. State, 80 Texas Crim. Rep., 50; Jones v. State, 86 Texas Crim. Rep., 371; Escobedo v. State, 88 Texas Crim. Rep., 277; Blacklock v. State, 196 S. W. Rep., 822; Petty v. State, 86 Texas Crim. Rep., 324; Fleming v. State, 101 Texas Crim. Rep., 24; Liston v. State, 105 Texas Crim. Rep., 531.
We are constrained upon more mature consideration to believe the charge referred to and discussed was erroneous, and the matter of gravity enough to call for reversal. The cross-examination of appellant, above set out, was calculated to lead the jury to think appellant should have tried to ride over or kick the boys before he would have the right to shoot.
The appellant’s motion for rehearing is granted, the judgment of affirmance is set aside, and the judgment is now reversed and the cause remanded.
Reversed and remanded.
Reference
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- Will Watson v. State
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