Jackson v. State
Jackson v. State
Opinion of the Court
—The facts in proof made out a clear case of aggravated assault and battery. There is no conflict in the evidence, no impeachment of the witnesses, and nothing in the case tending to cast any doubt upon the guilt of the defendent as charged.
The court delivered to the jury a charge appropriate in the ease as one of aggravated assault, but declined to give any instructions in relation to the penalty which the jury might impose, in the event they found defendant guilty of a simple assault and battery. The only part of the charge which it is necessary to notice is as follows, to wit: “If you, from the evidence before you, believe that the defendant is guilty as charged in the indictment, you will find him guilty, and assess his fine in any sum not less than $100 nor more than $1,000.”
The. charge in the indictment being for an aggravated assault, the jury were bound under this charge of the court
Though the charge asked may well have been given to the jury, we cannot say that the court erred in declining to give it as presented. (O’Connell v. The State, 18 Tex., 343; Stearnes v. The State, 21 Tex., 692; 2 Comst., 193, 202 203)
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- James Jackson v. The State of Texas
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Where a party is indicted for an aggravated assault, under article 488 of the Penal Code, (Paschal’s Dig., Art. 2150, Notes 660, 663,) he might be convicted of a simple assault; but he cannot complain of a charge to the jury which left them no alternative but to find him guilty of a violent assault, or not guilty of any offense. The court, after defining the whole law of assault, said: “ If, from the evidence before you, you believe that the defendant is guilty, as charged in the indictment, you will find him guilty, and assess his fine at any sum not less than $100 nor more than $1,000.” And the judge refused to charge, that if the jury find from the evidence that the defendant did not commit an aggravated assault, they can then determine whether he committed a simple assault and battery, and can assess his fine at any sum not exceeding $100. The State might complain of this; the accused could not legally do so.