Merriweather v. State
Merriweather v. State
Opinion of the Court
The indictment in this case was for a theft from a house, and charged the defendant with stealing the property of Marie Leroux. On the trial it was proven that Marie Leroux was a married woman and the wife of -- Leroux, and that the property charged to have been stolen was the community property of Marie Lc roux and her husband. Under our laws the community property of the husband and wife is under the immediate control and management of the husband, and, excepting the homestead, is subject to sale by him only, and is therefore, during the marriage,
3?or the error here indicated the judgment of the district court is reversed; and as the evidence shows that no legal conviction can be had under the indictment the case is dismissed.
Reversed and dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Bettie Merriweather v. State
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. An indictment for the theft of community property should allege the ownership to be in the husband. If the indictment alleges the ownership to be in the wife, and the proof shows the stolen articles to belong to the community, a conviction cannot be sustained. S. An indictment for the theft of sundry articles of household furnituie alleged the ownership of them to be in a married woman. The evidence on the trial proved that they belonged -to the community property of the husband and wke, but the wife and other witnesses for the State testified that she had the control of them, and that the husband never-interfered therewith. Held, that it was error to so instruct the jury as to permit them to conclude that the wife could possibly have exclusive possession and control of the articles, or could hold them in her own right so as to sustain the charge in the indictment that she was the owner, and thus warrant a verdict of guilty.