Bray v. State
Bray v. State
Opinion of the Court
This is the third time this case has been before this court.
When here before it was reversed for errors in the charge to the jury.
The errors assigned in this record are, (1) Error in charge to the jury, especially in the eighth clause ; (2) The court erred in refusing each and all the instructions asked and in overruling motion for new trial.
The matter complained of in eighth clause of the charge is in charging the jury that they must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of the felonious intent with which the property was taken ; “ if you are not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of the honest or felonious intent, you must acquit.”
We think no other reasonable construction can be given to this language, and that it could not have misled the jury to defendant’s prejudice. No valid objection can be raised to the remainder of the charge, and those refused were very clearly embraced in those given. The defendant appears to have had a fair trial, and the evidence being such as might well satisfy a jury beyond a reasonable doubt of the guilt of the defendant, we cannot say that the conviction is wrong ; and there being no error in the judgment, it is affirmed.
Affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Buck Bray v. State
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Reasonable doubt.—It is not error in the court to instruct the jury on a trial for theft that “if they have a reasonable doubt as to the honest or felonious intent” they will acquit.