Barnette v. State

173 So. 2d 904, 252 Miss. 652, 1965 Miss. LEXIS 1136
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedApril 5, 1965
DocketNo. 43416
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 173 So. 2d 904 (Barnette v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barnette v. State, 173 So. 2d 904, 252 Miss. 652, 1965 Miss. LEXIS 1136 (Mich. 1965).

Opinion

Rodgers, J.

This is an appeal from a sentence and judgment of the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Mississippi, wherein appellant was convicted of assault and battery with intent to kill and murder Ira G. Hoye. He was sentenced to serve a term of three years in the State Penitentiary. Appellant’s motion for a new trial was overruled, and from this sentence and judgment he has appeal to this Court.

The indictment, leaving off the formal parts, is in the following language: “upon their oaths present: That JOHN S. BARNETTE late of the County aforesaid, on the 30th day of August in the year of our Lord, 1963, in the County and State aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of this Court, wtih a certain deadly weapon, to-wit: a knife in and upon one Ira G. Hoye a human being, unlawfully, wilfully and feloniously, an assault did, then, and there, make, and he, the said John S. Barnette, with the said deadly weapon, unlawfully, wilfully and feloniously, did, then and there, cut and wound the said Ira G. Hoye with the felonious intent, then and there, him, said Ira G. Hoye unlawfully, wilfully, feloniously, and of his, said John S. Barnette’s malice aforethought to kill and murder, against the peace and dignity of the State of Mississippi.”

This indictment was drawn under Mississippi Code Annotated section 2011 (1956).

The testimony offered on behalf of the State of Mississippi is to the effect that appellant was in an argument with one Joe Gibson near Walter Taylor’s cafe a short time after dark. The prosecuting witness, Ira G. Hoye and Charles Windham, walked near appellant. Charles spoke to Joe Gibson and he called out suddenly “Go, Charles, go.” Charles saw appellant cut at Joe [656]*656Gibson, and Charles Windham dodged. The back of his shirt was cnt bnt the blow passed over Windham and took effect upon the right arm of Ira G. Hoye which severed all of the muscles and caused profuse loss of blood. Defendant, appellant here, denied he cut the prosecuting witness. The prosecuting witness testified, in answer to the question “Do you know whether or not he was cutting at Charles Windham or cutting at you?” — “He wasn’t cutting at me, I don’t believe. He cut Charles’ shirt.”

When the testimony was concluded, appellant made a motion for a directed verdict, but did not bring to the attention of the trial court the variance between the indictment and the evidence offered by the State to prove the charge laid in the indictment. In this posture of the ease, the State requested and was granted the following instructions:

“The Court instructs the Jury for the State that if you believe from the evidence in this case beyond a reasonable doubt that on the 30th day of August, 1963, in Jackson County, Mississippi, the defendant John S. Barnette, with a certain deadly weapon, to-wit: a knife, in and upon one Joe Edwin Gibson a human being, did unlawfully, wilfully and feloniously then and there make an assault upon the said Joe Edwin Gibson with the said knife with the felonious intent of him, the said John S. Barnette, unlawfully, wilfully and feloniously and of his malice aforethought to kill and murder the said Joe Edwin Gibson and if you further believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the said defendant missed the said Joe Edwin Gibson in his attempt to assault the said Joe Edwin Gibson with the knife, and instead struck and cut Ira G. Hoye, a human being, with the said deadly weapon, then if you further believe from the evidence in this case beyond a reasonable doubt, the defendant is guilty as charged and it is your sworn duty to say so by your verdict.”
[657]*657“The Court instructs the jury for the State that malice aforethought mentioned in the Indictment may he presumed from the unlawful and deliberate use of a deadly weapon.”

The defendant offered, and was refused an instruction to the jury: “that you must believe beyond a reasonable doubt and to a moral certainty that the defendant had an actual intent to kill and murder Ira Gr. Hoye, or it is your sworn duty to find the defendant not g'uilty. ’ ’

Thus it is apparent the court instructed the jury that it was not necessary for the State to prove intent to kill and murder the person named in the indictment. This was error.

The ancient rule of criminal law that where one crime is intended and by mistake another committed, the unlawful intent to do one act is transposed to the other, does not apply to the statutory crime of assault and battery with intent to kill and murder here involved.

In the early days of the common law, the English courts recognized the rule that when a defendant was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill and murder, or to do serious bodily injury to a particular person, evidence of an intent to kill and murder a person other than the one named in the indictment was not sufficient to sustain the charge. Regina v. Hewlett, 1 F. & F. 91, 175 Eng. Rep. 640 (1930).

In this State, our Court has been careful to observe this ancient landmark. In the case of Jones v. State, 11 S. & M. 315 (1848), this Court said:

“The objection is, that the intent is not sufficiently averred in this, that the act is not alleged to have been done with the intention of killing the said Mixon or any other person.
“The statute, (H. & H. 698, sec. 33,) quoted above, specifies the intent to kill the person shot at, as one of the intents made essential to constitute the of-fence. Such being, probably, the main intent in this [658]*658case, the indictment should have charged that intent. Rex v. Gillow, Moody, 85; Rex v. Duffin, Russ. & Ry. 365.
“The indictment is uncertain. There is no allegation of an intent to kill any particular person. In Rex v. Holt, 7 Car. & Payne, 518, the indictment, framed under the statute 9 Geo. 4, c. 31, § 11, 12, was for shooting ‘at one John Hill, with intent to murder the said John Hill.’ The jury found the prisoner guilty of shooting at Mr. Hill with intent to do Mr. Lee some grievous bodily harm. The court ordered a verdict of not guilty to be recorded. To come therefore, within this statute, we think the accused must be charged with having shot at a certain person, with intent to kill that person.
“The indictment is vicious, and the motion in arrest of judgment should have been sustained in the circuit court. ’ ’

In the case of Morgan v. State, 13 S. & M. 242 (1849), this Court pointed out that where A. is indicted for an assault with intent to kill B., the indictment will not be sustained by proof that A. made the assault with intent to kill C., and accidentally wounded B.

In the case of Gentry v. State, 92 Miss. 141, 45 So. 721 (1908), where an accused shot into a wagon filled with several persons and was indicted for an assault upon only one of them, it was error to instruct the jury that they might convict, without proof of premeditation or design to kill a particular person named in the indictment.

In the case of Barcus v. State, 49 Miss. 17 (1873), this Court pointed out that where B. shot at C. with intent to kill, missed him and shot M., the indictment is not good when it charged that B. shot M., with intent to kill, the intent being to kill C.

In the case of Garner v. State, 227 Miss. 840, 87 So. 2d 80

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
173 So. 2d 904, 252 Miss. 652, 1965 Miss. LEXIS 1136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barnette-v-state-miss-1965.