Burton v. State

394 S.W.2d 873, 217 Tenn. 62, 21 McCanless 62, 1965 Tenn. LEXIS 519
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 21, 1965
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 394 S.W.2d 873 (Burton v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Burton v. State, 394 S.W.2d 873, 217 Tenn. 62, 21 McCanless 62, 1965 Tenn. LEXIS 519 (Tenn. 1965).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Dyer

delivered the opinion of the Court.

John T. Burton appeals from a conviction of murder in the second degree for which he received a sentence of not less than ten or more than twenty years in the state penitentiary. The facts are summarized as follows:

[64]*64On 7 March 1962 defendant married Jean Clark Steel-man, a divorcee with fonr daughters: Barbara, Beverly, Carolyn and Susan. They moved into a home at LaVergne in Rutherford County where on 16 November 1962 a son was born to them. This marriage was stormy from the beginning and on 7 March 1964 Jean Clark obtained a divorce and custody of their son. Jean Clark, with the children, continued to live in LaVergne while defendant moved to Nashville taking an apartment with a member of the Nashville Metropolitan Police Force.

Trouble soon developed between defendant and his former wife, Jean Clark Burton, over their infant son involving visitation rights and proper care of the infant. The infant was apparently poorly clothed every time the defendant visited him and upon taking the infant to a doctor defendant discovered he was suffering from malnutrition.

This struggle between defendant and Jean Clark reached a peak on 6 July 1964. On that day, during the afternoon, defendant went to the home of Jean Clark, who was at work at the time, taking their infant son to the home of some friends. Later in the afternoon defendant met a lady friend and the two drove to Franklin, Tennessee, for dinner. After dinner defendant went to his apartment and talked over his problems with this lady friend and some other people who were with them. These friends accompanied defendant to LaVergne when he returned his son to the home of Jean Clark about 11:00 P.M. Upon returning the child to LaVergne defendant, parting with his friends, went back to his apartment and obtained a 38 calibre pistol and 1960 Thunderbird automobile belonging to his roommate, and returned to the home of Jean Clark.

[65]*65Upon reaching the home of Jean Clark, the defendant broke in the back door of the home and with his pistol in his hand, confronted Jean Clark and two of her teenage daughters, namely Barbara Steelman and Beverly Steel-man. The defendant followed Jean Clark and Beverly Steelman inside a bedroom belonging to Beverly and Barbara Steelman. While inside the bedroom, the defendant held the three at gun point and announced that he was there to kill Jean Clark. At the time he followed Beverly Steelman into her bedroom, he had his gun pointed at her (Beverly). While inside the bedroom, Jean Clark told Barbara to knock out the window, whereupon the defendant replied, “open that window and I’ll shoot you everyone as you go. ’ ’ During the time the defendant held the three at gun point, he carried on a conversation with Jean Clark. This conversation related to his son, John Drew Burton. Prior to the shooting, she said “I’ll give you Johnnie’’, and the defendant answered, “No, it is too late now.”

The defendant, after announcing that he was going to fill Jean Clark full of lead, fired one shot and hit Jean Clark. He then fired other shots, one of which killed Beverly Steelman, who had begun to scream as a result of his shooting her mother, and another of which struck Jean Clark. Then the defendant walked over to Jean Clark, put his gun next to her head, and said ‘‘Jean, are you dead yet?” and she answered, “No, John, but I am going.” At this point, the defendant said “I know I’m going to burn in the electric chair for this but I’m going to enjoy every minute of it knowing* that you died slowly and in agony. ’ ’ After firing the shots and killing Beverly Steelman, and having shot Jean Clark twice, the defendant was asked by Barbara Steelman if she could call an [66]*66ambulance inasmuch, as it was possible Beverly and her mother were only injured. The defendant looked at Beverly and said “No.” The defendant asked Barbara as he started out from the bedroom, “do you want me to shoot you, too, Barbara, or do you want me to spare you?” The defendant pulled the telephone cord off the wall and then left the house.

The defendant was arrested in Nashville and made a statement admitting that he had shot his wife. This statement was made at eight o’clock on the morning* of July 7, 1964. The shooting had taken place between 4:00 and 5:00 A.M. on the same morning.

The defendant testified that he remembers getting the gun from the apartment, in which he lived, but that the last thing* he remembers is that he was driving the automobile, which belonged to his roommate, at a very high rate of speed. He then states that the next thing he remembers is that he was in a friend’s house in Nashville. He does not remember any of the happenings from the time he left for LaVergne until he returned to Nashville.

The first assignment of error is that the evidence preponderates against the verdict of guilty and in favor of innocence. The defense was based on insanity at the time of the commission of the crime and it is argued the defense, under the evidence, having raised a reasonable doubt as to defendant’s sanity the State failed to introduce any rebuttal evidence as to sanity. Defendant cites the following* statement from Dove v. State, 50 Tenn. 348 (1871) :

“If the evidence raises any questions as to the defendant’s sanity it is incumbent upon the state to [67]*67establish his sanity beyond a reasonable doubt. All the defendant is required to do is to raise a reasonable doubt of his sanity at the time the act or acts were committed, and the defendant does not have to prove his insanity by a preponderance of the evidence or beyond a reasonable doubt.”

The defendant testified he had no recollection of the events after he obtained the pistol until he was speeding back to Nashville after the crime. Mrs. Clyde E. Owensby, a clinical psychologist, examined defendant and testified he was in a disassociated state and his powers to decide between right and wrong were limited. Mrs. Owensby could not say whether or not defendant suffered from this disassociated state at the time of the crime. She testified defendant was not insane. The Sheriff of Eutherford County talked to defendant before noon on 7 July 1964. The Sheriff testified at the time of this conversation with defendant, “he was nervous * * * he spoke very coherently and I could understand very clearly everything that he said.”

The failure of defendant to remember is in itself no proof of his mental condition when the crime was committed. Thomas v. State, 201 Tenn. 645, 301 S.W.2d 358 (1957). The court charged the jury on the law regarding the responsibilities of the State with respect to establishing sanity beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury determined defendant did know the difference between right and wrong at the time he committed the crime and the trial judge approved this finding. This finding is supported by a preponderance of the evidence. The first assignment of error is overruled.

Some three hours after the jury had originally retired to consider their verdict the trial judge, on his own [68]*68motion, recalled the jury and the following proceedings were had:

THE COURT: G-entlemen, in order to make the charge a little more specific, I have added one sentence to the third paragraph in the charge.

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Bluebook (online)
394 S.W.2d 873, 217 Tenn. 62, 21 McCanless 62, 1965 Tenn. LEXIS 519, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/burton-v-state-tenn-1965.