Gamble v. State

200 So. 2d 500, 44 Ala. App. 1, 1967 Ala. App. LEXIS 402
CourtAlabama Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 11, 1967
Docket7 Div. 867
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 200 So. 2d 500 (Gamble v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alabama Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gamble v. State, 200 So. 2d 500, 44 Ala. App. 1, 1967 Ala. App. LEXIS 402 (Ala. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

JOHNSON, judge.

Appellant was indicted by the Grand Jury of Etowah County on a charge of first degree manslaughter for the fatal stabbing of Wayne Walden. Following a plea of not guilty, appellant was found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree and sentenced to a term of twelve months in the county jail. This appeal is made following denial of application for probation and motion for a new trial.

[2]*2Wayne Walden, age sixteen, was stabbed during a fight with appellant, age seventeen, at the Rainbow Skating Rink, Gadsden, Alabama, at approximately midnight on February 12, 1966, following a dance. Dr. Thirwell Nolen, a Gadsden physician, who attended deceased until his death, testified that deceased had received an injury to his right chest, apparently made by a sharp object and that he died “apparently of blood loss, shock, and probably a contributing factor was — respiratory insufficiency due to his chest and mediastinum, and collapse of his lung” caused by this wound.

The State’s next witness was Allan Slade, age fifteen, who was a witness to the fight. He had been told by his friend, Ernest “Butch” Hofferbert, Jr. that there was going to be a fight and he stayed to watch it. He testified as follows:

“Q. Now what happened, if anything, when the Defendant came out of the door?
“A. He came out and — told Wayne Walden, said, ‘if you hit me I’ll stab your heart out'.’ • • ■
“Q. Did you hear that?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. You heard that? And what did Wayne Walden do, if anything?
. “A. He — he was already running ■ at him when he said that, swinging, and Larry Gamble threw up his hands to try to ■ block it, and that’s when he stuck him.”

The witness further testified that he saw a knife in appellant’s hand and that he saw him stab Walden with it. He later identified State’s Exhibit I as this knife. This exhibit was introduced into evidence over appellant’s objection.

There was a policeman on duty inside the skating rink and the fight broke up when he entered the parking lot. Both participants in the fight left the scene. Walden ran several yards, called out that he was stabbed and collapsed.

Ernest “Butch” Hofferbert, Jr., age sixteen, also witnessed the fight. He testified for the State that he had heard that there was going to be a fight and was there to watch it. He stated that he saw appellant inside the rink about an hour before the fight began and spoke to him. He identified the knife, State’s Exhibit I, as that used in the stabbing. He testified as follows:

“Q. I want you to look at State’s Exhibit Number 1, and tell us if you have seen that knife before ? (Handing an object to the witness.)
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Where did you see that knife before?
“A. When he put it up in my chest, in the skating rink.
“MR. MOORE: I didn’t understand that.
“THE COURT: Speak out loud.
“THE WITNESS: When he put it up to my chest, in the skating rink.
“Q. (By Mr. Floyd) Is that the time, one hour before, that you have told us about ?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Who put it in your chest, in the skating rink?
“A. Larry did.
“MR. HORNSBY: I am going to object to this, your Honor, and move to ex- ' elude this. Irrelevant, incompetent and immaterial, to the issues.
“MR. FLOYD: Now just a minute.
“MR. HORNSBY: Not within the res gestae.
“THE COURT: You move to exclude it?
MR. HORNSBY: Yes, sir.
“THE COURT: I sustain the objection and grant the motion. That is excluded.
* * ' * * * *
[3]*3“MR. MOORE:. We don’t object to him identifying the knife.
“THE COURT: I didn’t exclude his identification, but I did exclude the statement.
******
“Q. In whose hands did you see it?
“A. Larry’s.
“Q. Larry’s? Was it open or closed?
“MR. MOORE: We object to that. That’s immaterial.
“THE COURT: I overrule it. Was it open or closed?
“THE WITNESS: It was open.”

The mother of the deceased boy testified that at the time of his death Walden was sixteen years of age, five feet and nine inches tall, and weighed approximately 150 pounds.

The first defense witness, Donnie Pentecost, testified that he was a witness to the fight, but saw no meeting of appellant and ■deceased in the skating rink prior to the fight. He further testified that appellant stated to him he “was going to see if he •could wait until tomorrow and talk it over, that he didn’t want to fight.” The witness stated that in the parking lot, deceased came ■over and asked appellant if he “was ready to finish the fight” and struck appellant before he could answer him. He testified that he never saw the knife at the time of the fight; that he didn’t know how deceased was cut or see anyone cut him; and he identified the knife, Exhibit 1, as belonging to appellant, which knife was found under the seat of the car in which the witness and appellant had ridden on the night in question.

The only utterance heard by the witness was while the deceased fought appellant on the ground when he heard appellant state that he would “crack your skull” and the deceased answered, “You will have to do it.”

Appellant testified in his own behalf and stated that the deceased had come up to him . inside the skating fink about 10:30 P.M. and started a fight with him but that he did'not fight back. Appellant .identified the,knife as his own and stated that he had it that ■ night in his left pocket and that' he had drawn the knife. His testimony was as.follows :

“Q. Did you get it out of that pocket?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. When did you get it out of that pocket ?
“A. Well, after I had fell down on the ground, and he jumped on top of me, and that is when I got it out.
“Q. What did you do with it when you got it out?
“A. Well, I got it out, and I put it in between us. And I figured he would see it and stop.
******
“THE COURT: Was it there between you and him?
“THE WITNESS: I put it between us.
“Q. (By Mr. Moore) Was he at that time hitting you, or doing anything?
“A. Yes, sir.”

Appellant admitted that he had placed the knife in such a position that it had entered the body of deceased:

“Q. (By Mr. Moore) Did you stab Wayne- Walden?

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Related

Tucker v. State
454 So. 2d 541 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1983)
Cook v. State
290 So. 2d 228 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1974)
Gamble v. State
200 So. 2d 504 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1967)

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Bluebook (online)
200 So. 2d 500, 44 Ala. App. 1, 1967 Ala. App. LEXIS 402, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gamble-v-state-alactapp-1967.