Graham v. State

73 So. 594, 72 Fla. 510
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedDecember 19, 1916
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 73 So. 594 (Graham v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Graham v. State, 73 So. 594, 72 Fla. 510 (Fla. 1916).

Opinion

Shackleford, J.

—Z. Graham was indicted for the crime of assault with intent to commit murder, was tried before a jmy, was convicted of an “assault with intent to murder in the second degree,” and was sentenced to [513]*513confinement in the State prison at hard labor for a period of one year.

The first assignment argued before us is based upon the overruling of the m'otion for a new trial and the point urged is the 17th ground thereof, which is as follows :

“17. Because, the issue having been joined between the State and the defendant, and testimony on behalf of the State and the defendant having been produced, and argument on behalf of the defendant having been concluded, the State Attorney did, over the objection and, protest of defendant’s attorney, address and harangue the jury on the fact that the defendant had been convicted of striking a woman with a rifle, which said fact had been stricken from the evidence, using substantially the following words: ‘Why this man is a bad man with a rifle. He carries it around and uses it mighty promiscuous. He shoots a man with it from one end and then turns it around and beats a woman over the head with the other end. I am sure glad he don’t live in Inverness,’ and other words to the same effect; thereby seeking to influence and influencing the minds of the jury with the idea that the defendant was a trouble maker and a lawless man, to the prejudice of the defendant’s rights, and with the result that a fair and impartial trial was not had before the said jury.”

We find that the bill of exceptions discloses the following proceedings:

“After the conclusion of the evidence on behalf of the parties, and after argument by the attorneys for the defendant, the State Attorney, in addressing the jury, d,id comment on the fact that the defendant had struck a woman over the head with his rifle. Attorneys for the defendant objected to this method of argument on the [514]*514ground that there was no evidence before the jury to justify such argument. The court thereupon instructed that counsel must confine their arguments to the testimony adduced before the jury and ruled that the testimony upon which such argument was based had been stricken out. Thereupon the State Attorney, later in his address to the jury, again harangued the jury on the fact that defendant had been convicted of striking a woman with his rifle, which said fact had been stricken from the evidence, and, over the objection and protest of defendant’s attorney, and in disregard of the instructions and ruling of the court, using substantially the following words: ‘Why this man is a bad man with a rifle. He carries it around and uses it mighty promiscuous. He shoots a man with it from one end and then turns it around and beats a woman over the head with the other end. I am sure glad he don’t live in Inverness,’ and other words to the same effect.

“Note: (By the Judge) ‘I was never more than ten feet awa)*- and for never more than a^few moments to get some book or paper and if there was a repetition of the argument it was not called to my attention. I was in the presiding judge’s chair in court room when State Attorney closed his argument. I do not mean to certify that the State Attorney “again harangued the jury that defendant had been convicted of striking a woman with a rifle,” but at the conclusion of the State Attorney’s argument, on motion of defendant, did instruct the jury in substance to disregard any argument not founded on the evidence and to disregard any such argument.’ ”

While the bill of exceptions is somewhat confusing, it is apparent that the trial judge did not intend to certify that the State Attorney had “again harangued, the jury that the defendant had been convicted of striking' a [515]*515woman with a rifle,” after the trial judge had ruled that the testimony upon which such argument was predicated had been stricken and had instructed the counsel in the case that they must confine their argument to- the testimony adduced before the jury. As we held in Bradham v. State, 41 Fla. 541, 26 South. Rep,. 730, “It is improper for counsel to add, by his own statement in argument, a material fact, without the authority of evidence, to the testimony as submitted to the jury. A statement of such a fact by counsel not authorized or proven by the evidence should not be allowed to go to the jury. The judge should stop1 him at once; and if he fails h> do so, when recpiested, and the impropriety is great, and exception is duly taken, it is ground for a new trial.” Also see the discussion in Newton v. State, 21 Fla. 53; Killins v. State, 28 Fla. 313, 9 South. Rep. 711; Clinton v. State, 53 Fla. 98, 43 South. Rep. 312, 12 Ann. Cas. 150; Adams v. State, 54 Fla. 1, 45 South. Rep. 494; Putnal v. State, 56 Fla. 86, 47 South. Rep. 864; Carter v. State, 68 Fla. 143, 66 South. Rep. 1000; Young v. State, 70 Fla. 211, 70 South. Rep. 19. Even if we could hold that it has been made to appear to us that the State Attorney for the second time used improper and harmful language in his argument bo the jury, it is clear that the samfe was not brought to the attention of the trial judge, a ruling obtained thereon and an exception taken thereto, as we have held must be done in order to warrant a review thereof by an appellate court. As we held in Young v. State, supra, following prior decisions of this court, “The arguments and comments of counsel in the progress of a trial before a jury are controllable in the judicial discretion of the trial court, and an appellate court will not interfere with the exercise of such discretion unless aclear abuse thereof has been made to appear.” The [516]*516bill of exceptions discloses that, at the conclusion of the State Attorney’s argument, on the motion of the defendant, the trial judge instructed the jury to- disregard, any argument not founded on the evidence. It necessarily follows from what we have said that this assignment must be held not to have been sustained.

The next assignment argued, before us is the third, which is based upon the refusal of the following instruction requested by the defendant:

“3. If you find from the evidence that the defendant Z. Graham was fired at or upon by Llewellyn Olin without lawful excuse with a shot gun or pistol, and at that time there was no- reasonable means at his command, within his knowledge, consistent with his own safety, to which he could resort, but to shoot in his own defense; and if you further find that under such circumstances said, defendant shot at Llewellyn Olin to- protect his own life and in self-defense, then you will find the defendant not guilty.” We might content ourselves with stating that in so far as the requested and refused instruction embodied a correct statement of the principles of law applicable to the issues being- .tried, the same was more fully and correctly covered in the general charge of the court, therefore such instruction was properly refused. As we held in Bass v. State, 58 Fla. 1, 50 South. Rep. 531, as we have likewise done in both prior and subsequent opinions, “Requested instructions, though announcing- correct principles of law applicable to the case, are properly refused where such principles are fully covered in other instructions given at the trial, even though couched in different language.” Also see Smith v. State, 57 Fla. 24, 48 South. Rep. 744, and Tully v. State, 69 Fla. 662, 68 South. Rep. 934. The discussion in Stafford v. State, 50 Fla. 134, 39 South. Rep. 106, and Barnhill v. [517]*517State, 56 Fla. 16, 48 South. Rep.

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Bluebook (online)
73 So. 594, 72 Fla. 510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/graham-v-state-fla-1916.