Harper v. State

63 S.E. 339, 131 Ga. 771, 1909 Ga. LEXIS 5
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJanuary 13, 1909
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 63 S.E. 339 (Harper v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. State, 63 S.E. 339, 131 Ga. 771, 1909 Ga. LEXIS 5 (Ga. 1909).

Opinion

Holden, J.

The defendant was convicted of murder, without recommendation; and the judgment of the court overruling his motion for a new trial was affirmed by this court. Harper v. State, 129 Ga. 770 (59 S. E. 792). He made an extraordinary motion for a new trial, and to the judgment of the court overruling the same he filed exceptions, bringing the case here for review. For a full report of the facts of the case, see the decision above referred to. The defendant was under indictment for murder in Fannin superior court; and while in Murray county, and while Ben Keith, the sheriff of that county, was undertaking to arrest [773]*773the defendant, the sheriff was shot and killed by the defendant. It appears that the only eye-witness to the killing was Carl Foster. One of the contentions of the State was that the defendant was an escaped felon, and killed the deceased to prevent him from arresting him. The question now before this court is whether the court below committed error upon the hearing of the extraordinary motion for a new trial and in overruling the same.

1. One of the grounds of this motion is as follows: "Because movant was not confronted by one of the witnesses against him, to wit, Carl Foster, who testified before the grand jury and upon whose testimony movant was indicted; the said witness being the only eye-witness to the killing. The failure^ to confront movant with the said witness denied him the right conferred upon him by the constitution of the. United States, amendment article 6, said right being that of being confronted with a witness against him.” The meaning of the provision of the constitution referred to, providing that the accused shall be "confronted with the witnesses against him,” is that the testimony of no witness shall be used against a defendant upon his trial unless the defendant is confronted with such witness while he is delivering such testimony. It does not mean that the defendant is entitled to be confronted with the witness when he is delivering testimony.before the grand jury, which must find an indictment béfore the defendant can be put upon trial. The defendant was not upon trial before the grand jury. Nor does this provision of the constitution mean that any witness who testifies before the grand jury, and upon whose testimony an indictment is found, must be introduced as a witness upon the trial of the defendant for the offense for which he is indicted. The meaning of this provision of the constitution is that'the testimony of no witness against a defendant shall be used upon his trial, in the shape of an affidavit, or answers to interrogatories, or in any other way, where the defendant is not confronted by the witness while such testimony is being delivered by him. This provision necessarily requires that the witness and the defendant both be personally present when the testimony of the witness is being delivered against him; but there is no requirement that every witness who delivers testimony before the grand jury which finds an indictment against a party shall be introduced upon the trial of such party for the offense for which he is indicted.

[774]*7742. Another ground of the motion was that the defendant was denied a fair and -impartial trial, because the solicitor-general failed and refused to introduce before the jury, upon the trial of the ease, Carl Foster, the only eye-witness to the killing. We fail to see wherein the defendant was denied a fair and impartial trial simply because the State did not introduce the testimony of the only eye-witness to the killing. Such witnéss might be untruthful and corrupt. He. might be willing to testify to anything which would acquit the defendant. It would be an unfair trial for the State if the burden were upon it in all instances to introduce, as a witness upon the trial, the only eye-witness to the homicide. If the testimony such witness would give would be favorable to the State, the defendant can not be harmed by its absence, which would make it more difficult for the State to secure a conviction. On the other hand, if the witness would testify in aid of the defendant, the State was under no duty to produce testimony unfavorable to it, and the defendant had the right and should have availed himself of the privilege of introducing and having the witness testify.

Another ground of the motion for a new trial is that the defendant was misled by a statement made by the solicitor-general in his opening argument, “that he would by an eye-witness produce sufficient facts to hang forty men,” and because the eyewitness was not introduced and allowed to testify. The defendant alleges that he knew that Carl Foster was the only eye-witness, and believed that he would be introduced by the State, and was afraid to place said witness up for'the defense. He believed he would be introduced as a witness by the State in rebuttal. This is certainly no ground for a new trial. After the State closed its testimony without introducing Carl Foster, the defendant himself then had an opportunity to offer such witness.

3. Another ground of the motion was alleged newly discovered evidence contained in the affidavit of Carl Foster. Defendant in his motion made substantially the following allegations: He did not know nor did his counsel know of this testimony at the trial, nor could they secure the same thereat. His attorney, Charles H. Griffin, prior to the trial requested Foster to give a statement in regard to the killing. Foster refused to do so, stating that he had been advised that it was best to keep his mouth [775]*775shut. Foster stated he was a witness for the State and would testify against movant. The State closed its testimony without introducing Foster. Movant believed he would be introduced in rebuttal. He was afraid to introduce the witness, knowing that he was a State’s witness, and on account of the solicitor-general’s remark in his opening statement to the jury that he would introduce an eye-witness who would testify to facts sufficient to hang forty men, and because Foster had told defendant’s attorney that he would testify for the State, and because defendant knew the witness had been introduced before the grand jury which found the indictment. Sometime after the trial defendant’s attorney, Griffin, located Foster, and finally got him to give him the statement contained in Foster’s affidavit of the occurrence as he knew it and as he had presented it to the solicitor-general prior to the trial. If Foster had been allowed to testify and had not been intimidated, defendant would not have been convicted. The defendant was convicted da the idea that he knew Ben Eeith was sheriff and wanted to arrest him for a felony, when, as a matter of fact, he did not know these facts, as shown by the affidavit of Foster. If movant had known of this testimony, he would have used Foster as ,a witness upon the trial. He was convicted on the testimony of Amos Eeith as to the dying declarations of the deceased that the defendant knew he was the sheriff, which the affidavit of Foster shows not to be true, and which shows that Amos Eeith'attempted to get Foster to perjure himself, and, after the witness refused to do so, intimidated him and would not allow the witness to make a statement to movant, or to his attorneys. The witness was afraid of Amos Eeith and was frightened and intimidated. He was in fear of his life, and would not give a statement to movant, or to his attorneys. All the facts alleged in reference to the testimony of Foster came to the knowledge of movant since the trial.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
63 S.E. 339, 131 Ga. 771, 1909 Ga. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-state-ga-1909.