Jenkins v. State

134 P. 260, 22 Wyo. 34, 1913 Wyo. LEXIS 35
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 29, 1913
DocketNo. 738
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 134 P. 260 (Jenkins v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jenkins v. State, 134 P. 260, 22 Wyo. 34, 1913 Wyo. LEXIS 35 (Wyo. 1913).

Opinions

Scott, Chief Justice.

The plaintiff in error was charged, tried and found guilty of murder in the first degree. Motion for a new trial was [58]*58made and overruled, judgment pronounced against him upon the verdict and he brings error.

1. The coroner testified as a witness on behalf of the state that on the evening of April 14, 1912, he was called to defendant’s dwelling house by the defendant, that being the scene of the homicide, the defendant saying that his wife was dead. The following question was propounded to him on cross-examination, viz: “Did you ask Mr. Jenkins (the defendant) that night immediately after you reached the scene where he had been that afternoon ? Plaintiff objects to that. Objection sustained. Defendant excepts.” There was no further offer of proof and nothing to indicate the materiality of this evidence. The witness had not been interrogated as to this matter on direct examination, and the question propounded was not proper cross-examination. Defendant would not be permitted to impeach himself nor would he be permitted to introduce a self serving statement to support his defense of the act charged. That the ground of the objection was not stated could not avail defendant unless he made it clear by offer of proof or otherwise that such evidence was material, and having failed to do so there is no affirmative showing of prejudicial error in that particular.

Obj ection was made, to the court’s refusal to permit the defendant to cross-examine Dr. Beard as follows: “Then you stated on a little further (referring to a typewritten statement made by the Doctor shortly after the homicide) right after what I have read. ‘Rater, however, Roach claims to have found, I think, a towel hid some place, but I am not sure whether that was the clothing they gave me to examine or not, I think it was. There was just a few stains of blood on it, not sufficient to have made a test of, however, just little stains.’ State whether or not you made that statement to me.” The object or purpose of this cross-examination was not apparent other than to test the memory of the witness. From the record it was not for impeachment. The extent of such cross-examination [59]*59was within the sound discretion of the trial court and in view of the fact that both the State and defense were agreed that deceased came to' her death by violence we can see no prejudicial error in the court’s refusal to permit- the defendant to further pursue this line of cross-examination. Other objections of like nature were interposed and sustained to' questions propounded to this witness as to what defendant said and did at the time but the conclusion reached and for the same reasons the assignments need not be further noticed.

2. Norma K. Beard testified as to how defendant looked, acted, what he said and did when he called at her home to get the doctor on the night of the homicide. The defendant inquired of her as follows: “State whether or not his manner was such that he looked as if he did not know what he -was doing? Plaintiff objects to this question. Objection sustained.- Defendant excepts.” This ruling was not prejudicial for the witness had already testified to his appearance and manner and the jury could judge as to his degree of mentality or distress without the aid of her opinion upon that subject.

3. Objection upon the ground that the question called for a conclusion was interposed and overruled to the question propounded by the state to the witness Stevens, viz: “Could you tell the location of the body from which they (meaning the blood stains on the- ceiling) came?” To this question the witness answered: “Why, from the position of the wound upon the body it would be necessary for the body to be fairly close to the ceiling to get that blood up on the ceiling.” The first question was a preliminary question and could have been answered by “yes” or “no” and there was no motion to strike the answer as not responsive to the question. The defendant is not in position to predicate error upon this assignment. On the same ground as the foregoing question objection was made to the following question and answer of the same witness, viz: “I will ask you whether or not the blood stains upon the ceiling struck [60]*60the ceiling in such a position that they must have gone perpendicularly from the body that produced the spattered blood.” Answer: “The blood stains were circular, showing that they would strike up instead of being dashed sideways.” The physical condition was thus described and from such description the conclusion to the mind of a juror, if they believed the witness at all, would be irresistibly the same as that expressed by the witness. (State v. Passeo, 19 Wyo. 344). We see no prejudicial error in the court’s ruling.

4. The sheriff of Laramie county was sworn and testified as a witness on behalf of the state that he made an examination of the premises where the homicide was committed as follows:

“Q. Did you make an'examination of the cellar ? •
A. I did.
O. What examination did you make of the cellar?
A. I went down the steps and hunted every place I could for blood stains or for foot prints.
Q. Were there any blood stains in the cellar?
A. No, sir.
Q. How is this cellar constructed?
A. It does not — . It is not a cellar all the way under the house, but the ground is dug down a few feet from the bottom of the floor in part of the cellar, but not enough so one could walk in it, just a small space where you can walk around.
Q. Did you examine all the openings to this cellar?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. What openings are there to the cellar?
A. There is some windows between the ground and the floor.
Q. Did you examine these windows?
A. I did.
Q. And what did you find the condition'of the windows to be ?
A. They were covered with dirt and leaves.
[61]*61Q. What was the condition on the inside of the cellar of the window?
A. The inside was covered with dirt.
Q. Had this dirt — where was this dirt?
A. It was upon the window sill.
Q. Had this dirt upon the window sill been disturbed in any manner?
A. No, sir, it had not.
Q. Was it possible for any person to have entered the cellar through either of these windows on that day?
A. No, sir.
Q. Had any person entered the cellar through these windows ?
A. They had not.
Q. What further examination—
Defendant moves to strike that out because that is a conclusion of the witness. Motion denied. Defendant excepts.
Q. what further examination did you make of this cellar ?
A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
134 P. 260, 22 Wyo. 34, 1913 Wyo. LEXIS 35, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jenkins-v-state-wyo-1913.