Knight v. State

1939 OK CR 146, 95 P.2d 905, 68 Okla. Crim. 122, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 11
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 9, 1939
DocketNo. A-9590.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1939 OK CR 146 (Knight v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Knight v. State, 1939 OK CR 146, 95 P.2d 905, 68 Okla. Crim. 122, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 11 (Okla. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

DAVENPORT, J.

The defendant was by information charged with the crime of robbery; was convicted and sentenced to serve a term of 40 years in the penitentiary; from which sentence and judgment, the defendant appeals.

The testimony on behalf of the state shows that the defendant had been previously convicted and served a term in the penitentiary for larceny of an automobile.

Dr. Austin R. Stough, testifying on behalf of the state, stated that he saw W. P. Dorris in the Samaritan Hospital about 2 o’clock a. m.

*123 “He was covered with blood, Ms head and face, and we cleaned him up. He had two or three cuts on his face, one large one on his lip, and one on his chin; and his eyes and nose were swollen, and his entire face was just black and blue; and he had two or three knots on his head, one small cut on the back part of the right side, and the inside of his mouth was cut pretty bad; his inside lip and his lower lip was torn from his gum, and his upper lip was torn from his gum; his nose was swollen quite a bit at the time. I thought it was possibly a break, but later I decided it was practically a dislocated cartilage from the bone; and his eyes were very bad cut and swollen, almost closed. I don’t think there was any permanent damage to his eyes. His face was all swollen; and there were bruised spots over it, covering almost the entire area of his face, with some small skinned areas beside the cuts. I took about three sutures in the upper lip and about two in his chin; then I had to take several stitches inside his mouth to repair his lip. I have seen Mr. Dorris since I have been here to-day.”

On cross-examination the witness stated:

“I saw him about 3 o’clock in the morning. I don’t know how he got to the hospital. I think he had been there 20 or 30 minutes before I saw him. I couldn’t detect any odor of liquor on him. I would not say there wasn’t any. The bruises and cuts on his face and head were apparently inflicted with some blunt object. I believe it could have been done with a man’s knuckles.”

Louise Mashburn, testifying for the state, stated that she was 17 years of age and lived at 324 West Chickasha.

“On April 16th, or thereabouts, I was at the A & A Buffet. I went down there about 8 or 8:30 and left about 10:30. I went down there with Juanita Price. Prior to that time I was acquainted with Tommie Knight. When Juanita Price and I got to the A & A Buffet, we went in and started dancing. The A & A Buffet is at 409 West Reno. I did not know Dorris prior to that time. When I first saw him, he was seated down there in a booth. He asked Juanita and I what we wanted. Juanita and I were *124 dancing; and be called me and them over there. Juanita came back and got me; and all three went in and sat down by him. I don’t know what time it was when Tommie Knight came in. He started talking to me. He did not sit down at that time. After Tommie had left, Bill asked if that was my boy friend; and I said he was. He said, ‘Why don’t you get them, and we will all go out to the Trocedero Night Club?’ I don’t know where it is located. I had never been out there before. We all went together out some place. Bill Dorris told me he had a car outside. He had taken two' drinks at that time. I asked Tommie to go. He hesitated at first. He went with us from there. We went down in the 200 block on West Reno, and got a pint of whisky first. We went to a number of different places, out to the Atlas Buffet, the Oasis, Swing Time, and Happy Time. I don’t remember our dancing anywhere except the Oasis. We all went down to a place where they have tourist cabins. I don’t know where it was, myself. We went south, I think. It was out on the New Castle road. I don’t know just when we got there; but I imagine it was after midnight. Those wlm went to the tourist cabin were Bill Dorris, Tommie, Juanita, and I. We were just in one tourist cabin. The car was parked out in front of the cabin we were in. It was Bill Dorris’ car; and the same one we started out in. The car was right at the cabin. We went in the cabin; and Bill Dorris started to- undress. He pulled out everything he had in his pockets, and laid them on the table. 1-Ie was starting to take his coat off; and Tommie said, ‘Look here, Bill.’ And about that time he hit him. He just knocked him down on the floor. Bill tried to get up. Every time he would, do that, Tommie would hit him again. I did not see him do anything but hit him with his fist. Juanita and I were standing in the corner; and Tommie just kept hitting. Bill. Bill got up, and got on the bed; and Tommie hit him again. He kept on hitting- him. Juanita went up and tried to get him to stop, and he hit her. I tried to get him to stop, and he hit me, and knocked me out. I fell in the floor; and Juanita picked me up. When I got up, I had a black eye; and my nose was skinned up about like that. I had a big skinned place on the side of my cheek. He just had his money in *125 Ms pocket. I did not see any billfold. He bad $26 in money. That is all I saw. I don’t know how much he had when we started out that evening. Every time he would go> to do anything, he would pull all his money out of his. pocket, and hold it in his hand.”

At this time a number of bills were introduced, marked State’s Exhibit “1.”

The witness continued:

“He had the bills wadded up in his hand; and every time, when he started to do anything, he would just pull out what he wanted. As far as I remember, Bill Dorris paid all the bills that night. Juanita and I walked out of the door of the cabin first. Bill was still laying on the bed when we walked out. He was bleeding. There was blood on the floor. I don’t know whether there was any blood on Tommie Knight or not. We had all three left in Bill Dorris’ car, Tommie, Juanita, and myself. Bill was left in the cabin. Juanita said she saw him standing in the door. The last place I saw him was on the bed. Tommie drove Bill Dorris’ car in which we left the cabin. I next saw the money when we got out at Brock Park. Brock Park is on Southwest 29th street. During the ride up towards Brock Park, we hit a big bump. I bounced up and hit the car on top, and then come back and hit on the windshield. We left the car right at the park. I saw the money at the park. I counted it out to Tommie. I counted out $26 in bills to- Tommie. I found it laying on the ground there by the car. We got out of the car ; and we walked up there; and Tommie asked us about the money. We didn’t have it; and to prove it to him'that I didn’t have it, I said I would go back and look for it, and just as I was going back, I found it laying on the ground. It was laying just a little back from the left-hand front door. There was $26. I gave it to Tommie; and he took it. He didn’t give either of us any part of it. We went out and sat down by some bushes; and Tommie said he Avas going to get a cab, and to just sit there until he came back. When he left, Juanita and I got up and said we were going home, and we did. We didn’t report it to the police. Saturday night *126 after this occurred on Friday night, I was arrested. Juanita was with me when I was arrested. Tommie Knight, the defendant now on trial, is the Tommie Knight that was with us that night.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In Re Knight
1942 OK CR 157 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1939 OK CR 146, 95 P.2d 905, 68 Okla. Crim. 122, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/knight-v-state-oklacrimapp-1939.