Mars v. State

135 S.E. 410, 163 Ga. 43, 1926 Ga. LEXIS 20
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedOctober 15, 1926
DocketNo. 5278
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 135 S.E. 410 (Mars 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
Mars v. State, 135 S.E. 410, 163 Ga. 43, 1926 Ga. LEXIS 20 (Ga. 1926).

Opinion

Beck, P. J.

(After stating the foregoing facts.) There were witnesses other than these referred to in the statement of facts, and certain portions of their testimony will be referred to; but it is not necessary to make a lengthy statement of the evidence given by these witnesses for the State. Further reference will also be made to the statement of the prisoner, as parts of his statement are material to the decision of a most vital question in the ease.

The ruling made in the first headnote need not be elaborated.

One ground of the motion for new trial complains of the refusal of the court to order that the jury be purged “as to relationship” to E. H. Dorminey, sheriff, J. B. Roberts, deputy sheriff, and J. W. Scarbrough, a constable, inasmuch as these officers “went to the table where the solicitor-general was seated and began to confer with reference to the jurors to be taken.” The court’s attention was called by movant to the fact; and it was insisted that if these officers were to assist the State in striking the jury, they had become voluntary prosecutors, and the jury should be purged. Thereupon Roberts, the deputy sheriff, and Dorminey, the sheriff, were examined as to the part they had taken in striking the jury. The deputy sheriff testified: “I am purposing to take a part in the striking of this jury. Mr. Wall asked me awhile ago to help him strike the jury; and it is my purpose to give him what assistance I can, to sit with, him at the table there and help strike the jury in this ease. I haven’t taken any interest in the prosecution in the way of getting witnesses, •or anything of that kind; have not discussed with any witness the question of taking a warrant against the defendant’s brother. [50]*50I was at the table at the request of the solicitor; don’t purpose to have anything further to do with the trial, except to help strike the jury upon request of the solicitor. I have not taken sides one way or the other in the trial of the case. I don’t know who was present when the solicitor asked me to help strike the jury; it was over there just a few minutes ago; he just told me to move my chair over there and help strike the jury. I was sitting off to one side, wasn’t at his table when he asked me. I think that he asked the sheriff at the same time; he says, ‘You and the sheriff and Mr. Scarbrough come over and help me strike a jury,’ and we went over for the purpose of helping him strike the jury.” Dorminey, the sheriff, testified: “The solicitor asked me would I help him strike the jury, and I told him that I would. It is my purpose to help in striking the jury in this case. I don’t know whether I can render any assistance or not. I have got a few kinfolks in this county. I have been sheriff about nine years, and know a good many people in the county; know practically every man on the jury at this term; know where most of them live, and their folks, and things of that kind. I don’t know that I would give the State the benefit of my knowledge in securing this jury, can’t say whether I would: have much to say or not; every once in a while Mr. Wall wants my opinion when a fellow’s name comes up. In striking this jury I would give Mr. McDonald such information as I had about a prospective juror if he asked it. I was sitting around the solicitor’s table, I think, when he spoke to me and asked me to help him strike the jury. If Mr. McDonald, for the defendant, should ask me about any jurors, I would give him my opinion. I haven’t been taking any interest in getting the State’s case ready in this case out of the ordinary. I have done like I do in all other cases. I think that the sheriff has his duties; have done no more in this case than I would in any other case. I subpoenaed the witnesses; or had the other boys to do it. I haven’t tried to talk to the witnesses and figure on the case; some of them have talked to me when the warrant was sworn out. I don’t think .1 have talked with Mr. Hasty, but I may have. I didn’t stay out there when the matter was presented to the grand jury, and help to get the witnesses before the grand jury any more than I do in any other case. I was just there. I generally stay out there all through the court.” At the conclusion of the evi[51]*51denee the court overruled the motion to disqualify the relatives of either of the officers, and a relative of the deputy sheriff served upon the jury.

We do not think the court erred in holding that jurors related to either of the officers, under the facts stated above, were not disqualified. It does not appear very distinctly just what aid or assistance was given by these officers to the solicitor-general. This assistance had not been rendered before the jurors had been summoned and the panels had been selected. We assume that the solicitor-general, counsel for the State, called these officers to inquire about certain members of the jury, their relationship, the places of their residence in the county, perhaps, and many other facts which he desired to know in order to intelligently strike the jury. Questions similar to the one here raised have been decided by this court and the Court of Appeals. In Caswell v. State, 27 Ga. App. 76 (107 S. E. 560), it was said: “One who is closely related to persons who assist the solicitor-general in striking a jury in a criminal case is not incompetent, for that reason, to sit as a juror in that case. Atkinson v. State, 112 Ga. 411 (37 S. E. 747); Griffin v. State, 18 Ga. App. 402 (4), 404 (89 S. E. 625); Williams v. State, 23 Ga. App. 518 (98 S. E. 557).”

The ruling made in the 3d headnote need not be elaborated.

Error is assigned upon the refusal of a written request to charge the jury, duly tendered to the court, as follows: “If you find from the evidence, statement of the defendant and the facts of this case, or from either, that at the time the alleged offense was committed the defendant was laboring under a delusion that his wife was unfaithful to him, and that this delusion had undermined his reason, and that at the time of said offense, because of such delusion, the defendant was unable, because of his mental condition, to control his will and know what he was doing, then and in that event you should acquit the defendant.” We are of the opinion that the court did not err in refusing to give this in charge. We do not think it was authorized by the evidence or by the statement of the accused. We do not think that when the entire evidence, including the statement of the accused, is considered, the court was required to give a charge requested in writing upon the subject of delusional insanity. Counsel for the plaintiff in error urged that under the ruling in the case of Roberts v. State, [52]*523 Ga. 310, the charge was pertinent, and that it was error to refuse to give it. The principle laid down in the Roberts case, to which reference is made, is fully discussed in the case of Flanagan v. State, 103 Ga. 619 (30 S. E. 550). In that case it was claimed by the defense that although the accused committed the homicide, he was not guilty of any crime, because, by reason of the delusion under which he was laboring at. the time of the killing, he was unable to form in his mind an intent to commit a crime.

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Bluebook (online)
135 S.E. 410, 163 Ga. 43, 1926 Ga. LEXIS 20, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mars-v-state-ga-1926.