McMurrey v. State

168 S.W.2d 858, 145 Tex. Crim. 439, 1943 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 774
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 20, 1943
DocketNo. 22305
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 168 S.W.2d 858 (McMurrey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McMurrey v. State, 168 S.W.2d 858, 145 Tex. Crim. 439, 1943 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 774 (Tex. 1943).

Opinions

HAWKINS, Presiding Judge.

Appellant was convicted of assault with intent to murder, punishment being assessed at two years in the penitentiary.

Appellant complains of the court’s action in submitting to the jury, over his objection, the issue of assault with intent to murder with malice. He contends that the evidence was insufficient to raise that issue. We are not in accord with this contention. Threats made by appellant against Wallace were proven. The evidence shows that on the morning of June 1, 1940, appellant assaulted Wallace with a pocket knife; stabbed him in the chest, in the side to the left of the spine and cut him on each side of the head. As a result of these wounds Wallace was confined in a hospital eleven days during which time he was given medical treatment by an able and competent physician. He was taken from the hospital to his home, where he remained in bed for approximately three weeks. Wallace testified that the wounds in the chest and side were deep. His wife testified that she saw the attending physician probe the chest wound and also the wound in the side, which was three and one-half inches deep. Dr. Wagner, in response to hypothetical questions, stated that in his opinion the wounds in the chest and [442]*442side were serious. It occurs to us that the court was required to instruct the jury with reference to the law of assault to murder with malice, or ignore the evidence of the State entirely.

Complaint is made of the testimony of E. M. Wallace to the effect that he saw appellant come running towards him and saw the expression on his face; that he looked like he was “awful mad”; to which appellant objected on the ground that it called for a conclusion of the witness. This question was decided adversely to appellant’s contention in Jones v. State, 47 Tex. Cr. R. 515; Powdrill v. State, 62 Tex. Cr. R. 442; Littleton v. State. 91 Tex. Cr. R. 205, 239 S. W. 205; Clyburn v. State, 90 S. W. (2d) 248, 129 Tex. Cr. R. 581.

Bill of exception number two relates to an inquiry by the State of the witness Wallace as to whether he knew the approximate depth of his wounds, to which he answered, “Yes, sir, but I don’t know the exact depth. I would not attempt to say that because I could not do it.” He was then asked the following question: “About how long did it take before that wound on your side healed?” to which he replied, “It healed up tolerably well, but could not walk. * * * I could not get about for a long time.” The objection interposed was that the witness was volunteering evidence which was outside the scope of the question, and appellant moved to strike the answer because not responsive to the question. This the court refused to do. We see no such error reflected by the bill as would require a reversal. Evidence of the same nature is in .the record from other sources.

By bills of exception numbers three and four appellant complains of the action of the trial court in permitting the injured party to exhibit the scars left on his body as a result of the wounds inflicted upon him by appellant. There is nothing in the bill to show that the scars had an ugly, ghastly or revolting appearance such as was calculated to inflame the minds of the jury to the prejudice of appellant. In the absence of such a showing no error is reflected by the bill. See Smith v. State, 86 S. W. (2d) 750; Harris v. State, 106 Tex. Cr. R. 539, 293 S. W. 822; Gandy v. State, 137 Tex. Cr. R. 412.

Bills of exception numbers five, six, seven and eight may be considered and disposed of together inasmuch as they relate to the same subject matter. By these bills appellant complains of the phraseology of the hypothetical questions propounded by the State to Dr. Wagner, an expert. By these questions the State sought to elicit from the witness an opinion as to whether [443]*443or not the wounds inflicted by the appellant in the chest and side of the injured party were serious wounds. Appellant in due time objected on the ground that the questions included the fact, testified to by witnesses, that the wounds were dressed for a period of eleven days during which time the injured party was confined in the hospital, as well as other knife wounds received by him at the time in question, and that after leaving the hospital he was confined to his room at his home for another period of three weeks; that the seriousness of the particular wounds would be determined from the wounds themselves and not by other conditions. The court overruled the objections, to which appellant excepted. The witness answered that in his opinion the wound in the chest and the one in the side were serious wounds. In our opinion appellant’s contention is not well founded. The rule is stated in 19 Tex. Jur. page 438, Sec. 285, as follows:

“A hypothetical question should be so framed as to recite all the facts in evidence which are relevant to the formation of an opinion, and then, assuming the facts recited to be true, the witness should be asked whether he is able to form an opinion therefrom, and, if so, to state his opinion.” In the instant case the question embraced not only the wounds but the length-of time the injured party was confined in the hospital and at his home, which was proper as a predicate upon which an expert could reach an opinion as to the seriousness of the wounds mentioned. See Branch’s Ann. Tex. P. C., page 18, Sec. 31.

Again, in 19 Tex. Jur., page 440, Sec. 287, the rule is thus stated. “In propounding a hypothetical question counsel may assume the facts in accordance with his theory of the case, and it is not essential that he state the facts to the witness as they have been proven. In other words, the question need not embrace all the facts under the conflicting theories of the case; each party may embody in his questions those facts which in his judgment the evidence establishes.” See Lovelady v. State, 14 Tex. Cr. App. 545; Jones v. State, 44 S. W. (2d) 710; Duke v. State, 61 Tex. Cr. R. 441. Under the authorities referred to we fail to see any error reflected by the bills.

By bill of exception number nine appellant complains of the action of the trial court in permitting the State to reproduce the testimony of Dr. S. P. Boothe given upon the insanity hearing of appellant. It was shown that Dr. Boothe was dead and the court reporter who took down the testimony testified that he had correctly transcribed the evidence of the doctor. [444]*444Appellant objected to the introduction of this testimony on the ground that under the Constitution he was entitled to be confronted by the witness against him on the trial of the case in order that he might take advantage of the cross examination of the witness “on conditions now prevailing instead of conditions that may have prevailed at the time the witness gave the testimony.” The court overruled the objection and the State was permitted to introduce the testimony of the doctor, to which appellant excepted. The bill is qualified by the trial court to show that the testimony was offered by the State on the issue of the sanity of the defendant, after the official court reporter had testified as to the correctness of the transcript of Dr. Boothe’s testimony; that the testimony of Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
168 S.W.2d 858, 145 Tex. Crim. 439, 1943 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 774, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcmurrey-v-state-texcrimapp-1943.