O'Brian v. Commonwealth

69 Ky. 563, 6 Bush 563, 1869 Ky. LEXIS 212
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedFebruary 15, 1869
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 69 Ky. 563 (O'Brian v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
O'Brian v. Commonwealth, 69 Ky. 563, 6 Bush 563, 1869 Ky. LEXIS 212 (Ky. Ct. App. 1869).

Opinion

JUDGE PETERS

delivered the opinion oe the court.

Morty O’Brian, having been tried and convicted in the Hickman Circuit Court for the murder of Timothy Hogan, and his motion for a new trial having been overruled, has appealed to this court, asking a reversal of the judgment.

At the trial term, after a jury had been selected and sworn, and Dr. Jackson, the first witness introduced, had closed his evidence, Mr. Spillman, one of the jurors, announced to the court that he then recollected, after hearing the testimony of Hr. Jackson, that he was a member of the grand jury that found the indictment against the prisoner. Thereupon the court sua sponte ordered that Spillman should be discharged from the jury and another juror substituted in his place, to which orders and rulings of the court appellant objected and excepted, nor did the attorney for the commonwealth object to the juror. Four persons were then summoned and presented, all of whom were peremptorily challenged by appellant. Mr. Nance was then offered, and being unwilling to be tried by him appellant claimed the right to challenge him peremptorily, [566]*566to wbicb appellee objected because, in tbe formation of tbe jury of which Spillman was a member, appellant bad peremptorily challenged sixteen, wbicb, added to tbe four subsequently made, exhausted bis privilege. Tbe objection was sustained by tbe court below, Nance, impaneled and sworn as a juror, with tbe eleven previously selected, who were again sworn; to all wbicb exceptions were in due time properly taken by appellant, and by this jury thus formed he was tried and found guilty.

The first question presented on tbe record is, bad the coui’t of its own will tbe power to discharge tbe juror, when tbe objection to him was waived, after tbe fact was disclosed that be was a member of tbe grand jury wbicb found tbe indictment, against tbe consent of appellant?

By section 211, Civil Code, a challenge is allowed to jurors for implied bias, and having served on tbe grand jury which, found tbe indictment is named as constituting an implied bias for wbicb a challenge may be taken. But this right may be waived by tbe defendant, and if be bad full knowledge of tbe fact when tbe juror was presented, and failed then to make tbe objection, bis failure would constitute a waiver of tbe right, and a verdict afterward could not be set aside on that account.

As tbe fact was not known to the defendant until after tbe jury was sworn and the trial commenced, be would then have bad tbe right to object to proceeding with tbe trial, while tbe commonwealth would have bad no such right; or tbe defendant might have waived bis right, as be mould have done when tbe juror was first presented, if be bad known tbe fact; and having waived tbe objection, be bad a right to demand that tbe trial should progress, and of this right be could not be deprived by tbe mere will of tbe court. It results therefore that tbe court below erred in discharging Spillman from tbe jury with[567]*567out the consent of the defendant; and it is proper to add that his discharge operated as a discharge of the entire jury.

But it is insisted by the able counsel for appellant that the discharge of Spillman from the jury without his consent operated as an acquittal or a bar to the further prosecution of the case; and we are referred to "Wharton’s American Criminal Law, section 3128, and note d, and other authorities, as fully sustaining the position assumed. The authorities on this question are certainly conflicting, and the section referred to announces the principle, in very explicit and concise terms, that “an arbitrary discharge of the jury without sufficient reason relieves the defendant from a second trial.” That announcement is made, as is shown by the note, on the authority of three cases — one from Ohio, of Poage v. State, 3 Ohio Reports, 229; one from New York, Block v. People, 2 Parker C. R. (N. Y.) 676; Atkins v. State, 16 Arkansas, 568. The ruling of this question in New York has not been uniform. In one case the question was elaborately argued, where, on an indictment for manslaughter, the jury, after hearing the whole case and being unable to agree on a verdict, were discharged by the court without the consent of the prisoner. The defendant insisted that he could not again be put upon his trial because the constitution of the United States declared, “nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb.”

The court held in that case that the meaning of that clause was that no man shall be tried twice for the same offense; and the true test by which to decide the point whether he was tried or not is by the plea of autrefois acquit or autrefois convict; and that a defendant is not put in jeopardy until the verdict is rendered for or against him, and when for or against him, he can never be called [568]*568in question again for tbe same offense. Tbe conclusion of tbe court was that tbe discharge of tbe jury before verdict was no bar to tbe prosecution. And tbe law was ruled in tbe same way in Massachusetts. (Commonwealth v. Bowden, 9 Mass. 194.)

Tbe question came up in 1824 in tbe Supreme Court of tbe United States, in United States v. Perez, 9 Wheaton, 579. The jury having been discharged in tbe court below on mere disagreement, tbe court said, Was tbe discharge of tbe j ury by tbe court, from giving any verdict upon tbe indictment with which they were charged, without tbe consent of tbe prisoner, a bar to any future trial for the same offense? If it be, then be is entitled to be discharged from custody; if not, then be ought to be held in imprisonment until such trial can be bad. We are of opinion that tbe facts constitute no legal bar to a future trial. Tbe prisoner has not been convicted or acquitted, and may again be put on bis defense. We think that in all cases of this nature the law has invested courts of justice with authority to discharge a jury from giving any verdict whenever in their opinion, taking all tbe circumstances into consideration, there is a manifest necessity for tbe act, or tbe ends of public justice would otherwise be defeated. They are to exercise, a sound discretion on tbe subject; and it is impossible to define all tbe circumstances which would render it proper to interfere. Tbe power ought to be used with tbe greatest caution, under urgent circumstances, and for very plain and obvious causes; and in capital cases especially courts should be extremely careful bow they interfere with any of tbe chances of life in favor of tbe prisoner. But after all they have a right to order tbe discharge, and tbe security which tbe public have for tbe faithful, sound, and conscientious exercise of this discretion rests in this as in other cases upon tbe responsibility [569]*569of the judges under their oaths of office. We are aware that there is some diversity of opinion and practice on this subject in the American courts; but, after weighing the question with due deliberation, we are of opinion that such a discharge constitutes no bar to further proceedings, and gives no right of exemption to the prisoner from being again put on his trial. '

The 12th section of article 10 of the new constitution of Kentucky declares that “no person shall for the same offense be twice put in jeopardy of his life or limb,” which is copied from the former constitution of the state; and the proper interpretation of this provision came before this court incidentally in the case of-the Commonwealth v. Olds, 5 Litt.

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Bluebook (online)
69 Ky. 563, 6 Bush 563, 1869 Ky. LEXIS 212, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/obrian-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-1869.