Rawls v. State

76 S.W.2d 1053, 127 Tex. Crim. 414, 1934 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 455
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas·Decided October 24, 1934·No. No. 16753·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinions

CHRISTIAN, Judge.

The offense is murder; the punishment, confinement in the penitentiary for three years.

[416] It was charged in the indictment, in substance, that appellant, with malice aforethought, killed Walter S. May by shooting him with a gun.

The proof on the part of the State was to the effect that on the morning of April 3rd, 1933, deceased was returning from the home of his nephew when appellant shot him. Deceased fell back in his wagon and his team ran away, carrying him to the home of Will Lewis. Lewis carried him to a hospital where he died. Deceased was unarmed at the time he was shot, and, according to the State’s testimony, made no demonstration toward appellant. Fred Speights, who was in the wagon with deceased, testified that he heard a shot and, upon looking up, observed appellant with a shotgun in his hand, standing at the corner of a barn. Speight’s testimony supported the theory of the State that deceased was making no demonstration at the time he was shot. The State’s theory was also supported by the dying declaration of deceased to the effect that appellant was hiding behind a barn when he fired the fatal shot.

Testifying in his own behalf, appellant admitted that he shot deceased, but denied that he was lying in wait for deceased. He testified that he had been hunting for dogs that had been running his sheep and that at the time deceased approached he' (appellant) had started home. He testified further that deceased reached back in the wagon with his left hand, and that believing deceased was going to shoot him, he raised his gun and fired. Again, he testified that two years prior to the homicide he and deceased had engaged in a difficulty in the city of Jasper. Appellant and other witnesses testified to communicated threats on the part of deceased to kill appellant.

Bill of exception No. 1 relates to appellant’s objections to the introduction in evidence of the dying declaration of deceased. The bill fails to comply with the rule requiring that it be stated in the bill that it contains all the predicate laid upon which the declaration was admitted. Downing v. State, 20 S. W. (2d) 202. If the bill be considered in connection with the statement of facts the opinion is expressed that a proper predicate was laid for the introduction of the declaration. The attending physician testified that deceased was partially paralyzed as the result of the entry of a bullet into the brain. The district attorney asked deceased if he realized that he was going to die, and deceased made no reply. The physician then suggested to the district attorney in the presence of deceased that he ask deceased if he thought he was going to get well. This being done, deceased replied that he believed he was going to [417] die. Deceased also stated that he was feeling “pretty bad.” The predicate further showed that deceased was of sound mind at the time he made the declaration; that he dictated the statement taken by the district attorney; that no one suggested to him what he ought to say; that after the statement was written down no one suggested any corrections; that there was no persuasion on the part of anybody; that deceased would at times hesitate and the district attorney would then ask him a question. Deceased died from the effects of the wound about ten days after he made the declaration.

It is no objection to a dying declaration, otherwise admissible, that it was made in answer to questions, if the interrogatories were not calculated to lead the deceased to make any particular statement. Stroud v. State, 46 S. W. (2d) 689. There is no evidence in the record that any answer was suggested to deceased. The evidence clearly shows , that deceased was sane, and that the declaration was voluntarily made.

Appellant contends that the predicate fails to show that deceased was conscious of approaching death and believed there was no hope of recovery. It is not essential that the declarant shall state in specific terms that he is conscious of impending death. It is enough if it satisfactorily appears, in any mode, that the declarations were under that sanction, whether it be proved by the express language of the declarant, or be inferred from his evident danger, or the opinion of the medical or other attendants stated to him, or from his conduct or other circumstances of the case, all of which are resorted to in order to ascertain the state of the declarant’s mind. Stroud v. State, 46 S. W. (2d) 689; Downing v. State, 20 S. W. (2d) 202. Under the rule mentioned, we deem the predicate sufficient.

Appellant contends that the declaration was not properly identified before it was introduced in evidence. We are unable to agree with appellant. The attending physician identified his signature on the statement presented to him, saying that he and others had signed it. The county attorney testified that he signed the statement with Dr. Ogden, the attending physician, and A. C. Ard. It appears that deceased was unable to sign the statement because of the fact that he was partially paralyzed. However, after it was read over to him he stated that it was correct. The statement introduced in evidence shows to have been signed by the district attorney, the county attorney, A. C. Ard and the attending physician, G. R. Ogden.

Appellant contends that inasmuch as the declaration shows “Walter Raws” shot the deceased and not “Walter Rawls,” the [418] appellant, it should not have been received in evidence, as the name “Raws” and “Rawls” are not idem sonans. In the first part of the statement it is recited that Walter “Raws” shot declarant. Following this it is stated that Walter Rawls was standing behind the barn at the time he shot the declarant. The statement in its entirety discloses that Walter Rawls, the appellant, was deceased’s assailant. We are unable to reach the conclusion that there is merit in appellant’s contention.

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Rawls v. State, 76 S.W.2d 1053, 127 Tex. Crim. 414, 1934 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 455 (Tex. 1934).

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