Smith v. Commonwealth

136 S.E. 598, 147 Va. 648, 1927 Va. LEXIS 334
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Smith v. Commonwealth. Read the opinion of the Court — 141 Va. 490
Supreme Court of Virginia·Decided January 20, 1927·Published

Opinions

Chichester, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

[650]*650Plaintiff in error, hereafter called defendant, was convicted in the Circuit Court of Nottoway county on October 3, .1925, of an attempt to murder one C. C. Loy. Prom the judgment of the circuit court sentencing defendant to confinement in the penitentiary for two years, as fixed by the verdict of the jury, a writ of error was duly allowed.

The errors assigned are: 1. That the trial court erred in not sustaining the demurrer to the indictment. 2. That the trial court erred in giving six instructions asked for by the Commonwealth and objected to by defendant. 3. That the trial court- erred in refusing an instruction offered by defendant, and 4. That the trial court erred in refusing to set aside the verdict of the jury as being contrary to the law and the evidence.

1. The indictment consisted of two counts. Omitting the formal parts, the first count charged that the accused “did unlawfully, feloniously, wilfully, maliciously, deliberately and of his malice aforethought make an assault in and upon the body of one C. C. Loy, and that the said S. I. Smith unlawfully, feloniously, wilfully, maliciously, deliberately and of his malice aforethought did attempt to commit the crime of murder, by then and there with a pistol then and there charged and loaded with gunpowder and leaden bullets, which said pistol, he, the said S. I. Smith, in his hand, then and there had and held, then and there feloniously, wilfully, deliberately, and of his malice aforethought, did discharge and shoot off, at and towards the said C. C. Loy, he the said C. C. Loy, at the time of the said shooting being close enough to the said S. I. Smith to be within carrying distance, of said pistol.

“And so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath aforesaid, do further present that the said S. I. Smith, in [651]*651the county aforesaid, in manner and form aforesaid, unlawfully, wilfully, deliberately and feloniously, and with malice aforethought, did attempt to kill and murder the said C. C. Loy * *

. Omitting the formal parts, the second count charged that the accused “did feloniously attempt to commit the crime of murder by then and there, with a pistol, then and there charged and loaded with gunpowder and leaden bullets, which said pistol, he the said S. I. Smith in his hand then and there held, then and there feloniously, wilfully and» of his malice aforethought, did discharge and shoot off, at and towards one C. C. Loy, he the said S. I. Smith, at the time of said shooting being close enough to the said C. C. Loy to be within carrying distance of said pistol, * *

It is claimed that the indictment is bad .because it did not charge the intent with which .the acts alleged in the indictment were committed by the accused.

There is no merit in this assignment.

The question was disposed of adversely to the contention of defendant in Broaddus v. Commonwealth, 126 Va. 733, 740, 745, 101 S. E. 321. See also State v. Hager, 50 W. Va. 370, 371-2, 40 S. E. 393, and the authorities cited.

It is also claimed that the indictment is defective because it does not allege that Loy was seen, or could be seen, by the accused, or was in a position that the bullet could hit him at the time the pistol was fired. This objection is clearly without merit.

The indictment charged that the accused “deliberately and of his malice aforethought did discharge and shoot off, at and towards the said C. C. Loy, the said pistol, the said C. C. Loy, at the time of the said shooting being close enough to the said S. I. Smith to be within carrying distance of said pistol.”

[652]*6522. The instructions Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, given for the Commonwealth, attempted to be made a part of the record by bill of exceptions No. 1, are not properly identified by the bill of exceptions and cannot be considered by this court. This bill of exceptions is as follows: “Be it remembered, that after the jury was sworn to try' the issue joined in this case, the Commonwealth, to prove and maintain the said issue on its part, introduced the following evidence:

“(See Commonwealth’s evidence hereto attached as a part of this bill of exceptions No. 1.)
“And the defendant introduced the following evidence:
“(See defendant’s evidence hereto attached as a part of this bill of exceptions No. 1.)
“Whereupon, counsel for the Commonwealth moved the court to instruct the jury as follows: That is to say: (See instructions Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, given by the Commonwealth,, in the transcript of the record, which is hereby made a part of the bill of exceptions No. 1.) And the accused moved the court to reject said instructions to the jury, whereupon, the court overruled the objection of the accused to said instructions, to which opinion of the court overruling said objection, the accused, by his counsel, excepted and tenders this his bill of exceptions No. 1, and which he prays may be signed, sealed and made a part of the record in this cause, and the same is accordingly done this 23rd day of November, 1925.”

There appear in the record two sets of instructions, thirteen in all, with no certificate of the clerk .or judge that they were the instructions or all of the instructions given in the case. They are numbered from 1 to 6 and from 1 to 7, inclusive, and the bill of exceptions does not identify which set is excepted to or objected to.

[653]*653As will be seen the bill of exceptions is in skeleton form and the only means of identification of the instructions complained of is the reference to the numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, as instructions asked for by the Commonwealth. No mention whatsoever is made of the instructions offered by the accused and given at his instance by the eourt in this bill of exceptions or in any other, nor is reference made to any other instruction that may have been given at the instance of the Commonwealth which was unobjectionable, and it is to be observed that no mention is made in this bill, or anywhere else in the record, that the instructions numbered from one to six, given for the Commonwealth, were all of the instructions which were given in the case,.

When all the instructions given in a case are not made a part of the record this eourt will not consider alleged errors in giving or refusing instructions. Harris v. Com., 133 Va. 700, 112 S. E. 753; Parker v. Com., 135 Va. 625, 115 S. E. 566.

The instant case is distinguished from Barnard v. Com., 134 Va. 613, in that there were three skeleton bills of exceptions in that case numbered 8, 9, and 10, which sought to make instructions a part of the record. Bill of exceptions No. 8 certified the instructions numbered from one to twelve, inclusive, as a part thereof by reference to the numbers. Bill of exception No. 9 made certain other instructions numbered either by letters or figures a part thereof by reference, while bill of exceptions No. 10 certified that the instructions mentioned as given on motion of the Commonwealth or the accused “were all of the instructions that were given in the case, and the court doth so certify.”

This court said of these bills of exceptions: “* * * While it does not affirmatively appear that these [654]

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Smith v. Commonwealth, 136 S.E. 598, 147 Va. 648, 1927 Va. LEXIS 334 (Va. 1927).

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