State v. Eaves

243 S.W.2d 129, 362 Mo. 670, 1951 Mo. LEXIS 689
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 12, 1951
Docket42545
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 243 S.W.2d 129 (State v. Eaves) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Eaves, 243 S.W.2d 129, 362 Mo. 670, 1951 Mo. LEXIS 689 (Mo. 1951).

Opinion

*673 TIPTON, J.

In the circuit court of the city of St. Louis the appellant was charged with five prior convictions of felonies and robbery in the first degree by means of a deadly and dangerous weapon. Upon trial he was convicted as charged and sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary.

On the afternoon of January 31, 1949, a robbery occurred in the home of Warren Glenn, located at 5015 South Kings-highway in St. Louis, Missouri; Just before the robbery a man carrying a bag containing bread and some groceries was seen coming up the front steps of the house where the robbery occurred. He gained entrance by ringing the' door, bell and was admitted by one of the occupants, Alice Hunter. He followed her back to a room where there were members of the family and some guests, in all, eight or nine persons. As he followed Alice Hunter, she yelled, “What’s the matter with this man, is he crazy?” With a gun in his right hand, he compelled all those present to go into the kitchen and sit there with their hands over their eyes. He went into the bedroom and while there took from the purse of Jerry Sneed, a guest, $250.00.

At the trial he was positively identified by Warren Glenn, Myrtle Berberich and Jerry Sneed as the person who committed the robbery. Other witnesses who were present testified they thought the appellant was the man who committed the robbery, while the remainder of the persons who were present during the robbery were unable to. identify him.

There was evidence that appellant had driven his family to Cedar Hill that afternoon. There was substantial evidence that he was insane,- in fact, he had been confined for about a year to the State Hospital for the Insane at Fulton, Missouri.

We cannot say that the- state’s evidence is inherently incredible, self-destructive or opposed to known physical facts; therefore, we must hold that there is substantial evidence to support the jury verdict of guilty of robbery-in the first degree with a dangerous and deadly weapon. State v. Gregory, 339 Mo. 133, 96 S. W. 2d 47.

Appellant contends that the court erred in giving instruction No. 4, which was an insanity instruction. The first part of this instruction reads: “In this case insanity is interposed by the defendant ’s counsel as an excuse for the charge set forth in the amended information: * * Appellant contends that the above quoted part of the instruction is misleading and disparaged the defense of insanity. ’

*674 The state relies on the following cases to show that this part of the instruction is not erroneous: State v. Duestrow, 137 Mo. 44; State v. Holloway, 156 Mo. 222, 56 S. W. 734; State v. Paulsgrove, 203 Mo. 193, 101 S. W. 27; State v. Barbata, 336 Mo. 362, 80 S. W. 2d 865; State v. Murphy, 338 Mo. 291, 90 S. W. 2d 103; and State v. Hardy, 359 Mo. 1169, 225 S. W. 2d 693. The opinions in the first three cases relied upon by the state show that the instructions on insanity contain almost the identical language complained of by the appellant, but evidently no such complaint as is made here was raised because none of the three cases discusses such a question. The opinions in the last three cases relied upon by the state do not show whether the instructions contained the language complained of by the appellant in this case. At any rate, none of the above cases discusses the question raised here.

The rule is now settled that an instruction Avhich tends to disparage a legal defense is erroneous. State v. Smith, 358 Mo. 1, 212 S. W. 2d 787. In the case of State v. Crowell, 149 Mo. 391, 1. c. 396, 50 S. W. 893, 73 Am. St. Rep. 402, the instruction read, "The court instructs the jury that though an alibi may be a well worn defense, yet it is a legal one, to the benefit of which the defendant is entitled. ’ ’ In ruling the case, we said: ‘ ‘ There was error in giving this instruction as the court is not permitted to disparage the defense of an alibi or to refer to it in a slighting or sneering manner; evidence in regard to an alibi is to be tested and treated just like evidence offered in support of any other defense, insanity, self-defense, etc.”

We think the Avords, "by the defendant’s counsel as an excuse,” Used in this instruction tend to disparage appellant’s plea of insanity. •The use of the words, "as an excuse,” is unfortunate. Of course, strictly speaking, they mean "as a defense,” and those words should have been used. In the case of State v. Liolios, 285 Mo. 1, 225 S. W. 941, 1. c. 948, it was ruled that the words, "by appellant’s counsel,” "might readily be understood by the jury in a sense highly prejudicial to the appellant” and held to be "unfortunate” both in that case and in the case of State v. McCann, 329 Mo. 748, 47 S. W. 2d 95. In both of those cases, temporary insanity at the time of the commission of the crime was interposed as a defense. Both of those cases Avere reversed on other grounds but the opinions stated that on another trial the expression, "by defendant’s counsel,” might well be omitted.

In ruling the Liolios case, we said (225 S. W. 1. c. 948) :

"WhateA^er might be said about the propriety of such a statement in an instruction in a case where present insanity at the time of the trial is presented as a defense, as in State v. Duestrow, 137 Mo. 44, loc. cit. 69, 38 S. W, 554, 39 S. W. 266, AAhere such an instruction was given, we think it an unnecessary and unfortunate expression in a *675 case, such as the present, where temporary insanity at the time of the commission of the crime charged is interposed as a defense.”

¥e have already stated that the Duestrow case, supra, did not discuss this question. In fact, in regard to the instructions in that case, all the court said was as follows (137 Mo. 1. c. 88) :

“The instructions, fifteen in number, fully covered every phase of the case and left nothing to be desired. They embraced all the issues presented by the allegations of the indictment and the testimony. They are approved by many decisions of this court. One of the instructions in regard to insanity, as pointed out in the brief of coimsel for the state, has received our frequent approval; the clause complained of in the instruction is the following: ‘To entitle the defendant tó a verdict of not guilty by reason of his insanity, the law requires him to prove it; not, however, beyond a reasonable doubt, but only to your reasonable satisfaction.’ As the instructions will accompany this opinion, it is deemed unnecessary to quote them at length.”

"We think it not only unfortunate but error for a court to use the words, “by defendant’s counsel,” in an instruction on insanity, whether the insanity be present or temporary insanity. It tends to disparage a legal defense of insanity when made in good faith. If there is evidence of insanity, it is the duty of the trial court to properly instruct the jury on that issue. Section 546.070, R. S. Mo., 1949.

Instruction No. 4, among other things, told the jury that:

“The law presumes every person who has reached the years of discretion to be of sound mind, and this presumption continues until the contrary is shown.

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Bluebook (online)
243 S.W.2d 129, 362 Mo. 670, 1951 Mo. LEXIS 689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-eaves-mo-1951.