State v. Jones

341 P.2d 1042, 185 Kan. 235, 1959 Kan. LEXIS 407
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJuly 10, 1959
Docket41,392
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 341 P.2d 1042 (State v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Jones, 341 P.2d 1042, 185 Kan. 235, 1959 Kan. LEXIS 407 (kan 1959).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Schroeder, J.:

This is an action in which the defendant, Enoch Jones, was convicted of the crime of manslaughter in the third degree under G. S. 1949, 21-413.

[236]*236The controlling question on appeal is whether the evidence is sufficient to sustain a finding by the jury that the defendant was in the heat of passion at the time he killed another person.

The defendant contends the evidence establishes that the killing was committed in self defense as a matter of law.

The material facts in this case are not in dispute. Enoch Jones (appellant), a colored man, was at the time of the trial fifty-two years of age. He lived in Atchison, Kansas, all of his life and for years had worked for a clothing merchant in Atchison. For the last twelve and one-half years he owned the Lite and Rite Cafe which dispensed food as well as beer. He had never been in trouble and often went coon hunting and kept his hunting clothes, boots, flashlights and guns at the cafe. The guns were kept behind the bar.

On one of these hunting trips shortly prior to the incident in question the defendant froze a toe on his foot and on the night in question was crippled and limped when he walked by reason of this injury.

The defendant’s cafe was on South Fourth Street about one-half block from Main Street and approximately four blocks from the police station. Entrance is made from the front of the building on Fourth Street. The building is about seventeen feet wide and had a bar about fourteen feet long and about three feet wide from which beer was served. This bar was located about three feet north of the south side of the building. About six or seven stools were placed up against the bar and there were tables and chairs along the north side of the building as well as toward the west end of the building.

The building is approximately one hundred feet long. The eating counter runs north and south about half way back from the front of the building and is east of the beer bar. There is an opening between the eating counter and the beer bar so that one can walk between and go back to the kitchen and also go out the back way.

On Saturday, March 22, 1958, during the evening the defendant, his two daughters and other patrons were in his place of business engaged in ordinary conversation. One of the other persons was a man by the name of Willie Jones (not in any way related to the defendant, Enoch Jones). About 7:30 p. m., John Oliver, a colored man, approximately six feet three inches tall and weighing about two hundred fifteen pounds, came into the place, obtained a bottle [237]*237of beer and then sat at a table with Willie Jones. Oliver had been consuming alcoholic beverage on the day in question. His blood, however, showed but .137% of alcohol at the time of his death.

At approximately 8:15 p. m., on the night in question Oliver and Willie Jones were engaged in conversation when suddenly Willie Jones got up from the table where they were sitting, went out the west front door of the tavern and was followed by Oliver. Approximately five minutes later Oliver returned to the interior of the tavern, had a glass of beer and was not necessarily associated with any of the other patrons within the building until approximately 8:30 p. m., when Willie Jones returned.

Upon Willie Jones’ return to the tavern he and Oliver sat at the same table occupied by other patrons of the tavern, including the defendant’s two daughters. Conversation between Willie Jones and Oliver resulted in an argument and at that time the defendant told both Willie Jones and Oliver they would have to leave. The argument continued and Willie Jones got up from the table and walked toward the back or east part of the tavern. He was immediately followed by Oliver. Oliver was described as having his right hand in his right front pocket of his trousers as he followed Willie Jones. There in the east part of the tavern Oliver and Willie Jones hesitated for sometime and were apparently engaged in argument. At this approximate time the defendant, Enoch Jones, placed a telephone call to the Atchison police department advising them that there was Rouble in his tavern and requested that they come at once. At this same time Willie Jones in a fast walk or run proceeded on the back side of the bar toward the front or west part of the building. He was pursued by Oliver who caught him at-the west end of the bar where a scuffle ensued. Both Oliver and Willie Jones were on the floor and Oliver had a pocket knife out and was holding it over Willie Jones’ face, who was resisting to avoid being knifed. At this point one of the defendant’s daughters came out of the restroom, saw the sRuggle and struck or grabbed Oliver’s hand which held the knife. This interference enabled Willie Jones to get up and flee.

Oliver got up from the floor with his knife in his hand and the defendant said to him “Kid, go on out, I done called the law.” The defendant told Oliver at three different Rmes to get out of the tavern. Sometime during the sRuggle or immediately thereafter, the defendant secured his double-barreled twelve-gauge shotgun [238]*238which he had behind the bar, loaded both barrels and laid it across the bar.

The.third time the defendant ordered Oliver out of the tavern, Oliver shook his fist in the defendant’s direction (in which fist was contained the open pocket knife) and said “go ahead and shoot you black son-of-a-bitch, I don’t care for anyone in here,” or words to that effect. Oliver kept on walking toward the east end of the bar behind which the defendant was standing, and thereupon the defendant shot Oliver who fell dead in his tracks. At the point where Oliver was standing at the time he was shot, the distance around the east end of the bar to the point where the defendant was standing was approximately twenty feet.

The pathologist who performed the autopsy on the decedent’s body on March 23, 1958, removed 186 shot from the body of the deceased. He testified the medial course of these pellets was at an angle of some thirty degrees from the perpendicular, entering the deceased’s chest cavity near the right nipple.

The case was submitted to the jury upon instructions which included, among others, three on self defense and one on third degree mansláughter. The jury found the defendant guilty of manslaughter in the third degree as charged in the information, following which a motion for new trial was filed pursuant to G. S. 1949, 62-1723. It was overruled after hearing, and the defendant was sentenced to be confined to the State Penitentiary for a term not to exceed three years. Appeal has been duly perfected presenting the question heretofore stated.

G. S. 1949, 21-413, provides:

“The killing of another in the heat of passion, without design to effect death, by a dangerous weapon, in any case except wherein the killing of another was justifiable or excusable, shall be deemed manslaughter in the third degree.” “

The defendant contends that under the above statute the burden of proof is upon the state to show that the defendant killed another in the heat of passion. It is argued that there is not one bit of evidence that the defendant was ever mad, or had ever been in a fight with Oliver.

Both parties rely upon State v. Linville, 148 Kan. 142, 79 P. 2d 869.

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State v. Jones
341 P.2d 1042 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
341 P.2d 1042, 185 Kan. 235, 1959 Kan. LEXIS 407, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-jones-kan-1959.