State v. Keaton

223 N.E.2d 631, 9 Ohio App. 2d 139, 38 Ohio Op. 2d 166, 1967 Ohio App. LEXIS 480
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 3, 1967
Docket250
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 223 N.E.2d 631 (State v. Keaton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Keaton, 223 N.E.2d 631, 9 Ohio App. 2d 139, 38 Ohio Op. 2d 166, 1967 Ohio App. LEXIS 480 (Ohio Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

Gray, J.

This is an appeal from two judgments of the Court of Common Pleas of Pickaway County, wherein defendant was adjudged guilty of premeditated murder, with a recommendation of mercy and of killing another in the perpetration of a robbery. The jury withheld recommendation of mercy in its verdict on the latter count.

The trial court, on motion of defendant, refused to reduce the penalties imposed, overruled a motion for a new trial, and sentenced the defendant to life imprisonment on the first count and imposed the death penalty on the second.

Defendant, feeling aggrieved by the judgments of the trial court, filed his notice of appeal and assigned as errors the following:

“I. The trial court abused its discretion in failing to impanel a jury to inquire into the sanity of defendant. [Section] 2945.37 [Revised Code.]
*141 “II. The trial court abused its discretion by not appointing three disinterested qualified physicians, specialists in mental diseases to investigate and examine into the condition of the defendant and testify as experts at his trial. [Section] 2945.40 [Revised Code.]
“III. Erred in not granting a new trial because defendant has proved insanity by a preponderance and the jury failing to so find, said verdicts are against the weight of the evidence and contrary to law.
“IV. Erred in not granting a new trial because of the surprise change of testimony of the court psychiatrist Dr. Reshetylo.
“V. The trial court failed to direct a verdict at the close of opening statements (R 42) at the close of the state’s ease R 258 R 263 and at the close of all the evidence (R 518).
“VI. The trial court erred in not modifying the verdicts before passing sentence. [Section] 2945.79 (D) [Revised Code.]
“VII. Erred in not granting a new trial because the verdict is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to» law.
“VIII. The trial court erred in denying defendant a new trial not having had a fair trial because he did not have an impartial juror in No. 4 Juror.
“IX. The following errors of law occurred during the trial:
“1. The trial court refused opinion evidence by Mr. Shapiro.
“2. The trial court refused evidence by Mrs. Hilda Webb in a comparison of defendant with a younger brother duly proffered.
“3. The trial court allowed testimony of Dr. Palmer to go to the jury when it was clear counsel had given no permission for the interview, and in fact had issued written orders to the sheriff that no one talk to the defendant without counsel’s permission.
“4. The trial court erred in allowing opinion evidence oí Mr. Hopkins re distances from which the gun was fired.
“5. The trial court neglected to charge as a matter of law that there was no direct evidence to prove murder in the first degree.
*142 “X. The trial court erred in not granting motion for new trial for the following irregularities which occurred at the trial by which defendant was prevented from having a fair trial.
“1. The prosecuting attorney held back the second count of murder 1 from the preliminary hearing and thereby deprived defendant of a fair opportunity to inquire into probable cause.
“2. The trial court refused to protect defendant’s civil rights; and did not secure to this defendant a fair trial in that he did not require the sheriff who had his custody to protect his civil rights; did not declare a mistrial after it was made -clear that defendant’s rights to a fair trial and his civil rights were violated by the press, and the court upon such showing did not disqualify himself; held press conferences daily at each ; recess mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon and upon adjournment; invoked political overtones and in addition to the complaints set forth in the affidavit of prejudice filed against him gave the Circleville Herald for publication on November 6, 1965 such data as to cause it to state ‘The judge indicated the ■motion if submitted (for new trial) will be overruled’ followed ■by a two page journal entry which he caused to be filed for record less than 10 minutes after 1% hours argument was concluded, proof that the decision was made to overrule the motion even before made or argued.
“3. The prosecuting attorney argued a theory of the case wholly inconsistent with their opening statement, wholly inconsistent with the evidence and designed only to influence the .jury to make a finding of 1st degree murder by premeditation.
“4. The state’s witnesses in the person of Mr. Hopkins and ■ Hr. Carroll whose duty was to be objective and fair to the 'defendant, were prejudicial for the state.
“5. The court’s witness reversed himself by trying to explain away his cross-examination to justify his conclusion.
■ ■ “XI. All other errors manifest in the record prejudicial .to defendant.”

; We come first to assignment of error No. I. We find no error in the refusal of the trial court to impanel a jury to inquire into the sanity of the defendant. This is a discretionary matter .on the part of the trial court. Section 2945.37, Revised :Code, says in part:

, £he court shall proceed to examine into the question *143 of the sanity or insanity of said person, or in its discretion may impanel a jury for such purpose. * * *”

Defendant, in his brief, did not point out wherein the trial court abused its discretion. "We have been unable to find any abuse of discretion, and, therefore, this assignment of error is overruled.

Assignment of error No. II raises the question of whether the trial court abused its discretion in failing to appoint three disinterested, qualified physicians, specialists in mental diseases, to investigate and examine into the mental condition of the defendant. Section 2945.40, Revised Code, states in part:

“* * * The court may in such case appoint one or more, but not more than three # * (Emphasis added.)

This was discretionary on the part of the trial court. We hold that it did not abuse its discretion.

Defendant failed to show that the action of the trial court in the several particulars complained of constituted an abuse of discretion in that such action was an unreasonable, arbitrary or unconscionable attitude on the part of the court.

We find no error in assignments of error Nos. Ill, IV, V, VI and VII.

Defendant claims that juror No. 4 was not an impartial juror, which denied him a fair trial in violation of the United States and Ohio Constitutions.

It appears from the record that the wife of juror No.

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Related

State v. Hix
527 N.E.2d 784 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1988)
State v. Wilson
268 N.E.2d 814 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1971)
City of Columbus v. Zanders
266 N.E.2d 602 (Franklin County Municipal Court, 1970)
In Re Keaton
250 N.E.2d 901 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1969)
State v. Crampton
248 N.E.2d 614 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1969)
State v. Staten
247 N.E.2d 293 (Ohio Supreme Court, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
223 N.E.2d 631, 9 Ohio App. 2d 139, 38 Ohio Op. 2d 166, 1967 Ohio App. LEXIS 480, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-keaton-ohioctapp-1967.