State v. Morgan

64 P. 356, 23 Utah 212, 1901 Utah LEXIS 13
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 2, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 64 P. 356 (State v. Morgan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Utah Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Morgan, 64 P. 356, 23 Utah 212, 1901 Utah LEXIS 13 (Utah 1901).

Opinions

BASKIN, J.

It appears from tbe record that on tbe twelfth day of May, 1899, tbe defendant James Morgan (alias Abe Majors) was convicted in tbe Eirst Judicial District Court in and for Box Elder County, of tbe crime of murder in the first degree, and on tbe sixteenth day of May, was sentenced to be shot, by tbe sheriff of said county, on tbe seventh day of July, 1899; that the defendant appealed from said judgment, and this court at tbe May term thereof, affirmed tbe judgment, that after tbe remittitur in tbe case reached tbe said district court said court, on tbe second day of July, 1900, made and entered an order requiring tbe sheriff of Box Elder County to execute the judgment and sentence aforesaid on tbe seventeenth day of August, 1900; that on tbe seventh day of August, 1900, defendant made, in pursuance of tbe notice thereof previously given, a motion to vacate said judgment and grant a new trial, and on said day tbe said district court made and entered an order overruling said motion, whereupon tbe defendant appealed to this court from said order.

The first ground of tbe motion is that William Eosgren and Robert C. Harris two of tbe jurors who sat upon the case, [216]*216previous to being chosen as jurors, used expressions to various persons which showed a bias against the defendant, and yet these jurors when examined on their voir dire answered that they had neither formed or expressed an opinion as to the guilt of the defendant. The expressions referred to are set out in the affidavits read in support of said motion,' and from which the following quotations are made:

James Poden, in his affidavit, stated: “I am well acquainted with William Eosgren who afterwards acted as a juror in the case of the State v. James Morgan, and for an hour on the afternoon of the thirtieth of April, he and I talked together about the occurrence, and for more than half an hour before Deputy Sheriff Thompson brought in Abe Majors in town in a buggy. Eosgren and I during the half hour previous to that sat on the coping of the court house fence on the northwest corner. Will Fosgren brought the question up and he said: T hope they will kill them before they bring them up so as to have no bother.’ I then made some statement in reply, and he said — referring to the defendant — Tie had ought to-be lynched.’ ”

Eeese Bichards, in his affidavit, stated: “I am a citizen of the United States of the age of 55 years and have resided in Brigham City for 37 years last past. I am acquainted with William Eosgren. Some two or three days subsequent to the killing of William A. Brown, to-wit, on or about the fourth day of May, 1899, in Brigham City I had a conversation with William Eosgren relative to the killing of Brown; the conservation took place in front of Wheelwright’s store upon the sidewalk. William Eosgren told me that he had known Capt. Brown for some time and that he was a friend of his, he having worked for him. He told me that Abe Majors had ought to be hanged and he would only be getting what was due him, and then the debt would not be paid.”

[217]*217Alviras Thompson, in bis affidavit, stated: “I was in Brigham City early in May of 1899, standing by the gate in the court house grounds in company with William Eosgren, Yern Phillips, and others whose names I can not recall, and I beard Eosgren say that James Morgan ought to suffer death; that if he (Eosgren) was on the jury he would have him convicted, and that he, the said Morgan, deserved to die. After-wards at the trial, when I learned that William Eosgren was on the jury it seemed strange that he should sit on the-trial after what I heard him say, but I said nothing to anybody about it.”

Charles E. Eoxley, in his affidavit, stated: -“I am a citizen of the United States, over the age of 21 years, and have been a resident of Box Elder County for twenty-four years, at present am manager of Eoxley Brothers store, and assistant postmaster at the Point Lookout post-office; that I delivered on or about the sixth day of May, 1899, to Robert 0. Harris a registered letter, which letter he opened in my presence, and which contained a subpoena as a. juror for the May, 1899, term in the above entitled court; that I stated to him that I supposed he would sit on the Morgan murder case; that he said no, I guess not, as I have formed an opinion, and he is only a hobo, and ought to be hung. I have this day informed the attorneys for the defendant for the first time of this conversation, and know that they knew nothing of it before.”

In the examination of William Eosgren on his voir dire, he was asked “from what you have heard or read have you formed or expressed an unqualified opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant,” and he replied, “I don’t know as I have expressed any opinion at all.” He further stated that from what he had heard he had formed somewhat of an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant, but did not know [218]*218of any reason why he could not sit in the case as a juror and a just verdict render according to the evidence as given by the witnesses, and according to the law as laid down by the court.

The other juror, Robert C. Harris, stated on his voir dire that he had neither formed or expressed an opinion, as to the guilt or innocence of the defendant.

The declarations of these jurors, as set out in said affidavits, were unknown to either the defendant or his attorneys, until the twenty-sixth day of July, 1900.

Both of said jurors made affidavits on behalf of the State on said motion, but did not deny the statements attributed to them in the affidavits made in support of said motion, nor is there anything in the record contradicting these affidavits, and therefore they must be considered as admitted.

It is evident that these jurors were biased and purposely made false statements under oath, in order to qualify as jurors. Especially is this so in respect to the juror Fosgren. For neither of these jurors in his affidavit denies that he had made the statements attributed to him, or stated that he did not remember when being examined, that he had made such statements, or alleged any excuse whatever for failing to reveal what he had previously said respecting the defendant.

There is an overwhelming array of authorities which hold that facts similar to those disclosed in this case, disqualify a juror, vitiate the judgment, and entitle the defendant to a new trial.

The following text of sec. 844 of Wharton’s Grim. Proc. is supported by numerous cases cited in N. 2, to-wit:

“When it appears after trial that a juror had beforehand prejudged the case, but had improperly withheld this fact before acceptance, or when asked as to opinion- on voir dire had given false answers, and such formation of opinion was [219]*219unknown to tbe party at tbe time, a new trial will be granted.” Sellers v. The People, 3 Scam. (Ill.) 413; State v. Taylor, 64 Mo. 358; State v. Wyatt, 50 Mo. 309; Henzie v. The State, 41 Tex. 573; Sam v. The State, 31 Miss. 480; Bussie v. The State, 19 Ohio 198; Chartz v. Territory, 32 Pac. 166; Territory v. Kennedy, 3 Mont. 520; Moncrief v. The State, 59 Ga. 470; Romane v. The State, 7 Ind. 63; People v. Reese, 3 Utah 72; U. S. v. Christensen, 7 Utah 26 ; 1 Bish. Crim. Proc. secs. 949, 6, and note 1; Maxwell’s Crim. Proc., p. 648.

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Bluebook (online)
64 P. 356, 23 Utah 212, 1901 Utah LEXIS 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-morgan-utah-1901.