State v. Reed

210 P. 756, 65 Mont. 51, 1922 Mont. LEXIS 193
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 13, 1922
DocketNo. 5,141
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 210 P. 756 (State v. Reed) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana 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. Reed, 210 P. 756, 65 Mont. 51, 1922 Mont. LEXIS 193 (Mo. 1922).

Opinion

MR. CHIEF COMMISSIONER LEIPER

prepared the opinion for the court.

The defendant (appellant herein) was convicted of the crime of murder. A motion for a new trial, based upon all of the grounds enumerated in the statute, was overruled. The defendant appeals from the judgment of conviction and from the order denying his motion for new trial.

Fourteen specifications of error are set forth in the defendant’s brief. We will consider these several specifications under five heads, as follows:

First. Defendant contends that the judgment is erroneous, in that it includes, as a part of the penalty, the payment of the costs incident to the prosecution. After fixing the term of imprisonment the judgment concludes as follows: “And that he pay the costs of this prosecution.” Defendant’s contention must be sustained. This question is not a new one in this jurisdiction. The costs may not be added to a judgment unless provision is made therefor by statute. No such provision is made, and therefore the judgment is erroneous in so far as it relates to the costs. We adhere to the rule announced in the case of State v. Stone, 40 Mont. 88, 105 Pac. 89.

Second. It is earnestly contended that the record in this case does not show that the defendant was present during the whole of the trial herein; that the record does not disclose that the jury were all present at the time of the return of the verdict; that the record does not show that inquiry was made to ascertain whether or not the verdict rendered was the verdict of the jury; that the record does not disclose that the [55]*55defendant was present at the time of the rendition of the verdict; and that the judgment is therefore erroneous.

Section 16, Article III, of the Constitution of the state of Montana, provides: “In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall have the right to appear and defend in person and by counsel; to demand the nature and cause of the accusation; to meet the witnesses against him face to face; to have process to compel the attendance of witnesses in his behalf, and a speedy public trial by an impartial jury of the county or district in which the offense is alleged to have been committed, subject to the right of the state to have a change of venue for any of the causes for which the defendant may obtain the same.”

Section 11931, Revised Codes of 1921, provides: “The defendant must be personally present at the trial; but if for misdemeanor, the trial may be had in the absence of the defendant; if his presence is necessary for any purpose, the court may, upon application of the county attorney, by an order or warrant, require the personal attendance of the defendant at the trial. ’ ’

Section 12018 Revised Codes of 1921, provides in part as follows: “If charged with a felony, the defendant must, before the verdict is received, appear in person. * * * ”

Section 12017, Revised Codes of 1921, provides: “When the jury have agreed upon their verdict, they must be conducted into court by the officer having them in charge. Their names must then be called, and if all do not appear, the rest must be discharged without giving a verdict. In that ease the action may be again tried at the same or another term or session.”

Section 12019, Revised Codes of 1921, provides: “When the jury agree upon a verdict, they must be brought into court and their names called by the clerk, and if all be present, their foreman must deliver their verdict to the court, who may, with their consent, in their presence, correct the same as to matters of form. The court must deliver the verdict to the clerk, who must file the same, and then read the same to the jury, and [56]*56ask them if the verdict as recorded is their verdict; if all of the jury in the case of a felony, or two-thirds of their number in the case of a misdemeanor, assent thereto, they must be discharged. ’ ’

What is meant by the word “trial” as used in section 11931, supra, the court, speaking through Mr. Chief Justice Brantly in the case of State v. Spotted Hawk, 22 Mont. 33, 55 Pac. 1026, says: “The word ‘trial’ when used in connection with criminal proceedings, means proceedings in open court after the pleadings are finished and it is otherwise ready, down to and including the rendition of the verdict.” To the same effect see State v. Koch, 33 Mont. 490, 8 Ann. Cas. 804, 85 Pac. 272.

The receipt of the verdict is a part of the trial, and under the plain provisions of our statute, the defendant must be present throughout the entire trial. Not only must the defendant be present, but the fact of his presence must be made to appear from the record. Neither may the defendant waive this right to be present. This cqurt, speaking through Mr. Justice Holloway, in the case of State v. Vanella, 40 Mont. 326, 20 Ann. Cas. 398, 106 Pac. 364, among other things, says: “The interest of the state in the life of every citizen extends to one who is on trial for a capital offense, and therefore it is a principle of law, recognized everywhere, that after indictment returned or information filed, nothing shall be done by the court in the case in the absence of the accused. (Lewis v. United States, 146 U. S. 370, 36 L. Ed. 1011, 13 Sup. Ct. Rep. 536 [see, also, Rose’s U. S. Notes].) And the courts are quite unanimous in holding that the right of the accused to be present at all times during his trial is one which the state does not permit to be waived. The jurisdiction of the court to try the accused is derived from the law, and the consent of the accused cannot confer jurisdiction if the court does not have it; and therefore the right of the defendant to be tried by a court having jurisdiction is one which is not waived by failure to make objection at the trial. It is to rights of the [57]*57character of these that the principle quoted above is applicable. In other words, the rights guaranteed to one accused of crime fall naturally into two classes: (a) Those in which the state, as well as the accused, is interested; and (b) those which are personal to the accused, which are in the nature of personal privileges. Those of the first class cannot be waived; those of the second may be.” And in the same case, this court quotes with approval the language used by the supreme court of the United States in the case of Lewis v. United States, supra,, as follows: “And it appears to be well settled that, where the personal presence [of the defendant] is necessary in point of law, the record must show the fact.” Again, in the case of State v. De Lea, 36 Mont. 531, 93 Pac. 814, this court, speaking through Mr. Justice Holloway, says: “The Penal Code, section 2141, provides that the defendant, if charged with a felony, must be present when the verdict is received; and it is generally held, and we think correctly, that this fact must affirmatively appear.” To the same effect is State v. Hall, 55 Mont. 182, 175 Pac. 267.

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Bluebook (online)
210 P. 756, 65 Mont. 51, 1922 Mont. LEXIS 193, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-reed-mont-1922.