State v. Shaw

205 P. 339, 59 Utah 536, 1922 Utah LEXIS 122
CourtUtah Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 9, 1922
DocketNo. 3756
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 205 P. 339 (State v. Shaw) 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. Shaw, 205 P. 339, 59 Utah 536, 1922 Utah LEXIS 122 (Utah 1922).

Opinion

FRICK, J.

The defendant was charged with and convicted of the crime of having had carnal knowledge of a female over the age of 13 years and under the age of 18 years, which, under our statute, constitutes a felony. He appeals.

[538]*538In Ms brief be relies upon three alleged errors which (stating them in the language of his counsel) are:

“Did the court err in denying defendant’s motion for a new trial in refusing:
“(1) To give defendant’s request No. 8 reading as follows: ‘Before you can find the defendant guilty each juror must he convinced from the evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, of the defendant’s guilt, and if any one of you entertains a reasonable doubt as to the defendant’s guilt he should not concur in a verdict of guilty.’
"(2) To givei defendant’s request No. 10 reading as follows: T charge you that you should scrutinize the evidence of the prosecuting witness in this case with caution, as she has told you that her statements in this case were made under influence of threats of death.’
“(3) On account of the separation of the jury, without leave of court, after retiring to deliberate upon their verdict, without being in the custody of the officer in whose charge they were, before bringing in a verdict.”

We shall consider the alleged errors in the order in which they are stated.

Defendant’s counsel refer to the case of Salt Lake City v. Robinson, 40 Utah, 448, 125 Pac. 657, in support of their contention. A mere cursory examination of that ease, however, shows that the court there refused a request substantially like the one requested in this case, but charged the jury as follows:

“You are instructed that, if after due consideration of the whole case and discussion thereof with your fellow jurymen, any juror entertains a reasonable doubt of the guilt of defendant, it is the duty of the juror so entertaining such a doubt not to vote for a verdict of guilty nor to be influenced in so voting for the sole reason that other jurors would be in favor of a verdict of guilty.”

It was there held that the court committed no error in refusing the requested instruction. While it is true that in the case at bar the district court did not specifically charge the jury that in case any juror entertained a reasonable doubt of defendant’s guilt it was his duty not to vote for conviction, the court, nevertheless, fully and in clear and explicit language charged the jury that they could not convict so long as they entertained a reasonable doubt 1 of defendant’s guilt. Indeed, the instructions consid[539]*539ered- as a whole, in clear and unmistakable .language, gave the jury full information upon every phase of the law applicable to the facts of the case. While no doubt it would be proper to charge the jury as was done in Salt Lake City v. Robinson, supra, yet where, as here, the jury were otherwise fully instructed, it would not constitute prejudicial error not to specifically charge the jury upon the subject.

Moreover, the language of the request in this case is clearly objectionable in that it does not correctly reflect the law. In Cunningham, v. State, 117 Ala. 59, 23 South. 693, the defendant requested the court to charge as follows:

“If there he one juryman who believes the state has not proven the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, an'd to a moral certainty, then this juryman should, not consent to a verdict of guilty.”

The court (11? Ala. at page 66, 23 South. 695) said:

“Aside from the inartificial manner in which the charge is drawn, it is vicious in that it is calculated to impress the mind of a juror with the idea that his verdict must be reached and adhered to without the aid of that consideration and deliberation with his fellow jurors which the law intends shall take place in the jury room.”

In Davis v. State, 63 Ohio St. 173, 57 N. E. 1099 a request to charge like the one in question here was refused and the defendant excepted. In passing on the request the Supreme Court of Ohio said:

“The court was requested to charge the jury that each juror must be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt of the guilt of the defendants before uniting in a verdict of guilty. This the court refused, but did charge that the jury must be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt 'before finding the defendants guilty. We think the request asked was properly refused, and that the proper instruction was given. The request as asked would seem to invite an acquittal, or at least a disagreement, and was therefore misleading. It is true that each juror must be convinced of the guilt of the defendant before uniting in a verdict against him, and this is generally understood; but it is equally true that each should confer with his fellows, and listen to what they have to urge in weighing the evidence, whether it be for or against an acquittal, and not obstinately stand upon his own opinion in the matter. The request asked and refused by the court would tend to such a result, and was therefore properly refused. State v. Hamilton, 57 Iowa, 596; State v. Robinson, 12 Wash. 491; State v. Young, 105 Mo. 634, 640.”

[540]*540The law, it seems to us, is correctly reflected in the lore-going excerpts. If the language of defendant’s request should be literally applied, it would be useless to have a jury retire to deliberate upon their verdict; but each juror should be required to announce his conclusion before leaving the jury box. The jury is instructed in the law of the 2 case, and is required to deliberate upon their verdict, so as to arrive at a correct result. While it is true that each juror must be convinced of the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, yet he not only may ascertain his fellow jurors’ views of the evidence, but' it is his' duty to do so, since no one is infallible, and may have misunderstood or may have taken a wrong view of some phase of the evidence. Numerous cases might be cited which support the texts quoted from the Alabama and Ohio cases, but it is not necessary to do so. Moreover, the case of Salt Lake City v. Robinson, supra, is in harmony with the eases quoted from. The district court therefore committed no error in refusing the request.

Nor did the court err in refusing the request to charge that the jury “should scrutinize the evidence of the prosecuting witness in the case with caution.” The court fully and clearly charged the jurors respecting their duty in weighing the testimony of the witnesses and the elements that they should bear in mind and consider in determining 3 the weight and effect that should be given to the statements of the several witnesses. In view of the statements of the prosecutrix as they are made to appear from the bill of exceptions, and as they were before the jury, the request was wholly unnecessary, even though it were conceded that the court would have committed no error in giving the request.

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Bluebook (online)
205 P. 339, 59 Utah 536, 1922 Utah LEXIS 122, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-shaw-utah-1922.