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Burnett v. StateBurnett v. State

Mississippi Supreme Court
Mar 15, 1908
Reporters:
,
Before:
Oalhoon
Oalhoon, J\,

delivered the opinion of the court.

It was error to refuse ‍‌​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍instructions Nos. 1 and 2 asked by the defense. Every person charged with murder is entitled to have the jury ‍‌​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍pass on whether the killing was done willfully, féloni*828ously, and of his malice aforethought. On certain facts, the law sometimes ‍‌​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍presumes malice, but these facts must exist to supply the presumption, and the jury alone can determine the existence of ‍‌​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍these facts. The state may explain these, if it chooses, in counter charges, but the accused is none the less ‍‌​​​​​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‍entitled to the ■instruction that malice aforethought must exist.

Reversed and remanded.

Case Details

Case Name: Burnett v. State
Court Name: Mississippi Supreme Court
Date Published: Mar 15, 1908
Citations: 46 So. 248; 92 Miss. 826
Court Abbreviation: Miss.
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