Jones v. State

Apr 15, 1880
Reporters:
Before:
Campbell
Campbell, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The court ruled correctly as to the competency of ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‍jurors. The punishment prescribed by law for murder is death by hanging. The jury finding a verdict of guilty of murder may fix the punishment at imprisonment for ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‍life. The law deems circumstantial evidence sufficient to warrant a verdict of guilty of murder, and a juror who is not willing to pronounce a verdict of guilty ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‍of murder on sufficient circumstantial evidence, to be followed by the sentence of the law in such case, is not such a juror as the law requires for ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‍the trial of an indictment for murder.

The ninth and tenth instructions asked by the prisoner are correct as legal propositions, and were exceedingly appropriate to the facts in ‍​‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‍evidence, and refusing them constitutes an error for which the judgment is

Reversed and cause remanded.