Rupert Moore was acquitted of the burglary of the store of H & R Wood & Sons, Inc., at Grady on November IS, 1970, but convicted of grand larceny of property taken from the store. He presents two points for reversal of his conviction. The first is that an instruction given bv the trial court was tantamount to a directed verdict. The instruction defined larceny and told the jury that, if it found from the testimony beyond a reasonable doubt, that appellant had, within three years prior to the filing of the indictment, stolen property of H&R Wood & Sons, Inc., of the value of more than $35 with the intent to convert the same to his own use and deprive the true owner thereof, it would convict him of grand larceny. This instruction is quite similar in form to an instruction approved in Condit v. State,
The most that can be said of the instruction is that it is a binding instruction in that the verdict depends entirely upon the proposition therein stated and tells the jury to return a verdict against the defendant, if it finds the stated conditions to be true beyond a reasonable doubt. Hearn v. East Texas Motor Freight Lines,
Even though we find no reversible error in this instruction, this court has never looked favorably upon binding instructions. We have long discouraged the use of such instructions, because of the impractibility of stating all the various propositions of law involved in one instruction. See Ft. Smith Light and Traction Co. v. Hendrickson,
The remaining point for reversal is that error was committed in permitting witnesses to testify about objects never introduced into evidence because they were never properly identified as having any connection with the crimes charged. The information alleged that Rupert Moore and a companion (who was tried separately) stole a .44-magnum carbine, a Remington .22-caliber automatic rifle, a Stevens 12 gauge shotgun and a Winchester single shot .22-caliber rifle. The Remington .22 rifle was introduced in evidence without objection. It had been identified as coming from the burglarized store and connected with Moore by testimony that he had pawned it at Doc’s Pawn Shop in Pine Bluff. It was shown that a rifle was delivered to a deputy
Appellant also suggests that he was so prejudiced by this testimony that a reversal is required on the same basis as was applied in Cabbiness v. State,
The judgment is affirmed.
