173 Ga. 685 | Ga. | 1931
Brewell Yancy was indicted for the offense of rape committed on Zona Latrelle Shivers, who was a little over six and one half years of age at the.time of the alleged crime. The defendant was convicted, without a recommendation; and he was sentenced to death by electrocution. He moved for a new trial upon the general grounds, and by amendment added certain special grounds. The judge overruled his motion, and he excepted.
In the second ground of the amendment to his motion for new trial the defendant complains that the judge erred in giving to the jury the following instruction: “And touching the question of rape and the penetration necessary in order to constitute the offense of rape, I present for your consideration the rules laid down by one of our courts of review: ‘There is carnal knowledge/ (and of course you will understand that is one of the essential elements of rape) ‘if there is the slightest penetration of the sexual organ of the female by the sexual organ of the male. It is not necessary that the vagina be entered or that the hymen be ruptured; the entering of the vulva or labia is sufficient/ ” Movant complains of this charge, -for the reason that to present for the consideration of the jury rules of laws laid down by one of our courts of review, without charging the same as the law applicable to the issue involved, was confusing to the jury and was hurtful and harmful to him. We do not think that the objection to this instruction is meritorious.
The judge in his charge to the jury instructed them as to the possible verdicts which might be rendered by them under the indictment, including a verdict of rape, without a recommendation to mercy, a verdict of assault with intent to commit rape, and a verdict of assault and battery, under the law and the evidence; and outlined the punishment and form of verdict applicable to each of such findings; but wholly failed to give in charge to the jury any
In this case the court instructed the jury that “In all criminal trials the prisoner enters upon the trial of his case with the presumption of innocence standing in his favor as a matter of law, and this goes with him from the beginning and throughout' the length of the trial of his case, and demands that he be acquitted unless the jury is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of his guilt.” The court further instructed the jury that “In all criminal trials the burden rests upon the State to satisfy the mind and conscience of the jury, beyond a reasonable doubt, of the guilt of the prisoner, before a conviction would be authorized of any oifense.” In view of these instructions, we do not think that the omission of the
The fourth ground is not approved by the trial judge, and for this reason it presents no question for decision by this court.
The defendant insists, in the fifth ground, that the judge erred in giving in charge to the jury this instruction: “If you find an assault was committed and rape was intended but not consummated; that for some reason the essential ingredient of penetration or entrance was not effected, even though the assault was made for the purpose of committing rape; and if you are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that such was the truth of the case, then you may consider the law relative to the crime of assault with intent to rape, for the purpose of determining whether or not the defendant is guilty of that crime and offense.” The assignment of error is not very clear. It seems to be that this instruction limited the jury to the proposition that they must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that for some, reason penetration or entrance was not effected, when they should have been instructed that if they had a reasonable doubt whether penetration or entrance was effected it would be their duty to find the defendant not guilty of rape, and that then they might consider the question of the guilt of the accused of an assault with intent to commit rape; that this instruction deprived the defendant of the principle of law that his guilt must be shown by proper evidence on all material issues, beyond a reasonable doubt; and that the same was confusing and was calculated to confuse the jury. We do not tbinV
In the sixth ground the defendant contends that the court erred, after the jury had been deliberating for several hours and had been recalled for further instructions, in making to them this statement: “I have recalled you, gentlemen, for the purpose of finding out whether I could render you any assistance. Mr. foreman, is there any point of law you are in doubt of, or is it merely a failure to agree 'as to the facts in the case ?” The foreman replied: “I don’t know whether they want any legal instructions or not.” The court: “Gentlemen, is there any member that would like to be enlightened on any point of law? You gentlemen were selected as upright and intelligent men. You were presented to me by the jury commissioners as such, and you have heard the evidence
It is true that juries should be left free to act without any real or seeming coercion on the part of the court. White v. Fulton, 68 Ga. 511 (3). The presiding judge should not unduly urge the jury to find a verdict and employ such expressions as to injuriously affect the defense of the accused. This is especially true in a capital ease, where the doctrine of reasonable doubt and the right of a jury to recommend to mercy are involved. Golatt v. State, 120 Ga. 18 (60 S. E. 107), a murder case, where the jury had been deliberating for some time when the judge inquired of them if they had reached a verdict, and, upon being answered in the negative, stated to them that it was their duty to agree in the ease; that it had been fairly and fully submitted to their consideration; that no juror should “stick out” in a spirit of stubbornness; that it was-no credit to a juror to do that; that if any juror had honest, abiding convictions, which he found it impossible to reconcile, after due consultation with the other jurors, for him to stand by them; and that it was the duty of the jurors to confer together and make an honest effort to agree. After the jurors had again de
The language in the statement with which we are dealing, “I call your attention to the fact that mistrials are a serious matter, and in many cases hinder justice,” did not unduly urge or coerce
Counsel for the defendant urge with zeal and earnestness that the verdict is not supported by the evidence, and that for this reason a new trial should be granted. The evidence for the State is substantially as follows: The little girl alleged to have been assaulted and raped and her brother were returning home from school on the day the rape was alleged to have been committed.
Hardy Shivers, the brother of the little girl, testified: Q. You remember that after — now did anything happen to you and your little sister, Latrelle, before you got home? A. No sir, but he went along and was talking to us. Q. Who? A. That negro. I had seen him before that afternoon when he was there. I have seen him in the jail-house. The one that I saw in the jail-house is the same one that was going along with me and my little sister that afternoon. The first time I saw him was when my sister and I were coming along from school. He was coming over a way leading from the negro quarters to the creamery. He came on where my little sister and me were. When he came up there, I started to walking faster, and he did too. He started to talking to us. He started after her a few times, and he said he would get her. I don’t know what the first thing he did say. After he kissed her he said he wanted a piece of pussy. Then he pulled off her bloomers and kissed her. Then he got out his “pee pee.” He took her down on the ground. He took her down first at the branch, partly in the road. After she got up from there she crawled under the fence and got into the cotton-field. He got her and kissed her. He put her on the ground in the cotton-field. I beat him on the back with my fists. When he got up he started back to her a few times. He then started back to the road and got over the fence. I and my little sister went home and told my mother about it. ' *
Alexander Story testified: I got my information of the offense charged against the defendant on the same day of the occurrence. I was not present when the boy was arrested. Mr. Hobby arrested him. I brought him around in the jail there with Mr. Hobby and
The defendant made this statement: "Well, I did not do it. I was playing with the little girl when I seed the girl. I was playing with the girl. They say I tried to do other things to her when I was playing with the little girl. Chief Hobby and Mr. Story and the little boy and the little girl and the mayor of the town come-'up in there and asked me what did I do to the little girl, and Chief Hobby told me to tell them what did I do to her, and I up and told them. I done that to keep from getting hurt.”
Dr. J. H. Baxter, testified for the defendant: I have been a practicing physician of this county for twenty-one years. I was
No further evidence was 'introduced by the defendant.
Under the evidence introduced by the State, the jury were authorized to find the defendant guilty. This being so, the contention of counsel for the defendant that the verdict was without evidence to support it is not well founded.
Judgment affirmed.