Ringham v. State, No. 1072S146

• Docket Nº: No. 1072S146
• Citation: 308 N.E.2d 863, 261 Ind. 628
• Case Date: April 01, 1974
• Court: Supreme Court of Indiana

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308 N.E.2d 863 261 Ind. 628 Henry O. RINGHAM, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Indiana, Appellee. No. 1072S146. Supreme Court of Indiana. April 1, 1974.

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Robert Howard Brown, Terre Haute, for appellant.

Theodore L. Sendak, Atty. Gen., Robert A. Zaban, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for appellee.

GIVAN, Justice.

Appellant was indicted for first degree murder. Upon a plea of not guilty, the cause was submitted to a jury. Appellant was found guilty of second degree murder and sentenced to the Indiana Department of Corrections for a period of 15 to 25 years.

[261 Ind. 629] The record reveals the following evidence:

The deceased, Donald Jeffers, was the former brother-in-law of the appellant. Appellant's sister, Bertha Jeffers, the ex-wife of the deceased, lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, next door to her parents, Carl and Evelyn Ringham, Sr. On the evening of October 5, 1971, Carl Ringham, Jr. and the appellant, who lived with Carl and Evelyn Ringham, Sr., went to Bertha Jeffers' back yard to investigate some noises. Appellant returned to his parents' house, loaded a revolver and stated: 'He's down there with two other guys.' At that time Bertha Jeffers was in her mother's home and testified that she heard her mother tell the deceased to get out of the yard, and she heard the deceased tell her mother that he wanted to see Bertha. A shot was then fired, and the appellant came into the house, got his coat and left. The deceased was found lying face down in the yard with a bullet wound in his head. He was carried into the house, but shortly died of the bullet wound.

Approximately a week after the shooting the appellant surrendered to police. After being first advised of his rights and signing a waiver, appellant told the police that he and the deceased had 'never gotten along;' that the deceased had been to Bertha Jeffers' house several times on the day of the shooting and had used profanity toward the appellant and Bertha. He stated that when the deceased returned that night, he, the appellant, went into the house and got a gun; that his mother tried to stop him, but he shoved her away and fired one shot. When the deceased fell to the ground the appellant returned to the house, put the gun in an orange bag and left for New Mexico.

At his trial the appellant testified that he could not tell who was in the back yard; that at the time he fired the shot he was

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aiming over the heads of three men who were in the yard, and that the gun went off accidentally when he was bumped from the side.

[261 Ind. 630] Appellant first claims the trial court erred in not allowing the defense to specifically question Bertha Jeffers as to her motives for wanting to kill the deceased. He takes the position that the motive of a witness for testifying is a proper subject of inquiry to determine the credibility of the witness, citing Bryant v. State (1954), 233 Ind. 274, 118 N.E.2d 894.

There is no question but what the Bryant case states the law concerning inquiry into the motive of a witness for testifying. However, the facts in the case at bar are not applicable to the principle of law. On cross-examination Bertha Jeffers testified that she had a better motive for killing the deceased than did the appellant. She testified that the deceased had struck her on occasion, and that she was afraid of him. There was evidence that they recently had been divorced and that the deceased was trying to effect a reconciliation. There is nothing in the case to indicate that Bertha Jeffers was involved in the killing of her former husband nor was there any indication whatever that she had an ulterior motive to testify in a manner detrimental to the appellant. Specific evidence of the deceased's misconduct toward the witness, Bertha Jeffers, was in no way pertinent to the evidence elicited from her concerning the incident resulting in the deceased's death.

If it was the appellant's intent by this line of questioning to bring out specific acts of misconduct on the part of the deceased which might lead to a justification of the shooting, he was free to do so in his own evidence in defense of the charge. However, a party may not establish his defense or rebuttal by cross-examining a witness as to matters not within the scope of direct examination. Potter v. State (1971), 257 Ind. 370, 274 N.E.2d 699, 27 Ind.Dec. 540.

The scope and extent of cross-examination of a witness is within the sound discretion of the trial court. This Court will not interfere with that discretion, unless there is a clear showing of abuse on the part of the trial court. 30 I.L.E. Witnesses § 112.

[261 Ind. 631] In the case at bar we see no abuse of discretion on the part of the trial court in terminating an inquiry of defense counsel on cross-examination into the personal relationship between the witness, Bertha Jeffers, and the deceased.

Appellant next argues that the trial court erred in not allowing him to question Bertha Jeffers concerning her mental condition before and after the crime was committed.

Appellant's first inquiry of Bertha Jeffers was as to whether or not she had been hospitalized in a psychiatric ward four years prior to the death of the deceased. Upon objection by the State the trial court ruled that such evidence was too...