State v. Bishop, 34209

• Decision Date: 13 March 1958
• Docket Number: No. 34209,34209
• Citation: 51 Wn.2d 884,322 P.2d 883
• Court: Washington Supreme Court
• Parties: The STATE of Washington, Respondent, v. Wallace BISHOP, Appellant.

Page 884

51 Wn.2d 884

322 P.2d 883

The STATE of Washington, Respondent, v. Wallace BISHOP, Appellant.

No. 34209.

Supreme Court of Washington, Department 2.

March 13, 1958.

Rehearing Denied April 21, 1958.

Ward V. Williams, Lynden, for appellant.

Tom A. Durham, Pros. Atty., Bellingham, for respondent.

WEAVER, Justice.

Appellant was convicted of the crime of burglary in the second degree.

On appeal to this court, he makes two assignments of error: (1) that the court erred when it permitted Manley Olson to testify; and (2) that the court erred when it refused to grant a new trial, because of alleged misconduct of the prosecuting attorney.

When Manley Olson was first called as a witness, the court granted the request of appellant's counsel that the jury retire. Manley Olson and his mother were examined and cross-examined in the absence of the jury to determine his competency to testify.

RCW 5.60.050 provides, in part:

'The following persons shall not be competent to testify: (1) Those who are of unsound mind, * * *'

In Sumerlin v. Dept. of Labor and Industries, 1941, 8 Wash.2d 43, 56, 111 P.2d 603, 608, we quoted with approval from State v. Hardung, 1931, 161 Wash. 379, 381, 297 P. 167:

'While it is true we have a statute which declares that a person of unsound mind is not competent to testify (Rem.Comp.Stat., § 1213) [RCW 5.60.050], the statute itself offers no definition of the term 'unsound mind.' Nevertheless, we think it must include those persons only who are commonly called insane; that is to say, those suffering from some derangement of the mind rendering them incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. It cannot include within its terms the mere ignorant or uneducated, nor those who are incapable of receiving all of the impressions within the comprehension of those more commonly gifted. In other words, the statutory term refers to those who are without comprehension at all, not to those whose comprehension is merely limited.'

The determination of the competency of a witness to testify is peculiarly within the discretion of the trial court. State v. Moorison, 1953, 43 Wash.2d 23, 33, 259 P.2d 1105; State v. Atkins, 1946, 26 Wash.2d 392, 393, 174 P.2d 427. The record does not disclose that the trial court abused this discretion. Appellant's first assignment of error is not well taken.

Ray L. Eckenberg had been charged jointly with appellant. He pleaded guilty and was placed on probation. At appellant's trial, the state called him as a witness. In his argument to the jury, counsel for appellant posed the question of Mr. Eckenberg's credibility. He stated:

'He [Eckenberg] was scared to death of his own neck. His whole activity since he went over to the police station was to take care of himself and to free himself, and that he has accomplished and that he is continuing to accomplish, to remain at liberty. Certainly the greatest motive in the world for him to come here and speak as he did, and his whole conduct is to stay free, to cooperate with the Prosecutor, to have a good recommendation from the Prosecutor.' (Italics ours.)

These remarks of defense counsel, especially the portion we have italicized, led the prosecuting attorney to believe that he was being accused of having promised Mr. Eckenberg probation in return for a plea of guilty and favorable testimony at appellant's...