State v. Dean
Decision Date | 01 September 1937 |
Docket Number | 8010 |
Parties | STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA, Respondent, v. TOM DEAN, Appellant. |
Court | South Dakota Supreme Court |
Appeal from Circuit Court, Fall River County, SD
#8010—Affirmed
Paul E. Martin, Hot Springs, SD
Preston T. McAvoy, Newcastle, Wyo.
Attorneys for Appellant.
Clair Roddewig, Attorney General,
C. A, Wilson, State’s Atty., Hot Springs, SD
Attorneys for the State.
Opinion filed September 1, 1937
The defendant, Tom Dean, was charged with the murder of one Byron Campbell, and was tried and convicted in the circuit court of Fall River county, state of South Dakota. The circuit court overruled defendant’s motion for a new trial, and defendant has appealed from the judgment and the order overruling his motion for new trial.
Appellant, in his appeal, has set forth three assignments of error: First, insufficiency of the evidence to support the submission of the case to the jury and its resulting verdict of guilty; second, that the court erred upon questions of law during the trial, and especially during the examination of prospective Jurors; third that the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion for a new trial. It will be seen from the brief of appellant that he relies chiefly upon the failure of the State to establish the corpus delicti and the errors made by the court during the examination of the jurors. These two contentions of appellant will be considered in detail, but such other and minor questions as are presented may be dismissed, because an examination of the record clearly shows the lack of any prejudicial error resulting therefrom.
Turning our attention to the question of whether or not the State failed to establish the corpus delicti, we find that appellant raises this question under section 4009 of the Revised Code of 1979, which reads as follows: “No person can be convicted of murder or manslaughter, or of aiding suicide, unless the death of the person alleged to have been killed, and the fact of the killing by the accused, are each established as independent facts beyond a reasonable doubt.” Appellant was convicted of the. crime of murder and the now contends that the said section 4009 of the Revised Code of 1919 has not been complied with, in that the death of the person alleged to have been killed and the fact of the killing by the accused (appellant) were not established beyond a reasonable doubt by the evidence before the court. With this contention of appellant we are forced: to disagree. There was considerable evidence introduced which showed the death of the person alleged to have been killed. For example, there is the direct testimony of the undertaker called to care for the body, who testified as follows:
In view of the fact that the said Byron Campbell is the person who was alleged to have been killed, the appellant cannot successfully assert that the state failed to establish the fact of his death.
In considering the question of whether or not the State: successfully established the killing as being done by the accused (appellant), we have before us the testimony of witnesses who saw the appellant fire several (bullets from an automatic pistol into the body of the said Byron Campbell, plus the admission of the appellant, while on the witness stand and under oath, that he had shot and killed Byron Campbell. A portion of appellant’s testimony is as follows:
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In the opinion of this court, such evidence, given by appellant, and corroborated. by witnesses who saw appellant shoot Byron Campbell, is sufficient to comply with the statute and establish beyond a reasonable doubt the fact that the killing was done by the accused (appellant), and the appellant cannot successfully contend that the State has failed to establish such fact with sufficient evidence.
Appellant’s contention that the trial court committed reversible error in asking certain questions of prospective jurors, and in failing to allow appellant’s challenges for cause to said jurors, is we believe, without much merit. The challenges for cause, which appellant contends it was error to refuse, were based upon certain questions on the part of counsel for appellant relating to whether or not the prospective jurors were prejudiced against the defense of self-defense in a murder trial. Without attempting to, set forth all of them, we quote from the record an illustrative example of the questions asked by counsel for appellant, the answers given by the prospective juror, and the questions and comments of the court:
“During the examination voir dire of the juror Charles Emick, request was made that the court reporter take the examination, whereupon the following record was made, viz.:
“By Mr. Martin: I wish to object to the Court stating as far as he has what the law applicable to this case is at this time, in the examination of the jury.
“By the juror: Yes, sir.”
Examination by the Court of Juror Emick:
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“By Mr. Martin: I object to that statement as an opinion of the Court as to, the qualifications of the juror.”
Redirect Examination by Mr. Martin:
“Q. Mr. Emick, I believe I asked you if the situation was reversed and you were on trial accused of some crime, would you want a man in the state of mind you are in to serve on the jury, and I believe you answered the question no. Is that right?
“A. I think I said I would be alright, something like that.
“Q. I said in this case if the question is the defense of self-defense, would you want a man in the same frame of mind you are in to be on a jury that was trying you?
“A. I think he would he alright.
“Q. But you answered no the other time?
“A. No “Q. You feel you can try a case of self-defense fairly and impartially?
“A. I believe I can.
“Q...
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