Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

128 Mo. 470

State v. Overstreet

Supreme Court of Missouri

Decided May 21, 1895

Supreme Court of Missouri · decided 1895-05-21

Louis County Circuit Court. — Hon. Rudolph Hiezel, Judge. (1) The instructions given by the court upon his own motion are those usually given in cases of this character, follow the forms ofttimes approved by this court, and cover very fully all the issues presented by the testimony. Nor are they subject to the criticism of the appellant that .they were erroneous, conflicting or so voluminous as to confound and confuse the jury in reaching a verdict.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently April 1928

1 state decisions

Relies on State v. Dusenberry

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Affirmed · Decided 1895-05-21

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

Gantt, P. J. —

¶1This is an appeal from the circuit court of St. Louis county. The defendant was convicted of larceny from a dwelling house. He has filed no brief, but an examination of the record discloses that the only exceptions open for review here are the refusal of the circuit court to quash the indictment, and the giving of instructions.

¶2I. No specific error in any instructions has been pointed out and a careful scrutiny has discovered none. They are simple, plain and correct.

¶3II. The defendant seems to have relied chiefly upon his motion to quash the indictment because it was preferred by a special grand jury, impaneled and sworn after the regular grand jury for the term had been discharged, for an offense alleged to have been committed prior to the impaneling of the regular grand jury. There is no merit whatever in the point. The motion on its face' recites the adjournment of the regular grand jury, and if it did not, it would be presumed in favor of the jurisdiction of a court of general jurisdiction. State v. Dusenberry, 112 Mo. 289.

¶4In this case it affirmatively appears from the record that after the adjournment of the regular grand jury, the facts came to the knowledge of the prosecuting attorney which, in his opinion, would authorize an indictment for this offense; that the court thereupon issued an order of record that a venire for a panel of *473a special grand jury be issued to the sheriff, -which was done and the jury impaneled. This was a' matter within the discretion of the trial court, and, like all matters of discretion, will not be reviewed here, unless abused.

¶5We know of no law that restricts the investigation of a special grand jury to those offenses only which are committed after the regular grand jury adjourns. When once duly impaneled they may inquire and presentment make of any offense committed within the jurisdiction of the court, not barred by the statute of limitations.

¶6The judgment is affirmed.

Burgess and Sherwood, JJ., concur.
/128/mo/470 · .json · Public domain